Barrel Emptying Follower Plate With Agitation for Viscous Paste
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional emptying systems struggle to effectively remove highly viscous materials from containers, even when combined with heating and pumping, due to insufficient fluidity.
Innovation Solution
An emptying system utilizing a container follower plate with a movable agitator and a pump, where the agitator reduces viscosity through shearing, allowing the material to be drawn out via a removal opening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If heating and pumping action are applied to highly viscous materials, then the material fluidity is improved, but the material still fails to move to the removal opening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an agitator that imparts mechanical motion to the highly viscous material in the collection chamber. This mechanical agitation creates shear forces that reduce viscosity and enable the material to flow toward the removal opening, overcoming the limitation of heating and pumping alone.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state and flow parameters of the material by applying mechanical agitation. The agitator transforms the material from a static, highly viscous state to a moving state with reduced effective viscosity, enabling successful removal through the pump and removal opening.
2Productivity
If a pump is used to extract material from the collection chamber, then material removal is enabled, but highly viscous materials cannot be moved to the removal opening
Solution Approach 1:
The agitator provides mechanical motion that precedes and enables the pumping action. By agitating the material in the collection chamber, the system creates the necessary flow conditions for the pump to effectively extract the material through the removal opening.
Solution Approach 2:
The agitator performs a preliminary action by moving and agitating the material before the pump extracts it. This preliminary agitation reduces viscosity and creates flow patterns that facilitate subsequent pumping, solving the problem of highly viscous materials that cannot be pumped directly.
3Force
If the container follower plate is pressed downward to move material, then material advancement is achieved, but highly viscous materials remain stationary
Solution Approach 1:
The agitator introduces mechanical motion that complements the downward pressing force of the container follower plate. This agitation creates shear forces that reduce viscosity and enable the material to respond to the applied force, transforming it from a stationary, highly viscous state to a mobile state.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the material's flow parameters by applying mechanical agitation in addition to compression. This transforms the material from a state where it responds poorly to compressive force into a state where it becomes mobile and can be advanced toward the removal opening.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively reduces the viscosity of highly viscous materials, enabling their removal from containers by creating a shearing effect that fragments and moves the material towards the pump intake.
Implementation Method 1
The agitator is ideally configured in such a way that the material intended to be treated and pumped out by it receives a forceful movement that causes at least a temporary reduction of the viscosity of the material. The agitator has the effect that the material or preferably parts of the material are moved in relation to the container follower plate. Because of this relative motion, the viscosity of the material or at least of parts of the material is reduced, preferably by a shearing effect
Data Source
AI summary
An emptying system for emptying paste-like material from barrel-type containers having a container follower plate—which preferably can be lowered like a plunger into the interior of the container—and which includes a removal opening having a pump in operative connection with the removal opening for extracting material enclosed in the collection chamber between the container bottom and the container follower plate, wherein in the collection chamber at least one agitator is provided, which imposes on the material contained in the collection chamber a motion in relation to the container follower plate.