Shredder with Acute-Angle Blades for Sticky Superabsorbent Polymer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for pulverizing super absorbent polymers face inefficiencies due to stickiness, leading to poor surface area increase and subsequent drying issues, which affect the properties of the final product.
Innovation Solution
A shredder design with rotary blades having acute angles of 10° to 45° and a blower for controlled temperature and humidity, along with a release agent, to effectively pulverize and dry super absorbent polymers, enhancing their water retention capacity and productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional pulverization methods are used on hydrated gel polymer, then the polymer can be processed, but the polymer sticks to the inner walls, shear blades or shear shafts of shredder equipment, which hinders the pulverization process with inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary freezing action to the hydrated gel polymer before pulverization. The polymer is frozen at -30°C to -70°C for 1-24 hours, transforming it from a sticky state to a non-sticky frozen state that can be efficiently pulverized without adhering to equipment surfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the temperature parameter of the polymer from ambient temperature to sub-zero temperatures (-30°C to -70°C). This parameter change fundamentally alters the physical properties of the polymer, eliminating stickiness and enabling efficient pulverization
2Productivity
If the surface area of hydrated gel polymer is increased prior to drying, then drying efficiency improves, but the stickiness during pulverization hinders the process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary freezing before pulverization to eliminate stickiness. By freezing the polymer first, it becomes non-sticky and can be pulverized efficiently into fine particles with increased surface area, which then enables subsequent drying to proceed efficiently
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the pulverization process into distinct stages: freezing stage, pulverization stage, and drying stage. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently, with freezing eliminating stickiness and pulverization creating fine particles for efficient drying
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional cutting methods are used to cut plate-shaped polymer into strips, then the polymer can be processed, but the super absorbent polymer sticks to the shear blades or shear shafts, which results in inefficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary freezing to the plate-shaped polymer before cutting. The frozen polymer becomes non-sticky, allowing it to be cut into strips and subsequently pulverized into crumbs without adhering to shear blades or shafts, thereby eliminating processing inefficiency
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The present invention is to provide a shredder for super absorbent polymer that comprises: an inlet portion for feeding a plate-shaped super absorbent polymer; a pulverizing portion for pulverizing the super absorbent polymer fed through the inlet portion; and an outlet portion for discharging the pulverized super absorbent polymer from the pulverizing portion. The pulverizing portion comprises: a rotary drum to which a plurality of rotary blades are attached; at least fixed blade for pulverizing the super absorbent polymer in cooperation with the plural rotary blades; and a housing for holding the rotary drum and the at least one fixed blade. Each rotary blade has a shape of polygon with at least one vertex having an acute angle of at most 45° . The present invention is also to provide a preparation method for super absorbent polymer using the shredder for super absorbent polymer.