Shearing disperser, circulation-type dispersing system, and circulation-type dispersing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9387498-B2
Application number	US-201113807353-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 24, 2011
Priority date	Sep 29, 2010
Publication date	Jul 12, 2016
Grant date	Jul 12, 2016

Abstract

The present invention provides a disperser that gives a local dispersing effect and a homogenous dispersing effect and that achieves a more efficient dispersion. The shearing disperser comprising a rotor and an opposing member that is opposite the rotor, wherein the disperser disperses a slurry or liquid mixture by allowing the mixture to pass through the disperser and outwardly between the rotor and the opposing member by centrifugal force, and wherein the disperser further comprises a plurality of gaps that are provided between the rotor and the opposing member and lead the mixture outwardly; and a buffering space that is provided to connect an outermost gap to a gap located in a position inward from the outermost gap and that retains the mixture.

First claim

What we claim is:

1. A shearing disperser comprising:
a rotor; and
an opposing member that is opposite the rotor,
the opposing member being spaced apart from the rotor, each of a plurality of gap-defining surfaces of the rotor and each of a plurality of gap-defining surfaces of the opposing member facing each other being formed such that they define a plurality of gaps,
wherein the disperser disperses a slurry or liquid mixture by allowing the mixture to pass through the disperser and outwardly between the rotor and the opposing member by centrifugal force, and
wherein the plurality of gaps are provided between the gap-defining surfaces of the rotor and the gap-defining surfaces of the opposing member, the plurality of gaps leading the mixture outwardly, the plurality of gaps including an outermost gap and a gap that is located in a position inward from the outermost gap; and
wherein the rotor and the opposing member respectively have a buffering-space-defining surface of the rotor and a buffering-space defining surface of the opposing member, the buffering-space-defining surfaces defining a buffering space, the buffering space being provided to connect the outermost gap to the gap that is located in a position inward from the outermost gap and retaining the mixture, and
wherein the opposing member is located below the rotor and formed such that the gap-defining surfaces of the opposing member slope downward from an inner position to outer position.

2. The shearing disperser of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of gaps have a configuration in which one of the plurality of gaps is narrower than the other gap that is located in a position inward from the one of the plurality of gaps.

3. The shearing disperser of claim 2 , wherein the rotor and the opposing member are disposed such that a rotating shaft of the rotor is parallel to a vertical direction.

4. The shearing disperser of claim 3 , wherein the rotor or the opposing member or both are provided with a supplying opening for supplying the mixture from a center of a rotation of the rotor.

5. The shearing disperser of claim 4 , wherein an inside wall of the rotor or the opposing member or both defining a coolant-circulating-space in which a coolant for cooling the mixture between the rotor and the opposing member circulates are provided within the rotor or the opposing member of both.

6. The shearing disperser of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of gaps between the rotor and the opposing member are each 2 mm or less.

7. The shearing disperser of claim 1 , wherein the rotor and the opposing member have further respectively a buffer-space-defining surface of the rotor and a buffering-space-defining surface of the opposing member, the buffering-space-defining surfaces defining a second buffering space, the second buffering space being provided to connect the gap that is located in a position inward from the outermost gap to a gap that is located in a more inward position such that the mixture is retained in the second buffering space.

8. The shearing disperser of claim 2 , wherein the rotor and the opposing member are disposed such that a rotating shaft of the rotor is horizontal.

9. The shearing disperser of claim 1 , wherein the disperser further comprises a driving mechanism for driving either the rotor or the opposing member or both to allow one of them to move toward and away from the other of them.

10. The shearing disperser of claim 9 , wherein the disperser further comprises a controller, and wherein the controller adjusts the gaps between the rotor and the opposing member by controlling the driving mechanism based on either a pressure detected by a pressure sensor for detecting pressure caused by a mixture between the rotor and the opposing member or a temperature detected by a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of a mixture discharged from a position between the rotor and the opposing member or both the pressure and the temperature.

11. The shearing disperser of claim 10 , wherein the driving mechanism is a servocylinder.

12. The shearing disperser of claim 9 , wherein the disperser is used in a circulation-type dispersing system for dispersing a mixture while circulating it,
wherein the disperser is an apparatus that carries out a first mixing step for mixing a raw material to be treated and a first additive by dispersing them and carries out a second mixing step for mixing a first mixture obtained by completing the first mixing step and a second additive by dispersing them, and
wherein the driving mechanism changes the gaps between the rotor and the opposing member after the first mixing is completed and before the second mixing is started.

13. The shearing disperser of claim 12 , wherein the raw material to be treated is water, the first additive is a thickening material, and the second additive is an active material.

14. The shearing disperser of claim 13 , wherein the driving mechanism sets the gaps at a broader value when the first mixing step is started, and then it gradually narrows the gaps while the mixture is being dispersed, and wherein the driving mechanism further narrows the gaps after the first mixing step is completed and before the second mixing step is started.

15. The shearing disperser of claim 1 , wherein the opposing member has a rotating shaft parallel to a rotating shaft of the rotor, and wherein the opposing member is a second rotor that rotates in a direction opposite a direction of rotation of the rotor.

16. A circulation-type dispersing system for dispersing the mixture while circulating it, wherein the system comprises the following: the shearing disperser of claim 15 ; a tank that is connected to an outlet side of the shearing disperser; a circulating pump for circulating the mixture; and a pipe for serially connecting the shearing disperser, the tank, and the circulating pump.

17. A circulation-type dispersing system for dispersing a mixture while circulating it, wherein the system comprises: the shearing disperser of claim 1 ; a tank that is connected to an outlet side of the shearing disperser; a circulating pump for circulating the mixture; and a pipe for serially connecting the shearing disperser, the tank, and the circulating pump.

18. The circulation-type dispersing system of claim 17 , wherein the system carries out a first mixing step for mixing a raw material to be treated with a first additive, and then carries out a second mixing step for mixing a first mixture, obtained by completing the first mixing step, with a second additive.

19. The circulation-type dispersing system of claim 18 , wherein the raw material to be treated is water, the first additive is a thickening material, and the second additive is an active material.

20. The circulation-type dispersing system of claim 17 , wherein the mixture is obtained by mixing a Murry or liquid raw material to be treated with a powder additive,
wherein the system disperses the mixture with the shearing disperser while circulating the raw material and adding the additive to the raw material,
wherein the raw material is fed into the shearing disperser through a feeding passage provided in the opposing member,
wherein the tank is provided with a screw-type powder feeder for feeding the additive into the raw material in the tank, and
wherein a tip of a powder-feeding part of the screw-type powder feeder is in the mixture in the tank.

21. The circulation-type dispersing system of claim 20 , wherein the tank has an agitator for agitating the mixtu

Assignees

• Hagata Yutaka
• Hotta Masaya
• Ishida Yuu
• Odagi Katsuaki
• Sintokogio Ltd

Inventors

• Hagata Yutaka
• Hotta Masaya
• Ishida Yuu
• Odagi Katsuaki

Classifications

• B05B7/04 Primary

  with arrangements for mixing liquids or other fluent materials before discharge (mixing in general B01F, e.g. B01F25/00; mixing valves F16K11/00) · CPC title

• B01F7/00266

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F5/106

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F15/0251

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F7/00225

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic