Just to add to the above question. Would that cause the bubbles to collide and grow bigger? I am trying to get the bubbles to stay in the mixing chamber to stay in there a little longer to have more time to collect or hit the proteins?
I just read thru Mojos Skimmer 101. Dam you Mojo for making me rethink my design, AGAIN!!!!
Its going to be one nice wheel when its done!! :decision:
Ok lets talk about it a bit. Remember protein skimmers have only two main processes that they use to do this, from their their are a couple of other scenerio's that come into play. So the two processes are to first mechanically strip proteins and similar from water molecules and then have them Chemically reattach to the air water interface of the foam column. So lets break them down a bit.
In the mixing chamber (the part of the skimmer where air bubbles and water are mixing and not the foam in the neck) is where the mechanical stripping occurs. You are bombarding the dirty water moles with the clean air bubbles you are injecting. The best way to do this is counter current because all the air water moles have to pass all the air bubbles prior to them leaving the skimmer. If you start to complicate things you might end up screwing up the main idea. When you create a tornado in the mixing chamber you also create bubble destruction, de-coupling of proteins that have attached to the air/water interface and disturbance of the foam column. You will find that almost all of the new venturi skimmers that introduce air and water from the same source have these issue and because of this they have created all these little gimmicks to combat the problems they create. So the bubble plates, cone shapes and so on and so forth to lessen the adverse effects they create. So is the coupe of extra seconds of contact time going to be worth the possible ill effects?? or is it easier to just turn down the water input a little to get the extra time?? Your choice.
In the neck you are going to get a collection of the air bubbles that have come from the mixing chamber, this is where the chemical process occurs, so you are going to get some proteins that will attach to the air bubbles, some that will half attach and some that will hang out in the thin water that resides between the air bubbles (remember different proteins like different surfaces). So what you want here is a slow and steady rising of the foam that is formed with out disturbance and with the air bubbles remaining approx. the same size all the way up. If you allow it to be to dry you will loose the water loving proteins, to wet and you will loose the water fearing ones and if you make it to much water or air you will just freight train all microscopic life out of the tank.
So with whatever choice you may have in your skimmer design keep these simple processes in the forefront. Counter current to achieve a good bombardment rate with a percentage of around 20-25 % air to water. Do not allow to much violence in the mixing chamber as it might undue what its already done. Remember your dealing with proteins and there are many kinds, some fear water and want away from it, some love it and dont want to leave it and finally some protein chains are long and have parts that have both of the prior, so you need to make sure your foam has a consistancy to take care of all of them (not to wet and not to dry). Also remember that most all proteins like being attached to water moles and it will take some time to both mechanically strip them and then chemically reattach them, so the time the water spends in the chamber is important, look for somewhere between 30 to 90 seconds.
Mojo
PM me your address and i will send one to you i made these nano one's out of sprinkler parts. Yes they work and create a vortex it will be up to you to make them work in a skimmer
