FI91737C - Improvements in or related to dispensers - Google Patents

Abstract

Dispensing arrangements, comprising a gas-pressurized container for a material to be dispensed with a valve actuable to open a discharge passage through the valve and through a valve and a valve actuator to an actuator discharge outlet, are well known in the art. The invention proposes a non-liquefied gas-pressurized dispensing arrangement capable of being used with relatively low initial gas pressures, and of discharging a relatively high percentage of the dispenser contents with an acceptable spray pattern. The proposed dispensing arrangement attains these advantages by arranging the cross-sectional area of the valve port (17c) to be many times greater than the cross-sectional area of the actuator outlet (22a). In one recited embodiment the actuator outlet has a cross-sectional area in the region of 0.049 mm<2> whilst the total cross-sectional area of the valve ports, the valve having four ports, is some sixteen times greater.

Description

i 91737

Improvements in or related to dispensers

This invention relates to dispensers and more particularly to the dispensing of flowable materials from gas pressurized silos.

It is well known in the art to dispense fluids from a container having a fluid and propellant, the gas forming an upper space above the liquid. 10 To dispense the fluid, the canister is placed in a position where the outlet of the valve orifice is below the material / gas surface, whereby when the valve is opened, the propellant pushes the fluid through the valve to the outlet.

15 When the tank is to be operated vertically, the valve is conveniently located in the upper areas of the tank and the riser inside the tank extends from the valve to the lower areas of the tank so that when the tank is upright, the riser outlet is below the material / gas boundary until substantially all

In one well-known and widely used dispensing device, the valve is opened by pressing the actuator and the valve port opens into a chamber inside the actuator, from which material is dispensed through an outlet in the actuator.

Such a material dispensing device is hereinafter referred to as a "defined type dispensing device".

30

It should be noted that in a dispensing device of the specified type, the material flowing through the riser passes through the first restriction, which is defined by the valve port, and then through the second restriction, which is determined by the outlet of the actuator. Other restrictions can be caused by the valve housing, back piece and riser.

In some dispenser designs of the specified type: the valve may include more than one valve port 2 91737 and / or the actuator may have more than one outlet. Throughout this specification, the term "valve gate cross-sectional area" means the valve gate cross-sectional area in a single valve gate device and the sunna and Terra of all valve gates in a multi-valve gate device. "Actuator output cross-sectional area" means the cross-sectional area of the actuator output in a single actuator output device and the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the outputs of all actuators of a multi-source device.

One of the problems associated with metered type dispensing devices is that the pressurized gas is fresh, able to maintain sufficient pressure during the life of the canister 15 to feed at least a large portion of the raw material content of the canister.

The above problem was shown to be overcome by the use of so-called "liquefied gases", i.e. gases in the normal temperature 20 and at pressures, condensed at relatively low pressures above the atmosphere, usually between one and twelve atmospheres. This often decreases to the order of three ila rings in the presence of other coraponents in the composition.

25

When such liquefied gases Used when mååritellyn tyyppisisså delivery devices, gas space nesteraåisen gas in the evaporation creates a pressure be heard in possesses sufficient tyontåraåån materiaalisisållon out såiliostå and after 30 materiaalisisålto is removed and the headspace volume lisååntyy, the liquefied gas vaporizes såilidn inner area yllåpitååkseen ensuring substantially yhtålåisen raateriaalia tyontåvån gas pressure bar top section until substantially all material contents have been removed.

35

The liquefied gas, fresh, is readily usable with a wide range of products, allowing 70% of the excess volume to be removed with the raw material content and allowing the use of the relatively inexpensive low pressure canister 3 91737 over a wide range of materials.

Serious disadvantages in the commercial use of liquefied gases arise from the special facilities, equipment and installations necessary for the safe transport, storage and handling of such gases and for the application and control of the special precautions and regulations used for them.

10

Further, liquefied gases, and in particular chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), are now recognized as detrimental to the battery or have other undesirable properties and the dispensing industry has been forced to look for alternative systems, essentially using all compressed gases, including compressed gases. and which gases are hereinafter referred to as "non-liquefied gases".

20

Gases obey the gas laws, in a constant temperature the pressure decreases in proportion to the volume of the additional volume and for non-liquefied gases the source gas content must be

Since the gas pressure depends on the volume of the material content in the dosing device, the dosing device 30 with its valves and actuators must be designed to safely withstand the high outlet gas pressure that occurs when the dosing device is charged with a predetermined material content.

