DE2123379A1 - Fiber mat - Google Patents

Description

^Dft - '"<* ■ DIPL-INQ. M. SC. D ₁ R .PMV ₁ . OR. D.PL.-PHYS.

HÖGER - LEGAL RIGHT-GRIESSBACH - HAECKER

PATENT LAWYERS IN STUTTGART

A 38 847 h
May 11, 1971
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U.S.Ser.No. 36.731

Universal Oil Products Company

30 Algonquin Road

Des Plaines, 111.6OO16 (USA)

Mat made of fiber material

The invention relates to a mat made of fiber material for bringing the fiber material into contact with a flow medium flow.

The use of contacting materials of various types, shapes and substances is both for domestic use as also well known in industrial applications. Examples are applications for filtering purposes, in which fibers of different Grades are used to filter solid particles out of a flowing medium stream, furthermore applications for catalytic reactions in which contacting materials in fiber or particulate form for different types of

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catalytic reactions in refineries and the like as a catalyst base or even be used as catalysts, or various sieve applications in which contacting materials various forms can be used to separate or adsorb constituents of flowing medium streams.

All applications of this type have one main problem to be solved, which is to solve all available contacting materials in the most effective way possible. A commonly used solution to this problem is to provide a uniform Provide power through the part that has the contacting material contains, i.e. a current through the contacting material that is the same for each individual material particle is.

The formation of a uniform flow through the contacting material has so far been accomplished in various ways by means of a special chamber construction or the provision of a baffle arrangement. In reaction chambers, for example, the inlet and outlet manifolds or the distribution chambers were designed to be conical with a decreasing cross-sectional area, the conicity being in a certain ratio _k to the speed of the flow and the size of the inlet and outlet walls of the chamber containing the contacting materials, so as to be uniform To achieve current through the chamber containing the contacting materials. Another solution previously used has been to "conical" the chamber containing the materials itself and to select its conicity in terms of flow rate and pressure in such a way that a uniform flow is generated through the chamber. These and other known ones

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However, solutions complicate the construction of the chamber considerably. To create a conicity in the contact chambers or in To reach the distribution and collection parts of a reactor, they have to be constructed with inclined or inclined pieces of material will. In the case of large reactors, this entails design difficulties that can only be achieved with the use of additional Construction material have to be solved and a complicated fabrication system can be necessary.

The invention is now based on the object of providing a material arrangement suitable for contacting a flow of plating medium to create of the type mentioned, which regulates the flow in itself and thus without complex constructions can be used.

This is achieved according to the invention in that the fiber material is arranged with a predetermined structure of different density that a predetermined distribution the flow through the fiber material results. The fiber material is advantageously arranged such that When the mat is used in a contacting chamber, the flow is evenly distributed.

Such a mat is simple and cheap to manufacture, can be easily adapted to changing requirements and avoids with great certainty blockages or - in the case of catalytic reactions - hot spots in the contacting material.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the mat is tubular and the material is helical in a predetermined manner Way arranged different slope.

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According to another embodiment of the invention, the mat is a woven fabric and the fiber material is in a predetermined manner arranged different thread spacing.

According to a further embodiment of the invention, the mat a fleece and the fiber material arranged with a predetermined amount of different accumulation.

Advantageously, the mat has a uniform thickness. The fiber material can be impregnated with a catalyst or "consist of a catalyst.

The fiber material can be preformed or it can also only be used when it is introduced into a reactor, a filter chamber and the like. be shaped with the desired structure. The term "fibrous material" is intended to encompass a wide range of natural ones or synthetically produced fibers as well as yarns or threads made from natural and synthetic fibers.

The fibers or yarns can take various forms and can be made in any conventionally known manner be. For example, aluminum-silicon short staple fibers J) can be produced in that a molten aluminum and silica (clay or silica) falling stream is blown with a jet stream. The resulting one Fiber is ideally suited for making mats by vacuum forming, as discussed below is detailed. The aluminum-silicon fiber can also be formed as a long staple fiber that a melt is spun from aluminum and silicon oxide. Another method of making fibers is that a refractory inorganic oxides such as alumina,

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is mixed with a fiber-forming organic polymer, then the fibers are drawn or spun from the mixture and then the organic polymer is burned. The resulting fibers can then be impregnated with a catalyst for use in a reactor.

