Bubble Tubing®, More Than a Drilled Pipe!

Learn why Bubble Tubing® isn't simply a drilled pipe

Commonly copied but rarely perfected, Bubble Tubing® excels where others fall short! Drilling holes into HDPE or steel pipe is often considered an easy and cheap option for imitating Bubble Tubing®. Despite the appeal of drilled pipe, it poses a multitude of issues; be it high back pressure at startup or increased biofouling from the larger holes. Drilled pipe often sours the relationship most contractors have with bubble curtains, leading to over budget projects and subpar performances. Don’t worry, Bubble Tubing® is here for you!  

Energy Efficiency

Simply put, it takes a lot more compressed air to maintain a sufficient bubble curtain using a drilled pipe diffuser compared to Bubble Tubing®. Once in operation drilled pipe diffusers use at least twice as much energy to maintain an even curtain.  Inevitably, the larger holes of a hand-drilled diffuser will lead to water ingress into the system thus increasing the amount of air needed to sustain a bubble barrier.

Bubble Tubing®’s innovative design and flexible composition ensure even pressurization along the entire diffuser.  This unique attribute eliminates water ingress into the Bubble Tubing® while the diffuser is operating. When it comes down to it, more compressed air needs more energy and more fuel.

In July 2024 Bubble Tubing® was contacted by a powerplant on the Pacific Ocean that faced shutdown due to large amounts of salp and jellyfish accumulating in their water intake. An emergency bubble curtain system was shipped out to replace the existing drilled pipe system thus preventing the powerplant from shutting down. The existing drilled pipe system was outdated, requiring a large team of divers, 7 to 10 days of installation as well as four 1600 CFM compressors. This transition from an outdated drilled pipe system to Bubble Tubing® significantly reduced deployment time down to less than 12 hours and reduced the air requirement of the bubble curtain to only 800 CFM.

Switching to Bubble Tubing® reduced energy consumption by 87.5%, delivering upwards of 80% in energy savings for the power plant.

Biofouling & Maintenance

Additionally, hand-drilled holes not only increase water to ingress, they’re also the leading cause of biofouling. Biofouling is the accumulation of organic matter such as algae, plants, mussels or bacteria inside the diffuser system.  For permanent installation, biofouling becomes a serious issue as it can create build-ups inside the piping. Thus, hindering the deployment of a bubble curtain and if neglected, the replacement of the diffuser.

Bubble Tubing®’s fine diffusion technology helps prevent biofouling through its self-cleaning design. The micro-perforations of Bubble Tubing® prevent organisms from entering the tubing while the internal pressurization allows the system to be purged at startup thus cleaning the apertures ensuring smooth operations.

Bubble Size & Oxygen Transfer Rate

When it comes down to bubbles, it’s hard to beat Bubble Tubing®! Originally designed to aerate a long dugout, Bubble Tubing® has been validated by a third-party experts GSEE as having one of the highest oxygen transfer rates of any air diffusion system. By dispersing uniform micro-bubbles along its entire length, this specialized diffuser has been used by wastewater professionals and the aquaculture industry to obtain precise dissolved oxygen levels for the past 20 years.

In general, the handmade holes of a drilled pipe will offer much larger bubbles which decrease the efficiency of oxygen transfer. Not only do these larger bubbles decrease SOTR, but they also decrease the overall performance of bubble curtain systems as they lack uniformity often leaving gaps in the barrier. Subpar performance and unpredictable results are commonly observed with drilled pipe systems.

A Proven Technology

Bubble Tubing® is manufactured in Canada under certified ISO 9001-2015 conditions. Unlike a handmade drilled pipe that may deliver unstable performance, Bubble Tubing® is reliable and can be depended upon when predictable results are necessary.

Moreover, the Bubble Tubing® team recurringly invests in research and development efforts through third-party partnerships with research firms. R&D has validated Bubble Tubing®’s efficiency for applications such as aeration (2011, 2017), sound attenuation (2018), de-icing (2019), jellyfish & debris deflection (2022) and upwelling (2023). The results overwhelmingly distinguish Bubble Tubing® as a leader in its field. For larger projects, CFD modelling has been developed to accurately predict the performance of Bubble Tubing® systems.

Learn more about our the Bubble Tubing® technology here!

Trusted by Industry Leaders

Bubble Tubing® has been adopted by large industries as the go-to for bubble curtains, energy efficient upwelling and seamless de-icing. For marine construction and infrastructure projects, bubble curtains are adopted for silt retention and sound mitigation thus protecting sensitive marine mammals and ecosystems. Similarly, bubble curtains using Bubble Tubing® have been used to deviate jellyfish, salps and other marine organisms from entering water intakes used by powerplants & other heavy industries. Bubble Tubing’s high energy efficiency makes it the diffuser of choice for remote industries such as salmon farming and mineral resource extraction.

Simply put, Bubble Tubing® efficiently displaces the largest volume of water for the least amount of compressed air.

In short, Bubble Tubing® is much more than just a drilled pipe. Our technology offers the best dependable results on the market and with support from our team of experts, we can help you deploy a bubble curtain easily and without a hitch. Innovative design and third-party validated studies cement Bubble Tubing® as the best linear air diffuser on the market.

For inquiries about Bubble Tubing® or help with designing bubble curtains, contact us!