Chaipattana Aerator
The condition of the environment is changing with pollution in the waterways of Thailand increasing in amount and this development also adversely affects the people. His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej has made many visits to several parts of Bangkok to see firsthand the detriment to the water. And His Majesty has never been at a loss for advice on how to improve the situation.
During the period of 1984 to 1987, His Majesty suggested the use of good water to chase away the bad as well as filtering waste water with water hyacinth and other various water plants, both of which were able to help improve the quality of the water in the area to some degree. Despite this, the severity of waste water continued to increase. Thus the application of only one or a few methods seemed to be insufficient.
His Majesty thus commissioned the Chaipattana Foundation to provide support in collaboration with the Royal Irrigation Department to do a study of equipment that could conduct efficient waste water treatment. And the guidelines His Majesty asked be followed were that the resulting equipment be low-cost and domestically producible.
His Majesty’s inspiration for an aerating device to deal with waste water was derived from the treadmill for raising water used in agricultural fields, a form of traditional local wisdom in Thailand’s rural area. And on December 24, 1988 His Majesty the King presented His Majesty’s ideas for the structure, building and development of a prototype that was a slow-speed floating device to aerate the water’s surface known as the Chaipattana Aerator. With propellers to drive and also churn the water, the aerating machine turns the water into a fine spray allowing it to thoroughly be aerated. And thus the water is quickly oxygenated. Morover, while the waste water is raised into a spray air bubbles mix with it and additional oxygen is transferred to the water as the bubbles sink. The invention of the Chaipattana Aerator offers not only the advantages of aerating water, but also churning and controlling the flow of the water.
Further studies were conducted to construct nine other aerating machine models which are used to treat waste water in various areas. And since May 1989, they have been in use in many waste water treatment stations.
It was a great honor for all of Thailand when the Chaipattana Aerator was reviewed and granted a patent in the name of His Majesty the King on February 2, 1993. This was the ninth aerating invention of the world to be patented and the first registering and granting of a patent for the royal dynasty. It was also the first patent for any Thai or foreign king.
To commemorate His Majesty’s noble invention and patenting achievement, the Thai cabinet passed a resolution to make February 2 of every year in Thailand the official Inventor’s Day. And the Chaipattana Aerator was also awarded first place in 1993 for best beneficial idea or invention for the nation by the Office of National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT).