Mixer Nozzle Assembly With Hydraulic Speed Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional mixing devices face challenges in achieving homogeneity of fluids in large storage tanks due to variations in viscosity and flow rates, and operate in an inaccessible environment, making it difficult to mix fluids effectively.
Innovation Solution
A mixer nozzle assembly with a stationary body and a rotatable body that includes intake and outlet apertures, a governor subassembly for controlling rotation speed, and a hydraulic circuit to adjust flow rates, ensuring efficient mixing by directing fluid jets non-aligned with the axis to rotate the rotatable body and mix with the tank fluid.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of stationary object
If conventional mixing devices are used in large storage tanks, then the tank volume is large, but the mixing effectiveness deteriorates due to difficulty in achieving homogeneity throughout the fluid
Solution Approach 1:
The mixer assembly is segmented into a stationary body and a rotatable body with multiple outlet apertures distributed around the axis. This segmentation allows the mixing function to be distributed throughout the tank volume, enabling effective mixing in large tanks by covering different spatial zones simultaneously.
Solution Approach 2:
The outlet apertures are arranged radially around the axis rather than in a single line, adding a radial dimension to the mixing action. This dimensional change allows the mixing device to effectively cover a larger volume of fluid by injecting streams in multiple directions simultaneously.
2Volume of stationary object
If conventional mixing devices operate in large tanks, then the tank size is large, but the mixing homogeneity worsens due to variations in viscosity and flow rates
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable body rotates about the axis, creating dynamic mixing action that adapts to variations in fluid viscosity and flow rate. The rotation allows the outlet apertures to continuously change position relative to the fluid streams, maintaining effective mixing despite variations in fluid properties and flow conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of mixing by rotating the body at controlled speeds and directing fluid streams at varying angles through the radially arranged outlet apertures. This parameter adjustment allows the mixer to maintain effectiveness across different fluid viscosities and flow rates.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional mixing devices are installed inside tanks, then the mixing function is integrated, but the accessibility for maintenance deteriorates because the interior is not accessible during operating life
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable body is extracted as a separate, removable component from the stationary body. This extraction allows the rotatable body to be removed for maintenance and repair without draining the tank or dismantling the entire mixing assembly, solving the accessibility problem while maintaining integrated functionality during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable body is nested within the stationary body during operation, allowing compact integration inside the tank. When maintenance is needed, the nested structure allows the inner rotatable body to be extracted while the outer stationary body remains in place, providing both integration during operation and accessibility during maintenance.
4Reliability
If the rotatable body rotates at high speed to improve mixing, then the mixing effectiveness improves, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the kinetic energy of the incoming fluid streams themselves to drive the rotation of the rotatable body. The fluid jets impinging on the rotatable body create a reaction force that drives rotation, eliminating the need for an external motor and significantly reducing energy consumption while maintaining effective mixing.
Solution Approach 2:
The mixing device utilizes hydraulic principles by using the fluid streams themselves as the driving force. The momentum and pressure of the injected fluid create the rotational motion through hydraulic action on the rotatable body, converting fluid energy directly into mechanical rotation without additional energy input.
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 nozzle assembly effectively mixes fluids by controlling the rotation speed of the rotatable body, ensuring optimal mixing throughout the tank volume, even in large storage tanks with varying fluid characteristics and flow rates, without requiring accessible components.
Implementation Method 1
Each outlet aperture is formed to direct the fluid exiting the rotatable body therethrough in a direction that is non-aligned with the axis, for causing the rotatable body to rotate in the predetermined direction about the axis
Implementation Method 2
The internal volume is adapted to receive hydraulic fluid directable therethrough at a preselected flow rate to moderate rotation of the internal element about the axis
Data Source
AI summary
A mixer nozzle assembly for mixing fluid introduced into a tank having a tank volume therein. The mixer nozzle assembly includes a stationary body and a rotatable body mounted on the stationary body for rotation about an axis in a predetermined direction. The fluid flows through the stationary body to the rotatable body and exits into the tank volume via one or more outlet apertures, thereby causing the rotatable body to rotate in the predetermined direction about the axis. The mixer nozzle assembly also includes a governor subassembly for controlling a speed of rotation of the rotatable body in the predetermined direction about the axis and a hydraulic circuit for governing a flow rate of hydraulic fluid directed to the governor subassembly, to adjust the flow rate of the hydraulic fluid for adjusting the speed of rotation of the rotatable body to the preselected speed.