Reconfigurable mixing baffle for static mixer and method for making a static mixer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9981232-B2
Application number	US-201514859937-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 21, 2015
Priority date	Oct 31, 2011
Publication date	May 29, 2018
Grant date	May 29, 2018

Abstract

A mixing baffle for mixing a fluid flow in a static mixer includes a mixing element support structure extending along a longitudinal direction and a first set of moveable mixing elements coupled to the mixing element support structure. The first set of moveable mixing elements is formed in a first configuration and moves to a second configuration when the mixing baffle is inserted into a tubular conduit. In the second configuration, the first set of moveable mixing elements is optimized for mixing fluids and defines a plurality of undercuts that are difficult to mold. The mixing baffle may also include a second set of stationary mixing elements that interlace with the first set of moveable mixing elements when the first set of moveable mixing elements moves to the second configuration.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mixing baffle for mixing a fluid flow in a static mixer defining a longitudinal direction along a length thereof, the mixing baffle comprising:
a mixing element support structure including at least one first support element extending along the longitudinal direction and a second support element coupled to the at least one first support element and extending transverse to the longitudinal direction; and
a set of moveable mixing elements coupled to the second support element, the set of moveable mixing elements being formed in a first configuration; and
the set of moveable mixing elements moving from the first configuration to a second configuration when the mixing baffle is inserted into a tubular conduit, the set of moveable mixing elements defining a plurality of undercuts in the second configuration that prevent molding the mixing baffle in the second configuration, and the second support element remaining stationary and transverse to the longitudinal direction when the mixing baffle is inserted into the tubular conduit.

2. The mixing baffle of claim 1 , each of the set of moveable mixing elements defining a deflection face oriented transverse to the longitudinal direction in the first configuration and extending with a width and a length between an inner end at the second support element and an outer end, the width and the length of the deflection face being larger than a thickness of the corresponding moveable mixing element so as to be configured to force fluid flow in the static mixer to mix by shifting into gaps defined between adjacent pairs of moveable mixing elements in the set of moveable mixing elements.

3. The mixing baffle of claim 2 , the deflection faces and the gaps of the set of moveable mixing elements positioned such that when the mixing baffle is inserted with additional mixing baffles in the tubular conduit of the static mixer, the deflection faces align with gaps in the additional mixing baffles and the gaps align with deflection faces in the additional mixing baffles to ensure that the fluid flow in the static mixer divides and shifts at all portions of the tubular conduit.

4. The mixing baffle of claim 1 , the at least one first support element including a longitudinal bar extending in the longitudinal direction, and the second support element including a conical portion coupled to and extending radially outwardly from the longitudinal bar in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

5. The mixing baffle of claim 1 , the second support element including a plurality of cross bars extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the at least one first support element including a plurality of connecting bars extending between pairs of the plurality of cross bars, such that the plurality of cross bars and the plurality of connecting bars collectively define a central frame structure.

6. The mixing baffle of claim 1 , the set of moveable mixing elements defining a discrete layer transverse to the longitudinal direction in the first configuration, and each of the set of moveable mixing elements bending in the same direction angled away from a direction of insertion in the second configuration when the mixing baffle is inserted into the tubular conduit, such that when the mixing baffle is inserted with additional mixing baffles in the static mixer, multiple discrete layers of sets of moveable mixing elements are each bent in the same direction in the static mixer.

7. The mixing baffle of claim 1 , wherein the set of moveable mixing elements is angled from the longitudinal direction at a first angle in the first configuration, and the set of moveable mixing elements is angled from the longitudinal direction at a second angle smaller than the first angle in the second configuration.

8. The mixing baffle of claim 7 , wherein the set of moveable mixing elements is perpendicular to the longitudinal direction in the first configuration, and the set of moveable mixing elements is angled at an acute angle from the longitudinal direction in the second configuration.

9. The mixing baffle of claim 1 , wherein each of the set of moveable mixing elements elastically deforms from the first configuration to the second configuration when positioned in the tubular conduit.

10. The mixing baffle of claim 1 , wherein each of the set of moveable mixing elements includes an inner end connected to the mixing element support structure and a chamfered outer end configured to frictionally engage the tubular conduit when the set of moveable mixing elements is in the second configuration after insertion into the tubular conduit.

11. A static mixer for mixing a fluid flow, comprising:
a tubular conduit defining a longitudinal direction along a length thereof; and
a plurality of mixing baffles inserted into the tubular conduit, each of the mixing baffles further comprising:
a mixing element support structure including at least one first support element extending along the longitudinal direction and a second support element coupled to the at least one first support element and extending transverse to the longitudinal direction; and
a set of moveable mixing elements coupled to the second support element, the set of moveable mixing elements being formed in a first configuration; and
the set of moveable mixing elements moving from the first configuration to a second configuration when the mixing baffle is inserted into the tubular conduit, the set of moveable mixing elements defining a plurality of undercuts in the second configuration that prevent molding the mixing baffle in the second configuration, and the second support element remaining stationary and transverse to the longitudinal direction when the mixing baffle is inserted into the tubular conduit.

12. The static mixer of claim 11 , each of the set of moveable mixing elements defining a deflection face oriented transverse to the longitudinal direction in the first configuration and extending with a width and length between an inner end at the second support element and an outer end, the width and length of the deflection face being larger than a thickness of the corresponding moveable mixing element so as to be configured to force fluid flow in the static mixer to mix by shifting into gaps defined between adjacent pairs of moveable mixing elements in the set of moveable mixing elements.

13. The static mixer of claim 12 , the deflection faces and the gaps of the set of moveable mixing elements positioned such that when the plurality of mixing baffles is inserted into the tubular conduit, the deflection faces of each mixing baffle align with gaps in others of the plurality of mixing baffles, and the gaps of each mixing baffle align with deflection faces in others of the plurality of mixing baffles, to ensure that the fluid flow in the static mixer divides and shifts at all portions of the tubular conduit.

14. The static mixer of claim 11 , the at least one first support element including a longitudinal bar extending in the longitudinal direction and shared by the plurality of mixing baffles, and the second support element including a conical portion coupled to and extending radially outwardly from the longitudinal bar in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction.

15. The static mixer of claim 11 , the second support element including a plurality of cross bars extending perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, the at least one first support element including a plurality of connecting bars extending between pairs of the plurality of cross bars, such that the plurality of cross bars and the plurality of connecting bars collect

Assignees

• Nordson Corp

Inventors

• Pappalardo Matthew E

Classifications

• B29C45/44

  for undercut articles · CPC title

• B29K2023/12

  PP, i.e. polypropylene · CPC title

• Y10T29/4998

  Combined manufacture including applying or shaping of fluent material · CPC title

• B01F5/0619

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B01F5/0641

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic