A shear-homogenized structure

Abstract

The application discloses a shearing homogenizing structure (01) for processing one or more liquid fluid media and optionally one or more solid media. The structure comprises a flow guide assembly connector (10), a turbine blade (11), a flow guide slot hole (12), a rotor disc (13), a shearing blade (14), a turbulence cavity (15), a flow guide assembly (16), a stator (20), a ring-shaped distribution ring-shaped opening (21), a flow guide plate (30), an outlet position one (31), an outlet position two (32), an outlet (33), a cladding sleeve (40) and a bearing cavity (41). The structure can realize high-strength shearing acceleration material mixing and strengthen homogenizing effect, meet batch mixing and optional continuous mixing effect, and realize high-strength and long-time stable operation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of material mixing, shearing, and homogenization technology, and in particular to homogenization structures for high-intensity shearing homogenization or high-efficiency mixing of one or more liquid fluid media and optionally one or more solid media that require high-intensity processing. Background Technology

[0002] Shear homogenization is widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, daily chemical, and chemical industries, for example, for the rapid dispersion of powders, efficient emulsification of oils and fats, and rapid reactions of chemical materials. The process modes are divided into batch mixing and continuous mixing. With the expansion of industrial production scale and capacity, higher requirements are placed on mixing and homogenization processes, especially in the low-efficiency batch tank production mode of viscous media, where a low-energy-consumption, high-efficiency, and continuous mixing and homogenization structure is needed.

[0003] Batch mixing equipment includes a tank and a stirring unit for mixing media. After the media in the tank is circulated and mixed for a certain period of time to reach the desired state, it is discharged to other containers.

[0004] Batch mixing tanks are typically used for mixing viscous media or media with high dry matter content. Examples include thickeners, stabilizers, and adhesives. These materials require rapid dispersion and long mixing times, and in some cases, the material may not be fully utilized. Therefore, specialized equipment is needed to achieve rapid dispersion, dissolution, and homogenization to improve material utilization and mixing efficiency. Batch mixing shear units usually extend from the top of the tank or are located at the bottom, with the discharge point outside the tank. Emptying the material requires an additional pump to extract it from inside the tank. For highly viscous media, neither of these methods can achieve sufficient homogenization and mixing.

[0005] Continuous mixing typically involves circulating a tank equipped with an agitator with another container. A pressurized outlet is located at the bottom of the tank, used to return the material to the mixing tank or for circulation with an external container. External circulation can become quite difficult with highly viscous materials.

[0006] Similar processing equipment enables batch mixing in tanks as well as continuous cyclic mixing. Patent WO2006131800A1 discloses a mixer with a mixing unit at the bottom of the tank and a turbulence-inducing impeller structure extending into the tank. Part of the mixing medium circulates within the tank via the turbulence structure, while another part is discharged through the mixing unit from a separate outlet. The outlet can either bypass back into the tank or discharge to an external container.

[0007] The disadvantage of this equipment is that low-viscosity media mostly circulate within the tank without passing through the stirring unit, failing to achieve rapid dispersion. For high-viscosity media, this structure easily causes material to concentrate at the stirring position, leading to localized blockages at the discharge port, and may even require a redesign of the stirring structure for media of specific viscosities. This method is only suitable for batch or continuous mixing of low-viscosity media, and is not suitable for the flexible application of a wide range of viscous media. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the primary objective of this invention is to provide a shear homogenizing structure for highly shear-mixed one or more liquid fluid media and optionally one or more solid media. Employing a specific rotor and stator structure within a unique shearing region, combined with an adjustable-speed stator-rotor system, this structure achieves the same high-efficiency shearing effect in batches within a tank, from low-viscosity to high-viscosity media, enabling pre-mixing of materials and simultaneous, multiple shear mixing processes. This is particularly effective for the rapid dispersion and dissolution of viscous powders and the rapid emulsification of oils and greases.

[0009] The second objective is to install a localized diversion device in the stator outlet area protruding from the tank, combining batch tank mixing with continuous external circulation mixing. This enables multiple in-tank shear mixing and external circulation shear mixing of media ranging from low to high viscosity, breaking the bottleneck that high viscosity media can only be processed in batch tanks.

[0010] According to the present invention, the following shear homogenization structure is used to achieve the desired effect. The shear homogenization structure is characterized in that: the rotor portion is coaxial with the center of the stator portion and the tank bottom disc base; the stator is located around the rotor portion; the top of the rotor portion has a premixing guide assembly, which is connected to the rotor disc via a connector with reserved space; the guide assembly can be in the form of a blade, a vane, a scraper, or a fixed head without premixing effect. The turbine blades of the rotor portion are evenly distributed in a ring on the disc, with the blade tips higher than the top of the annular stator, so as to simultaneously induce turbulent mixing of the upper medium while guiding it into the shearing chamber area. The stator is embedded in the annular groove of the disc base and protrudes from the upper part of the tank bottom, enabling high-flow-rate internal circulation of the medium after shear mixing through the stator holes. The medium flowing out through the stator holes is connected to the discharge port at the discharge position via a limited-coverage outlet guide plate. Preferably, a cooling jacket sleeve is located around the bearing cavity to achieve high-intensity stable operation.

[0011] The upper part of the rotor disk has evenly distributed turbine blades in a ring. Below the turbine blades are guide slots in the same direction as the airflow. The lower part of the rotor disk has multiple pairs of shearing blades, with the blades corresponding to the ends of the guide slots. This entire structure, along with an optional guide assembly at the top of the rotor, is coaxially connected to the rotor disk via a drive connector. The center of the rotor disk is connected to the disk base via a sealing structure. Below the rotor disk is a closed shearing zone. The shearing blades are evenly distributed in a ring below the rotor disk, with the blade edges flush with the circumference of the rotor disk and the bottom of the blades fitting snugly against the narrow slot of the disk base.

[0012] In an effective embodiment, the direction of the shearing blades at the bottom of the rotor forms a certain angle with the direction of its centripetal force. Circular holes or optional rectangular slots are evenly distributed around the stator periphery, with the opening area set to a limited range. Preferably, the axial direction of the stator annular opening forms a certain angle with the direction of the centripetal force at the stator hole location. This angle corresponds to the angle of the rotor blades, forcing the flowing medium under high-speed rotor rotation to be pressed against the stator holes by high-speed centrifugal force. After the rotor blades rotate and complete the first high-intensity shearing through the gap between the stator and rotor, the medium is again sprayed through the holes along the tangential direction, forming a second shearing effect.

[0013] In another embodiment, the medium impacts the annular seal at the contact position between the inner side of the stator and the disk base in the high-intensity shear zone. Preferably, the contact seal position on the inner side of the stator is covered by an annular protrusion, so that the parallel-ejected medium impacts the stator edge.

[0014] The curved or square-shaped guide plate has its edges tightly fitted to the stator side, with its upper cover flush with the upper edge of the opening area. The bottom of the guide plate is fixed to the tank side wall, and the area covered by the guide plate is a partial area of ​​the stator annular opening outlet. This allows most of the sheared and homogenized material to flow out of the stator opening and continue circulating within the tank, while a small portion of the medium flows out through the guide plate and exits at the tank outlet. The outlet is equipped with a shut-off valve, which, when closed, allows for internal circulation with the tank side wall. In this respect, the present invention achieves a dual-circulation shearing and homogenizing structure, which is highly advantageous for efficient shearing and mixing. It can meet the needs of small-batch batch tank processing as well as large-scale continuous cyclic processing. In the processing of limited viscous media, it can reduce the number of equipment required, thus achieving cost savings.

[0015] The outlet design can also be used to empty the medium inside the tank. The pressure at the guide outlet does not require an additional outlet pump to extract the medium. If possible, auxiliary scraping and stirring can be added inside the tank to guide the material to the shear structure and discharge it through the guide port.

[0016] A jacketed sleeve is provided around the high-speed rotating bearing, through which heat exchange media or lubricating media, including water and grease, can pass. The media outlet can be connected in series with the rotor sealing media inlet. At the same time, a flow detection element is installed at the final outlet of the medium in the jacketed sleeve, and the flow rate of the cooling medium is related to the operation of the shear homogenous structure.

[0017] Using the above technical solutions, it can be further configured to have the drive shaft directly connected to the motor or driven by a belt pulley, and to use frequency conversion speed regulation to drive the shearing homogenizer to operate at an adjustable speed.

[0018] In another embodiment of the invention, the shear homogenizing structure is located at the center of the bottom of a cylindrical closed or open tank with a bottom conical shape. The homogenizing structure and the tank sidewall are equipped with baffles of the same height as the working volume to achieve the best mixing effect.

[0019] The beneficial technical effects achievable by this invention are as follows: This shear homogenizing structure not only enables rapid dispersion and dissolution of powder materials, especially viscous powders, preventing clumping and particle formation, but also accelerates the mixing and dissolution process under high-intensity, multiple shearing conditions, shortening the mixing time. The multi-layered turbulence and flow-guiding structure can accelerate the premixing of powder materials and also provide the flow-guiding power for the shear structure, enhancing the effect of secondary shear jet mixing.

[0020] The present invention also achieves the following beneficial technical effects: for mixing high-viscosity media, it enables small-batch batch mixing within the tank, and can also be connected to external tanks to achieve internal and external dual circulation, meeting the needs of large-scale continuous processing of high-viscosity media. It reduces the number of mixing devices required, thus achieving cost savings. Attached Figure Description

[0021] The invention will now be explained in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 A basic sketch of a shear homogeneous structure with a localized flow outlet is shown.

[0023] Figure 2 An isometric cross-sectional view of a shear homogeneous structure with a localized flow outlet is shown.

[0024] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of the stator structure protrusion is shown.

[0025] Figure 4 A structural diagram showing the stator annular bore and rotor blade structure is shown.

[0026] Figure 5 A basic sketch of the rotor turbine guide assembly and local guide outlet is shown.

[0027] Figure 6A flowchart of an optional embodiment for batch mixing and discharge cycle mixing is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0028] In the accompanying drawings, the same or similar components are indicated by the same reference numerals in different figures. Therefore, not all details of the drawings will be described further.

[0029] Figure 1 The appearance of the shear homogenizing structure and the circulating flow outlet is shown. To further improve the mixing effect based on existing technology, a highly efficient shear homogenizing structure 01 is provided, comprising a rotor section and a stator section. The rotor section is coaxial with respect to the stator 20, which is located around the rotor section. To further enhance the shear mixing effect of viscous products, a flow guide assembly 16 is optionally added to the upper part of the rotor section, which is connected to the rotor disk 13 via a connector 10. Depending on the viscosity and properties of different products, the flow guide assembly 16 can be in the form of blades, vanes, scrapers, or fixed heads. The rotor section employs turbine blades 11, and its top is higher than the top of the stator 20, which, combined with the flow guide assembly at the top of the rotor, enhances the flowability of the mixing medium. The annular surface of the stator 20 outside the rotor has holes of different shapes, and the different opening areas selected according to the properties of the mixing medium are the discharge position 31. Figure 2 The stator 20 is shown embedded in the annular groove of the disc base 42. The discharge position 31, partially covered by the outlet guide plate 30, is connected to the discharge port 33. The jacket sleeve 40 is located around the bearing cavity 41, and a cooling medium flows through the jacket sleeve to ensure that the bearing operates stably at the continuous operating temperature. The above rotor structure is coaxially connected as one unit through the drive connector 44. The drive shaft is usually connected to an external motor or pulley, which is not shown in the figure.

[0030] In another alternative embodiment, the cooling medium is connected to the bottom interface on the side of the jacket 40, enters the jacket 40, and exits through the upper side connection port. Alternatively, the medium outlet of the jacket 40 can be connected in series with the medium inlet of the rotor seal 43, and the final outlet of the cooling medium is equipped with a flow detection element.

[0031] Figure 2An isometric cross-sectional view of the shear homogeneous structure with a localized flow outlet is shown. The rotor structure clearly shows a rotor disk 13 with uniformly distributed annular turbine blades 11 on its upper part, and flow guide slots 12 below the turbine blades. The upper medium, partially assisted by an optional flow guide assembly 16, enters the rotor region and, combined with the arc-shaped turbine blades 11, enters the rotor interior through the flow guide slots 12. The medium is under high pressure within the semi-enclosed area formed by the rotor disk 13 and the disk base 42. Shear blades 14 are located below the rotor disk 13, and the medium undergoes high-intensity shear mixing between the high-speed rotating shear blades 14 and the perforated stator 20. Under the centrifugal force of the shear blades 14 and the high pressure of the semi-enclosed shear region, the medium is ejected through the perforations of the stator 20 into the tank for recirculation and batch mixing.

[0032] Combination Figure 2 and Figure 5 The structure shown allows for the optional baffle 30 to achieve continuous or external circulation mixing. The edge of the baffle 30 is fixed to the side of the stator 20, and the bottom of the baffle 30 is fixed to the tank sidewall 50. The baffle 30 covers a portion of the area of ​​the annular opening discharge position 32, with the upper part flush with the upper edge of the opening area. This structure provides pressure to discharge position 31 for discharge or circulation. Discharge position 31 is located at the lowest point of the tank sidewall 50 and communicates with discharge port 33. Discharge port 33 is equipped with a shut-off valve or optionally communicates with the tank sidewall 50.

[0033] Figure 3 The diagram shows an annular seal 23 at the contact point between the inner side of the stator 20 and the disk base 42, as well as an annular protrusion 22 at the contact seal point on the inner side of the stator 20. When the medium impacts the annular seal 23 at the contact point between the inner side of the stator 20 and the disk base 42 in a high-intensity shear zone, the protrusion structure serves to protect the annular seal 23.

[0034] Figure 4The diagram shows the structure of the stator annular hole and rotor blades. For clarity, the right half is a top view, showing an arc-shaped turbine blade 11 on the impeller without guide components, with a crescent-shaped guide slot 12 located below the turbine blade 11. The left side shows the internal cross-sectional structure of the rotor. The annular stator 20 has uniformly distributed circular holes or optional rectangular slots around its perimeter. The open area of ​​the annular opening 21 is 15% to 45% of the opening area. The limited open area of ​​the annular opening 21, combined with the jet shearing after medium shearing, creates a unique mixing effect. The axial direction of the stator annular opening 21 is at a certain angle, and the axial direction of the stator annular opening 21 forms an angle with the centripetal force direction at the stator opening position. This angle corresponds to the angle of the shearing blade 14, forcing the flowing medium under high-speed rotor rotation to be pressed into the stator hole by high-speed centrifugal force. After the rotor blade rotates and completes the first high-intensity shearing through the gap between the stator and rotor, the medium is sprayed again along the tangential direction through the hole, forming a second shearing effect.

[0035] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating another optional embodiment of batch mixing and discharge circulation mixing is shown. The medium is located inside tank 60, and a shear homogenizing structure is located at the center of the tank bottom. The tank sidewall 50 is tapered and integrated with the homogenizing structure. The tank sidewall is provided with a liquid addition port or reflux pipe 54. A first valve 51 is provided at the discharge point 31 at the bottom of the tank after passing through the guide plate 30. A reflux pipe 54 and a second valve 52 are provided before the first valve 51.

[0036] When the mixing structure is used for batch mixing, the first valve 51 is closed and the second valve 52 is open, allowing the medium to circulate within the tank. The viscous medium, under the action of the flow guiding component 16, enhances the turbulence within the tank and facilitates the transition between upper and lower media. A portion of the medium that has passed through the shear homogenizing structure flows back through the bottom outlet 32, flips along the conical sidewall to the upper layer of the medium, and continues to circulate within the tank. The remaining portion of the medium that has passed through the shear homogenizing structure enters the tank through the return pipe 54 via the outlet 31.

[0037] When the mixing structure is used for circulating mixing or discharge, the first valve 51 is open and the second valve 52 is closed, with the medium circulating within the tank. The viscous medium, under the action of the flow guiding component 16, enhances the turbulence intensity and the transition between upper and lower media within the tank. The medium portion passing through the shear homogenizing structure flows back through the bottom discharge point 32, flipping along the conical sidewall to the upper layer of media, and then continues to circulate within the tank. The remaining medium passing through the shear homogenizing structure is discharged into the outer tank through the discharge point 31 and the discharge port 53. The medium returning from the outer tank flows back into the tank through the liquid addition port 55.

[0038] In the above embodiments, there are no stagnant areas in the mixing and discharge process of the medium, flexibly meeting the needs of batch mixing and continuous mixing within the tank. This is more suitable for large-scale processing of viscous products.

Claims

1. A shear homogeneous structure located at the center of the bottom of a tank; the shear homogeneous structure (01) comprises: The components include: a flow guide assembly connector (10), a turbine blade (11), a flow guide slot (12), a rotor disk (13), a shearing blade (14), a turbulence cavity (15), a flow guide assembly (16), a stator (20), a flow guide plate (30), a discharge position one (31), a discharge position two (32), a drive connector jacket (40), and a bearing cavity (41). The rotor part is coaxial with respect to the stator (20), the stator (20) is located on the periphery of the rotor part, the flow guide assembly (16) of the rotor part is connected to the rotor disk (13) through the flow guide assembly connector (10), the flow guide assembly (16) is in the form of a blade, the top of the turbine blade (11) of the rotor part is higher than the top of the stator (20), the stator (20) is embedded in the annular groove of the disk base (42), and the jacket (40) is located on the periphery of the bearing cavity (41). The rotor structure includes a rotor disk (13), with annularly distributed turbine blades (11) on the upper part of the rotor disk (13), crescent-shaped guide slots (12) below the turbine blades, and shearing blades (14) on the lower part of the rotor disk (13). A guide assembly (16) is provided on the top of the rotor disk (13) through a guide assembly connector (10). The above components are coaxially connected as one unit through a drive connector. The center of the rotor disk (13) is connected to the disk base (42) through a rotor seal (43). The rotor disk (13) is provided with a crescent-shaped guide slot (12), and the end of the guide slot (12) corresponds to multiple pairs of shearing blades (14). The shearing blades (14) are evenly distributed in a ring below the rotor disk (13). The edge of the shearing blades (14) is flush with the circumferential edge of the rotor disk (13), and the bottom of the shearing blades (14) is in close contact with the narrow slit of the disk base (42). The direction of the shearing blade (14) forms an angle with the direction of the centripetal force of the shearing blade (14) at the end of the rotor disk (13); The stator (20) has uniformly distributed circular holes or rectangular slots or holes combining circular and rectangular holes around its periphery. The open area of ​​the holes is 15% to 45% of the open area. The axial direction of the stator's annular opening is at an angle to the direction of the centripetal force at the opening position of the stator. The area covered by the guide plate (30) is part of the area of ​​the annular opening discharge position two (32). The discharge position one (31) partially covered by the guide plate (30) is connected to the discharge port (33). The medium part that has passed through the sheared homogenized structure flows back through the discharge position two (32) at the bottom of the tank.

2. The shear homogeneous structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: There is an annular seal (23) at the contact position between the inner side of the stator (20) and the disc base (42), and there is an annular protrusion (22) at the contact seal position on the inner side of the stator (20).

3. The shear homogeneous structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The edge of the guide plate (30) is fixed to the side of the stator (20), and the bottom of the guide plate (30) is fixed to the side wall (50) of the tank body. The coverage area is 15% to 45% of the area of ​​the second annular opening discharge position (32). The upper coverage position is flush with the upper edge of the opening area. The first discharge position (31) is located at the lowest position of the side wall (50) of the tank body and is connected to the discharge port (33). The discharge port (33) is equipped with a shut-off valve.

4. The shear homogeneous structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The jacket sleeve (40) is located outside the bearing cavity (41). The jacket sleeve is fixed, can move axially, or can rotate. The jacket sleeve (40) can be used for heat exchange or lubrication.

5. The shear homogeneous structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: The medium connection position is an independent bottom inlet and top outlet connection port or a top inlet and bottom outlet connection port on the side of the jacket sleeve (40), or the medium outlet of the jacket sleeve (40) is connected in series with the medium inlet of the rotor seal (43); the independent or series final outlet of the medium of the jacket sleeve (40) is equipped with a flow detection element.

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