Design of a Vacuum Degassing Apparatus to Reduce Nitrogen Supersaturation and Maintain Hypoxia in Well Water

Water derived from an underground well or spring is commonly supersaturated with nitrogen and low in dissolved oxygen. These conditions are generally harmful to fishes, and water must be treated to reduce total dissolved gases and adjust dissolved oxygen concentrations to desired levels. Typically, corrective methods remove nitrogen while increasing the oxygen concentration, but this is not desirable for situations where hypoxic conditions are needed for experimental purposes. In this project, a vacuum degasser was designed to remove excess nitrogen from well water while keeping dissolved oxygen concentration low (i.e., <= 2.0 mg/L). Additionally, in a parallel system, a normoxic water treatment system was designed to remove excess nitrogen while simultaneously increasing the oxygen concentration to create normoxic conditions. These systems provide solutions to overcoming gas supersaturation in well water and produce the desired dissolved oxygen concentration, without requiring the use of consumable gas cylinders.

Automated summary

Water from underground wells or springs is often saturated with nitrogen and low in dissolved oxygen, which is harmful to fishes. In this project, a vacuum degasser and a normoxic water treatment system were designed to remove excess nitrogen while maintaining low dissolved oxygen concentration and to increase oxygen concentration to create normoxic conditions.