Apparatus for manufacturing carbonated water

Abstract

An apparatus is and method are provided for manufacturing carbonated water rapidly with a high rate of inclusion of carbonic acid gas in the carbonated water and having a reduced dispersion, the manufacture taking place in a water storage container in which a perforated bowl is connected to an upper surface thereof with water being sprayed into the bowl from a water supply line. The water sprayed into the bowl has droplets from about 0.01 to 0.5 mm in diameter and from about 3 to 30% of the water sprayed into the bowl flows outwardly through ports in the bottom wall of the perforated bowl. From about 70 to 97% by weight of the water supplied to the bowl flows outward through ports in the side walls of the bowl.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. In an apparatus for the manufacture of carbonated water comprising 
       (1) A carbonated water storage container having a bottom wall,  
       (2) a perforated bowl connected to an upper portion of said storage container, said perforated bowl having side walls and a bottom wall and outlet ports in the side and bottom walls,  
       (3) a water supply line connected to said storage container at an upper portion thereof and arranged to spray water into an inner portion of said perforated bowl, with water droplets from the spray being from about 0.01 to 0.5 mm in diameter, the sprayed water generating bubbles in water contained in the bowl and on the surface of the contained water; 
       (4) means to supply carbonic acid gas to the storage container,  
       (5) a siphon tube having an open end near the bottom wall of said water storage container to carry collected carbonated water from the storage container, and  
       (6) said outlet ports in the bottom wall of said perforated bowl permitting outflow therefrom of from about 3 to 30% of water supplied to said perforated bowl from said water supply line, and said outlet ports in the sidewalls of said perforated bowl permitting outflow therefrom of from about 70 to 97% of water supplied to said perforated bowl from said water supply line, thereby maintaining a level of the water contained in the bowl as high as the height of the outlet ports in the sidewalls, a portion of the sidewalls, above the outlet ports in the sidewalls in height, functioning as holding means for holding the generated bubbles floating on the water within the bowl to achieve an effective absorption of carbonic acid gas into water.  
     
     
       2. The apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the outlet ports in said perforated bowl are below the water supply line from which water is sprayed into the bowl.