Agitating – By injecting gas into mixing chamber – Intermittent or pulsating feed
Patent
1985-02-06
1986-06-17
Jenkins, Robert W.
Agitating
By injecting gas into mixing chamber
Intermittent or pulsating feed
B01F 1302
Patent
active
045952965
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates generally to the area of mixing and blending and more particularly to the use of compressed air as an agitating, stirring or mixing medium.
BACKGROUND ART
The use of gas bubbles for mixing the contents of a tank or other container is well known. For instance, blending lubricating oils with additives is done in a large tank in which compressed air is released into the tank at the bottom through a mechanical device called a "spider". It is an apparatus made of crossed pipes with holes in them which allows small bubbles to leave the pipe at the bottom of the tank and rise to the top. Spiders do cause a blending of the material or product in the tank but the blending action is slow and not always complete throughout the container or tank.
Other means for mixing or blending would be mechanical mixtures such as paddles, beaters and, of course, pumping. Mechanical mixers and pumps require routine maintenance and those mechanical mixers which are available may require additional external tank reinforcement to support the drive mechanism as well as the internal components which provide agitation. The air spiders for the most part are maintenance free and have minumum in-tank hardware but are not particularly efficient. The blending time required can vary from a few hours to several days depending on the nature of the liquids being blended. A continuous stream of air produces small bubbles and results in large amounts of entrained air. It will be appreciated that a constant flow of air through an air spider also results in a high consumption of compressed air and thus energy. Mechanical blenders or mixers are also recognized for their high energy requirements.
The only pertinent references known are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,179,379; 4,136,970; and 4,168,913. The patents cited show either continuous or intermittent air injection at the bottom of a tank. None of the references, however, shows details of the claimed combination of structural elements and method steps as set forth in the instant invention.
Cabrera, U.S. Pat. No. 4,136,970 does not concern itself with regulated air pressure, with spherical shape of the bubbles, or with injecting bubbles in the timing sequence of the instant invention.
Italian Patent No. 545,047 to Klinger is likewise not pertinent since it is concerned only with blending and mixing dry particulates such as cement and lime. Neither in structure nor in operating principal is it pertinent to the invention of this application.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
The blending and mixing method and apparatus of this invention is used for open or vented tanks. The relationship of tank diameter and height will determine whether one or more gas/air injection openings are required. A single injection inlet will be located at the center of the tank. Additional inlets will be disposed in one or more circular patterns concentric with the circumference of the tank. The inlets will inject the air in pulses directly into the liquid depending upon the nature of the liquid to form a bubble. In viscous liquids the bubble in the shape of a spherical segment will be formed as it rises. Injection is such that essentially a single bubble is formed. Alternatively over each injection opening is an accumulator plate which effectuates the formation of essentially a single bubble directly over the plate before it rises to the top of the medium being blended. A controller injects the air into the tank from a compressed air supply with a predetermined variable frequency and quantity of air. The pulsed air injections set up generally circular toroidal flow patterns in a vertical plane. Preferably, air actuated circuitry may be used rather than electrical controller circuitry.
Accordingly, it is among the features of the invention that it is simple yet uniquely effective in blending and mixing materials of all kinds. The system reduces overall blending and mixing time and also reduces the amount of entrained air or gases when the instant system is used in place of the old spider system. Bec
REFERENCES:
patent: 3179379 (1965-04-01), Grun
patent: 3592450 (1971-07-01), Rippon
patent: 4136970 (1979-01-01), Cabera et al.
patent: 4168913 (1979-09-01), Kono
patent: 4293506 (1981-10-01), Lipert
patent: 4335649 (1982-06-01), Velasco, Jr. et al.
patent: 4356131 (1983-10-01), Lipert
patent: 4374649 (1983-02-01), Rao
Transactions of A.S.M.E. Journal of Applied Mechanics, vol. 96, No. 1, Mar. 1974; Mercier et al.: "Influence of Enveloping Water Layer on the Rise of Air Bubbles in Newtonian Fluids", pp. 29-34.
Cole George M.
Jenkins Robert W.
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