Material discharge system

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a material discharge system, comprising a purge bin connected to a reactor, a shredder connected to the purge bin, where the shredder includes a housing, an inlet receptacle connected to the housing, the inlet receptacle to receive material agglomerates and granular material from the purge bin, and cutters located in the housing to shred the material agglomerates into a smaller size, and a pelletizing system connected to the shredder, where the pelletizing system is to receive the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material from the shredder, and extrude the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material.

Description

MATERIAL DISCHARGE SYSTEMField of Disclosure

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards devices, systems, and methods for a material discharge system.Background

[0002] Certain manufacturing processes may create material utilized for making products. For example, a series of manufacturing processes may take place to generate a material. In some examples, that material may additionally undergo further manufacturing processes to generate a final product.

[0003] An example of one such process may include the manipulation of polymer materials into a desired shape. During a manufacturing process, polymer material (e.g., in the form of pellets, granules, flakes, powders, etc.) can be provided to a pelletizing system. A pelletizing system may consist of a single screw extruder, or a twin-screw extruder, or a continuous mixer, or other devices for melting polymers, an optional pressurization device such as a gear pump, a filtration device such as a screen changer, a die plate, and a pelletizer. Heat and rotational energy can be applied to bring a temperature of the polymer material to the polymer melting point as the polymer material is pushed through the pelletizing system. The molten polymer material can be forced into a die to shape the polymer material into the desired shape that hardens during cooling.

[0004] In addition to the manipulation of polymer materials, manufacturing processes may further include creating the polymer materials themselves from raw materials. In some examples, raw materials may be provided to a reactor system to generate polymer materials to be later manipulated and refined (e.g., via a pelletizing system, in some examples). For instance, in one example, a gas-phase process can utilize a fluidized-bed reactor to carry out various chemical reactions in a polymerization process that generates polymer materials from raw materials for use in later manufacturing processes. Such a reactor can, for example, generate polymer material to be provided to a pelletizing system, as mentioned above.Summary

[0005] The present disclosure provides for various embodiments, including a material discharge system comprising a purge bin connected to a reactor, a shredder connected to the purge bin, and a pelletizing system connected to the shredder. The shredder includes a housing, an inlet receptacle connected to the housing, where the inlet receptacle is to receive material agglomerates and granular material from the purge bin, and cutters located in the housing and to shred the material agglomerates into a smaller size. The pelletizing system is to receive the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material from the shredder and pelletize the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material.Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates a material manufacturing system including a material discharge system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0007] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an example of a shredder in a material discharge system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0008] FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a shredder having teeth, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 4 illustrates a partially exploded view of a shredder in a material discharge system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 5 illustrates a partially exploded perspective view of an example of a shredder without an inlet receptacle, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 6 is an example of a material manufacturing method, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure.Detailed Description

[0012] As mentioned above, a fluidized-bed reactor may be utilized to create polymer materials for use in later manufacturing processes. The fluidized-bed reactor can create polymer materials utilizing raw materials using a gas-phase process. The polymer materials may be utilized in later manufacturing processes. In some examples, the fluidized-bed reactor can be a commercial scale fluidized-bed gas-phase polymerization (FB-GPP) reactor such as aUNIPOL™ reactor or UNIPOL™ II reactor, which are available from Univation Technologies, LLC, a subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, Midland, Michigan, USA.

[0013] Although uncommon, during operation of the fluidized-bed reactor, undesired agglomerates may be created inside the reactor. As used herein, the term “material agglomerate” refers to a cluster of materials joined together to form a larger mass than compared to its constituent parts. In some examples, impurities and / or contaminants in the raw materials provided to the reactor may cause formation of these material agglomerates. In some examples, if the reactor gets too hot, a hangup occurs causing a catalyst that keeps growing against a side of the reactor, etc., undesired material agglomerates may be created along with the desired reactor polymer output, which may be in the form of a granular polymer material. The dimensions of such material agglomerates can vary. For example, material agglomerates may be created that can exceed six inches, although material agglomerates may also be smaller.

[0014] Due to the levels of heat and pressure inside the reactor, such material agglomerates can be pushed out downstream of the reactor along with the desired granular material. However, if such material agglomerates are introduced into equipment downstream of the reactor, such as the pelletizing systems (e.g., which can create pellets of polymer material from the granular material), the material agglomerates can damage downstream equipment.

[0015] One previous approach to undesired agglomerates is to intercept the agglomerates using a screening device. For example, a screening device can be a vibrating screener that utilizes a vibrating screen to separate material of different sizes. For instance, the vibrating screen can allow granular material to proceed through the vibrating screen towards downstream equipment (e.g., pelletizing system, etc.), while preventing undesired agglomerates from proceeding as they are too large to fit through the vibrating screen.

[0016] However, use of vibrating screener(s) have various drawbacks. For instance, vibrating screeners are large devices and typically require a large amount of vertical space within a manufacturing facility. This requirement can create height issues that can result in significant building costs for a new build or renovation of manufacturing facility to accommodate such height requirements. Additionally, vibrating screeners may not be dust- tight, which can result in fine particles / particulate (e.g., granular material) escaping the vibrating screener and creating a potential safety hazard due to the risk of dust explosion.Further, oxygen can flow into the vibrating screener, allowing for the oxygen to penetrate into inerted solids handling and pelletizing equipment, which can result in undcsircd product issues such as material degradation and black specks.

[0017] Moreover, intercepting undesired agglomerates and removing them from the material manufacturing system can involve physical labor in that a user typically may have to open the vibrating screener and physically remove the agglomerates. In addition to the physical labor cost, these agglomerates are typically just disposed of, resulting in lost product and disposal costs. Accordingly, vibrating screeners can be a complex, inefficient, and costly approach to dealing with undesired agglomerates in the material manufacturing system.

[0018] Other previous approaches to undesired agglomerates may include introduction of various chemicals and / or compounds into the reactor. Introduction of such materials may be utilized to deactivate fine polymer particles, control catalyst activity, and / or reduce electrostatic charge. Such approaches may prevent adhesion of polymer to the walls of the reactor, and / or to reduce the build-up of the polymer on the wall, which may cause the generation of the undesired material agglomerate. However, such approaches can be expensive and involve complicated chemical processes, which may additionally only work under certain temperature and / or pressure ranges.

[0019] A material discharge system according to the present disclosure, can allow for use of a shredder to deal with undesired material agglomerates. The shredder can receive agglomerates that may be generated in the reactor and shred the material agglomerates into smaller sizes without relying on complicated, expensive, and restrictive chemical / compound additives to the reactor. The material agglomerates shredded by the shredder can be transmitted to equipment downstream, such as pelletizing systems, along with the granular material from the reactor for use in the manufacturing process. For example, the material agglomerates and the granular material can be pelletized.

[0020] As a result, utilizing the shredder in a material discharge system can allow for a more size efficient solution as compared with utilizing a vibrating screener. Additionally, the shredder can be dust-tight to prevent fine particulates from escaping and so there is less of a safety risk as compared with utilizing a vibrating screener. Further, as the shredder is less likely to have to be accessed by a user than a vibrating screener, oxygen is less likely to enter the material discharge system and as such there is less of a chance of undesired product issuesas compared with previous approaches. Lastly, the smaller (e.g., shredded) undesired agglomerates can be utilized in the downstream manufacturing processes so that material is not lost and disposal costs are avoided. Accordingly, a material discharge system according to the present disclosure can provide a smaller, more efficient, and safer solution to material agglomerates as compared with previous approaches.

[0021] In the following detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof. The drawings show by way of illustration how one or more embodiments of the disclosure may be practiced.

[0022] These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to practice one or more embodiments of this disclosure. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that process, electrical, and / or structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include singular and plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, the word “may” is used throughout this application in a permissive sense (i.e., having the potential to, being able to), not in a mandatory sense (i.e., must). The term “include,” and derivations thereof, mean “including, but not limited to.” The term “coupled” means directly or indirectly connected.

[0023] The figures herein follow a numbering convention in which the first digit or digits correspond to the drawing figure number and the remaining digits identify an element or component in the drawing. Similar elements or components between different figures may be identified by the use of similar digits. For example, 108 may reference element “08” in Figure 1, and a similar- element may be referenced as 208 in Figure 2. As will be appreciated, elements shown in the various embodiments herein can be added, exchanged, combined, and / or eliminated so as to provide a number of additional embodiments of the present disclosure. The proportion and the relative scale of the elements provided in the figures are intended to illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be taken in a limiting sense.

