JP7465604B1 - Dispersion rotor for media-less type dispersion device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To provide a dispersion rotor for a media-less type dispersion device capable of efficiently shearing and dispersing a material to be dispersed drawn into the stator without using a media. [Solution] The dispersion rotor 1 is housed in a cylindrical stator having a ring-shaped top plate and bottom plate suspended in a bottomed cylindrical tank in which the material to be dispersed is stored, and is fixed to a rotating shaft that passes through openings formed in the center of each of the top plate and bottom plate, and as the rotating shaft rotates, the material to be dispersed in the tank is drawn into the stator and discharged from a through hole or slit formed in the cylindrical wall of the stator. That is, the dispersion rotor 1 is disk-shaped, and has a plurality of grooves 5 formed radially from the rotating shaft side toward the outer periphery on each surface facing the top plate and bottom plate. The grooves 5 have a cross section that becomes smaller as they move from the rotating shaft side toward the outer periphery. [Selected Figure] Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to a dispersion rotor for a media-less type dispersion device used in a batch-type media-less type dispersion device for storing, dispersing and shearing dispersion objects in the tank of the dispersion device during the process of manufacturing dispersion objects such as paints, inks, resist inks, sealing materials (adhesives used in LEDs, semiconductors, etc.), solder pastes, active material pastes for lithium-ion batteries, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.

A turbine-stator type agitator for manufacturing emulsion products and suspension products such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals is known. The agitator is composed of a turbine that rotates at high speed inside a container and a stator that surrounds the turbine. The turbine is composed of an annular impeller section with multiple radial grooves, and an inducer section that is connected to the inner wall of the impeller section at the central opening of the impeller section and has four blades located at the lower end of the rotating shaft. The stator is cylindrical and has multiple through holes formed on its outer periphery. With this configuration, the agitator causes the material to flow into the impeller section from the lower end opening of the stator by the suction force of the inducer section caused by the rotation of the turbine, and shears the material to be treated in the clearance between the outer periphery of the impeller section rotating inside the stator and the inner wall of the main body of the stator (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2022-189749 A

In recent years, dispersion objects with a wide range of properties, from low-viscosity dispersion objects to high-viscosity active material pastes for lithium-ion batteries, have been manufactured. However, for certain dispersion objects, it is necessary to gradually reduce the particle size of the dispersion object using different devices. For example, a premixing process in which the dispersion object is roughly stirred by a batch-type agitator, a pre-dispersion process using a media-type dispersion device, and a main dispersion process using a continuous media-type dispersion device that supplies, discharges, and circulates the dispersion object are performed. In such cases, the following inconveniences arise. When using different types of media-type dispersion devices, such as batch and continuous types, it is necessary to transfer the dispersion object to the tank or container of each device for each process. In addition, the tanks used in each process must be cleaned after use. When cleaning, it is necessary to carefully clean so that no media remains. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the number of processes using media-type dispersion devices.

However, the media-less type dispersion device has a problem in that it cannot be used to process all types of dispersion objects because it has a lower shearing capacity and dispersion capacity than the media type dispersion device. In other words, the mixing device of the cited document 1 can only shear the objects that flow into the impeller section due to the suction force of the inducer section during rotation in the clearance section between the outer periphery of the impeller section and the inner wall of the stator, resulting in the inconvenience of being unable to reduce the dispersion object to a predetermined particle size.

The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and aims to provide a dispersion rotor for a media-less type dispersion device that can reduce the size of the dispersion target to a predetermined particle size without using media.

