Static Mixer Foaming Adhesive System
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current foaming adhesive systems face challenges with high viscosity fluids due to increased resistance and energy requirements, and mechanical seals have a finite lifespan requiring frequent replacement and cooling, leading to system failures.
Innovation Solution
A foaming adhesive system utilizing a static mixer to homogeneously mix high viscosity adhesives with air, eliminating the need for dynamic mixers and mechanical seals, and incorporating a pump, flow meter, and air injection to produce foamed adhesive efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a rotor/stator system with mechanical seals is used to mix adhesive and air, then foaming adhesive can be produced, but the mechanical seals have finite life cycle causing system failure and require cooling systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the mechanical seal and motor components from the mixing system by replacing the dynamic rotor/stator mixer with a static mixer. This extraction of problematic components eliminates the need for mechanical seals and associated cooling systems, directly resolving the reliability and complexity issues.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical dynamic mixing system (rotor/stator with motor) with a static mixing system that uses fixed internal geometry to create turbulence and mixing. This substitution eliminates moving parts and mechanical seals while maintaining the foaming adhesive production capability.
2Productivity
If high intensity mixing is used to produce foamed adhesive, then adhesive and air can be mixed effectively, but the system requires complex rotor/stator mechanisms with mechanical seals
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the complex mechanical high-intensity mixing system with a static mixer that achieves effective mixing through fixed internal structures that generate turbulence. This substitution maintains productivity while dramatically reducing device complexity by eliminating motors, rotors, and mechanical seals.
Solution Approach 2:
The static mixer acts as an intermediary device that facilitates high-intensity mixing without requiring mechanical power transmission. The fixed internal geometry of the static mixer creates the necessary turbulence and mixing action through the flow dynamics of the adhesive and air mixture itself.
3Reliability
If double mechanical seals are used to separate motor and mix head, then the system can operate, but the seals require frequent replacement and cooling systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent completely removes the mechanical seal system by eliminating the motor and dynamic mixing components. The static mixer requires no sealing between moving parts, directly resolving the seal reliability issue and eliminating the associated cooling system requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
By replacing the mechanical driven mixing system with a static mixer, the patent eliminates the need for mechanical seals entirely. The static mixing process uses fixed internal geometry rather than rotating components, removing the source of seal failures and cooling requirements.
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 enhances operational safety and longevity by reducing component complexity and eliminating the need for cooling systems, while effectively producing foamed adhesive with controlled bubble sizes, improving the handling of high viscosity fluids.
Implementation Method 1
Turbulent flow is key for liquid-liquid and liquid-gas blending in static mixing systems
Implementation Method 2
conveyed through the system under pressure
Implementation Method 3
an air injection port configured to receive pressurized air from a pressurized air source and inject the pressurized air into the adhesive as the adhesive flows past the air injection port
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to methods and systems for producing a foamed adhesive. A method for foaming an adhesive includes feeding an adhesive from a supply storage tank to a pump, conveying the adhesive outputted by the pump through an adhesive flow meter, injecting an air into the adhesive once the adhesive travels through the adhesive flow meter, feeding a mixture of the adhesive and air to a static mixer, mixing the mixture homogeneously with the static mixer such that the adhesive is foamed, and transporting the foamed adhesive to a product storage tank.