DE8702948U1 - Mixing device - Google Patents

Description

Haagen & Rinau Mischtechnik GmbH, Sonneberger Str. 6, 2800 Bremen 41

Mixing device

The invention relates to a device, referred to above and below as a mixing device, for mixing at least two material components (hereinafter also referred to as mixed material) with a mixing container, often referred to in practice as a vessel, which is provided with a homogenizer consisting essentially of a rotor that can be driven by means of a rotor drive and a stator housing surrounding the rotor.

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Office Bremen / Bremen Office:

P.O. Box 10 71 27

Hollerallee 32, D-2800 Bremen 1

Telephone: (0421) »3490 71

Telecop. /Telecop.: (04 21) 34 69 68 CCITT li,+l\l ·

Telegr. / Cables: Diagram Bremen , · ·.

Telex: 244 958 bopat d ·,. ·

Accounts:
Bremer Bank, Bremen
(Bank code 290 800 10) 100 144 900 Deutsche Bank, Bremen
(Bank code 290 700 50) 1112002
tBehl: for tremeuvsTrtsch'ah, Munich (SL2700 itfl.ll)iri9(y/70200 PSchA'ilBmbwg ■ ' · · *
(Bank code 200 100 20) 1260 83-202

Munich Office (onlyPuer-.ir«!)

P.O. Box 22 0137 Widemayerstrasse 4, D-8000 Munich Telephone: (089)* 22 33 11 Telecopier: (089) 22 15 69 CCITT &Pgr; + Cables: T^Iepatent Munich Telex: 524 282 forbo d

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is provided, the stator housing of which has at least one intake opening and at least one outlet opening, wherein the homogenizer, which can be brought into at least two positions, is arranged in a guide (which generally extends downwards from the bottom of the mixing container) connected to a discharge line by means of a lockable adjustment device in such a way that its

r in the so-called inline operation with the interior of the mixing

The outlet opening connected to the container can optionally be connected to the drain line.

In such a mixing device known from DE-PS 19 13 940, the axial guide for the homogenizer is provided with a fastening flange at its end section facing the outside of the mixing container base, which rests against a corresponding projection on the mixing container base and is firmly screwed to the mixing container by means of screws, so that it forms a solid structural unit together with the latter.

', In this known mixing device, the rotor drive is

flanged to the lower end of the stator housing and can move axially together with it. However, similar mixing devices are also known in which the rotor drive is arranged parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotor next to the homogenizer and is connected to the rotor shaft via a gear, such an arrangement being known in particular from mixing devices in which it is possible to feed another material component from the outside into the intake area of the homogenizer, whereby a further (third)

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Position is to be approached, so that due to the required greater axial lowering movement of the homogenizer, a greater construction height is inevitably required and it is therefore generally preferable to reduce this by the previously described axially parallel arrangement of the rotor drive compared to an arrangement with the rotor drive flanged in alignment with the rotor axis.

Since such mixing devices are used on a large scale in the pharmaceutical industry, the food industry, etc., they generally have to be sterile and cleaned very carefully, especially when changing batches. However, cleaning, inspection or repair of known mixing devices of this type with a homogenizer permanently attached to the mixing container (consisting of the actual homogenizer and its guide) is difficult, since the parts to be cleaned, inspected or repaired are extremely difficult to access from the outside when the mixing device is assembled, so that these measures always take a considerable amount of time, even if they can be carried out without dismantling the homogenizer device.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of improving the mixing device of the type described at the outset, in particular in such a way that usual maintenance work such as cleaning, inspection or repair can be carried out easily and quickly without (partial) dismantling of the mixing device / so that the downtimes are correspondingly short and the output capacity can be increased accordingly.

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As a solution to this problem, the invention provides that the guide of the homogenizer device is not firmly connected to the mixing container during operation as previously, generally by screwing, but that it rests against the mixing container by means of a pressing means under sealing pressure and can be separated from the mixing container for maintenance by means of a separating drive, so that above all the homogenizer device is very easily accessible (from above) when it is separated from the mixing container, but in addition the mixing container is also accessible from below (e.g. for cleaning work).

In order to ensure not only sufficient tightness but also good centering during operation with the simple separation option provided according to the invention between the homogenizer device and the mixing container, it is preferably provided that the guide of the homogenizer is provided with a (first) annular/conical connection surface at its upper end section, and that the connection opening of the mixing container for the homogenizer device is provided with a second annular, conical connection surface assigned to this (first) conical connection surface. Although such a design already ensures excellent tightness, it is also preferably provided - particularly for higher pressures - that an additional seal is arranged between the two conical connection surfaces, which is preferably designed as an O-ring.

