Apparatus and process for forming particles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10471629-B2
Application number	US-201715845305-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2017
Priority date	Jun 19, 2015
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus and process for forming particles.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for forming particles, said apparatus comprising:
a feed pipe;
a feed pump in line with said feed pipe;
a gas feed line mounted in fluid communication with said feed pipe;
a mill downstream of said gas feed line and in line with said feed pipe;
a distributor downstream of said mill and in fluid communication with said feed pipe, wherein said distributor comprises a plurality of apertures;
and
a conveyor beneath said distributor and movable in translation relative to said distributor;
wherein said gas feed line and said mill are positioned in line between said feed pump and said distributor.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said distributor comprises:
a stator in fluid communication with said feed pipe;
a cylinder rotationally mounted about said stator and rotatable about a longitudinal axis of said cylinder, wherein said cylinder has a periphery and said cylinder comprises said plurality of apertures disposed about said periphery, wherein said apertures are intermittently in fluid communication with said stator as said cylinder rotates about said stator.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said mill is an in-line rotor-stator mill.

4. An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said gas feed line comprises a flow regulator.

5. An apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein said mill is an in-line rotor-stator mill.

6. An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said apparatus comprises a batch mixer upstream of said feed pipe.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Huddleston Richard Albert
• Frentzel Lisa Grace
• Dykstra Robert Richard

Classifications

• C11D11/0082

  one or more of the detergent ingredients being in a liquefied state, e.g. slurry, paste or melt, and the process resulting in solid detergent particles such as granules, powders or beads · CPC title

• C11D3/3707

  Polyethers, e.g. polyalkyleneoxides · CPC title

• C11D3/505

  encapsulated or adsorbed on a carrier, e.g. zeolite or clay · CPC title

• B01J2/04 Primary

  in a gaseous medium {(if combined with suspending the material in a gas, e.g. fluidised beds B01J2/16)} · CPC title

• B01J2/26

  on endless conveyor belts · CPC title