Multiphase mixing apparatus using acoustic resonance

Details Multiphase mixing apparatus using acoustic resonance Multiphase mixing apparatus using acoustic resonance

1998-10-02

2001-09-04

Soohoo, Tony G. (Department: 1723)

Agitating

Having specified feed means

Material introduced so as to cause rotary motion in mixing...

C366S108000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06283626

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a mixing apparatus for mixing materials having different phases such as liquid and gas by using acoustic resonance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In general, mixing devices have been used to mix materials having different phases such as liquid-gas or liquid-solid in fermenters such as for beer and microorganisms and waste water disposal processes. To effectively mix the materials, it is proper to maximize a contact area between the materials and perturb the equilibrium state therebetween so as to narrow an interface layer thickness therebetween. Particularly, when the gas to be mixed with the liquid is dispersed, the contact area therebetween widens so that the gas and liquid are effectively mixed with each other.
Note should be made of the fact that a mixing apparatus using vibration is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,108,749 entitled “Vibratory apparatus for atomizing liquids” and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,917,233 entitled “Vibrator”.
FIGS. 1 and 2
also show a mixing apparatus for dispersing gas by narrowing thruholes through which gas passes. Assuming the mixing apparatus is utilized in a waste water dispersing plant, the mixing apparatus will be explained below.
FIG. 1A
is a perspective view of a conventional mixing apparatus and
FIG. 1B
is a sectional view taken along line III—III shown in FIG.
1
A.
Referring now to
FIGS. 1A and 1B
, pressurized air from a compressor (not shown) is supplied into a pipe
11
through a connecting portion
14
and a joint
13
. Pipe
11
is made of ceramic or polyethylene, is formed with a plurality of fine holes
11
a
and is placed in waste water. The air supplied into pipe
11
is dispersed through holes
11
a
while passing through pipe
11
and penetrates into the waste water, thereby fermenting microorganisms contained in the waste water.
In the above mixing apparatus, the amount of air supplied into the waste water is determined size by the hole formed at pipe
11
. However, there may be a lower limit in fining the hole size, so it cannot be always satisfied by a client.
Also, since underwater plants which inhabit in the waste water sometimes block the fine holes, the pipe must be cleaned periodically.
FIG. 2A
is a sectional view of another conventional mixing apparatus and
FIG. 2B
is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG.
2
A.
Referring to
FIGS. 2A and 2B
, pressurized air is supplied into a housing
21
through an inlet portion
21
a
by a compressor (not shown). The air then passes through an intermediate net
22
and a cover net
23
so as to disperse the air into the waste water. At this time, balls
24
float in housing
21
so as to collide with the inflowing air and also disperse the air.
However, the above mixing apparatus is also restricted in the fineness of the net meshes, so mixing efficiency is not satisfactory.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to overcome the above-described disadvantages. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a material mixing apparatus which can disperse materials to be mixed by using an acoustic resonance therebetween, thereby improving mixing efficiency.
In order to achieve the above object of the present invention, there is provided a multiphase material mixing apparatus using acoustic resonance. The apparatus comprises: a housing for guiding first and second fluids to form a swirl flow, the housing having a side, upper and bottom walls so as to form a chamber having a cylindrical shape therein, being immersed within the first fluid, being formed at the side wall thereof with a helical guide portion, and being formed with a guide post extending from the lower wall thereof toward the outlet portion, the guide post being tapered to converge toward the upper wall of the housing; an inlet portion for introducing the second fluid into the chamber at a predetermined pressure and allowing the second fluid to form the swirl flow, the inlet portion including an inlet port formed at the side wall of the housing; and an outlet portion having an outlet port formed at the upper wall of the housing for expelling the swirl flow through a circumferential end portion thereof and allowing the first fluid to flow into a center portion of the swirl flow through a corresponding center portion thereof, a resonance being generated by the expelling swirl flow and the inflowing first fluid thereby generating an acoustic energy and mixing the first and second fluids.
The second fluid has a gas phase and the first fluid has a liquid phase. A resonant frequency is in a range of 2000 Hz to 3000 Hz.
A height of the chamber H, a diameter D1 of the chamber, a diameter D3 of the inlet port, an inlet pressure P
in
of the second fluid passing through the inlet port and an outlet pressure P
out
of mixed first and second fluids are designed as:
H/D
1≈0.5~2,
D
1/
D
3≈5~8,
&Dgr;P
(
P
in
−P
out
)≦2 bar.
Also, there is provided a multiphase mixing apparatus using acoustic resonance, the apparatus comprising: a housing forming a passage therein for allowing a first fluid and a second fluid to be mixed with the first fluid to flow therethrough, the housing being immersed within the first fluid; and a resonance volume portion for generating a resonance by interacting with a mixture of the first and second fluids being expelled through an outlet port of the passage, the resonance volume portion being located adjacent to the outlet port so as to be communicated therewith.
The passage includes an inlet port being smaller than the outlet port in size, and the resonance volume portion is formed with an opening which is communicated with the outlet port and oriented in parallel with a streamline along which the mixture flows.
The passage includes an inlet passage and an outlet passage which meet at a right angle, and a circular rod is provided within and along the inlet passage for allowing the mixture to form a swirl flow therealong.
An annular space is formed between the circular rod and the inlet passage.
A plate is provided at a distal end of the inlet passage for colliding with the mixed first and second fluids.
A screw is provided at the outlet port for adjusting an opened portion of the outlet port.
The first and second fluids have liquid and gas phases respectively, and in a case where an inlet pressure of the second fluid is in ranges of 0.1 bar to 2 bar and a flowrate of 100 to 500 l/min, a resonant frequency is within a range of 1000 Hz to 5000 Hz.
The mixing apparatus can induce a pressure difference between fluids to be mixed so that resonance and acoustic energy are generated, thereby dispersing the fluids and effectively mixing them.
Also, the dispersed gas fluid penetrating into the liquid fluid goes along the swirl flow so that the gas fluid stays in the liquid fluid for a relatively long time. In addition, since the acoustic energy perturbs the fluids, a mass transfer rate increases.
In addition, the fluids to be mixed can be effectively agitated not only by an acoustic energy of resonance generated between the mixed fluids flow and the resonance volume portion but also by resonance generated by the mixed swirl flow formed by the circular rod.


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