[0024] FIG. 1 illustrates a material manufacturing system 100 including a material discharge system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the material manufacturing system 100 can include a reactor 102, a compressor 104, a cooler 106, a shredder 108, a purge bin 110, and a pelletizing system 112.

[0025] As illustrated FTG. 1 , the material manufacturing system 100 can include a reactor 102. The reactor 102 can be, for instance, a fluidizcd-bcd reactor that can carry out various chemical reactions in a polymerization process that can generate polymer materials from raw materials. For example, the compressor 104 can send circulation gas from the top of the reactor 102 through the cooler 106 to compress and cool the circulation gas. The compressed and cool gas can be sent back into the reactor 102 and through a plate in the reactor 102 to create the fluidized bed within the reactor 102. Catalysts 105 and raw materials 107 can be injected into the reactor.

[0026] Utilizing the above process, the reactor 102 can form granular material to be utilized in a later manufacturing process. As used herein, the term “granular material” refers to material composed of small grains or particles. The granular material can be in the form of granules, flakes, powders, etc. In one example, the material can be a granular resin polyethylene, which may be later manipulated and refined to create various products.

[0027] As described above, in addition to the desired granular material produced by the reactor 102, in some examples the reactor 102 can produce undesired material agglomerates. The material agglomerates can be a cluster of materials that are joined together. For example, in addition to the granular material, the reactor 102 can further generate material agglomerates. In previous approaches, such material agglomerates can cause damage to equipment downstream of the reactor 102, such as the pelletizing system 112, among other equipment. However, as illustrated in FIG. 1, the material manufacturing system 100 can include the shredder 108 to process the material agglomerates, as is further described herein.

[0028] The reactor 102 can be connected to the purge bin 110. The purge bin 110 can receive the material agglomerates and the granular material generated by the reactor 102. The purge bin 110 can purge monomers out of the material agglomerates and the granular material. From the purge bin 110, the material agglomerates and the granular material can be provided to further equipment downstream.

[0029] In some examples, the material manufacturing system 100 can include a rotary feeder 109. As used herein, the term “rotary feeder” refers to a device that regulates the flow of a material through rotation of a transverse plug through attached channels. In some examples, the rotary feeder 109 can be a rotary valve. The rotary feeder 109 can regulate the flow of material agglomerates and / or granular material through the material manufacturing system 100.In some examples, the rotary feeder 109 can be located between the purge bin 110 and the shredder 108. The rotary feeder 109 can, in some instances, partially shred the material agglomerates into a smaller size prior to the material agglomerates being received by the shredder 108.

[0030] The shredder 108 can be connected to the purge bin 110. The shredder 108 can be located downstream of the reactor 102 and the purge bin 110 and can receive granular material and the material agglomerates from the purge bin 110 (e.g., or from the rotary feeder 109, in some examples). The shredder 108 can shred the material agglomerates while allowing the granular material to pass through the shredder 108. Since the granular material is smaller than the material agglomerates, the granular material is not shredded by the shredder 108, as the granular material merely passes through the cutters in the shredder 108. However, the material agglomerates are of such a size that they are unable to merely pass through the shredder 108 like the granular material. The cutters of the shredder 108 can shred the material agglomerates into a smaller size to allow the shredded material agglomerates to pass through the shredder 108, as is further described in connection with FIGs. 3 and 4. Such material (e.g., the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material) can then be provided to the pelletizing system 112.

[0031] The shredder 108 can shred the material agglomerates into a particular size so as to be reusable downstream of the shredder 108. For instance, material agglomerates can be created by the reactor 102 in sizes that can sometimes exceed six inches in size, and the shredder 108 can shred the material agglomerates to a size less than 1 inch. In some examples, the shredder 108 can shred the material agglomerates to a size smaller than 1 inch, such as 0.75 inches in size. The operations of and parts of the shredder 108 are further described in connection with Figures 2-6.

[0032] The material manufacturing system 100 can further include a pelletizing system 112. The pelletizing system 112 can receive the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material from the shredder 108 and can compress and / or mold the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material into the shape of a pellet.

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of an example of a shredder 208 in a material discharge system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The shredder 208 can include a housing 216, an inlet receptacle 218, and a motor 220.

[0034] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the system can include the shredder 208. The shredder 208 can be connected to the purge bin (c.g., not illustrated in FIG. 2 for clarity and so as not to obscure embodiments of the disclosure).