Furthermore, glass fibers can also be drawn or at high speeds are spun from a melt in order to create continuous fiber strands. Organic fibers can by extruding, spinning or drawing organic melts. Put the aforementioned fibers however, do not constitute a limitation for use in the present invention, but are to be considered only as an example. The fibers or yarns can also come from naturally occurring materials such as cotton, wool, etc. exist.

A particularly favorable method for producing a mat according to the invention is that the fiber material helically wound on a cylindrical shape and the pitch of the resulting turns in predetermined Way is changed. When using this method, the parts of the shape where the slope is the least bear is the most densely shaped mat.

Another manufacturing method for achieving a certain orientation of the fibers is that the fibers or yarns are woven into a mat with a pattern of different cross-sectional density. Here it is favorable if the warp threads and / or the weft threads are arranged or spaced apart in a predetermined manner. be introduced.

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According to a preferred method for producing a mat according to the invention, the fiber material is on one with a A plurality of openings provided vacuum form is applied, the pressure drop differing in a predetermined manner having. When using this process, the parts of the vacuum mold that have a lower flow rate collect inherently from fewer fibers. By programming the arrangement of the fibers in the vacuum mold, a uniform Mat created with programmed density. As a subsequent process step in this method, the so "created mat can be pressed to a uniform thickness. This allows a mat of different densities be formed with uniform thickness. The fiber material can be air or in a suspension on the vacuum form can be applied. In the latter case, the vacuum then pulls the liquid out of the suspension, and the fiber mat remains.

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Further advantages and features of the invention emerge from the following description in connection with the drawing, includes embodiments of the invention. In the drawing show:

Fig. 1a is a schematic representation of a flow medium contact ierungskammer using a inclined material part;

Fig. 1b is a schematic representation of a flow medium contacting chamber using a conical piece of material;

1c is a schematic representation of a flow medium contacting chamber using a flat piece of material in which the fiber materials according to the invention are incorporated;

2 shows a schematic representation of a method for producing a mat from fiber material, wherein a plurality of fiber layers are wound on a mandrel;

3 is an enlarged schematic illustration of a fiber mat which is produced by weaving;

Figure 4a is a schematic representation of a mat of ^un fiber material which is prepared by compression of the fibers.

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Pig. 5 Schematic representation of a method for producing a mat made of fiber material using a special way of depositing the fibers on a vacuum mold.

In Pig. 1a shows a fluid contacting chamber 1 with inlet and outlet lines 2 and 3. Within the A material part 6 is arranged in the chamber. Within the material part 6 there are subdivided material particles 7 Part of material 6 is introduced and used in the chamber 1 in an inclined or inclined position so that an inlet distribution part 4 above the material part 6 and an outlet distribution part 5 below the material part 6 is formed. As a result of the inclined arrangement of the material part 6 and the regular Porm of the chamber 1, both are distribution parts and 5 conical. This particular arrangement was used in catalytic reactors in order to produce a uniform To improve and facilitate current through the material part.

When a fluid flows through the inlet distribution part 4, in other words, the pressure of arriving- " the flow medium has the tendency to equalize, as a result of the reduction of the cross-sectional area of the distribution part In view of this and also because the increasing cross-sectional area of the outlet distribution part 5 is in the plus direction, the flow of the flow medium is through the material part 6 essentially uniform. The disadvantage of this arrangement is basically that the chamber construction is expensive.

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In Pig. Figure 1b shows a similar fluid contacting chamber 1x with an inlet conduit 2 'and an outlet conduit 3, forming an inlet distribution part 4' and an outlet distribution part 5 ¹ and a material part 6 'containing particles of material 7'. In this chamber, a uniform distribution is achieved in that the material part 6 'retaining the material particles 7' is conical, the cross section increasing in the direction of the flow. Since the particle depth is greater at the outlet end of the chamber, there is a greater pressure drop through the material part for a given flow rate, so that there is a tendency to achieve a balance at the inlet distribution part with different static pressure gradients. This results in a decrease in the flow through the material part 6 ^f at the outflow end of the inlet distribution part 4 'and thus a more uniform flow through the entire material part 6'. As in the case of the Pig embodiment. 1a is the main disadvantage of this embodiment, an expensive chamber construction.