The present invention provides a dispersion rotor for a media-less type dispersion device as follows:

A dispersion rotor for a media-less type dispersion device, the dispersion rotor being housed in a stator made of a cylindrical body having ring-shaped top and bottom plates suspended in a bottomed cylindrical tank in which a dispersion object is stored, the rotor being fixed to a rotating shaft penetrating openings formed in the centers of the top and bottom plates, the rotor drawing the dispersion object in the tank into the stator as the rotating shaft rotates and discharging the dispersion object outside the stator through a through hole or slit formed in the cylindrical body of the stator,
The dispersion rotor is disk-shaped, has a ring-shaped groove formed around the rotation axis for receiving the dispersion object drawn along the rotation axis as the dispersion rotor rotates, and has a plurality of grooves formed radially from the rotation axis side to the outer periphery on each surface facing the top plate and the bottom plate,
The ring-shaped groove has an outer edge that communicates with the plurality of grooves,
The grooves have a cross section that decreases from the rotating shaft side toward the outer periphery.

In the dispersion rotor of the present invention, the radially formed grooves are not limited to the linear grooves extending straight from the center of the dispersion rotor in the radial direction in plan view, but may be curved. The curved shape may be, for example, a shape having one bend, such as an arch shape described later, or a shape having multiple bends. However, a groove whose plan view shape is bent or bent to such an extent that it impedes or slows down the flow of the dispersion object in the process of the dispersion object flowing from the inlet to the outlet of the groove, or a groove whose cross section is deformed along the flow direction, does not fall under the radially formed groove referred to here. Refraction is a bent portion. For example, if a groove has a "L" shape in plan view and the flow of the dispersion object is impeded or slowed down at the bent portion, the "L" shaped groove does not fall under the radially formed groove. Bending is a portion that is bent without bending. Bending is less likely to impede or slow down the flow of the dispersion object than bending, but depending on the degree of bending, it may impede or slow down the flow of the dispersion object. A groove having such a bent portion does not fall under the category of a radially formed groove. The deformation is, for example, a change in cross section due to a convex portion formed in the middle of the groove. A radially formed groove may have a shape such that, for example, the material to be dispersed enters the groove entrance while the dispersion rotor is rotating, and is sent out from the exit at the outer edge of the dispersion rotor without colliding with a collision portion or the like and slowing down as it flows from upstream to downstream. Therefore, there is no structure that impedes or slows down the flow of the material to be dispersed that entered the groove entrance before being sent out from the exit.

In addition, the dispersion rotor of the present invention preferably has an outlet facing backward so as to suppress the intrusion of the dispersion object from the outlet, which causes deceleration in addition to the deceleration caused by the collision of the dispersion object. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, when focusing on one groove 5 of the dispersion rotor 1 rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow R, the groove 5 extends straight along the radius, so the outlet faces directly to the side. Therefore, the intrusion of the dispersion object from the outlet is suppressed when the dispersion rotor 1 rotates, so the dispersion object flowing through the groove 5 is not decelerated. Therefore, the position where the dispersion object does not intrude from the outlet is set based on this groove 5 as follows.

First, the dispersion rotor 1 is divided into upper and lower halves based on the groove 5, and the upper side is defined as the front and the lower side as the rear. Then, if the position of the inlet of the groove 5 is fixed and the outlet is located on the arc of the lower half of the dispersion rotor 1, the outlet will face backward. For example, the grooves 5a to 5d are set with each outlet along the arc in the direction of the arrow L, and each outlet always faces backward, suppressing the intrusion of the dispersion target from the outlet when the dispersion rotor 1 rotates. Therefore, the grooves 5a to 5d connecting the fixed inlet and each outlet are not limited to being linear, but include an arched shape (groove 5d) that curves forward. From the above, the multiple radial grooves of the present invention are not limited to a shape that extends straight from the rotating shaft side to the outer periphery, and include an arched shape, etc.

According to this configuration, the dispersion object is drawn in from around the rotation axis as the dispersion rotor rotates. At this time, the dispersion rotor forms two flows on the dispersion object on each surface as it rotates. The first flow moves from the rotation axis side (hereinafter referred to as "upstream") to the outer periphery side (hereinafter referred to as "downstream") while rotating between the top plate and the bottom plate of the stator with the dispersion rotor sandwiched therebetween. The second flow moves downstream along each groove formed on both sides of the dispersion rotor. That is, the dispersion object is received in the ring-shaped groove, but is pressed by the dispersion object that is successively drawn in. That is, the dispersion rotor efficiently presses the dispersion object pressed by the ring-shaped groove into a plurality of grooves that communicate with the outer edge of the ring-shaped groove.