[0035] The shredder 208 can be located downstream of the reactor and the purge bin. In some examples, the shredder 208 can receive the material agglomerates and the granular material from the purge bin and the rotary feeder via gravity. For example, the shredder 208 can be located substantially underneath the purge bin so that as the material agglomerates and the granular' material exit the purge bin through the rotary feeder, the material agglomerates and the granular material are gravity fed such that they can fall into the shredder 208.

[0036] The shredder 208 can include a housing 216. As used herein, the term “housing” refers to an outer shell of a device. For example, the housing 216 can be an outer shell housing other components of the shredder 208, including cutters to shred the material agglomerates into a smaller size, as are further described in connection with FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0037] An inlet receptacle 218 can be connected to the housing 216. As used herein, the term “inlet receptacle” refers to a device that receives objects. For example, the inlet receptacle 218 can be a feed port that can receive material agglomerates and granular material from the purge bin.

[0038] The inlet receptacle 218 can be funnel-shaped shaped so as to funnel the material agglomerates and the granular- material towards the cutters. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the inlet receptacle 218 can be a rectangular funnel shape so that material agglomerates and granular material from the purge bin that contact the inlet receptacle 218 (e.g., that does not fall straight into the cutters) slides towards the cutters due to the angle of the surfaces of the inlet receptacle 218. The angle of the surfaces of the inlet receptacle 218 can be, for instance, 70° relative to the vertical sides of the housing 216, among other example angles.

[0039] Additionally, although the inlet receptacle 218 is illustrated in FIG. 2 and described above as being a rectangular funnel shape, embodiments of the disclosure are not so limited. For example, the inlet receptacle 218 can be a semi-circular- funnel shape, a circular funnel shape, a square funnel shape, and / or any other shaped funnel.

[0040] The shredder 208 can include a motor 220. The motor 220 can be an electric motor driven by electrical energy. The motor 220 can cause the cutters to rotate in order to shred the material agglomerates.

[0041] Although a single motor 220 is illustrated in FTG. 2, examples of the disclosure are not so limited. For example, the shredder 208 can include more than one motor (c.g., two motors). In some examples, the shredder 208 can include two motors such that a first motor drives a first cutter and a second motor drives a second cutter.

[0042] The cutters can be rotated at various speeds. For example, a first cutter can be rotated at a speed that is less than a second cutter to shred the material agglomerates. For example, the first cutter can rotate at 26 rotations per minute (RPM), whereas the second counter-rotating cutter can rotate at 31 RPM.

[0043] While the cutters are described above as rotating at different speeds, embodiments of the disclosure are not so limited. For example, the first cutter and the second cutter can both rotate at the same speed (e.g., 28 RPM, among other examples).

[0044] FIG. 3 illustrates a top view of a shredder 308 having teeth, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The shredder 308 can include a housing 316 and an inlet receptacle 318.

[0045] As previously mentioned in FIG. 2, the shredder 308 can include cutters 322. As used herein, the term “cutter” refers to a device that divides an object into pieces. The cutters 322 can be counter-rotating cutters or co-rotating cutters. For example, the shredder 308 can include a first counter-rotating cutter 322-1 and a second counter-rotating cutter 322-2. The first counter-rotating cutter 322- 1 and the second counter-rotating cutter 322-2 can rotate towards each other.

[0046] The first counter-rotating cutter 322-1 can include teeth 326-1. Additionally, the second counter-rotating cutter 322-2 can include teeth 326-2. As used herein, the term “teeth” refer to ribs of material having projections that project therefrom that grab and force material in a direction of rotation. The teeth 322-1 and 322-2 included on each of the first counter-rotating cutter 322-1 and a second counter-rotating cutter 322-2, respectively, can shred material agglomerates, as is further described in connection with FIG. 4.

[0047] In some examples, the counter-rotating cutter 322-1 can include a same amount of teeth 326-1 as the counter-rotating cutter 322-2. For example, the counter-rotating cutter 322-1 can include 19 teeth and the counter-rotating cutter 322-2 can also include 19 teeth.

[0048] However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not so limited. For example, the counter- rotating cutter 322-1 can include a different number of teeth 326-1 from the counter-rotating cutter 322-2. For example, the counter-rotating cutter 322- 1 can include 19 teeth and the counter-rotating cutter 322-2 can include 18 teeth.

[0049] FIG. 4 illustrates a partially exploded view of a shredder 408 in a material discharge system, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The shredder 408 can include a housing 416 and counter-rotating cutters 422-1, 422-2.

[0050] The cutters 422-1, 422-2 of the shredder 408 can be counter-rotating. For example, as oriented in FIG. 4, the cutter 422-1 can rotate counterclockwise, whereas the cutter 422-2 can rotate clockwise. Thus, the rotations of the cutters 422-1, 422-2 are opposite of each other, but are towards each other. This ensures that as material agglomerates 430-1, 430-N enter the shredder 408, they are driven into an overlapping space between the teeth of each of the cutters 422-1, 422-2, which are further described herein.

[0051] The first counter-rotating cutter 422-1 can include a shaft 424-1 and teeth (e.g., previously illustrated in FIG. 3). Additionally, the second counter-rotating cutter 422-2 can include a shaft 424-2 and teeth (e.g., previously illustrated in FIG. 3). The teeth can be fixed to the shafts 424-1, 424-2, respectively, such that as the shafts 424-1 and 424-2 rotate, the teeth also rotate. The shafts 424-1 and 424-2 can be positioned substantially adjacent to each other in the housing 416 such that portions of each of the teeth overlap each other in the Y-direction of the horizontal plane as oriented in FIG. 4. This can ensure there are no spaces in the lateral Y-direction between the counter-rotating cutters 422-1 and 422-2 that material agglomerates 430-1, 430-N that are above a threshold size can fall through. In other words, material agglomerates 430- 1 , 430-N that exceed a threshold size cannot fall through the counter-rotating cutters 422- 1 and 422-2 until they are shredded into a smaller size.

[0052] The teeth can be laterally offset from each other in the X-direction as oriented in FIG. 4. For example, the teeth can be fixed to the shafts 424-1, 424-2, respectively but in positions laterally offset from one another on each shaft 424-1, 424-2. For instance, a first tooth can be fixed to shaft 424- 1 one inch down from an end of the shaft 424- 1 , a second tooth can be fixed to shaft 424-1 three inches down from the end of shaft 424-2, etc., whereas a first tooth can be fixed to shaft 424-2 two inches down from an end of the shaft 424-2, a second tooth can be fixed to shaft 424-2 four inches down from the end of shaft 424-2, etc. This lateral offset pattern can ensure that as the counter-rotating cutters 422-1, 422-2 rotate, the teeth on the shaft424-1 do not come into contact with the teeth on the shaft 424-2, preventing the counterrotating cutters 422-1, 422-2 from binding together during operation.

[0053] As illustrated in FIG. 4, material agglomerates 430-1, 430-N may be produced by the reactor, provided to the purge bin, and gravity fed from the purge bin into the shredder 408. The counter-rotating cutters 422- 1 , 422-2 can be rotating such that when the material agglomerates 430-1, 430-N contact the counter-rotating cutters 422-1, 422-2, the material agglomerates 430-1, 430-N are forced into a space substantially half-way between the two shafts 424-1, 424-2. The teeth rotate and grab the material agglomerates 430-1, 430-N and force the material agglomerates 430-1, 430-N through the teeth so that as the material agglomerates 430- 1 , 430-N travels downwards through the counter-rotating cutters 422- 1 , 422- 2, the teeth break apart the material agglomerates 430-1, 430-N into smaller (e.g., shredded) agglomerates.

[0054] The shredded agglomerates can be less than a threshold size after being shredded, such as less than 1 inch in size, or more preferably less than 0.75 inches in size, so they can be processed and utilized downstream of the shredder 408 alongside the granular material 432. As the granular material 432 falls through the counter-rotating cutters 430- 1 , 430-2, the granular material 432 is small enough in size such that it merely passes through the teeth of the counter-rotating cutters 430- 1 , 430-2 without the teeth having any shredding effect on the granular material 432.

[0055] FIG. 5 illustrates a partially exploded perspective view of an example of a shredder 508 without an inlet receptacle, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The shredder 508 can include the housing 516 having the counter rotating cutters 522-1, 522-2.

[0056] As previously described in connection with FIG. 4, the counter-rotating cutters 522-1 and 522-2 can each include a shaft. The shafts can interface with the housing 516. The shredder 508 can further include a seal 536-1, 536-2 between each shaft and the housing 516. The seals 536-1, 536-2 can join each respective shaft and the housing 516 together, as well as preventing leakage of material from inside the housing 516 to externally outside the housing 516 and vice-versa.

[0057] Each of the seals 536-1, 536-2 can be Nitrogen-purged shaft seals. For example, the seal 536-1 can be a Nitrogen-purged shaft seal between the first shaft of the counter-rotating cutter 522-1 and the housing 516 and the seal 536-2 can be a Nitrogen-purged shaft sealbetween the second shaft of the counter-rotating cutter 522-2 and the housing 516. The Nitrogcn-purgcd shaft seals can further seal the interior of the housing 516.

[0058] As illustrated in FIG. 5, the housing 516 can include baffles 534. As used herein, the term “baffle” refers to a device to direct flow of a material. The baffles 534 can be utilized to direct granular material away from the seals 536-1, 536-2 of the shafts of the counter-rotating cutters 522-1, 522-2, respectively. For example, when the inlet receptacle is connected to the housing 516, the baffles 534 can further extend over the counter-rotating shafts 522-1, 522-2 such that as material agglomerates and / or granular material slide down the surface of the inlet receptacle, the baffles 534 direct the material agglomerates and / or the granular material away from the area of the seals 536-1, 536-2. The baffles 534 can further assist in keeping material agglomerates and / or granular material from interacting with the seals 536-1, 536-2, reducing chances of material agglomerates and / or granular material breaking down seals 536-1, 536-2, escaping from the housing 516 through the 536-1, 536-2, etc.

[0059] As shredded material agglomerates and / or granular material exit the shredder 508, they can be provided to the pelletizing system for further processing, as is further described above.

[0060] FIG. 6 is an example of a material manufacturing method 640, in accordance with one or more embodiments of the disclosure. The method can be performed using various devices from a material manufacturing system, as previously described in connection with FIG. 1.

[0061] At 642, the method 640 includes generating material agglomerates and granular material. The material agglomerates and granular material can be generated by a fluidized-bed reactor. For example, the fluidized-bed reactor can carry out various chemical reactions in a polymerization process that can generate polymer materials in the form of material agglomerates and / or granular material.

[0062] At 644, the method 640 includes receiving the material agglomerates and the granular material from the fluidized-bed reactor via a purge bin. The purge bin can receive the material agglomerates and the granular material from the fluidized-bed reactor. The purge bin can purge monomers from the material agglomerates and the granular material.

[0063] At 646, the method 640 includes shredding the material agglomerates. For example, the shredder can be located downstream of the purge bin. The shredder can include counter-rotating cutters. The material agglomerates and the granular material can be gravity fed to the shredder from the purge bin.

[0064] The material agglomerates can be forced through teeth included on each of the counter- rotating cutters. The teeth can break apart the material agglomerates from the fluidized-bed reactor into smaller agglomerates.

[0065] The counter-rotating cutters can be rotated at various speeds. For example, a first counter-rotating cutter can be rotated at a speed that is less than a second counter-rotating cutter to shred the material agglomerates. For example, the first counter-rotating cutter can rotate at 26 RPM, whereas the second counter-rotating cutter can rotate at 31 RPM.

[0066] However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not so limited. For example, the first counter-rotating cutter can be rotated at a speed that is the same as the second counterrotating cutter to shred the material agglomerates. For example, the first counter-rotating cutter and the second counter-rotating cutter can both rotate at 28 RPM.

[0067] Additionally, the speeds of each of the counter-rotating cutters are not limited by the above examples. For example, the first and the second counter-rotating cutters may be operated at speeds other than 26 RPM, 31 RPM, 28 RPM, etc. Rather, the counter-rotating cutters may be operated at any speed insofar as that the operating temperatures of the shredder are kept below the melting point of the polymer material (e.g., the material agglomerates and the granular- material). This can ensure that the material agglomerates and / or the granular material do not melt when passing through the shredder.

[0068] At 648, the method 640 includes pelletizing the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material to generate a product. For example, the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material can be made into pellets and put through a pelletizing system to generate a product.

[0069] Accordingly, a material discharge system according to the disclosure can utilize a shredder to shred material agglomerates that may be generated into smaller shredded material agglomerates so that such shredded material agglomerates can be utilized in the downstream manufacturing processes. As a result, the material discharge system can avoid the loss of material and disposal costs, be more size efficient and less of a safety risk as compared with utilizing a vibrating screener, as well as there being less of a chance of undesired product issues. Accordingly, a material discharge system according to the present disclosure canprovide a smaller, more efficient, and safer solution to material agglomerates as compared with previous approaches.