1c shows a molding medium contacting chamber 1 ″ according to the invention} the chamber has an inlet line 2 ′ and an outlet line 3 ¹ ′, an inlet distribution part 4 ¹¹ , an outlet distribution part 5 ¹ ′ and a material part 6 ¹¹ . The material particles inside the material portion 6 x 'are referred to by the numeral 7. ¹¹ It should be noted that the shape of the chamber itself is simplified with respect to the constructions of Figures 1a and 1b in that there are no inclined plates to form conical distribution parts or a conical material part. The material 7 ^ft

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in the present Pall is a fiber material suitable for contacting a flow medium stream, the material being arranged in a predetermined manner with variable density. The arrangement is so constructed with respect to the foot medium flow and the construction of the chamber that a programmed distribution of the flow through the fiber material is achieved. The arrangement can be described schematically in that at the end 8 of the material part 6 ^lf the fibers have a greater distance than at the end 9. The distribution of a material in a reactor is, as mentioned above, preferably uniform. The fibers are therefore preferably arranged with respect to the foot medium flow and the structure of the chamber in such a way that a uniform distribution of a flow through the fiber material is achieved when this is used as a catalytic reactor. Since in this case the material part is denser at the end 9, this end being at the outlet end of the chamber, there is a greater pressure drop through this part of the chamber at a certain flow rate, which tends to result in the different static pressure gradient at the inlet distribution part 4 '' balances. This results by DIE w ses portion of the material part, a decreasing current and further a more uniform flow through the entire material of the material portion 6. ¹¹

The fact that in the embodiment the desired flow distribution is uniform, but is not a limitation as other applications may cause an uneven Require fluid distribution through the contact material. In

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In these cases, the fibers can be arranged with respect to the flow medium flow and the chamber construction in such a way that a different desired flow distribution results. The fact that the incoming fluid media approach the material over at right angles, is also to be no limit to the invention, since the fluidized medium can also be at other angles the dispensing portion 4 ¹ 'are supplied. In such a case, the fiber material would have a different structure than is shown schematically in order to achieve a uniform distribution of the flow through the material. If, for example, the inlet line 2 ^{1 were arranged} at the upper part of the "chamber, as indicated at 11, the arrangement would be such that a denser material would be arranged immediately below the line 11, and the remaining material in the material part 6 ^fl would be constructed so that an arrangement of decreasing density would be present in an outward radial direction. It is envisaged that the flow medium contacting chambers shown, possibly with modifications, will be used as reactor columns, molecular sieve chambers and filter chambers of various shapes, sizes and for various purposes can be a preformed mat, or the fibrous material can be placed in the reactor or other forms of fluid contacting chambers and packed tightly there.

FIG. 2 is intended to explain a type of method for producing a mat from fiber material, which is carried out in a contacting chamber can be used. It is assumed that the fibers have already been produced by conventional methods and

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were prepared and then wound onto a bobbin became. The method shown thus shows a flaw rensstep to cause the orientation of the fibers in a mat under predetermined conditions to thereby achieve the desired To obtain arrangement with changing density. Shown in Fig. 2 is a bobbin 21 on which Pasern 20 formed by the aforesaid previous step. For the sake of simplicity, are the brackets for the bobbin are not shown, but

w can be of the usual and known type. The pasers 20 are sent through a rotating body 22 or some other guide which is held by any means, not shown, and can be moved back and forth by power drive at a programmed speed in directions 26 and 27 jsb. In addition, a motor 33 with a shaft on which a disk 31 is arranged is also provided. The pulley 31 cooperates with a pulley 30 via a belt 32, the latter being seated on a shaft 29 which is supported by columns 37 and 38 so that it can rotate within the columns 37,38. A mandrel 28 is connected to the shaft 29, on which the pasers are to be applied. The mandrel 28 can be reusable and merely serve as a porm to which the fibers 20 are applied, or it can alternatively be a perforated inlet or outlet screen for a reactor or other sealing medium contacting chamber. In this pail, after the filaments 20 have been wound up, the mandrel with the mat formed thereon is removed and inserted into the reactor or the chamber and then forms part of the chamber.

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The novel feature of this process is the fact that the strands 20 on the mandrel 28 in a plurality of layers are wound with predetermined, changing pitches, so that a mat with changing density is formed. This can be achieved in a number of ways. One is that the shaft 29 via a motor 33 with constant Rotated speed and the rotating body 22 is moved at different speeds, this speed with respect to the rotating mandrel 28 is programmed to have predetermined, changing slopes of the To achieve fibers on the mandrel and also the subsequent fiber layers on this mandrel. This is schematic shown in Fig. 2 where a mat 39 is made by this process. It follows from the drawing that the right end 35 is schematically formed with less dense fiber layers, while the end 36 is more dense. -

In order to achieve this, the rotating body 22 is moved in the vicinity of the end 36 at a lower lateral speed and then the end 35 to progressively accelerated. When the rotating body moves in the opposite direction, it will progressively and negatively accelerated to the same extent in order to achieve the desired result. This process then becomes like this repeatedly until the desired mat thickness according to Fig. 2 is reached. The result is an orientation of the fibers in a ring-shaped mat with a plurality of fiber layers in such a way that the pitch of the turns of the helical is programmed into a tube shape wound fibers in a predetermined manner. When the desired tightness arrangement is known, this apparatus can be adjusted to achieve this arrangement. Which mat resulting from this procedure is readily available

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suitable for use in a chamber requiring an annular mat, such as "for example a catalytic." Transducer with radial current is required.

In Pig. 3 is the result of another production method for Arrangement of the pasers shown in a certain way. Here, the fibers are woven into a mat in the known manner and achieved an arrangement with different cross-sectional density. The weaving process is common, but with one exception, which consists in the fact that the distance between the fibers and the yarns changes in at least one direction.

Four layers of cloth 49 »57, 58, 59 are shown schematically at a distance from one another, which when pressed together result in a relatively thin mat of different density. Layer 49 shows more detail than the rest of the fabric layers and it can be seen from the illustration that it is made of pasers 52 which run in one direction and also of pasers 50 which run in the transverse direction. It should be pointed out that the strands 50 are arranged at different distances from one another, these distances being drawn with an exaggerated large W for better understanding. At the end 55, the lines 50 are extremely close to one another, while at the end 56 they are arranged extremely far from one another. Although the layer 49 has a uniform thickness, it is less dense at the end 56 than at the end 55 because at the end 56 the strips 50 have a greater distance from one another. By pressing together similar layers 49, 57, 58, 59 it results that a mat of different density is formed. Here, too, the spacing of the lines 50 can be corresponding

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any desired density and arrangement can be programmed. Furthermore, the spacing of the fibers 52 can be changed so that the desired density arrangement is achieved can also be different from that of the fibers 50.

A third way of orienting the fibers in the mat shown is explained in FIGS. 4a and 4b. Here, however, a form with form elements 65 and 66 is used, which "when brought together according to FIG. 4b between them form a room 72. When the elements 65 and 66, as shown in Fig. 4a, are at a distance from each other, will the fiber material 67 in the cavity of the mold element 65 so introduced that at the end 68 is more material than at the end 69. The Fassrmaterial between these ends is then in the predetermined Type introduced in the programmed thickness.

A curing reagent can then be added depending on the type of fiber used. If the fibers at Pressing or compacting by itself or when the mold itself is part of a fluid contacting chamber is used, which can readily be the case, usually no curing reagent will be required.

After the material has been introduced, the shaped element 66 is brought together with the shaped element 65 accordingly and thus the material 67 is compressed into a mat 70 of different densities and compacted in the process, the end 68 being more dense than the end is 69. The mat 70 can then be removed and placed in a fluid contacting chamber, or if so

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the mold elements 65 and 66 parts of a fluid contacting chamber are to be used in conjunction with these. In this case, the shaped elements 65 and 66 can have perforations be provided to allow flow through the material.

Figures 5 and 6 show another method of depositing the fibers in a vacuum mold having a predetermined arrangement of different pressure drops. Shown ™ is a container 91 with a lip 92, which is a suspension of fiber material 93 contains. The container is - as shown in Fig. 5 - held at a certain height. in the In connection with this container, a belt system is provided, which has drive rollers 94 and 95, which in the usual Kind of driven. A perforated, uninterrupted belt 99 is placed over the rollers 94 and 95, which the belt constantly move over a vacuum drying chamber 96, in which by a not shown and with the chamber through a line 97 connected to the vacuum generator, a vacuum is generated. The vacuum drying chamber has an upper perforated one Plate 98 that communicates with the movable belt 99. The plate 98 in this embodiment has perforations 110, which are arranged at one end 111 at a greater distance than at the other end 112, so that at end 111 a greater one Pressure drop than to achieve at the end 112. The distance of the Perforations between these ends are programmed so that the belt 99 has a predetermined pressure drop configuration results. The perforations in belt 99 are programmed with respect to plate 98 to be in the desired location

