Keyed connection of stirrer and stirring apparatus
By adopting a keyed connection structure in the mixing equipment, combined with screw and sealing ring design, the problem of online sterilization and cleaning of the mixing equipment is solved, realizing reliable connection of large and medium-sized mixing vessels and easy blade replacement, which is suitable for high-requirement industries such as pharmaceuticals.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHANGHAI MORIMATSU BIOTECHNOLOGY CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2022-12-21
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-10
Smart Images
Figure CN116036912B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of mixing equipment technology, and particularly to a keyed mixer and mixing equipment. Background Technology
[0002] Industries such as pharmaceuticals have high requirements for the cleaning and sterilization of the mixing equipment used in their production processes, necessitating validation of the equipment's sterilization-in-line (SIP) and cleaning-in-line (CIP) capabilities. This includes ensuring that the surfaces of the tanks and the agitators within the equipment are easy to clean and sterilize.
[0003] In common designs of mixing equipment, the connection structure between the mixing shaft and the mixing blade typically employs three methods: welding, set screw connection, and key connection. Welded and set screw connections both have solutions that can meet the requirements for online sterilization and online cleaning validation. However, there is currently a lack of technical solutions for key connection structures in mixing equipment that can adequately meet the requirements for online sterilization and online cleaning validation.
[0004] Of the three connection structures for the agitator shaft and impeller mentioned above, the welded structure can better meet the validation requirements for online sterilization and online cleaning because it easily eliminates gaps at the connection. However, the welded structure makes it inconvenient to replace the impeller blades or remove the agitator from the mixing vessel, making it unsuitable for applications requiring disassembly and replacement of related parts. The set screw structure can meet the validation requirements for online sterilization and online cleaning by setting sealing rings on both sides of the agitator hub, but this structure can only withstand a relatively small torque, making it difficult to meet the requirements of high-torque applications and the working conditions of medium or large agitators. The traditional keyed connection structure, because its keyway needs to penetrate through both sides of the impeller hub, makes it difficult to achieve a complete seal on the end face of the hub, thus failing to meet the validation requirements for online sterilization and online cleaning.
[0005] Patent CN203417645U provides a sanitary-grade clean mixer, which consists of a mixing shaft, mixing blades, a hub, a sealing connector, a key, an upper sealing gasket, and a lower sealing gasket. The mixing blades are welded to the hub, and the hub and the sealing connector are connected by a key to effectively transmit torque. An internally threaded hole is machined at the center of the lower end face of the mixing shaft, and the upper end of the sealing connector is machined with an externally threaded structure, achieving axial fastening through the threaded connection. Sealing gaskets are installed between the upper end face of the hub and the lower end face of the mixing shaft, and between the lower end face of the hub and the boss end face of the sealing connector.
[0006] The sanitary-grade clean mixer provided by the aforementioned utility model patent, while taking into account sterilization and cleaning requirements, uses a sealed connector to connect the impeller to the mixing shaft via a threaded connection. This structure and connection method still have potential sanitary dead zones such as the internal threaded hole of the mixing shaft and the keyway of the hub. Summary of the Invention
[0007] This application is made in view of the aforementioned state of the prior art. The purpose of this application is to provide a keyed agitator that enables a keyed connection between the agitator shaft and the impeller to meet the validation requirements for online sterilization and online cleaning.
[0008] Embodiments of this application also provide a mixing device including the above-described key-connected stirrer.
[0009] Embodiments of this application provide a keyed stirrer, which includes a stirring shaft, a hub, a key, and screws.
[0010] The stirring shaft is cylindrical, and a keyway is formed on its outer circumference.
[0011] The hub is cylindrical with a through hole in the center, and a hub keyway is formed on the inner wall of the through hole.
[0012] The stirring shaft is disposed within the through hole, the keyway of the shaft is aligned with the keyway of the hub, and sealing rings are provided at the upper and lower ends of the connection between the stirring shaft and the hub.
[0013] The key is disposed in the keyway of the shaft and the keyway of the hub. One or more screws pass through the hub and extend into the keyway of the hub. The inner end of the screw pushes the key from the keyway of the hub into the keyway of the shaft, thereby connecting the stirring shaft and the keyway of the hub.
[0014] In at least one possible implementation, the keyed agitator further includes blades connected to the hub for agitating materials.
[0015] In at least one possible implementation, the groove depth H of the hub keyway and the key height h satisfy: H ≥ h.
[0016] In at least one possible implementation, the outer end of the screw is provided with a nut, which fits against the hub.
[0017] In at least one possible implementation, the screw is a set screw and the nut is a cap nut.
[0018] In at least one possible implementation, a sealing ring is provided between the nut and the hub.
[0019] The sealing ring is partially accommodated in the groove.
[0020] In at least one possible implementation, the key is a flat-headed key.
[0021] In at least one possible implementation, the hub and the blade are welded together.
[0022] In at least one possible implementation, the hub is formed with a groove, and the sealing ring is at least partially received in the groove, the sealing ring being an O-ring.
[0023] Embodiments of this application also provide a stirring apparatus, which includes the aforementioned key-connected stirrer. Attached Figure Description
[0024] Figure 1A This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a keyed stirrer when the stirring shaft and hub are not connected, according to one embodiment of this application.
[0025] Figure 1B This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a keyed stirrer when the stirring shaft and hub are connected according to one embodiment of this application.
[0026] Figure 2 for Figure 1A The diagram shows a partial enlarged view of the keyed connection structure of the keyed stirrer.
[0027] Figure 3 for Figure 1B The image shows a partial enlarged view of the screws and nuts that connect the agitator.
[0028] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures
[0029] 10. Stirring shaft
[0030] 11-axis keyway
[0031] 20-inch wheels
[0032] 21 Hub keyway
[0033] 22 Sealing ring
[0034] 30 blades
[0035] 40 keys
[0036] 51 screws
[0037] 52 Nuts
[0038] 53 Sealing ring Detailed Implementation
[0039] Exemplary embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these specific descriptions are for teaching those skilled in the art how to implement this application only, and are not intended to exhaustively describe all possible methods of this application, nor to limit the scope of this application.
[0040] The embodiments of this application provide a keyed stirrer that can be used in stirring equipment with strict sterilization and cleaning requirements, especially large and medium-sized stirring equipment used in pharmaceutical production.
[0041] The keyed agitator may include an agitator shaft 10, a hub 20, a blade 30, and a key 40.
[0042] Specifically, such as Figure 1A , Figure 1B As shown, the stirring shaft 10 can be cylindrical, with a keyway 11 formed on its outer circumference. The hub 20 can be cylindrical, with a through hole in its center. A hub keyway 21 can be formed on the inner wall of the through hole of the hub 20. The stirring shaft 10 is disposed inside the through hole of the hub 20, and the keyway 11 is aligned with the hub keyway 21. The space formed by the keyway 11 and the hub keyway 21 can accommodate the key 40.
[0043] Furthermore, such as Figure 2 As shown, the groove depth H of the hub keyway 21 can be greater than or equal to the key height h of the key 40, so that the key 40 can be completely placed in the hub keyway 21 without affecting the passage of the stirring shaft 10 through the through hole of the hub 20. It can be understood that the shaft keyway 11 is a common keyway with a groove depth less than the key height h of the key 40. One or more screws 51 (e.g., screws extending radially along the hub 20) can be installed at the hub keyway 21. Figure 1A , Figure 1B (Two are shown in the diagram). The inner end of the screw 51 (inward along the radial direction of the hub toward the stirring shaft) can extend into the hub keyway 21. The outer end of the screw 51 can be provided with a nut 52, which can fit against the hub 20.
[0044] After placing the key 40 in the hub keyway 21 and aligning the shaft keyway 11 with the hub keyway 21, the key 40 portion in the hub keyway 21 can be pushed into the shaft keyway 11 by tightening the screw 51, thereby achieving a key connection between the stirring shaft 10 and the hub 20.
[0045] Preferably, key 40 can be a flat-headed key to facilitate the machining of keyways and other related structures. It is understood that the type of key 40 is not limited to this; any type of key capable of transmitting torque can be selected according to actual needs.
[0046] Preferably, screw 51 can be a set screw, and nut 52 can be a cap nut. For example, Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, screw 51 is an internal hexagonal flat-end set screw, which is threadedly connected to a cap nut.
[0047] The hub 20 can be connected to the blades 30. It is understood that the blades 30 can be selected from various shapes and structures according to actual production needs. When the agitator is working, the torque of the agitator shaft 10 is transmitted to the hub 20 through the key 40, thereby driving the blades 30 to rotate and agitate the materials.
[0048] Preferably, the hub 20 and the blade 30 can be connected by welding.
[0049] Furthermore, such as Figure 1A , Figure 1B , Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, sealing rings 22 can be provided at both the upper and lower ends of the connection between the stirring shaft 10 and the hub 20. A sealing ring 53 can also be provided at the connection between the nut 52 and the hub 20. By providing sealing rings to seal the surface of the stirrer, cleaning and sterilization are facilitated, thus meeting the validation requirements for online sterilization and online cleaning.
[0050] Preferably, the hub 20 and the nut 52 can be formed with grooves to at least partially accommodate the sealing ring 22 and the sealing ring 53, respectively, thereby reducing the dead corners for the sealing rings.
[0051] Preferably, the sealing ring 22 can be an O-ring.
[0052] Embodiments of this application also provide a stirring device, particularly a stirring vessel, which includes the aforementioned key-connected stirrer. This stirring device is suitable for applications with stringent sterilization and cleaning requirements, such as the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry.
[0053] The following is a brief description of some of the beneficial effects of the above-described embodiments of this application.
[0054] (1) The key-connected agitator and agitation equipment provided in the embodiments of this application adopt a key-connection method for the blades and agitation shaft, which can avoid the inherent disadvantages of welding and screw connections commonly used in the prior art, and at the same time meet the verification requirements for online sterilization and online cleaning of the agitator.
[0055] (2) The keyed connection stirrer and stirring equipment provided in the embodiments of this application are simple to replace the blades, can meet the process requirements of large and medium-sized stirred tanks, and have broad application prospects. It is especially suitable for industries such as pharmaceutical industry that have high sterilization and cleaning requirements for stirring equipment, and can effectively reduce the possible contamination risk in the stirring process.
[0056] It is understood that, in this application, when the number of parts or components is not specifically limited, the number can be one or more, where multiple refers to two or more. For cases where the number of parts or components shown in the drawings and / or described in the specification is, for example, two, three, four, etc., this specific number is generally exemplary and not restrictive, and can be understood as multiple, i.e., two or more; however, this does not mean that this application excludes the case of one.
[0057] It should be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to limit this application. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications and changes to the above embodiments under the teachings of this application without departing from the scope of this application.
Claims
1. A keyed stirrer, characterized in that, Includes stirring shaft (10), hub (20), key (40), and screw (51). The stirring shaft (10) is cylindrical, and a keyway (11) is formed on its outer periphery. The hub (20) is cylindrical with a through hole in the center, and a hub keyway (21) is formed on the inner wall of the through hole. The stirring shaft (10) is disposed in the through hole, the shaft keyway (11) is aligned with the hub keyway (21), and sealing rings (22) are provided at the upper and lower ends of the connection between the stirring shaft (10) and the hub (20). The key (40) is disposed in the keyway (11) of the shaft and the keyway (21) of the hub. One or more screws (51) pass through the hub (20) and extend into the keyway (21). The inner end of the screws (51) pushes the key (40) from the keyway (21) into the keyway (11) of the shaft, thereby connecting the stirring shaft (10) and the hub (20) by a key. The groove depth H of the hub keyway (21) and the key height h of the key (40) satisfy: H≥h, so that the key (40) is completely placed in the hub keyway (21) without affecting the passage of the stirring shaft (10) through the through hole of the hub (20).
2. The keyed stirrer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The keyed agitator also includes blades (30) connected to the hub (20) for agitating materials.
3. The keyed stirrer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer end of the screw (51) is provided with a nut (52), which is in contact with the hub (20).
4. The keyed stirrer according to claim 3, characterized in that, The screw (51) is a set screw, and the nut (52) is a cap nut.
5. The keyed stirrer according to claim 3, characterized in that, A sealing ring (53) is provided between the nut (52) and the hub (20). The nut (52) has a groove, and the sealing ring (53) is partially accommodated in the groove.
6. The keyed stirrer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The key (40) is a flat-headed key.
7. The keyed stirrer according to claim 2, characterized in that, The hub (20) and the blade (30) are welded together.
8. The keyed stirrer according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hub (20) has a groove, and the sealing ring (22) is at least partially accommodated in the groove. The sealing ring (22) is an O-ring.
9. A mixing device, characterized in that, Includes the key-connected stirrer according to any one of claims 1 to 8.