The material to be dispersed in the first flow is sheared by frictional resistance that occurs on each surface facing the top and bottom plates as the dispersion rotor rotates.

The material to be dispersed in the second flow is subjected to increasing pressure downstream due to the grooves which narrow as they move from upstream to downstream. Here, a small cross-section of the groove refers to a cross-sectional size that is narrow in width, narrow (shallow) in depth, or a combination of these. The material to be dispersed flowing through the grooves is subjected to centrifugal force as the dispersion rotor rotates. In other words, the pressure inside the grooves increases as centrifugal force is applied to the material to be dispersed flowing through the grooves, and the material to be dispersed is forcefully sent out from the outlet. At this time, part of the material to be dispersed collides with the inner wall of the stator with force, and the material to be dispersed is dispersed by the impact. The material to be dispersed is also sheared by the outer peripheral edge of the rotating dispersion rotor.

Therefore, the dispersion rotor exerts a synergistic effect of three actions: shearing using frictional resistance on its front and back surfaces, dispersion caused by accelerating the material to be dispersed from upstream to downstream by the grooves and colliding with the inner wall of the stator, and shearing by the outer edge of the dispersion rotor. Therefore, the material to be dispersed can be dispersed to a predetermined particle size without using media. In addition, unlike conventional manufacturing lines, there is no need to perform step-by-step pre-dispersion and main dispersion processes using different media-type dispersion devices after the premixing process. In other words, the premixing process and pre-dispersion process can be replaced with a media-less type dispersion device, and then the main dispersion process can be performed. Therefore, the management of media and careful cleaning so that no media remains can be performed only with the media-type dispersion device for the main dispersion process, and the number of devices used can be reduced, which in turn reduces the number of processing steps in the manufacturing line and significantly improves work efficiency.

Furthermore, some of the accelerated dispersion material flows directly into the through holes or slits of the stator. In other words, the dispersion rotor can also forcefully expel the dispersion material out of the stator.

In addition, in the above configuration, each of the multiple grooves has a shape that extends diagonally backward from an inlet connected to the ring-shaped groove to an outlet with respect to the forward direction of rotation of the dispersion rotor, and it is preferable that the dispersion object entering from the inlet is sent through the groove from the outlet toward the rear .

According to this configuration, each groove always sends the dispersion object toward the rear region while the dispersion rotor is rotating, so that the intrusion of the dispersion object from the outlet while the dispersion rotor is rotating is suppressed. Therefore, when the dispersion rotor is rotating, the dispersion object in each groove is pressurized under the influence of centrifugal force, so that the dispersion object can be forcefully sent out from the outlet, and thus the dispersion object can be forcefully collided with the inner wall of the stator and dispersed, and the dispersion object can be forcefully sent into the through holes or slits of the stator.

In the above configuration, it is preferable that the dispersion rotor has a fan-shaped protrusion between adjacent grooves, and when the dispersion rotor is viewed in a plan view from the axial center side of the rotating shaft, the surface area of the fan-shaped protrusion is larger than the opening area of the groove.

With this configuration, the dispersion rotor efficiently generates frictional resistance against the material to be dispersed in the first flow that flows between the inner wall surfaces of the top plate and the bottom plate, due to the fan-shaped convex portion having a surface area larger than the opening area of the groove, and thus can efficiently shear the material to be dispersed.

In the above configuration, it is preferable that the dispersion rotor has a tapered shape that tapers from the rotating shaft side toward the outer periphery when viewed from the front from the side perpendicular to the rotating shaft.