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of the pressure drop results. The overall effect of the programmed, changing pressure drop is such that as you move forward the suspension over the lip 92 at 89 this ultimately deposited on the perforated belt at 114 will. Since the belt 99 moves in the direction of flow, it takes the suspension with it via the vacuum chamber. When the suspension flows evenly out of the container 93, is by the fact that the pressure drop on the belt 99 at the end 111 is greater than the pressure drop at the end 112, which is by removing the liquid from the fiber material resulting mat at 112 is thinner and denser than at 111. By one Evenly thick, but differently dense mat according to Pig. 6, one leaves a larger one via the end 112 Amount of suspension flow. Since the natural pressure drop at end 112 is smaller, the mat at 112 becomes denser than at 111. The flow of the suspension from the container 191 can programmed and thereby controlled in the transverse direction that at each point along the edge of the container a different outflow height of the opening 101 is effected. The amount of suspension can be programmed will cause a programmed amount of fiber to be deposited in the resulting mat from end 112 to end 111. the programmed Paser amount and the programmed pressure drop on the belt 99 can be determined so that a uniform thick mat with different, programmed changes in density is created.

The resulting mat 100 is peeled off the belt 99 onto the roller 103. It can then be compacted even more

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and thus be made more uniform in strength that they by a roller, e.g. 104 the Pig. 5, is pulled through. The one in the Pig. 5 and 6 illustrated method have only been explained schematically, and the dimensions and shapes of the device described are by no means intended represent a limitation of the invention. The method used is analogous to the method used in manufacture of paper made from organic fibers.

P Other vacuum forming processes can also be considered to be pulled. For example, the vacuum forming can be such that the fibers are sprayed on, with air serves as a carrier of the paser, and the air can then be sucked into a form which is different within the porm Has vacuum pressure drops.

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Claims (14)

Patent claims: Mat made of fiber material for bringing the fiber material into contact with a flow medium flow, characterized in that that the fiber material is arranged in such a way with a predetermined structure of different density, that there is a predetermined distribution of the flow through the fiber material. 2. Mat according to claim 1, characterized in that the fiber material is arranged such that when in use the mat in a contacting chamber results in an even distribution of the flow. 3. Mat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mat is tubular and the fiber material is helical is arranged with a different slope in a predetermined manner. k. Mat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mat is a woven fabric and the fiber material is arranged with a thread spacing different in a predetermined manner, 5. Mat according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mat is a fleece and the fiber material is arranged with a predetermined amount of different accumulation. 6. Mat according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that that the had a uniform thickness. 7. Mat according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that that the fiber material is impregnated with a catalyst. - 20 - 1 098.; 1/1019 A 38 847 h - Ή & - May 11, 1971 9 - ο ο ο ^r 7 '■ - t - 124 10 ■ '* " ^ο ° ^y ~ 8. Mat according to one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that that the 'fiber material consists of a catalyst.' 9. A method for producing a mat according to claim 3, characterized in that the fiber material is helical wound on a cylindrical shape and the pitch of the resulting turns in a predetermined Way is changed. 10. A method for producing a mat according to claim K _3, characterized in that the warp threads are arranged with different spacing in a predetermined manner. 11. A method for piers sharing a mat according to claim 4, in particular according to claim 10, characterized in that that the weft threads are introduced with different spacing in a predetermined manner. 12. The method for producing a mat according to claim 5, characterized in that the fiber material on a vacuum mold provided with a plurality of openings is applied which differ in a predetermined manner Has pressure drop. 13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that the mat is pressed to a uniform thickness. 14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that that the fiber material is applied to the vacuum mold by air. - 21 - 1 0 9 8: "> 1/1 0 1 9 ORIGINAL INSPECTED A 38 847 h -'21 - May 11, 1971
t - 15. The method according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that that the fiber material is applied to the vacuum mold in a swell. 10 9 8 5 1/10 19