Coating Color Degassing via Oscillation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing degassing methods for coating colors, especially for highly viscous substances, are inefficient due to insufficient deaeration capacity, leading to unstable gas content in the coating material, which results in surface roughness and uncoated areas on fibrous webs, particularly in multilayer curtain coating processes.

Innovation Solution

A method involving a storage tank system where coating color is supplied to the degassing stage at a constant rate, with excess returned to the storage tank, and the degassed color is supplied to the coating device at a constant rate, using a two-stage vacuum degassing apparatus and on-line measuring equipment to maintain uniform gas content, ensuring stable degassing conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If vacuum degree is increased to improve deaeration capacity, then gas removal efficiency is improved, but solvent vaporisation increases causing solids content to increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedeaeration capacityVSAvoidsolvent vaporisation
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by using oscillation treatment before vacuum deaeration to pre-coalesce small gas bubbles into larger ones. This preliminary step makes the subsequent vacuum deaeration more effective at lower vacuum degrees, preventing solvent vaporisation while still achieving thorough gas removal. The oscillation frequency is typically 16-60 kHz, which causes bubbles to integrate and grow large enough to be easily removed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs mechanical vibration through oscillation treatment at frequencies of 16-60 kHz to agitate the coating colour and cause gas bubbles to coalesce. This vibration mechanism transforms the distribution of gas bubbles from dispersed small bubbles to larger coalesced bubbles, dramatically improving deaeration capacity without requiring extreme vacuum conditions that would cause solvent vaporisation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #18Mechanical vibration

2Manufacturing precision

If processing time is increased to improve gas bubble removal, then deaeration quality is improved, but operational capacity decreases requiring more deaerators

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedeaeration qualityVSAvoidoperational capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses preliminary oscillation treatment to accelerate the gas bubble coalescence process, reducing the time required for effective deaeration. By pre-processing the coating colour to integrate bubbles before vacuum application, the system achieves high deaeration quality in shorter processing times, maintaining operational capacity without requiring additional deaerators.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs periodic oscillation action at specific frequencies (16-60 kHz) to continuously agitate the coating colour during the deaeration process. This periodic vibration maintains bubble coalescence throughout the processing time, ensuring thorough gas removal without extending the overall processing duration, thus preserving operational capacity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

3Productivity

If oscillation frequency is increased to improve gas bubble integration, then deaeration efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedeaeration efficiencyVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent optimizes the oscillation frequency parameter within the range of 16-60 kHz to achieve effective gas bubble coalescence. By carefully selecting and adjusting this parameter, the system achieves high deaeration efficiency without excessive energy consumption. The frequency is tuned to match the resonance characteristics of the bubbles and coating colour, maximizing effectiveness while minimizing energy use.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

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

This approach stabilizes the degassing process, producing coating colors with consistent gas content, reducing surface roughness and uncoated areas, and enhancing the operational efficiency of the coating process by maintaining uniform quality and capacity.

Implementation Method 1

various types of vacuum deaerators, a known embodiment of which comprises a rotating drum arranged inside a vacuum container

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVacuum: Vacuum

Implementation Method 2

oscillatory action is applied to the coating colour flow to be fed into the degassing apparatus, which causes the gas content to fall and/or the gas bubbles to integrate or their size to increase

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectOscillation: Vibration

Implementation Method 3

the coating colour rises up the inner wall of the drum by the effect of centrifugal force and is discharged from the drum as a thin film

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Data Source

PatentEP1976645B1Method for processing and supplying a coating colour used for coating a fibrous web to a coating device
Publication Date: 2011.03.23 METSO PAPER INC
  • EP1976645B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP1976645B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

The invention relates to a method for processing and supplying coating colour used for coating a fibrous web to a coating device (5). In the method, the coating colour from coating colour production is delivered to a storage tank (1), from where it is taken to the degassing stage (2), and from there further to a supply tank (4) arranged in conjunction with the coating device (5).