Pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement and method for feeding material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12234574-B2
Application number	US-202117796153-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 29, 2021
Priority date	Jan 31, 2020
Publication date	Feb 25, 2025
Grant date	Feb 25, 2025

Abstract

A pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement having a container forming a basic body, which container includes a container space in which a piston is arranged in a movable manner, which container space includes a first space portion, i.e. a gas side, and a second space portion, i.e. a material side, which are separated from each other by the piston, a feed pas-sage for feeding material into the material space, and a discharge passage for conducting the material from the material space, and means for connecting a pressure medium source with the gas side of the container, whereby the piston is provided with a piston rod extending towards the gas side and further through a container wall to the exterior of the container, whereby the material feed passage extends through the piston rod and the piston to the material side.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement comprising:
a container forming a basic body, which container comprises a container space in which a piston is arranged in a movable manner, which container space comprises a first space portion and a second space portion which are separated from each other by the piston, the first space portion being a gas space of the container and the second space portion being a material space of the container,
a feed passage for feeding material into the material space,
a discharge passage for conducting the material from the material space,
means for connecting a pressure medium source with the gas space of the container,
a pressure regulating valve arrangement arranged between the pressure medium source and the gas space of the container, the pressure regulating valve arrangement having valves and being operatively configured to provide a desired pressure on the gas space by opening and closing a communication from the pressure medium source to the gas space and/or by releasing pressure from the gas space, and
a pressure sensor operatively connected with the pressure regulating valve arrangement and configured to control the valves of the pressure regulating valve arrangement to provide the desired pressure on the gas space,
whereby the piston is provided with a piston rod extending towards the gas space and further through a container wall to an exterior of the container,
whereby the material feed passage extends through the piston rod and the piston to the material space.

2. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein a material feed passage aperture of the feed passage and a discharge passage aperture of the discharge passage are disposed at opposite edges of the material space.

3. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 2 , wherein the material feed passage aperture is arranged at a surface of the piston facing the material space and the discharge passage aperture is arranged at a wall of the material space opposite to the piston.

4. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , whereby the pressure medium source is a gas and/or liquid source.

5. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , whereby the pressure medium source is a source of an inert gas.

6. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , whereby several discharge passages are provided from the material space.

7. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , whereby a pressure difference is configured to act on different sides of the piston in the container space at equilibrium, whereby forces exerted on the piston are equal such that the pressure on the gas space higher than on the material space, due to a smaller area of the piston facing the gas surface affecting the forces, due to the piston rod.

8. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , which is operatively configured to act as a combination of a pressure equalization unit, an intermediate container, and a pump as a part of a continuously operated production line.

9. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , whereby the pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement is configured to receive and feed a high-viscosity material.

10. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , whereby at least a part of the container and/or at least a part of the feed passage is temperature-regulated by a temperature regulating arrangement.

11. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , wherein the container is a cylindrical container closed at both ends.

12. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , whereby the piston is configured to move in the container space according to a difference in the pressures of the gas space and the material space.

13. The pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 , whereby the pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement is configured to equalize changes in the pressure of the material space by means of movement of the piston and the pressure regulating arrangement.

14. A method for the pressure-balancing feeding of material, wherein the material is introduced to the material space of the container space of the container of the pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement according to claim 1 and conducted from there along the discharge passage, whereby in the method the pressure of the material is kept constant or at a desired value on the material space of the container space.

15. The method according to claim 14 , whereby the pressure of the material on the material space is regulated by means of the piston and the pressure of the pressure medium source acting on the gas space of the container space.

16. The method according to claim 14 , whereby the material to be fed is a high-viscosity substance.

17. The method according to claim 14 , whereby the material is a homogeneous material dissolved from pulp by means of an ionic liquid.

18. The method according to claim 14 , whereby internal pressure of the material is kept constant by means of variable volume of the material space and counterpressure of the pressure medium in the gas space.

19. The method according to claim 14 , whereby during feeding, the material being fed is continuously replaced in the material space.

20. The method according to claim 14 , whereby to maintain the properties of the material, devices of the pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement are temperature-regulated by a temperature regulating arrangement.

Assignees

• Aalto Univ Foundation Sr

Inventors

• Larkiala Sauli
• Jääskeläinen Seppo

Classifications

• D01F2/06

  from viscose · CPC title

• D01D5/06

  Wet spinning methods {(D01D5/0046 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• D01F2/00

  Monocomponent artificial filaments or the like of cellulose or cellulose derivatives; Manufacture thereof · CPC title

• D01D1/09 Primary

  Control of pressure, temperature or feeding rate · CPC title