Although it is the pressing agent that seals the guide of the homogenizer device during operation

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to be pressed onto the mixing container, can obviously be a separate device (e.g. a piston-cylinder unit), it is preferably provided according to the invention that the adjustment device is to be used for this purpose, which is already present for axially adjusting the homogenizer device into different operating positions, wherein, in addition, the separating drive for separating the homogenizer device from the mixing container can preferably be identical to the pressing means.

Although it is sufficient for proper operation if the guide of the homogenizer device is pressed against the mixing container by means of the pressing means, it has proven to be extremely useful if it can be locked in the pressed operating position by means of a locking means, especially since this measure is not only useful for reasons of safety in the event of a failure of the pressing means during operation, but also allows the pressing means to be switched off during operation if necessary. For this purpose, a locking means can be provided which consists of at least one horizontally movable locking bolt held on the mixing container or the frame of the mixing device, which is conical at its end section facing the guide and can be brought into a correspondingly designed conical opening in the guide in the operating position of the homogenizer device, although in general it is preferred to provide several locking bolts distributed over the circumference of the guide.

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It has proven to be particularly useful if, in a further embodiment of the device according to the invention, the homogenizer device consisting of the homogenizer and its guide can be pivoted laterally relative to the mixing container in its position separated from the mixing container, since in such a case the relative axial movement between the homogenizer device and the mixing container only needs to be relatively small in order to nevertheless create excellent accessibility. For this purpose, the homogenizer device can be arranged on a swivel arm or the like, which can be pivoted at its end section facing away from the homogenizer device about a vertical swivel axis that is fixed or mounted on the frame of the mixing device, whereby it is then also extremely useful if the rotor drive is arranged in a manner known per se parallel to the rotor axis and is also arranged on the swivel arm or the like.

Further preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in the subclaims.

The invention is explained further below using an embodiment with reference to a drawing. It shows:

Fig. 1 shows a simplified, systematized cross section through the lower part of the mixing container and the homogenizer device of a mixing device according to the invention;

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Fig. 2 is a simplified side view of a mixing device slightly modified compared to Fig _{. 4} 1, seen in the direction of arrow II in Fig. 3; And

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the mixing device according to Fig. 2, seen in the direction of arrow III in Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 shows in an axial longitudinal section the most important part in the present context of a mixing device, designated as a whole by 1, namely the lower part of its mixing container 2 and a homogenizer device, designated as a whole by , which essentially consists of a rotor 4, a stator housing 6 surrounding the rotor 4 and a guide 7 for the stator housing. The rotor 4 can be rotated via a rotor shaft 8 by a rotor drive (not shown in Fig.), with its blades 4 ¹ interacting with blades 6 ¹ of the stator housing 6, which has an intake opening 9 and outlet openings 11.

The homogenizer, which consists of the rotor 4 and the stator housing 6, is arranged in the guide 7 so that it can be moved axially by means of a lockable adjustment device 12, with its outlet openings 11 opening into the interior 2' of the mixing container 2 in the raised state shown in Fig. 1. In this state, the mixture present in the mixing container 2 is sucked into the suction opening 9 in the direction of the arrows 13 and enters the interior 2' of the mixing container 2 again from the outlet openings 11 (inline operation).

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In a further operating position, the ¹ honeygenizer \ A, 6 can be lowered axially by means of the adjustment device 12 so far that the edge 14 of the stator housing 6 runs along the dot-dash line. In this operating state, the outlet openings 11 are connected to a drain connection 16 of the guide 7, which in turn is connected to a drain line \ (not shown), so that the material previously mixed in the inline operation can reach the drain line according to the dot-dash arrow 17 and be removed from the mixing device 1. i

In contrast to known mixing devices, the guide 7 of the homogenizer device 3 is not connected to the mixing container 2 by screwing or the like, but is pressed against the mixing container 2 during operation by means of a pressing means under sealing pressure, the adjusting device 12 acting as the pressing means, by means of which the homogenizer 4, 6 can be brought into its various positions. For this purpose, the guide 7 has an annular, conical (first) connection surface 18 at its upper end section and the connection opening 19 of the mixing container 2 has a second annular, conical connection surface 21 which interacts with the first conical connection surface 18. Between the two conical connections 1

An O-ring 22 is arranged between the connecting surfaces 18, 21, which lies in a recess of the connecting surface 18 and securely seals the connection between the guide 7 and the mixing container 2.

