A shaftless pump spray mixing and conveying liquid mixing tank

Abstract

This invention discloses a shaftless pump-jet mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank, belonging to the field of liquid preparation tank technology. It includes: a tank body and a lower head disposed at the bottom of the tank body; a shaftless pump-jet agitator disposed at the bottom of the lower head, comprising: a guide tube disposed at the lower head, the guide tube communicating with the inner cavity of the tank body through the lower head, the guide tube having a liquid outlet; a drive source and a stirring impeller, both installed inside the guide tube, the drive source located around the stirring impeller and the two connected by magnetic coupling for non-contact drive; when the stirring impeller rotates forward, it pumps the material in the lower head upward to the tank body for mixing; when the stirring impeller rotates in reverse, it pushes the material in the inner cavity of the tank downward to the liquid outlet for outward conveying. This application combines the outstanding advantages of shaftless motor propulsion technology with the low noise of pump-jet technology, which can both leverage the fluid dynamics advantages of pump-jet technology and eliminate shaft noise, thus having broad development prospects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of liquid mixing tank technology, specifically relating to a shaftless pump spray mixing and conveying liquid mixing tank. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of fluid mixing and preparation, traditional stirring systems mainly employ a "center-driven" mechanism, where a motor is mounted at the center of the top or bottom of the tank, connected to a through-drive shaft via a reducer, which drives the stirring blades located at the shaft end to rotate. Although this technology is widely used, it still has the following significant drawbacks in actual operation.

[0003] I. Operating noise and vibration caused by redundancy in the mechanical transmission chain: Traditional mixing systems rely on complex shaft systems, typically requiring a speed reducer to match the rotational speed. During operation, the meshing wear between the gears, bearing friction, and the radial runout and eccentric vibration generated by the high-speed rotation of the long shaft combine to create strong mechanical noise. This not only affects the comfort of the production environment but also shortens the equipment's lifespan due to mechanical vibration.

[0004] II. Layout constraints and space occupation of the central drive structure: Because of the use of a central shaft drive, the motor and large reducer typically occupy a significant amount of external space at the top or bottom of the tank, limiting the overall height of the equipment or the installation space at the bottom. Furthermore, the central drive shaft spans the interior of the tank, not only disrupting the flow field distribution but also causing physical interference with the placement of internal accessories (such as heating coils, sensors, etc.). Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention addresses the aforementioned problems in the existing technology by proposing a shaftless, low-noise, compact, and high-performance shaftless pump-jet mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank.

[0006] This invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions: A shaftless pump-driven mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank includes: The tank body and the lower end cap disposed at the bottom of the tank body; A shaftless pump-jet agitator is disposed at the bottom of the lower head, the shaftless pump-jet agitator comprising: A flow guide tube is disposed on the lower end cap, and the flow guide tube communicates with the inner cavity of the tank body through the lower end cap. The flow guide tube has a liquid outlet. The drive source and the stirring impeller are installed inside the guide tube. The drive source is located on the periphery of the stirring impeller and the two are connected by magnetic coupling to achieve a non-contact drive connection. The stirring impeller is controlled to rotate in both directions: When the impeller rotates in the forward direction, it pumps the material in the lower head upward to the tank for stirring. When the stirring impeller rotates in the opposite direction, it pushes the material in the inner cavity of the tank downward to the outlet for outward delivery.

[0007] As a further improvement of the present invention, the driving source and the stirring impeller are coupled by a magnetic field to generate an axial lifting force and a radial positioning force, so as to drive the stirring impeller to maintain a non-contact suspended balance state in the inner cavity of the guide tube, and a suspension gap is always maintained between the stirring impeller and the inner wall and bottom surface of the guide tube.

[0008] As a further improvement of the present invention, the guide tube is arranged in an annular structure, which is divided into a central cavity and an outer annular cavity. The stirring impeller is arranged in the central cavity, and the drive source is arranged in the annular cavity.

[0009] As a further improvement of the present invention, the guide tube and the lower end cap are fixed together by welding.

[0010] As a further improvement of the present invention, the inner peripheral wall of the tank is provided with several turbulence plates at intervals.

[0011] As a further improvement of the present invention, the axial fluid ejected upward by the shaftless pump-jet agitator impacts the baffle plate, and the baffle plate shears the axial fluid and transforms it into a turbulent flow field.

[0012] As a further improvement of the present invention, a heating jacket is provided outside the tank body, the heating jacket extends downward from the side of the tank body to the lower end cap, and the top and bottom of the heating jacket are respectively provided with a steam inlet and a condensate outlet.

[0013] As a further improvement of the present invention, the top of the tank is also provided with an upper sealing head, which is provided with an operation port, a cleaning port, a material inlet, a liquid inlet, and a circulation port.

[0014] As a further improvement of the present invention, the liquid outlet is equipped with a circulation valve and a liquid outlet valve, and the circulation valve is connected to the circulation port through a circulation pipeline.

[0015] As a further improvement of the present invention, the control system, based on the rotation direction of the stirring impeller, coordinates the opening and closing states of the liquid outlet valve and the circulation valve to achieve the switching of the following modes: Stirring mode: The stirring impeller rotates in the forward direction to generate an upward pump jet, at which time both the liquid outlet valve and the circulation valve are in the closed state; Circulation mode: The stirring impeller rotates in the opposite direction and presses the material downward. At this time, the circulation valve is open and the liquid outlet valve is closed. The material flows out through the circulation valve and returns to the circulation port. Conveying mode: The stirring impeller rotates in reverse. At this time, the liquid outlet valve is opened and the circulation valve is closed. The material is output to the external receiving device through the liquid outlet valve.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects.

[0017] 1. Extremely suppresses operating noise: The reducer and long shaft system in the traditional transmission chain are completely removed, eliminating gear meshing noise and mechanical vibration caused by radial runout of the long shaft from the source. Combined with the fluid dynamic characteristics of the pump-jet structure, the movement is smooth and the noise fluctuation is minimal.

[0018] 2. Deep optimization of spatial layout: The shaftless pump spraying and mixing motor is arranged on the external annular guide tube, and the reducer and drive shaft of the traditional power system are eliminated, which greatly saves the equipment installation space. The overall structure is compact and installation and maintenance are more convenient.

[0019] 3. Improved performance and efficiency: Thanks to the synergistic effect of the fluid dynamics of the pump spray structure and the turbulence structure inside the tank, the mixing rate of materials inside the tank is significantly accelerated. Combined with the efficient heat transfer brought by the full-coverage heating jacket, the homogenization, dissolution and temperature control processes are completed in a very short time, greatly improving the production efficiency of a single batch.

[0020] 4. The guide tube is welded to the lower end cap to completely prevent leakage: The internal guide component and the lower end cap of the tank adopt an integrated seamless welding structure, which completely replaces the traditional threaded connection. This effectively eliminates the potential leakage hazards that may occur during long-term operation, and ensures the purity and structural strength of the bottom of the tank. It is the core guarantee for achieving high-cleanliness production.

[0021] 5. Multi-mode intelligent switching to achieve multiple functions in one machine: By cleverly utilizing the pressure difference generated by the forward and reverse rotation of the stirring impeller, and in conjunction with the linkage control of the circulation valve and the liquid outlet valve, the functions of pure stirring, forced external circulation and auxiliary conveying are integrated into one system. This logic control not only reduces the investment in external pumping equipment, but also realizes the integration and automation of the production process through precise mode switching. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the shaftless pump spraying agitation and conveying liquid mixing tank of the present invention; Figure 2 This is the invention Figure 1 A magnified view of a portion of point A in the middle.

[0023] In the diagram, 100 is the tank body; 101 is the baffle plate; 110 is the upper head; 111 is the operating port; 112 is the cleaning port; 113 is the material inlet; 114 is the liquid inlet; 115 is the circulation port; 120 is the lower head; 130 is the heating jacket; 131 is the steam inlet; and 132 is the condensate outlet. 200. Shaftless pump spray agitator; 210. Flow guide tube; 211. Liquid outlet; 212. Circulation valve; 213. Liquid outlet valve; 220. Drive source; 230. Agitator impeller. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The following are specific embodiments of the present invention, which are described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings to further illustrate the technical methods of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0025] like Figures 1-2 As shown, the present invention provides a shaftless pump spraying agitation and conveying liquid mixing tank, comprising: Tank body 100 and lower end cap 120 disposed at the bottom of tank body 100; A shaftless pump-jet agitator 200 is disposed at the bottom of the lower head 120. The shaftless pump-jet agitator 200 includes: A flow guide tube 210 is disposed on the lower end cap 120. The flow guide tube 210 is connected to the inner cavity of the tank body 100 through the lower end cap 120. The flow guide tube 210 has a liquid outlet 211. The drive source 220 (such as a motor) and the stirring impeller 230 are both installed inside the guide tube 210. The drive source 220 is located on the periphery of the stirring impeller 230 and the two are connected by magnetic coupling to achieve a non-contact drive connection. Among them, the stirring impeller 230 is controlled to rotate in both directions: When the impeller 230 rotates in the forward direction, it pumps the material in the lower head 120 upward to the tank 100 for stirring. When the impeller 230 rotates in the opposite direction, it pushes the material in the inner cavity of the tank 100 downward to the outlet 211 for outward transport.

[0026] It is worth mentioning that the liquid mixing tank provided in this embodiment breaks away from the constraints of the traditional "central drive shaft" of the stirring impeller 230, replacing the central drive with a four-sided drive. Its working principle is explained in detail below: Magnetic coupling drive logic: The drive source 220 generates tangential torque by penetrating the wall of the guide tube 210 through a magnetic field, which drives the internal stirring impeller 230 to rotate at high speed. Since the physical drive shaft is removed, complete isolation between the drive end and the driven end is achieved.

[0027] Bidirectional rotation mode: Stirring mode (forward rotation): The frequency converter control signal causes the impeller to rotate forward. Based on the impeller's hydrodynamic configuration, an upward axial thrust is generated, which pumps the material in the lower head 120 upward through the guide tube 210 to the tank 100, forming a powerful jet to achieve efficient mixing; Conveying mode (reverse rotation): Change the current phase sequence to reverse the impeller. The impeller rotates and generates a downward pressure head, which forces the material in the tank to the liquid outlet 211 at the bottom of the guide tube 210, and switches the stirring device to "power pump" to complete the external conveying.

[0028] This design deeply integrates shaftless motor propulsion technology with pump-jet architecture, and has at least the following advantages compared to existing technologies.

[0029] 1. Extremely suppresses operating noise: The reducer and long shaft system in the traditional transmission chain are completely removed, eliminating gear meshing noise and mechanical vibration caused by radial runout of the long shaft from the source. Combined with the fluid dynamic characteristics of the pump-jet structure, the movement is smooth and the noise fluctuation is minimal.

[0030] 2. Deep optimization of spatial layout: The shaftless pump spraying and mixing motor is arranged on the external annular guide tube 210, and the reducer and drive shaft of the traditional power system are eliminated, which greatly saves the equipment installation space. The overall structure is compact and installation and maintenance are more convenient.

[0031] 3. Improved flow field performance and efficiency: The pump-jet structure can generate a highly directional axial jet. Compared with the chaotic flow field generated by traditional agitators, this structure can more effectively break through sedimentation dead zones, making the material more uniformly stressed during the mixing process and improving the quality of liquid preparation.

[0032] Preferably, the drive source 220 and the stirring impeller 230 generate axial lifting force and radial positioning force through magnetic field coupling, so as to drive the stirring impeller 230 to maintain a non-contact suspended balance state in the inner cavity of the guide tube 210, and a suspension gap is always maintained between the stirring impeller 230 and the inner wall and bottom surface of the guide tube 210.

[0033] This design enables the impeller 230 to overcome physical resistance and suspend at the geometric center of the guide tube 210 during both static and dynamic operation, forming a magnetic levitation state. This eliminates the risks of friction damage, heat accumulation, and material compression caused by physical contact in traditional bearings or bushings. The absence of mechanical friction significantly extends the service life of the core moving parts and greatly reduces the long-term maintenance cost of the equipment. Meanwhile, the constant suspension gap between the impeller 230 and the guide tube 210 eliminates the dead corners caused by structural contact, allowing the fluid for online cleaning or online sterilization to pass through unobstructed 360°, greatly improving cleaning efficiency and sterilization thoroughness.

[0034] Preferably, the guide tube 210 is arranged in an annular structure, which is divided into a central cavity and an outer annular cavity. The stirring impeller 230 is arranged in the central cavity, and the drive source 220 is arranged in the annular cavity. The magnetic lines of force generated by the drive source 220 penetrate the isolation wall and act on the stirring impeller 230 in the central cavity.

[0035] This design achieves complete isolation and sealing of the drive system and process fluid at the physical level, which not only completely eliminates the hidden danger of material corrosion of electrical components, but also greatly reduces the overall radial size of the equipment through a compact coaxial nesting design, allowing the power unit to be highly integrated into the narrow space at the bottom of the liquid preparation tank.

[0036] Preferably, the guide tube 210 and the lower end cap 120 are fixed by welding, so that the guide tube 210 and the lower end cap 120 are physically integrated. This integrated fixing method replaces the traditional threaded connection and effectively prevents leakage at the connection between the two.

[0037] Preferably, the inner circumferential wall of the tank 100 is provided with several flow-disrupting plates 101. When the shaftless pump-jet agitator 200 at the bottom is activated and generates a high-kinetic-energy forward axial jet, the fluid forms a high-speed central column flow from bottom to top within the tank 100. When this column flow rapidly spreads and impacts the flow-disrupting plates 101 on the inner circumferential wall, the flow-disrupting plates 101 physically truncate and strongly shear the continuous flow stream. Through this collision and boundary layer separation, the originally oriented streamlines are broken and reorganized, generating a large number of microscopic vortices within the tank 100.

[0038] This design effectively breaks the "overall rotation" phenomenon generated by the fluid in the tank, preventing the mixing dead zone formed by the material moving in concentric circles with the stirring direction. By transforming the concentrated axial jet into a uniformly distributed turbulent flow field with abundant kinetic energy, it greatly enhances the convection and diffusion rates between material components and significantly shortens the mixing cycle.

[0039] Especially for liquid preparation processes containing solid powders or high-viscosity components, this design ensures deep coupling between the vertical motion of the fluid and the horizontal turbulent motion, achieving a homogenization effect with no blind spots within the entire tank, and significantly improving the consistency of liquid preparation and production efficiency.

[0040] Preferably, a heating jacket 130 is provided outside the tank body 100. The heating jacket 130 extends downward from the side of the tank body 100 to the lower end cap 120, so that most of the fluid contact surface is in the heat exchange area. The top and bottom of the heating jacket 130 are respectively provided with a steam inlet 131 and a condensate outlet 132. During operation, high-temperature steam enters the heat exchange chamber from the inlet at the top of the heating jacket 130. The high enthalpy value of the steam is used to conduct heat to the material in the inner cavity through the tank wall. As the heat exchange proceeds, the steam condenses into water and naturally collects to the bottom of the heating jacket 130 under the action of gravity. It is discharged from the condensate outlet 132 at the bottom, thus forming a thermal circulation path from top to bottom inside the jacket.

[0041] Preferably, the top of the tank body 100 is also provided with an upper end cap 110, which has an operation port 111, a cleaning port 112, a material inlet 113, a liquid inlet 114, and a circulation port 115. The operating port 111 facilitates regular inspections and maintenance of the tank by staff. The cleaning port 112 is used to install a rotating cleaning ball to ensure that the rinsing fluid covers the entire inner wall of the tank. Material inlet 113 and liquid inlet 114 are designed for independent feeding of powder and liquid components, respectively, to prevent cross-interference during the feeding process; The circulation port 115 serves as the return end of the external circulation loop, working in conjunction with the pump spray system at the bottom to achieve a closed-loop material circulation process.

[0042] While ensuring the structural strength and sealing performance of the tank body 100, the upper head 110 provides a fully functional workstation operation interface, which greatly improves the automation and flexibility of the material processing process.

[0043] The diverse interface design allows feeding, replenishment, sampling, and circulation operations to be performed synchronously or alternately according to a program, significantly shortening process changeover time. In particular, the centralized cleaning interface and operation port design ensures that the equipment can achieve thorough cleaning without dead angles and intuitive testing and verification between batches of production, fully meeting the stringent hygiene requirements of the biopharmaceutical and fine chemical industries. At the same time, it also reserves standardized interface space for possible process expansion and instrumentation in the future.

[0044] Preferably, the outlet 211 is equipped with a circulation valve 212 and an outlet valve 213. The circulation valve 212 is connected to the circulation port 115 through a circulation pipeline. Specifically, the control system coordinates the opening and closing states of the outlet valve 213 and the circulation valve 212 based on the rotation direction of the stirring impeller 230 to achieve the following mode switching: Stirring mode: The impeller 230 rotates in the forward direction to generate an upward pump jet. At this time, both the outlet valve 213 and the circulation valve 212 are in the closed state. Circulation mode: The stirring impeller 230 rotates in the opposite direction and presses the material downward. At this time, the circulation valve 212 is opened and the liquid outlet valve 213 is closed. The material flows out through the circulation valve 212 and returns to the circulation port 115. Conveying mode: The stirring impeller 230 rotates in reverse. At this time, the liquid outlet valve 213 is opened and the circulation valve 212 is closed. The material is output to the external receiving equipment through the liquid outlet valve 213.

[0045] This design achieves "multi-functionality" of the equipment. It cleverly utilizes the forward and reverse rotation characteristics of the stirring impeller 230, and coordinates with the opening and closing control of the circulation valve 212 and the liquid outlet valve 213 to transform a single stirring and mixing device into a composite process terminal that integrates stirring, forced circulation, and auxiliary unloading pumping, greatly simplifying the external power configuration of the system.

[0046] This closed-loop control logic ensures smooth mode switching in a completely closed and sterile production process, effectively avoiding the risk of misoperation and significantly improving the automation level and production efficiency of the entire process of material preparation, homogenization and material transfer.

[0047] The technical means disclosed in this invention are not limited to those described above, but also include technical solutions composed of any combination of the above technical features. The above are specific embodiments of this invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various improvements and modifications without departing from the principle of this invention, and these improvements and modifications are also considered within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0048] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a certain specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0049] Furthermore, in this invention, the use of terms such as "first," "second," and "a" is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified. The terms "connection," "fixed," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, "fixed" can mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; it can mean a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can mean a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; it can mean the internal communication of two elements or the interaction between two elements, unless otherwise explicitly specified. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0050] The technical solutions of the various embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other, but only if they are based on the ability of those skilled in the art to implement them. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be considered that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by the present invention.

[0051] The specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the spirit of the invention. Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains may make various modifications or additions to the described specific embodiments or use similar methods to substitute them, without departing from the spirit of the invention or exceeding the scope defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A shaftless pump-driven mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank, characterized in that, include: The tank body and the lower end cap disposed at the bottom of the tank body; A shaftless pump-jet agitator is disposed at the bottom of the lower head, the shaftless pump-jet agitator comprising: A flow guide tube is disposed on the lower end cap, and the flow guide tube communicates with the inner cavity of the tank body through the lower end cap. The flow guide tube has a liquid outlet. The drive source and the stirring impeller are installed inside the guide tube. The drive source is located on the periphery of the stirring impeller and the two are connected by magnetic coupling to achieve a non-contact drive connection. The stirring impeller is controlled to rotate in both directions: When the impeller rotates in the forward direction, it pumps the material in the lower head upward to the tank for stirring. When the stirring impeller rotates in the opposite direction, it pushes the material in the inner cavity of the tank downward to the outlet for outward delivery.

2. The shaftless pump spray mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drive source and the stirring impeller are coupled by a magnetic field to generate an axial lifting force and a radial positioning force, so as to drive the stirring impeller to maintain a non-contact suspended balance in the inner cavity of the guide tube. A suspension gap is always maintained between the stirring impeller and the inner wall and bottom surface of the guide tube.

3. The shaftless pump spray mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide tube is arranged in a ring structure, which is divided into a central cavity and an outer ring cavity. The stirring impeller is arranged in the central cavity, and the drive source is arranged in the ring cavity.

4. The shaftless pump spray mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The guide tube and the lower end cap are fixed together by welding.

5. The shaftless pump spray mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner circumferential wall of the tank is provided with several turbulence-disrupting plates at intervals.

6. The shaftless pump spray mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank according to claim 5, characterized in that, The axial fluid ejected upwards by the shaftless pump-jet agitator impacts the baffle plate, which shears the axial fluid and transforms it into a turbulent flow field.

7. The shaftless pump spray mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, A heating jacket is provided outside the tank body, which extends downward from the side of the tank body to the lower end cap. The top and bottom of the heating jacket are respectively provided with a steam inlet and a condensate outlet.

8. The shaftless pump spray mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank according to claim 1, characterized in that, The top of the tank is also provided with an upper end cap, which has an operation port, a cleaning port, a material inlet, a liquid inlet, and a circulation port.

9. A shaftless pump-driven mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank according to claim 8, characterized in that, The outlet is equipped with a circulation valve and an outlet valve, and the circulation valve is connected to the circulation port through a circulation pipeline.

10. A shaftless pump spray mixing and conveying liquid preparation tank according to claim 9, characterized in that, Based on the rotation direction of the stirring impeller, the control system coordinates the opening and closing states of the outlet valve and the circulation valve to achieve the switching of the following modes: Stirring mode: The stirring impeller rotates in the forward direction to generate an upward pump jet, at which time both the liquid outlet valve and the circulation valve are in the closed state; Circulation mode: The stirring impeller rotates in the opposite direction and presses the material downward. At this time, the circulation valve is open and the liquid outlet valve is closed. The material flows out through the circulation valve and returns to the circulation port. Conveying mode: The stirring impeller rotates in reverse. At this time, the liquid outlet valve is opened and the circulation valve is closed. The material is output to the external receiving device through the liquid outlet valve.

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