What does a Bubble Plate do?

[Poseidon]

Okay, here is the scoop, I have a MRC MR-2 skimmer, and I would like to replace it with a skimmer that draws fewer then the 180W that this one does. Don't get me wrong, the skimmer does a great job, it is just a bit expensive to run. I am trying to find a replacement skimmer, I am looking at skimmers in the $350-$500 range, and I found the new "Ocean Force" skimmers from MRC. This skimmer looks well built, and I like the pump being located below the skimmer body, it makes for a smaller "cleaner" looking foot print. Anyway, these skimmers have a bubble plate, but it is located directly on top of the pump output, so the water/air mix is pushed directly into the bottom of the plate. Other skimmers, like ATB, ATI, Bubble King, etc.. they all have bubble plates as well, but the water/air mixture is injected on a plane parallel to the plate, not perpendicular to it.

So, back to my question, what does a bubble plate do, and does it matter where the water contacts it?

Thanks!

 

[Dihydrogen Monoxide]

It delays the immediate rise of the bubbles coming out of the pump. Next thing is that they will start spinning the plate to encourage even more contact time. At least this is my impression of the build.

 

[Poseidon]

I tried creating a spinning in my MR-2, I found that it was less effective that way. Here are some pictures of my modded MR-2 when I had the spin going on.

The spinning made the top layer pretty stable, but it reduced production.

 

[Dihydrogen Monoxide]

Very interesting! The contact time should be increased dramatically by the spinning. were you spinning with the intake pump or a recirc?

 

[Poseidon]

I was spinning with a recirculation pump. The "catch" that I can think of anyway, was this is a Beckett type skimmer, and the extra elbows inside the skimmer body increased head pressure, which reduces pump flow. Maybe I needed a BIGGER pump because of the beckett to see any increase in performance? If so, then I will skip it, because I want to get lower on the Watt draw, not higher.

 

[cparka23]

The benefit that others tout as a bubble plate's selling point is reduction of turbulence. Increased contact time is old school. The new school says that the force that cause adhesion between protein and air bubbles is weakly electrostatic and that turbulence provides enough mechanical force to shear the protein from the bubble.

As for the skimmer pump being vertical vs horizontal, I believe the Bubble King Minis have their pump output oriented vertically. The larger models keep theirs horizontal, though.