However, it is believed that with careful design of the dispensing device and reduction of the predetermined material content contribution to less than 70% and preferably less than 65% of the volume of the dispensing device, it is possible to design. a dosing device that meets the above propellant requirements, «4,91737, according to which the starting gas pressure is slightly more than 0.703 kg / cm2 (100 psi).

However, the liquefied gases, when used with certain raw materials, additives in the solvent content of the material, provide an additional advantage in that the liquefied liquefied gases can be dispensed through the material container in the dispenser. As the crater contents pass through the outlet of the drive, the liquefied gas 10 therein evaporates, disintegrating the exiting material into discrete particles and blowing the particles apart to form a relatively constant injection pattern. This is particularly advantageous when the material content is a liquid, whereby the hydrotyrate of the liquefied gas leaving the drive device breaks the liquid material content into fine droplets, particularly advantageous for many applications such as hair sprays, air fresheners, air fresheners. Further decomposition can be achieved with a spill of propellant in the liquid stream from the gas phase.

20

It will now be appreciated that although, as discussed above, it is possible to design a metered type dispenser to allow non-liquefied gases to eject an acceptable portion of the crater contents, such a design cannot, in the prior art, be acceptable. through the output of the drive, the characteristics of the discharge pattern.

The reasons for this are, as will be apparent from the above description, that the pressure of the non-liquefied gas propellant decreases continuously as the material content exits the dispenser and without the liquefied gas contained in the material to be dispensed. also reduces the flow rate of the material to be dispensed.

The present invention seeks to provide a dispensing device of the specified type which is capable of imparting substantially constant removal properties to the material to be dispensed for most of the life of the dispensing device.

According to the present invention, a dispensing device of the limited type 5 is provided for use with non-liquefied gases, and the device is characterized in that the cross-sectional area of the valve port is greater than twice the cross-sectional area of the outlet of the operating device.

The cross-sectional area of the valve port is preferably more than five times the cross-sectional area of the outlet of the actuator and most preferably said cross-sectional area of the valve port is greater than ten times the cross-sectional area of the outlet of the actuator.

15 The cross-sectional area of the outlet of the drive is preferably 0.02 to 0.126 rpm and still the rake 0.04 to 0.071 rpm.

In the preferred embodiment, the drive has one outlet 20 with a diameter of 0.25 mm.

The cross-sectional area of the valve port is preferably 0.196 to 1.57 ram2 and even more preferably 0.2 to 0.8 mm2.

In a preferred embodiment, the valve has more than one port, and in an even more preferred embodiment, said valve has four ports.

When the valve has more than one port, said valve ports 30 are preferably the same diameter and most preferably the diameters of the valve ports are in the range of 0.5 mra.

The invention also incorporates a dispenser of the type 35 dispensers of the invention, which has a cumbersome drive device of the invention. I make the source / valve gate ratio, which devices are charged with non-liquefied gas.

• Said non-liquefied gas preferably comprises ilra, 6 91737 nitrogen or carbon dioxide.

The invention will now be further described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which 5

Fig. 1 shows a vertical section through a valve system along the dispensing device according to the present invention,

Fig. 2 shows an arrangement of the valve gate in an enlarged 10 stripe pattern with respect to Fig. 1 with the valve gate open,

Figure 3 shows graphically how the outlet velocities through the fixed valve port differ at the outlets of different actuators with a liquid material having a viscosity of 510 cps (mPa s) 15 using nitrogen as a non-liquefied gas,

Figure 4 shows graphically the results of an experiment identical to that described in Figure 3, but using air as a non-liquefied gas, and

Figure 5 graphically shows the results of an experiment identical to that shown in Figure 4 for a liquid material having a viscosity of 20 cps (mPa s).

With reference to Figs. transferable.

The body 12 is a rotating body which defines a large bore 13 with a small through bore 14 axially aligned * with and opening into the bore 13.

35

The riser T is fixed to the outer cylindrical surface of the wall, which defines the bore 14, and extends into the silo C to open in the lower areas of the gutted silo C.

7 91737

The body 12 includes an annular flange 15 at the radial end into which the bore 13 opens and the radially outer portions of the annular, flexible, resilient seal 16 are compressed between the flange 15 and the cup 11.

5

The valve body 17 with the concealed bore 17a »extends through the free hole in the cup 11, through the hole in the seal 16 and terminates in a hinged annular body 17 inside a bore 13 having a diameter 10 greater than the diameter of the bore in the seal 16. The helical compression spring 18 acts on the body 17 £ and forces the body 17 & continuously against the seal 16. The valve body 17 has a knob 19 of the actuator attached to it.

