Agitating – By vibration – Of platform or mixing chamber supported by vibrator
Patent
1985-07-08
1988-03-22
Simone, Timothy F.
Agitating
By vibration
Of platform or mixing chamber supported by vibrator
366114, 366118, 366289, 366332, 366316, B01F 1100
Patent
active
047324872
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to apparatus and a method for agitating fluids, for example to effect mixing of two or more fluids without the intrusion of agitating means through the wall of a container enclosing the fluid medium.
BACKGROUND ART
Known apparatus for agitating a fluid medium comprises a container for the liquid medium; and means movable within the container to effect fluid flow. Movement of this means is effected by driving means which may form part of the apparatus. In this apparatus, the means extend between internal and external parts respectively disposed inside and outside the container.
However, there are occasions where it is desirable and/or necessary to intimately mix two or more fluids in a sealed container without any moving parts entering the container enclosing the fluids. Thus, non-intrusive mixing such as this is required where the contents of a sealed container have to be mixed immediately before use. This might arise, for example, when materials that are stored in sealed containers for prolonged periods separate out into their constituent components. Another application would be the mixing of materials that are toxic, explosive or otherwise dangerous when in contact with air. The mixing apparatus would then have to operate in such a way as to avoid any sealing problems inherent in conventional mixing apparatus involving the use of impellers.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for this non-intrusive mixing as hereinbefore described.
According to the invention, there is provided apparatus for agitating a fluid medium, for example: to effect mixing of two or more fluids, comprising a container for the fluid medium and impeller means located within the container and movable to effect fluid flow. The container has a wall portion and the impeller means comprises an impeller separate from the wall portion and supporting means connecting the impeller to a point on the wall portion, the impeller means being flexible such that a point on the impeller is movable relative to said point on the wall portion. The movement of the impeller means for its flexibility is a useful arrangement to effect fluid flow. Flexing of the impeller means can be caused for example by shaking the container as a whole or by connecting a vibrator to said wall portion, the characteristics of the vibrator, the wall portion and the impeller means being chosen so that when the vibrator is activated, the impeller vibrates with a greater amplitude than the wall portion. This can be achieved by arranging for the frequency of vibration of the wall portion to be approximately equal to a resonant frequency of the impeller means, not necessarily the lowest resonant frequency of the impeller means.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of agitating a fluid medium in a container which has a wall portion on which flexible impeller means is mounted within the container, the impeller means comprising an impeller separate from the wall portion and supporting means connecting the impeller to a point on the wall portion, the method comprising causing the impeller means to flex such that a point on the impeller moves relative to said point on the wall portion.
Examples of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a central section through agitation apparatus,
FIG. 2 is a plan of the apparatus of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of agitation apparatus to indicate the symbols used in the theory of operation,
FIGS. 4 and 5 are central sections of modified agitation apparatuses,
FIG. 6 is a plan of the apparatus of FIG. 5, and
FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 represent frequency responses of the base wall portion and the impeller plate to the applied vibration.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a fluid medium 1 to be agitated is held in a container 2 having a bottom wall portion 3. An impeller plate 4 is separate from the wall portion 3 and supported from the centre thereof by a supporting sp
REFERENCES:
patent: 163365 (1875-05-01), Nottbeck
patent: 2376221 (1945-05-01), Baker
patent: 2543818 (1951-03-01), Wilcox
patent: 2615692 (1952-10-01), Muller
patent: 2681798 (1954-06-01), Muller
patent: 3063813 (1962-11-01), Weinbrenner
patent: 3384354 (1968-05-01), Migule et al.
patent: 4088716 (1978-05-01), Stoev
Simone Timothy F.
The British Hydromechanics Research Association
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