[0070] Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that any arrangement calculated to achieve the same techniques can be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all adaptations or variations of various embodiments of the disclosure.

[0071] It is to be understood that the above description has been made in an illustrative fashion, and not a restrictive one. Combination of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the above description.

[0072] The scope of the various embodiments of the disclosure includes any other applications in which the above structures and methods are used. Therefore, the scope of various embodiments of the disclosure should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full range of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

[0073] In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features are grouped together in example embodiments illustrated in the figures for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the embodiments of the disclosure require more features than are expressly recited in each claim.

[0074] Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment.

Claims

ClaimsWhat is claimed is:

1. A material discharge system, comprising: a purge bin connected to a reactor; a shredder connected to the purge bin, wherein the shredder includes: a housing; an inlet receptacle connected to the housing, the inlet receptacle configured to receive material agglomerates and granular material from the purge bin; and cutters located in the housing and configured to shred the material agglomerates into a smaller size; and a pelletizing system connected to the shredder, wherein the pelletizing system is configured to: receive the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material from the shredder; and pelletize the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material.

2. The material discharge system of claim 1, wherein the inlet receptacle is shaped to funnel the material agglomerates and the granular material towards the cutters.

3. The material discharge system of claim 1, wherein the granular material is to pass through the cutters.

4. The material discharge system of claim 1, wherein the cutters are counter-rotating cutters and include: a first counter-rotating cutter including a first shaft and a first plurality of teeth; and a second counter-rotating cutter including a second shaft and a second plurality of teeth.

5. The material discharge system of claim 4, wherein the first plurality of teeth are a same amount as the second plurality of teeth.

6. The material discharge system of claim 4, wherein the first plurality of teeth arc a different amount from the second plurality of teeth.

7. The material discharge system of claim 4, wherein: the first shaft includes Nitrogen-purged shaft seals between the first shaft and the housing; and the first shaft includes Nitrogen-purged shaft seals between the second shaft and the housing.

8. A material manufacturing system, comprising: a fluidized-bed reactor configured to generate material agglomerates and granular material; a purge bin connected to the fluidized-bed reactor, wherein the purge bin is configured to receive the material agglomerates and the granular material from the fluidized-bed reactor; a shredder connected to the purge bin, wherein the shredder includes: a housing; a funnel-shaped inlet receptacle connected to the housing, the inlet receptacle configured to receive the material agglomerates and the granular material from the purge bin; and counter-rotating cutters located in the housing and configured to shred the material agglomerates into a smaller size; and a pelletizing system connected to the purge bin, wherein the pelletizing systemis configured to: receive the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material from the shredder; and pelletize the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material.

9. The material manufacturing system of claim 8, wherein the counter-rotating cutters include shafts each having a seal between the shafts and the housing.

10. The material manufacturing system of claim 9, wherein the housing includes baffles configured to direct the granular material away from the seals of each respective shaft.

11. The material manufacturing system of claim 8, wherein the shredder is located downstream of the purge bin and is configured to receive the material agglomerates and the granular material from the purge bin via gravity.

12. The material manufacturing system of claim 8, wherein the material manufacturing system further includes a rotary feeder located between the purge bin and the shredder, the rotary feeder configured to shred the material agglomerates into a smaller size prior to the material agglomerates being received by the shredder.

13. A material manufacturing method, comprising: generating, via a fluidized-bed reactor, material agglomerates and granular material; receiving, via a purge bin, the material agglomerates and the granular material from the fluidized-bed reactor; shredding, via a shredder having counter-rotating cutters, the material agglomerates, wherein the material agglomerates and granular material are gravity fed to the shredder from the purge bin; and pelletizing, via a pelletizing system, the shredded material agglomerates and the granular material to generate a product.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein shredding the material agglomerates includes forcing the material agglomerates through teeth included on each of the counter-rotating cutters such that the teeth break apart the material agglomerates into smaller agglomerates.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the method includes: rotating a first counter-rotating cutter of the counter-rotating cutters at a speed that is less than a second counter-rotating cutter of the counter-rotating cutters to shred the material agglomerates; orrotating the first counter-rotating cutter at a speed that is a same speed as the second counter-rotating cutter to shred the material agglomerates.