15

The valve body is frictionally attached to the bore of the seal 16 and includes a valve gate which defines a radial opening 17a in the wall of the valve body 17 opening into the bore 17a. ) and is open to the bore 13 when the knob 19 of the actuator is pressed, thus forcing the valve body 17 into the body 12 and bending the seal 16 into the container, as shown in Fig. 2.

At the end of the actuator knob 19, the bore 17a of the valve body 17 opens into the chamber 20, which may include a conventional circular mandrel 21 and the outlet passage 19a from the chamber 30 20 is closed by a sealing plate 22 in an actuator having an opening 22a.

The valve device described so far is of conventional construction 35 when the actuator knob 19 is released, the spring 18 forces the valve body 17 £. and the body 17 up to the position shown in Figure 1, where the seal 16 closes the valve port 17a.

• li β 91737

When the actuator knob 19 is pressed, the body 17 & moves downwards away from the seal 16, the seal 16 bends in the bore 13, exposing the valve port 17 and the propellant pressure in the tank C is pushed into the bore 17 into the chamber 20 and thence along the channel 19a. and through the outlet 22a of the drive device for discharge.

In a conventional device, for non-liquefied gases, the cross-sectional area of the valve port 17a would be as wide as the cross-sectional area of the actuator outlet 22a, an iron material dispenser 15 as a valve port.

In the example thus described, in which a non-liquefied gas such as nitrogen is used, containing liquid material which takes up 50-60% of the volume of the canister and the gas space initially charged at a pressure of 7.03 kg / cm 2 (100 psi) can be used. the diameter should suitably be 0.25 mm, giving a cross-sectional area of 0.049087 ram2 (0.049 mm2) and each of the valve ports, suitably four ports 17a in a common plane at right angles to the axis 25 of the body 17, may be 0.5 mm in diameter, giving a cross-sectional area of 0, 7854 mm 2 (0.79 mm 2).

As will become apparent thereafter, such ratios have been shown in practice to allow a substantially uniform discharge rate over substantially the entire life of the canister, resulting in a relatively fine droplet size and a widely distributed dispensing jet pattern compatible with the liquid feed.

35 KOE I

Six dispensers were used for each experiment, each canister was charged to 55% of its volume with a furniture polish having a viscosity of 510 cps to 9,91737 (mPa s) and the remaining volume in each canister was loaded with 100 kg of nitrogen (7.03 kg). All six dispensers had a valve gate device with four and 0.5 mm gates, which makes the cross-sectional area 0.79 mm2.

The dispensers differed only in the cross-sectional areas of the outputs of their respective actuators, and Table II shows the output sizes of the different actuators for the six dispensers.

Table II

Dosage Låhtdjen Låhdon Låhdon Låhddn area: 15 laws? Infant diameter cross section v.port area mm mm2 A 1 0.6 0.283 0.36 B 1 0.5 0.196 0.25 C 1 0.45 0.159 0.2025 20 D 1 0.4 0.126 0.16 E 1 0, 3 0.071 0.09 F 1 0.25 0.049 0.0625

Each dispenser was emptied as a series of 25 second sprays and the material removed in each spray was measured and labeled.

On average, the tanks emptied about 94% of their polish test contents.

30

The experiment was repeated and Figure 3 graphically depicts the averages obtained at the outlets of the various actuators during the experiment, with the outlet in grams plotted vertically and the number of sprays for 10 seconds horizontally.

35

Figure 3 clearly shows that when the output of the drive was reduced, the dispensing rate became more uniform and in contrast to what would be expected due to a continuously decreasing propellant pressure, the described Dispensers E and F removed αο 91737 at a substantially constant removal rate of more than 90% material.

ΕΩΕ 11 5

Experiment I described above was repeated by simply replacing the nitrogen with air as the propellant, and Fig. 4 graphically shows the results of the air tests.

10

TABLE II

Graaflne pedal section of the drive output Image area 15 ram2 0.283 a 0.196 b 0.159 c 0.126 d 20 0.071 e 0.049 f

A comparison of the results described in Figures 3 and 4 clearly shows that nitrogen replacement with air had little, if any, effect on the results obtained and the small variations that occurred are due to small differences in discharge characteristics of different dispensers in valve body, end piece, riser and riser. edellå.

30

It was also found that the cross-sectional area of the valve port increased relative to the cross-sectional area of the actuator outlet as the area covered by the spray pattern became more cohesive during the life of the dispensing device.

35

TEST III

Six substantially identical dispensers, each with an actuator outlet cross-sectional area of 0.049 x 91737 mm 2, were applied to furniture polish to 55% of their volume and then nitrogen was applied to a pressure of 7.03 kg / cm 2.

