Apparatus and method for transporting buoyant particulate matter such as ice to a submerged location in a fluid

摘要

Buoyant particles entrained in a transport water are delivered to the bottom of a flooded vessel, overcoming the buoyant force of the particles and other fluid dynamics problems associated with entrained fluid flow. In a preferred embodiment, ice particles are delivered through a conduit to the bottom of a flooded thermal storage tank by entraining the ice particles in a swirling transport water.