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News

Water aeration in Schauberger funnels: Astonishing scientific results

  • News, forwarded by Wetsus, Leeuwarden
  • 15 March 2022

Nature-inspired reverse hurricane: water aeration quicker and cheaper

Researchers from the theme Applied water physics have discovered an efficient and cost-effective method of dissolving oxygen into water. An astonishing method that is five times more rapid and a lot cheaper than the conventional bubble-blowing aerations. By using a nature-inspired vortex, or whirlpool, the scientist could show the unthinkable and for decades unprovable. The patented method was published last week in the journal Water.

“An outstanding idea, three generations old, has finally been proven against even our own believes – the way nature dissolves air into water is more efficient and cheaper than what humans have been able to do in all of history,” explains corresponding author Elmar C. Fuchs, “oxygen in water is an essential element for producing drinking water and cleaning up wastewater.

Vortexing works by sending water around in a hyperbolic funnel shape – creating a suction effect through the middle of the whirl. This way, air is pulled into the water – like a reverse hurricane. The oxygen transfer rate in this setup is very much unlike those in the commercial bubbling method: we have consistently recorded a fivefold increase, but have seen much higher.”

Moreover, swirling the water through a funnel turns out to be cheaper. Fuchs: “Nobody believed us at first. It is the perfect scenario, cheaper and faster. Hyperbolic vortexing requires about 40 times less energy per kilogram of dissolved oxygen compared to other methods. With the correct flow regime in a hyperbolic funnel, the only energy required for this system is used for pumping the water up and into the system. Which is less intensive than otherwise required machinery and consist of fewer moving parts. It is that simple.”

But it was never proven before. “The idea has been around for a few decades, originating from the Schauberger family in Austria,” Fuchs tells, “three generations long the Schaubergers have been drawing inspiration from nature to develop technological advancements. Because they believe that the way nature does it, is the best way.” Now with the Wetsus physicists around, it was finally proven.

As of now, the technology is said to work great for making drinking water, as it is well able to oxidize the iron from the groundwater. A major milestone. Further advancements to aerate wastewater are on their way.

Read more:

Agostinho, Luewton, Rene Pecnik, Jakob Woisetschläger, Esther de Kroon, Nicolae Şişcanu, Maarten van de Griend, Willibald Loiskandl, en Elmar Fuchs. “Enhanced Oxygen Volumetric Mass Transfer in a Geometrically Constrained Vortex”. Water 14, no 5 (01 Maart 2022): 771. https://doi.org/10.3390/w14050771.

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Schauberger Original Funnel ®

Design inspired by nature

The preferred flow of water can be easily observed in untouched nature. Countless flow patterns can be seen, including large and small vortices. That is to say that the water moves in the form of a spiral. Based on this observation, the natural scientist Walter Schauberger searched for a form in which water is optimally curled. Schauberger’s hyperbolic funnels are the result of many years of research.

Walter Schauberger drew inspiration from Pythagoras and Johnannes Kepler, who were convinced that our universe followed harmonic principles. With the help of his mathematical calculations, Schauberger went on to discover harmonic laws. In implementing these laws, he developed the shape of the hyperbolic cone in 1970 in collaboration with engineer Maximilian Mack, which was subsequently used as Schauberger’s hyperbolic funnel.

Since 1970, a lot of university research has been devoted to the scientific study of this funnel and much has been discovered. Current investigations concern the enormous oxygen uptake of funneled water, the pH value, the flow velocity, and there are always new and astonishing results.*

Together with selected Austrian craftspeople and the highest quality of mouth-blown glass, wood and copper, we have been able to implement Walter Schauberger’s findings. The result is a real eye-catcher. The glass funnel, visible from all sides, in an elegant wooden frame (choice of ash, pine or walnut) with a stylish protective copper cap refines your drinking water at home. A durable and sustainable designer piece “Made in Austria”, inspired by nature.

“An outstanding idea, three generations old, has finally been proven against even our own believes – the way nature dissolves air into water is more efficient and cheaper than what humans have been able to do in all of history,” explains corresponding author Elmar C. Fuchs, “oxygen in water is an essential element for producing drinking water and cleaning up wastewater.” *


Ash € 860 / Pine or Oak € 885 / Walnut € 910

Technical Data:

4-piece product
Total height including filling funnel 69cm, total width including filling funnel 33cm
Main funnel: inside Ø 15,5 cm, length (from bottom to the top of the funnel) 25cm

For further information and order please contact: info@schauberger.or.at (shipping within Europe € 22)

Alternatively, a wall mounting system is also available:

* New scientific results (15th March 2022): https://tinyurl.com/2fw4jwcj

* Master’s Thesis: Vortices in Hyperbolic Funnels as Aeration Systems | TU Delft Repositories

The hyperbolic shape has been used successfully for years with the original Martin water whirler, the Wytor acrylic hyperbola and the copper funnel for biotopes (see chapter “Practice”).

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Walter Schauberger’s Hyperbolic Funnel: promising water treatment device

“Vortices in Hyperbolic Funnels as Aeration Systems”

Master Thesis at TU Delft shows: higher gas transfer rates in comparison to the conventional aeration systems

  • The author of the Master Thesis, Teja Donepudi, writes in his introduction:

“As opposed to other water treatment methods that use chemicals, aeration is an eco-friendly
method. In addition to being an essential step in wastewater treatment, it is also one of the
most energy-intensive processes consuming 15% to 90% of total electricity, and up to
40% of the operating budget. This has lead to a need to make aeration processes more
sustainable and economical. With their high gas transfer rates and low energy consumption,
vortices generated in hyperbolic funnels might be a promising alternative to the conventional
aeration systems presently in use.”

This numerical study is based on experiments, conducted with groundwater on pilot test facilities of hyperbolic funnels at the Water Application Center (WAC) in “Wetsus, European Centre of Excellence for
Sustainable Water Technology”, situated in Leeuwarden (NL), in cooperation with the University of Natural Resources and Life Science, Vienna (Universität für Bodenkultur, Wien), Technical University Graz and other research centers.

Download of the Master Thesis, published in Aug., 2021, via: Vortices in Hyperbolic Funnels as Aeration Systems | TU Delft Repositories

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Official Viktor Schauberger Video on YouTube

The first film about Viktor Schauberger’s life’s work was published some years ago on DVD.
A comprehensive survey of historical facts, current research and various practical applications into both technology and the natural world.

As several unauthorized copies of poor quality appeared on the internet, the producer (J. Schauberger Verlag) and the director of the Film, Franz Fitzke, decided to publish the original documentation on YouTube via wocomoDOCS.

See the English version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXPrLGUGZsw

or the German version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4h_yiDIuQE

English with Subtitles for the Chinese market https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8vhlyH5Us0

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