Mixing apparatus with stator and method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10137420-B2
Application number	US-201414192821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2014
Priority date	Feb 27, 2014
Publication date	Nov 27, 2018
Grant date	Nov 27, 2018

Abstract

A mixer and method for mixing are provided. The mixer includes a housing having a fluid inlet, an additive inlet, and an outlet, with the housing defining a mixing chamber in fluid communication with the fluid inlet, the additive inlet, and the outlet. The mixer also includes an impeller disposed in the mixing chamber, wherein, when rotated, the impeller draws fluid through the fluid inlet. The mixer also includes a slinger disposed in the mixing chamber and configured to receive the fluid from the impeller and to receive an additive from the additive inlet. When rotated, the slinger slings the fluid and the additive radially outwards. The mixer further includes a stator disposed at least partially around the slinger, with the stator including vanes spaced circumferentially apart so as to define flowpaths therebetween.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mixer, comprising:
a shaft for driving the mixer, the shaft disposed within and extending through a housing, the housing comprising a fluid inlet adjacent one axial end of the shaft, an additive inlet adjacent an opposite axial end of the shaft, and a tangential outlet intermediate the fluid inlet and the additive inlet, the housing defining a mixing chamber in fluid communication with the fluid inlet, the additive inlet, and the outlet;
an impeller disposed on the shaft in the mixing chamber, wherein, when rotated, the impeller draws fluid through the fluid inlet in an axial direction;
a slinger disposed on the shaft in the mixing chamber and configured to receive the fluid from the impeller and to receive an additive inlet from the additive inlet in an axial direction opposite the axial direction of the fluid, wherein, when rotated, the slinger slings the fluid and the additive radially outwards toward the tangential outlet of the housing; and
a shearing ring stator disposed at least partially around the slinger, the stator comprising first and second annular portions stacked together and vanes spaced circumferentially apart so as to define flowpaths therebetween;
wherein the housing, the impeller, the slinger and the stator are configured to prevent air received through the additive inlet from entrainment in the fluid received from the impeller.

2. The mixer of claim 1 , wherein the slinger and the impeller are disposed in a back-to-back configuration, such that the impeller drives the fluid radially outward of the slinger, and then radially inward toward a middle of the slinger.

3. The mixer of claim 2 , further comprising a shaft coupled with both the slinger and the impeller, to rotate the slinger and the impeller.

4. The mixer of claim 1 , wherein the stator is radially offset from blades of the slinger, so as to form a clearance space therebetween.

5. The mixer of claim 1 , wherein the stator comprises the first annular portion defining a first flowpath area and the second annular portion defining a second flowpath area, wherein the first flowpath area is greater than the second flowpath area, and the second annular portion is disposed between the first annular portion and the impeller.

6. The mixer of claim 5 , wherein the second annular portion is disposed around at least a portion of the slinger and is aligned therewith so as to receive fluid therefrom.

7. The mixer of claim 5 , wherein the second annular portion comprises a plurality of vanes that are spaced apart to define a plurality of flowpaths therebetween.

8. The mixer of claim 1 , wherein the ratio of a cross-sectional area of the plurality of vanes to the second flowpath area is between about 1:2 and about 4:1.

9. The mixer of claim 1 , wherein the second annular portion is shroudless, such that the plurality of flowpaths defined therein are open-ended.

10. The mixer of claim 5 , wherein the first annular portion of the stator comprises a plurality of posts coupled with the housing.

11. The mixer of claim 1 , wherein the slinger comprises a plurality of slinger blades.

12. The mixer of claim 1 , wherein the slinger comprises a plurality of disks spaced axially apart.

13. The mixer of claim 1 , wherein the housing comprises an upper housing portion in which the additive inlet is at least partially defined, and a lower housing portion in which the fluid inlet is at least partially defined, and wherein the stator is at least one of: integral with the lower housing portion, the upper housing portion, or both.

14. The mixer of claim 1 , wherein the additive inlet is configured to receive an additive via gravity.

15. The mixer of claim 1 wherein the housing, the impeller, the slinger and the stator prevent air received through the additive inlet from entrainment in the fluid received from the impeller by creating a cyclonic separation effect.

16. A mixer, comprising:
a housing defining a mixing chamber and comprising an upper portion defining an additive inlet on an upper end thereof and a lower portion defining a fluid inlet on a lower end thereof, the housing further defining a tangential outlet intermediate the additive inlet and the fluid inlet;
an impeller/slinger assembly comprising an impeller and a slinger disposed in the mixing chamber in a back-to-back configuration, wherein the impeller is configured to pump fluid in an upward lateral direction through the fluid inlet, and the slinger is configured to receive an additive in a downward lateral direction, opposite the upward lateral direction, through the additive inlet and to sling the additive and the fluid radially outward toward the tangential outlet;
a shaft coupled with the impeller/slinger assembly, to drive the impeller/slinger assembly; and
a shearing ring stator disposed radially outwards from at least a portion of the slinger, wherein the stator comprises a first annular portion defining a first flowpath and a second annular portion comprising a plurality of vanes that are spaced circumferentially apart so as to define a second flowpath therebetween, an area of the first flowpath being greater than an area of the second flowpath, wherein the second annular portion is disposed between the first annular portion and the impeller as proceeding along the shaft, wherein the housing, the impeller, the slinger and the stator are configured to create a fluid-air boundary within the housing, thereby preventing air received through the additive inlet from entrainment in the fluid received from the impeller.

17. The mixer of claim 16 , wherein the slinger is configured to receive an additive via gravity in a downward lateral direction.

18. The mixer of claim 16 , wherein the slinger and stator create a cyclonic separation effect to create the fluid-air boundary.

Assignees

• Schlumberger Technology Corp

Inventors

• Luharuka Rajesh
• Chochua Gocha
• Pham Hau Nguyen-Phuc
• Ayyad Mark

Classifications

• B01F5/106

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F7/00641

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F7/1635

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F5/248

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F3/1221 Primary

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic