Method of continuously measuring the shear viscosity of a product paste

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10520409-B2
Application number	US-201515540483-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 22, 2015
Priority date	Dec 31, 2014
Publication date	Dec 31, 2019
Grant date	Dec 31, 2019

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of continuously determining the shear viscosity (η) of a product paste to be delivered to a spray nozzle for spray-drying applications wherein the continuous determination of the shear viscosity (η) of the product paste is carried out in a bypass to the product paste stream to the spray nozzle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of continuously determining a shear viscosity of a product paste in a processing line, the method comprising:
continuously determining the shear viscosity of the product paste in a bypass to a stream of the product paste, the bypass comprising a pump, a flow meter, a differential pressure tube and a pulsation damper, and the shear viscosity is in a range of 20 to 1000 mPa·s, the shear rate is greater than 1000 s −1 , and the Reynolds number is less than 2300;
delivering the product paste to a spray nozzle for a spray-drying application; and
adjusting a droplet size of the product paste, the adjusting comprises a control device calculating an output control parameter based on the shear rate and the shear viscosity of the product paste and also based on spray nozzle geometry parameters stored in a memory of the control device, the output control parameter is delivered to the spray nozzle which adjusts a swirl chamber piston to a calculated position to obtain a desired swirl chamber volume.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the determining the shear viscosity of the product paste comprising:
a) providing a constant feed-flow-rate of the product paste;
b) determining a mass flow of the product paste;
c) delivering the product paste to a pressure-drop-meter and determining a pressure drop;
d) calculating the shear viscosity of the product paste on the basis of the mass flow determined in step b), a known product density, as well as the pressure drop determined in step c).

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the calculation in step d) considers also the constant bypass-mass-flow-rate.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the determination of the pressure drop in step c) is carried out according to a differential pressure drop method.

5. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the pressure drop meter comprises a tube having a fluid inlet section and a fluid outlet section and a first, second, and third pressure drop measuring sections provided between the inlet section and the outlet section.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the second pressure drop measuring section is provided downstream of the first pressure drop measuring section, has a second internal diameter of the second pressure drop measuring section smaller than the first internal diameter of the first pressure drop measuring section, and has a second axial length shorter than the first axial length of the first pressure drop measuring section.

7. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the second pressure drop measuring section comprises a second differential pressure meter measuring a second pressure drop, a second axial distance between second two static pressure measuring openings in a second wall of the second pressure drop measuring section is shorter than the first axial distance of the first differential pressure meter.

8. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the third pressure drop measuring section is provided downstream of the second pressure drop measuring section opens into the outlet section, and the third pressure drop measuring section has a third internal diameter smaller than the second internal diameter of the second pressure drop measuring section and has a third axial length shorter than the second axial length of the second pressure drop measuring section.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the third pressure drop measuring section comprises a third differential pressure meter measuring a third pressure drop, and a third axial distance between third two static pressure measuring openings in a third wall of the third pressure drop measuring section is shorter than the second axial distance of the second differential pressure meter.

10. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the first pressure drop measuring section is close to the inlet section, has a first internal diameter and a first axial length, and is connected to a first differential pressure meter measuring a first pressure drop.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein a first axial distance between first two static pressure measuring openings in a first wall of the first pressure drop measuring section is substantially equal to the first axial length of the first pressure drop measuring section.

Assignees

• Nestle Sa

Inventors

• Erdmann Peter
• Fankhauser Peter
• Laubacher Nina
• Nydegger Martin
• Sanders Dale Richard
• Schmied Christian
• Stranzinger Michael
• Walthert Gerhard

Classifications

• G01N11/08 Primary

  by measuring pressure required to produce a known flow · CPC title

• B01D1/18 Primary

  to obtain dry solids (B01D1/24 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B01J37/0045

  Drying a slurry, e.g. spray drying · CPC title