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In its operating position pressed against the mixing container 2, the guide 7 of the homogenizing device 3 is also to be locked by means of a locking means* The locking means consists of several locking bolts 23 distributed over the circumference of the guide 7, each of which is mounted on the mixing container 2 and can move horizontally according to the double arrow 24. They are each conical at their end section 26 facing the guide 7 and, in the locked operating position of the homogenizing device 3, engage in a correspondingly designed conical opening 27 of the guide 7, so that the sealing pressure state is maintained even if the adjustment device 12 fails or is switched off*

If the homogenizer device 3 is to be separated from the mixing container 2 for maintenance purposes, the adjustment device 12 not only moves the homogenizer 4, 6 into its lower operating position, but after releasing the locking bolts 23, the entire homogenizer device 3 downwards so far that it is separated from the mixing container 2 and is accessible from above. In order to be able to keep the axial movement required for this as small as possible for reasons of space, the homogenizer device 3 consisting of the homogenizer 4, 6 and its guide 7 can be pivoted sideways relative to the mixing container 3 in its position separated from the mixing container 2, as is clear from the embodiment according to Figs. 2 and 3, in which the same reference numerals have been used for identical or equivalent parts as in the design according to Fig. 1.

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The mixing device according to Fig. 2 and 3 is a mobile device that can be moved on a frame 28*. Its adjustment device 12 consists of a piston-cylinder unit, which also functions as a pressing means for the homogenizer device 3 to the mixing container 2 and as a separating drive for separating the homogenizer device 3 from the mixing container 2. In this embodiment, the rotor drive 29 is arranged axially parallel to the rotor rotation axis 30 and is connected to the rotor shaft 8 via a gear (not shown), namely the rotor drive 29 is attached to a trough-shaped swivel arm 31, which can be swiveled at its end section facing away from the homogenizer device 3 about a vertical swivel axis 32 fixedly mounted on the frame 28 from its operating position shown in Fig. 3 with solid lines into its waiting position indicated in Fig. 3 with dotted lines.

During operation, the mixing device 1 according to Figs. 2 and 3 works in the same way as the mixing device according to Fig. 1, i.e. the homogenizer 4, 6 is either in the raised position according to Fig. during inline operation or in the lowered position for emptying the mixing container 2. If the homogenizer device 3 is to be serviced, the release bolts 23 are unlocked and the entire homogenizer device 3 is lowered by means of the piston-cylinder unit 12, which serves as an adjustment device 12 during operation, until it is free from the mixing container 2. Then the swivel arm 31 carrying the homogenizer device 3 and the rotor drive 29 is moved (either manually or possibly by means of a drive device) from the operating position shown in Fig. 3 with solid lines to the position shown there with dashed lines.

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the waiting position marked by dotted lines,

so that the homogenizer device 3 can be freely moved from above

is accessible and if necessary also any maintenance work!

in the lower section of the mixing container 2 can be carried out effortlessly.

After maintenance is completed, the steps described '

then in reverse order, i.e. the swivel arm 31 &iacgr;

is in turn divided into its solid lines j| in Fig. 3.

shown operating position so that the homo- |,

generator device 3 by means of the piston-cylinder unit |

12 can be retracted into the mixing container 2 |

until it has reached the locking position and in this I

is again locked with the locking bolts 23. So-! then, with the guide 7 locked, the

Piston-cylinder unit 12 the desired operating position I

started up and operations resumed. |

It is clear that, with the exception of the connection between the drain connection 16 and the drain line connected to it, no connections need to be loosened, and that the hydraulic and electrical lines do not need to be loosened for maintenance . The process can be carried out from an operating position to the
Maintenance position and vice versa can be carried out within a very short time, so that the downtime due to
the inventive design can be reduced considerably. 1

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LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

1 Mixing device Interior (of 2) 1 P Mixing container 2 ¹ - ? 3_ Homogenizer device Rotors chauler-. 4 Pipe 4 ¹ - 4 5_ Homogenizer Stator blades 5 6 Stator housing 6' - 6 7 Guided tour (for 6) 7 8th Rotor shaft 8th 9 Intake opening (of 6) 9 10 10 11 Outlet openings (of 6) 11 12 Adjustment device (for 4/6) 12 13 Arrows 13 14,14' Edge (of 6) 14 15 15 16 Drainage nozzles 16 17 Arrow 17 18 Connection area (of 7) 18 19 Connection opening (of 2) 19 20 20 21 Connection area (of 19) 21 22 O-ring 22 23 Locking bolt 23 24 Arrow ........2* . 25 25 Pn Conical band section (of 23) 26 27 Conical opening (of 7) 27 28 Frame 28 29 Rotor drive 29 _ 50 Rotating axis 30

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Claims (1)

BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT LAW FIRM 3aehmert& Boehmert, PO.Box 10 7127, D-2800 Bremen To the German Patent Office Zweibrückenstr. 8000 Munich PATENT ATTORNEY DR-ING. KARL BOEHMERT (*933-1973) PATENT ATTORNEY DIPL.-ING. ALBERT BOEHMERT*, BREMEN ATTORNEY WILHELM JH STAHLBERG, BREMEN PATENT ATTORNEY DR.-ING. WALTER HOORMANN·, BREMEN PATENT ATTORNEY DIPL.-PHYS. DR. HEINZ GODDAR*. MUNICH PATENT ATTORNEY DIPL -ING. EDMUND F. EITNER*, MUNICH ATTORNEY WOLF-DIETER KUNTZE, BREMEN PATENT ATTORNEY DIPL.-ING. ENNO MÜLLER, MUNICH ATTORNEY DR. LUDWIG KOUKER, BREMEN * EUROPEAN PATENT ATTORNEYS Your sign
YourreL New registration Your letter of Our sign Ourref. H1613 Bremen, HoIIerallee32 2 5 February 1987 Haagen & Rinau Mischtechnik GmbH, Sonneberger Str. 6, 2800 Bremen 41 Mixing device Expectations 1. Device for mixing at least two material components, with a mixing container which is provided with a homogenizer consisting essentially of a rotor which can be driven by means of a rotor drive and a stator housing surrounding the rotor, the stator housing of which has at least one intake opening and at least one outlet opening, the homogenizer which can be brought into at least two positions in a örcnie Buna Bremen /Bremen Office; P.O.Box 10 7127 Hollerallee 32, D-2800 Bremen Telephone: (04 21) "34 90 71 Tetekop. / telecop.: (04 21) 34 69 68 CGlTT H ₄ + JlI ■ Tilegjf. / Cables: Diagram Bremen < ·" Telex. 244 <l5o'bopa( d · « Accounts:
Bremer Bank, Bremen
(Bank code 290 800 10) 100 144 900
Deutsche Bank, Bremen
(Bank code 290 700 50) 111 2002
* 33atVk,füf GenttfinMrlschaft, Munich ' (BLZKni)ai'r0 PSchA'liomborg (Bank code 200 100 20) 1260 83-202 Office Munich/Munich Office (only P.O.Box 22 01 37 Widemayerstrasse 4, D-8000 Munich Telephone: (089)· 22 33 11 Telecop.: (089) 22 15 69 CClTT Il + tetegr. / Cables: Telepatent Munich Telex; 524 282 forbod BOEHMERT & BOEHMERT - 2 - ■ rmr ■ * « ■ β · α · δ &bull; r «■ · * &bgr; « the guide connected to a drain line is arranged so as to be displaceable by means of a lockable adjustment device in such a way that its outlet opening, which is connected to the interior of the mixing container during a mixing process, is to be connected to the drain line, j characterized in that the guide (7) of the Horaogeni- sator device (3) during operation by means of a pressing means (12) under sealing pressure on the mixing container (2) and by means of a separating drive &igr;12) : must be separated from the mixing container (2). I 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in I that the guide (7) of the homogenizer (4, 6) is at its I upper end section with a (first) annular, [ conical connecting surface (18), and that j the connection opening (19) of the mixing container (2) with = one of the (first) conical connecting surface (18) j arranged second annular, conical connecting surface (21). 3. Device according to claim 2, characterized in i ' that between the two conical connecting surfaces (18, 21) ' a seal (22) is arranged. 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the seal consists of at least one O-ring (22). 5. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the pressing means is identical to the adjusting device (12). t Il If Il · I I I I I I I I I MIIIiIII BOEHMERT&BOEHMERT /&Ggr;&igr;·· 1 .·'' - 3 - 6. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the separating drive is identical to the adjusting device (12). 7. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the guide (7) of the homogenizer device (3) can be locked in the operating position pressed against the mixing container (2) by means of a locking means (23). 8. Device according to claim 7, characterized in that the locking means consists of at least one horizontally movable locking bolt (23) mounted on the mixing container (2) or the machine frame (28), which is conical at its end section (26) facing the guide (7) and can be moved into a correspondingly designed conical opening (27) of the guide (7) in the operating position of the homogenizer row (3). 9. Device according to claim 8, characterized in that there are several locking bolts (23) distributed over the circumference of the guide (7). 10* Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the homogenizer device (3) can be pivoted laterally relative to the mixing container (2) in its rest position separated from the mixing container (2). 11. Device according to claim 10, characterized in that the homogenizer device (3) is arranged on a swivel arm (31) which, at its end section facing away from the homogenizer device (3), can be pivoted about a fixed BÖEHMERT & BOEHMERT - 4 - 'M"! j' ¹ or the vertical pivot axis (32) mounted on the machine frame (28) can be pivoted. 12. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotor*
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Rotor axis (30) arranged and with the rotor shaft (i8)
is connected via a gearbox. 13. Device according to claim 11 and 12, characterized in that the rotor drive (29) is fixedly arranged on the swivel arm (32). t t ti