Foam formulations and apparatus for delivery

Abstract

Foamable formulations of agriculturally active ingredients are provided, as well as methods for using them. The formulations allow improved delivery active ingredients by the ability to deliver high amounts of active ingredient with a low volume of formulation used.

1 - 40 . (canceled) 
     
     
         41 . A foam mixing chamber of a system for generating and dispensing a foamed formulation by combining a gas and a liquid agricultural formulation, comprising:
 a chamber body defining an interior chamber, said interior chamber having an interior chamber inlet through which the liquid agricultural formulation enters said interior chamber and an interior chamber outlet through which the foamed formulation exits;   a manifold head in fluid communication with said interior chamber outlet and having one or more outlet ports through which the foamed formulation exits;   a mixing tee having a body, a tee gas inlet for receiving the gas, a tee fluid inlet for receiving the liquid agricultural formulation, and a tee outlet in fluid communication with said tee gas inlet and said tee fluid inlet, said tee outlet further being in fluid communication with said interior chamber inlet through which the gas and liquid agricultural formulation enters said interior chamber; and   a foaming medium having a surface contact area and disposed within said interior chamber between said interior chamber inlet and said interior chamber outlet so that said liquid agricultural formulation passes through said foaming medium in contact with said surface area to agitate the liquid agricultural formulation, said medium having a sufficient amount of surface contact area for the desired foam expansion.   
     
     
         42 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  wherein said one or more outlet ports of said manifold head comprises a plurality of outlet ports. 
     
     
         43 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  wherein said tee gas inlet and said tee fluid inlet are perpendicular to one another. 
     
     
         44 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  wherein said chamber body and said manifold are formed as separate units. 
     
     
         45 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  wherein said chamber body and said manifold are formed as an integral unit. 
     
     
         46 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  wherein said mixing tee and said chamber body are formed as an integral unit. 
     
     
         47 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  further comprising an orifice plate having an orifice hole sized and positioned to permit passage of a desired flow of gas through said tee gas inlet. 
     
     
         48 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 47  wherein said orifice plate is positioned within said mixing tee. 
     
     
         49 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  further comprising an orifice plate having an orifice hole sized and positioned to permit passage of a desired flow of said liquid agricultural formulation through said tee fluid inlet. 
     
     
         50 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 49  wherein said orifice plate is positioned within said mixing tee. 
     
     
         51 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  further comprising an orifice core positioned to engage and agitate the liquid agricultural formulation in said mixing tee. 
     
     
         52 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  wherein said foaming medium comprises a plurality of glass spheres. 
     
     
         53 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  wherein said foaming medium comprises steel wool. 
     
     
         54 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  wherein said chamber body includes a tube defining an outer wall of said internal chamber. 
     
     
         55 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41  further comprising an orifice plate having an opening positioned to engage and agitate the liquid agricultural formulation in said mixing tee. 
     
     
         56 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 55 ,
 wherein said tube comprises an inner tube,   said chamber body includes an outer tube encasing at least a portion of said inner tube,   said outer tube further includes a closed end spaced from and covering said inner tube outlet to form a second interior chamber outside of and in fluid communication with said interior chamber for receiving the foamed formulation therefrom,   wherein said outer tube is spaced from said inner tube to define an outer flow passage therebetween in fluid communication with said second interior chamber to receive the foamed formulation therefrom, and   wherein said manifold head is in fluid communication with said outer flow passage.   
     
     
         57 . A foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 53  wherein said glass spheres comprise a diameter of about 5 to 6 mm. 
     
     
         58 . An agricultural foam delivery system comprising,
 a tank for holding a liquid agricultural formulation;   a source of compressed air;   a foam mixing chamber as set forth in  claim 41 , wherein said tee gas inlet is in fluid communication with said source of compressed air for receiving air therefrom, and said tee fluid inlet is in fluid communication with said tank of liquid agricultural formulation for receiving the liquid agricultural formulation therefrom; and   at least one nozzle for dispensing the foamed formulation, said nozzle being in fluid communication with said one or more outlet ports of said manifold head for receiving said foamed formulation therefrom.   
     
     
         59 . A method of generating an agricultural foam, comprising:
 (a) mixing a liquid agricultural formulation with compressed gas to create a mixture, said liquid agricultural formulation containing at least one agriculturally active ingredient;   (b) forcing the mixture through a foaming medium having a surface contact area that is contacted by said mixture, thereby generating a foamed agricultural formulation; and   (c) distributing said foamed agricultural formulation through one or more outlet ports.   
     
     
         60 . The method of  claim 59  wherein the foaming medium of step (a) comprises a plurality of glass spheres. 
     
     
         61 . The method of  claim 59  wherein said method is carried out by the foam mixing chamber in accordance with  claim 41 . 
     
     
         62 . The method of  claim 59  further comprising the step of agitating said liquid formulation prior to step (a). 
     
     
         63 . The method of  claim 59  further comprising:
 (d) delivering said foamed formulation distributed in step (c) to a seed furrow through one or more delivery nozzles. 
 
     
     
         64 . The method of  claim 59  further comprising:
 (d) delivering said foamed formulation through one or more delivery nozzles to seeds as they are being planted in furrow. 
 
     
     
         65 . The method of  claim 63  wherein the gas of step (a) comprises air. 
     
     
         66 . The method of  claim 63  wherein the liquid agricultural formulation of step (a) further comprises at least one foaming agent. 
     
     
         67 . The method of  claim 59  wherein said agricultural active ingredient is selected from the group consisting of fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and nematicides, pesticides, plant growth regulators, and growth promoters. 
     
     
         68 . The method of  claim 59  wherein the liquid agricultural formulation comprises at least one agriculturally active ingredient, one or more foaming agents in a total of about 5% to about 30% by weight, and one or more foam stabilizers in a total of about 7% to about 15% by weight. 
     
     
         69 . The method of  claim 59  wherein the liquid agricultural formulation comprises at least one agriculturally active ingredient in a total amount of 17.5% to 22.5% by weight, one or more foaming agents in a total of about 5% to about 30% by weight, and one or more foam stabilizers in a total of about 1% to about 15% by weight. 
     
     
         70 . The method of  claim 61  wherein the liquid agricultural formulation comprises at least one agriculturally active ingredient, one or more foaming agents in a total of about 5% to about 30% by weight, and one or more foam stabilizers in a total of about 7% to about 15% by weight. 
     
     
         71 . The method of  claim 61  wherein the liquid agricultural formulation comprises at least one agriculturally active ingredient in a total amount of 17.5% to 22.5% by weight, one or more foaming agents in a total of about 5% to about 30% by weight, and one or more foam stabilizers in a total of about 1% to about 15% by weight;