Static mixer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10549246-B2
Application number	US-201514974551-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 18, 2015
Priority date	Dec 18, 2014
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

A static mixer created using an additive process is disclosed. The static mixer is enabled to homogenously blend two fluids flowing in a pipe. The static mixer exhibits zero contact angle in relation to the two fluids being mixed within the pipe. The static mixer exhibits a first contact angle with the first fluid and a second contact angle with the second fluid. The first contact angle is either between 0 and 30 or greater than 85. The second contact angle is either between 0 and 30, or greater than 85.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of making an emulsion, the method comprising:
providing a static mixer having a smooth surface and made from a material;
providing a first fluid that has a first contact angle with the surface,
providing a second fluid that is immiscible with the first fluid and has a second contact angle with the surface,
wherein the first fluid and the second fluid are combined at a water-to-oil ratio greater than 70; and
mixing the first fluid with the second fluid using the static mixer wherein the first contact angle and the second contact angle are both between 0 degrees and 30 degrees.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the static mixer and a pipe housing the static mixer are a unitary construction.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises making the static mixer using an additive manufacturing process.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the static mixer exhibits one or more surface characteristics, wherein the surface characteristics comprise one or more surface structures, porosity, and combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises manufacturing the static mixer by a step selected from the group consisting of selective sintering, stereolithography, fused deposition modeling and selective laser melting, and combinations thereof.

Assignees

• Procter & Gamble

Inventors

• Merrigan Steven Ray
• Pinyayev Aleksey
• Dawson Billy Ray
• Mcwilliams Julie

Classifications

• B33Y10/00

  Processes of additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B01J19/24

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside (B01J19/08, B01J19/26 take precedence; with stationary particles B01J8/02) · CPC title

• B01J2219/24

  Stationary reactors without moving elements inside · CPC title

• B33Y80/00

  Products made by additive manufacturing · CPC title

• B01F2005/062

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic