Heatable Mixer with Controlled Outlet for Composite Recycling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current technologies are inadequate for efficiently recycling and treating deconstruction waste from the renovation market, particularly bituminous waterproofing membranes, due to the presence of non-rewardable pollutants like hard solid particles, which complicates the recycling process and results in high burial costs.
Innovation Solution
A regulated heating mixer is designed to treat composite products based on thermoplastic materials, featuring a heated trough with interpenetrating parallel screws that allow for simultaneous heating and shear of the materials, while also controlling the output flow to prevent blockages and optimize processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional heating mixers are used to process bituminous membranes, then heating and mixing functions are achieved, but the outlet becomes blocked by macroscopic pollutants
Solution Approach 1:
The mixer body is divided into distinct functional zones: a heating zone with heated elements for temperature control, a mixing zone with high-shear mixing elements for material processing, and a separate outlet zone with a filter system. This segmentation allows each zone to perform its specific function without interference, preventing pollutant blockage at the outlet while maintaining effective heating and mixing in their respective zones.
Solution Approach 2:
A filter system is introduced as an intermediary component between the mixing zone and the outlet. This filter acts as a mediator that allows the heated and mixed bituminous material to pass through while blocking macroscopic pollutants. The filter system includes filter elements and a collection chamber that captures pollutants, ensuring reliable outlet passage without compromising the heating and mixing functions.
2Stability of the object's composition
If high-shear mixing is applied to process composite products, then material homogeneity is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mixing system employs periodic high-shear mixing action rather than continuous high-intensity mixing. The mixing elements operate in cycles of high-shear intensity followed by lower-intensity phases, which maintains material homogeneity over time while reducing peak energy consumption. This periodic action allows the bituminous material to be thoroughly mixed without requiring sustained high energy input.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixing system varies the shear rate parameter over time and space within the mixing zone. High shear rates are applied selectively in regions where thorough mixing is most needed, while lower shear rates are used in other regions. This parameter variation achieves material homogeneity while optimizing energy consumption by avoiding uniform high-shear mixing throughout the entire volume.
3Productivity
If multiple layers of membranes are processed together, then recycling efficiency is improved, but pollutant separation becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The filter system extracts macroscopic pollutants from the processed material stream at the outlet. By removing pollutants after the heating and mixing processes have combined multiple membrane layers, the system maintains high recycling throughput while effectively separating pollutants. The filter elements and collection chamber work together to extract and collect pollutants that were present in the multi-layer composite material.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating and mixing processes are applied preliminarily to the multi-layer membrane composite before pollutant separation. This preliminary processing softens and homogenizes the bituminous binder across all layers, making the subsequent pollutant separation at the outlet more effective. The pollutants are extracted after the material has been prepared through heating and mixing, optimizing both productivity and separation effectiveness.
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 mixer effectively processes bituminous membranes and associated pollutants by achieving the necessary temperature for bituminous binders and thermoplastic materials, while ensuring the passage of macroscopic pollutants without blocking, thus facilitating efficient recycling and reducing waste disposal costs.
Implementation Method 1
heating of the inputs until reaching a softening/melting temperature of the bituminous binder
Implementation Method 2
a heating mixer... comprising a trough which is heated and in which is mounted at least one screw... the or each shaft being arranged in the trough
Implementation Method 3
shear of the membranes (pre-cut or not) to result in disintegration of their reinforcements and their disintegration
Implementation Method 4
heating of the inputs until reaching a softening/melting temperature of the bituminous binder
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B~2A
Figure 2B~3
AI summary
The invention relates to a heatable mixer (1) for composite products based on thermoplastic material(s), having an elongate structure defining a longitudinal processing path between at least one inlet and at least one outlet (2') and comprising a heated trough (3) in which two mutually interpenetrating parallel twin screws (4 and 4') are mounted, forming member(s) for dimensionally reducing, heating and moving the products to be processed which are inserted at the inlet, each screw (4, 4') comprising a heated and driven support shaft (5) arranged in the path direction (DT). The mixer (1) is characterised in that it comprises, at the or at each outlet (2'), a member (20) for controlling the liquid or semi-liquid output stream of processed products, flowing through the associated outlet (2'), advantageously under the effect of gravity.