Bubble Curtain with Bubble Tubing®

How Does the Bubble Curtain Work?

A bubble barrier is created by the action of an air compressor and a bubble tube Bubble Tubing®.

The interest of bubble curtains and the effect of air bubbles in water were extensively studied during the WWII period in order to block sound waves from submarines. Air bubbles in water have also been shown to reduce the rate of dispersion of sound waves and disrupt the propagation of energy densities that would normally be observed. The effectiveness of bubble curtains depends mainly on the frequency of the waves, the volume of air injected, the size of the bubbles, the number of pipes used and the distance between the bubbles coming out from the diffuser pipe.
The principle of operation of a bubble curtain is to create, more or less, a dense wall, a flexible bubble barrier, which rises continuously from the bottom of the water to the surface.

This wall of air bubbles is created using a properly matched compressor capable of running continuously at the estimated air volume. These bubble curtains will be used as a buffer zone to reduce the impact of shock waves and also sounds and frequencies dispersing in water from a source (for example the hammering of a pole at the bottom of the sea). The injected air flow must be large enough to form a very dense and efficient curtain of bubbles. Depending on the project, we regularly suggest installing double or triple bubble curtains to maximize the amount of bubbles present. In the case of double or triple curtains, the lines of Bubble Tubing® diffusers are installed parallel to each other at a distance specific to each project. The reasoning is that each layer of bubble contributes to the reduction of impacts. By adding layers, it is possible to increase protection to the aquatic environment.

Depending on the uses, the bubble curtain can also be referred to as an air bubble barrier, pneumatic air bubble barrier, compressed air barrier, air pulse barrier, air, bubble wall or sound barrier.