5 There was only a difference in the cross-section with respect to the cross-sections of their respective valve ports, as shown in Figure III;

TABLE III

10 Dispensing device Valve gate cross-sectional area (mm2) a 0.071 b 0.159 c 0.196 15 d 0.283 e 0.392 f 0.783

The dosing devices were then subjected to a standard 20 test, in which each dosing device to be tested was held above the horizontal target plane with its axis at an angle of 40 ° to the horizontal (with the drive at the top) and the center of the dosing device 200 mm above the target plane. The container was then used for 4 seconds and the area covered with the target level dosing agent was measured and recorded.

Each of the dispensing devices was then emptied to 1/4 full and again subjected to the above test, and the area of the target level covered by the dispensing agent 30 was measured again and recorded.

Table IV shows the results of one such experiment.

12,91737

Taut <UKKQ_I_V

Valve- Tåydgp .1 / A-tåY & Sn 1/4-way gate area sállln silo sållldn 5 spray area feather area. % of the permeability of the winter mm2 cm2 cm2 0.071 422 110 26 0.159 638 220 34 10 0.196 540 300 56 0.283 651 460 72 0.392 596 410 70 0.983 798 580 73 15 It can be seen from Table IV that when the difference increased between the cross sections of the valve port and the actuator output. Because the covered area can be taken as a crude spray distribution, the results obtained using valve gate areas many times larger than the actuator outlet area are closely comparable to the results obtained with liquefied gas dispensers.

In all of the experiments described above, the dispensers contained a furniture polish having a viscosity of 510 cps (mPa s) and Experiment IV was performed to determine what effects, if any, the viscosity may have on the dispenser proposed by this invention.

30

TEST IV

Six dispensers were used for each experiment, each canister was charged to 55% of its capacity with 35 laundry spray materials having a viscosity of 20 cps (mPa s) and the remaining volume in each canister was charged at 7.03 kg / nil at 100 psi.

All six dosing devices had a valve gate opening of 13 91 737 te with four 0.5 mra gates, the fresh makes a cross-sectional area of 0.79 mm2.

The dosing devices differed only in the cross-sectional areas of the outputs of their respective actuators, and Table IV shows the output sizes of the different actuators for the six dosing devices.

Table V

10

Dosing Output Output Output Output area: device no. diameter cross section v. gate area mm mm2 A '1 0.6 0.283 0.36 15 B' 1 0.5 0.196 0.25 C '1 0.45 0.159 0.2025 D' 1 0.4 0.126 0.16 E '1 0.3 0.071 0.09 F' 1 0.25 0.049 0.0625 20

Each dispenser was emptied as a series of 10-second sprays, and the material removed in each spray was measured and scrubbed up.

The results of this experiment are shown graphically in Figure 5, with the outlet in grams plotted vertically and the number of sprays of 10 seconds horizontally.

A comparison of the results obtained and described in Figures 4 and 5, in which the only differences were in the product type, the viscosity of the metered material and the small variations in the flow characteristics of the dosing devices described above, clearly shows that differences in product type and viscosity had little effect. and therefore the dispensing device proposed by the present invention appears to be capable of dispensing virtually all materials that can be dispensed by liquefied gas dispensing devices.

Claims (11)

An output arrangement for discharging flowable materials from a container filled with said flowable material and a pressurized, non-condensed gas, the arrangement comprising a valve port (17c) open to allow flowable material to flow through it. maneuvering means (19 - 22) are displaced to a discharge gate, and the outlet (22a) of the maneuvering device arranged downstream of the valve port, characterized in that the cross-sectional area of the valve port (17c) is larger than the double cross-sectional area of the maneuvering outlet (22a). Discharge arrangement according to claim 1, characterized in that the cross-sectional area of the valve port (17c) is at least five times larger than the cross-sectional area of the outlet (22a) of the actuator. Output arrangement according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the cross-sectional area of the valve port (17c) is at least ten times larger than the cross-sectional area of the outlet (22a) of the actuator. Discharge arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outlet (22a) of the actuator has a cross-sectional area of from 0.02 mm2 to 0.126 mm2. Output arrangement according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the actuator (19 - 22) has a single outlet (22a) with a diameter of 0.25 mm. Discharge arrangement according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cross-sectional area of the valve port (17c) is from 0.196 mm2 to 1.57 mm2. Discharge arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the arrangement comprises four valve ports (17c) each having a diameter of 0.5 mm. Discharge arrangement according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it is filled with a non-condensed gas. Discharge arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that the gas comprises nitrogen gas. Discharge arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that the gas comprises carbon dioxide. 15 11. Discharge arrangement according to claim 8, characterized in that the gas comprises air. * ·