new skimmer design???
 

I've always wondered how to maximize the contact time in a skimmer, without having to go verticle.

Everybody seems stuck on a long tube to use as the main body.
An idea has always stuck in my head to build a skimmer in the shape of a rectangle with baffles.

A beckett type injection could be used to supply water and air in.
Then the mixture could flow up and down a series of baffles, ala bubble traps. If the downdraft portion of the baffles where tight enough to provide enough velocity to also drive the bubble to the exit, it'll naturally rise in the updraft section. This could be repeated over again, until there is a size limitation. The last section would have to contain a funnel to skim the sludge.


Simple conceptual drawing...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v6...ck/skimmer.jpg

thoughts?....

How would we clean this thing? :biggrin:

The design wouldnt work unfortunatly,


After the first injection point, small bubbles would accumulate into bigger ones.
All the remaining chambers would be just air pockets, with water only in the last.

If the idea was to increase velocity to keep it from doing this, your back at square 1 with contact time.
Marc.

to clean, you could always flange and gasket the top.

As to air pockets, that is a concern.

Re: new skimmer design???
 

you'll get air pockets in chamber 2-3, 4-5, and 6-7.
cwlee

I agree with chin_lee and fudge, won't work.

Steve

I also agree you would get air at the top of every chamber!!

strinking resemblance to how people set up "bubble traps" in their sump to help remove microbubbles, which I believe would be redundant in a skimmer.