Alternate Calcium Reactor Help

[mcvicker]

So, I have a million dollar idea and not sure if it will work or not. A standard calcium reactor uses a CO2 setup to lower the pH enough to increase the dissolution of CaCO3 into Calcium and carbonate. I had an alternate idea that I was going to try for an inexpensive calcium reactor. I would take one of the ultrasonic humidifiers and using the ultrasonic unit on it to provide the energy needed to break the CaCO3 bond. The major benefits would be cost and the effluent wouldn't spike the pH in the tank. Does anybody have any comments on this? Would anybody be willing to put some reactor effluent in a humidifier (put a cover to prevent evaporation) and measure before after calcium levels? My concern would be heat build up which should be minimal for the units. How about it any guinea pigs out there.
-chris

 

[DonW]

Are you expecting the ultrasonic sound to dissolve ca reactor media?

Don

 

[mcvicker]

That was the thought. I have an ex-coworker who uses ultrasonics in a lot of industrial applications. I was looking at the calcium reactor and it occured to me that the ultrasonic unit in the cheap humidifiers could be moded to fit in the pH probe opening on calcium reactors. At this point it is more of a curiosity thing, since I already have a calcium reactor that is functioning. In the humidifier the techno blurb states the water is vaporized using the ultrasonic unit with no hot components. So, I think the energy would be there to break the Ca and CO3 bond.
-chris

 

[DonW]

That was the thought. I have an ex-coworker who uses ultrasonics in a lot of industrial applications. I was looking at the calcium reactor and it occured to me that the ultrasonic unit in the cheap humidifiers could be moded to fit in the pH probe opening on calcium reactors. At this point it is more of a curiosity thing, since I already have a calcium reactor that is functioning. In the humidifier the techno blurb states the water is vaporized using the ultrasonic unit with no hot components. So, I think the energy would be there to break the Ca and CO3 bond.
-chris

I have a high powered ultrasonic submersion probe (for cleaning fuel injectors)probably 50 times the power of my humidifier unit. I was thinking I would use it to break loose some ball valves that had frozed due to precip in my closed loop. It pretty much did nothing when I tried it out on a mj pump covered in precip. I added heat and it cleaned it in about 24hrs at nearly boiling temp. Keep in mind thats a $8K probe.

Don

 

[shadofax]

The vaporizers have just enough energy to break the intermolecular hydrogen bonds that hold water in the liquid state and allow them to become gas thus humidifying the air. As for CaCO3 you have a full ionic interaction that is much more stable and thus takes much more energy to break.

 

[shadofax]

So to sum that I up, you are not going to get the energy needed to break apart those ionic interactions out of a simple sonicator. You might be able to disrupt the interaction with a very intense pulse of sound but like DonW pointed out even with his high energy probe he was not able to break apart the salts cloging up the ball valves. Good thought but I do not think it is reasonable from a hobby standpoint.