Mixing apparatus and its use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10744471-B2
Application number	US-201515510125-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 15, 2015
Priority date	Sep 16, 2014
Publication date	Aug 18, 2020
Grant date	Aug 18, 2020

Abstract

A mixing apparatus for mixing particles in a liquid and its use are disclosed. The mixing apparatus comprises a tank having a bottom and a substantially vertical side wall, an agitation means comprising a rotation shaft located vertically and centrally in the tank, and an impeller arranged at a height above the bottom at the end of the rotation shaft and the impeller being a downward pumping axial or mixed flow impeller. The bottom is equipped with a corrugated formation comprising alternate consecutive ridges and valleys, the ridges and valleys extending radially in relation to a center of the bottom, whereby the valleys concentrate and channel the mixing power near to the bottom to direct the flow of the liquid and to increase the velocity of the flow near to the bottom.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A mixing apparatus for mixing particles in a liquid, the mixing apparatus comprising:
a tank having a bottom and a substantially vertical side wall;
an agitator comprising a rotation shaft vertically and centrally disposed in the tank; and
an impeller arranged at a height above the bottom at the end of the rotation shaft and the impeller being a downward pumping axial flow impeller,
wherein the bottom is equipped with a corrugated formation comprising alternate consecutive ridges and valleys, the ridges and valleys extending radially in relation to a center of the bottom, whereby the valleys concentrate and channel the mixing power at least near to the bottom to direct flow of the liquid and to increase a velocity of the flow near to the bottom, wherein at least one of the ridges has a straight upper profile, wherein a height of the upper profile decreases when moving from the side wall towards the center of the bottom of the tank, the highest point of the ridge being at a height of 0.1-1 times the radius of the bottom, and wherein a floor of at least one of the valleys is horizontal for its entire length, wherein the upper profile of the at least one of the ridges extends under the impeller, and wherein the impeller is arranged above the ridges without contacting the ridges.

2. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the corrugated formation comprises at least two ridges and a corresponding number of valleys.

3. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the length of each ridge and valley is at least ⅔ of the radius of the bottom.

4. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the ridges and valleys extend from the side wall to a direction of the center of the bottom.

5. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the ridges and valleys extends the whole length between the center of the bottom and the side wall.

6. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the floor of at least one of the valleys is at an angle to horizontal in a direction of the valley.

7. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the height of the ridge is 0.1-1 times the radius of the bottom.

8. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a cross section of each ridge, when seen from the direction of the side wall towards the center of the bottom of the tank, is a triangle comprising at least one of at least one concave side, at least one convex side, a rounded tip, a semicircle, or an arc.

9. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the corrugated formation comprises an integral part of the bottom, a separate part on the bottom or forms the bottom.

10. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the tank comprises a cylinder or a right prism.

11. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing apparatus comprises at least one of a metal or a fiber reinforced plastic.

12. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the mixing apparatus is meant to be used in a hydrometallurgical process.

13. The mixing apparatus according claim 1 , wherein the mixing apparatus comprises a flotation conditioner tank, filter feed tank or a gold cyanide leaching tank.

14. The mixing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the height of at least one of the ridges and the highest point of the ridge is at a height of 0.35 times the radius of the bottom.

15. The mixing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the corrugated formation comprises at least four ridges and a corresponding number of valleys.

16. The mixing apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the height of the ridge is 0.35 times the radius of the bottom.

17. The mixing apparatus according to claim 11 , wherein the metal is selected from the group consisting of steel and titanium and the fiber reinforced plastic is a glass fiber.

18. A mixing apparatus for mixing particles in a liquid, the mixing apparatus comprising:
a tank having a bottom and a substantially vertical side wall,
an agitator comprising a rotation shaft vertically and centrally disposed in the tank, and an impeller arranged at a height above the bottom at the end of the rotation shaft and the impeller being a hydrofoil impeller, a propeller, or a pitched-blade turbine,
wherein the bottom is equipped with a corrugated formation comprising alternate consecutive ridges and valleys, the ridges and valleys extending radially in relation to a center of the bottom, whereby the valleys concentrate and channel the mixing power at least near to the bottom to direct flow of the liquid and to increase a velocity of the flow near to the bottom, wherein at least one of the ridges has a straight vertex, wherein a height of the vertex decreases when moving from the side wall towards the center of the bottom of the tank the highest point of the vertex of the ridge is at a height of 0.1-1 times the radius of the bottom, and wherein a floor of at least one of the valleys is horizontal for its entire length, wherein the vertex of at least one of the ridges extends under the impeller, and wherein the impeller is arranged above the ridges without contacting the ridges.

19. The mixing apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein a first ridge of the ridges has:
a first face set at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a plane defined by the bottom; and
a second face set at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the plane defined by the bottom, the first and second faces intersecting to form the vertex of the first ridge.

20. The mixing apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein each of the first and second faces is flat.

21. The mixing apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein the vertex of the first ridge extends from the center of the bottom to the highest point of the first ridge, and the vertex of the first ridge extends at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the plane of the bottom.

22. The mixing apparatus according to claim 21 , wherein the vertex of the first ridge is linear along its length.

23. The mixing apparatus according to claim 19 , wherein a second ridge of the ridges has:
a first face set at a non-perpendicular angle relative to a plane defined by the bottom; and
a second face set at a non-perpendicular angle relative to the plane defined by the bottom, the first and second faces of the second ridge intersecting at the highest point of the second ridge.

24. The mixing apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein the first and second ridges are disposed adjacent one another, such that the first face of the second ridge intersects with the second face of the first ridge at a lowest point of a first valley of the valleys.

25. The mixing apparatus according to claim 24 , wherein the lowest point of the first valley extends from the substantially vertical side wall to the center of the bottom and is coplanar with the plane of the bottom.

26. The mixing apparatus according to claim 19 , further comprising a baffle attached to the substantially vertical side wall and extending perpendicularly relative to the plane of the bottom, wherein the baffle is longitudinally aligned with the highest point of the first ridge.

Assignees

• Outotec Finland Oy

Inventors

• Latva-Kokko Marko

Classifications

• C22B3/02 Primary

  Apparatus therefor · CPC title

• B01F2101/45

  Mixing in metallurgical processes of ferrous or non-ferrous materials · CPC title

• B01F35/5312 Primary

  with vertical baffles mounted on the walls · CPC title

• B01F35/531

  with baffles, plates or bars on the wall or the bottom · CPC title

• B01F27/91 Primary

  with propellers · CPC title