With this configuration, the dispersion rotor allows the dispersion objects drawn in as it rotates to flow smoothly along the inclined surface of the dispersion rotor, thereby accelerating them efficiently.

The present invention provides a dispersion rotor for a media-less type dispersion device that can efficiently shear and disperse the material to be dispersed that is drawn into the stator without using media.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating radial grooves according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a dispersion rotor according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the dispersion rotor and the stator. 1A is a plan view showing the state in which the dispersion rotor is housed in the stator, and FIG. 1B is a partially enlarged view showing the relationship between the widths of the grooves and the openings and exits of the slits. FIG. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view illustrating the inclination angle of the grooves of the dispersion rotor. FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a dispersion device incorporating a dispersion rotor according to a first embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a dispersion rotor according to a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a front view of the dispersion rotor. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the dispersion rotor. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a dispersion rotor and a stator. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the dispersion rotor is housed in the stator. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a modified dispersion rotor. FIG. 13 is a front view showing a cylindrical main body of a modified example of a stator. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a dispersion device equipped with an impeller. FIG. 2A and 2B are plan and front views of an impeller. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a dispersing device equipped with an agitating blade. FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view and a front view of the stirring blade.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the dispersion rotor used in the media-less dispersion device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The dispersion rotor is housed in a stator consisting of a cylindrical body having a ring-shaped top plate and a bottom plate suspended in a bottomed cylindrical tank in which the dispersion object is stored, and is fixed to a rotating shaft that penetrates an opening formed in the center of each of the top plate and the bottom plate. In each of the following embodiments, the bottom plate is integrated with the cylindrical body, but the bottom plate and the cylindrical body may be configured separately, or the top plate and the cylindrical body may be configured as an integrated unit. In the dispersion rotor of each of the following embodiments, the surface of the stator facing the top plate is appropriately referred to as the "front surface" and the surface facing the bottom plate is appropriately referred to as the "back surface". In addition, as described later, the dispersion rotor sends the dispersion object from the rotating shaft side to the outer periphery side as it rotates, and hereinafter, the rotating shaft side is appropriately referred to as the "upstream" or "inner side", and the outer periphery side is appropriately referred to as the "downstream" or "outer side".

As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the dispersion rotor 1 is disk-shaped when viewed from above from the center of the through hole 2 through which the rotating shaft is inserted, and is tapered toward the outer periphery when viewed from the front. A ring-shaped groove 4 is formed around the mounting part 3 to the rotating shaft, sandwiching the mounting part 3. Furthermore, the dispersion rotor 1 has multiple grooves 5 formed on both the front and back surfaces, radiating from the rotating shaft side to the outer periphery. As shown in Figure 4, the dispersion rotor 1 rotates in the direction of rotation R indicated by the arrow around the axis P.

As shown in Figs. 5 and 7, the ring-shaped groove 4 is formed by an inner wall portion 4A and a protrusion 6 on its outer side. The inner wall portion 4A forms a tapered inclined surface that tapers toward the bottom surface. The outside is connected to multiple grooves 5. In this embodiment, the outer diameter of the ring-shaped groove 4 is set to be approximately the same as the diameter of the openings in the top and bottom plates of the stator 50.

The grooves 5 extend straight from the rotating shaft side toward the outer periphery, and the same number of grooves 5 are formed at equal intervals on both the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1. In addition, the grooves 5 are formed at different positions on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1. That is, the grooves 5 are formed at the back side of the intermediate positions between adjacent grooves 5 on the front surface of the dispersion rotor 1. In other words, the grooves 5 on the front and back surfaces are formed alternately in the rotation direction. The cross section of each groove 5 becomes smaller from upstream to downstream. That is, the grooves 5 of this embodiment are set so that the upstream inlet width L1 is greater than the downstream outlet width L2, as shown in the partially enlarged view of FIG. 4. In addition, the depth of the grooves 5 is set to be constant. Therefore, the bottom surface of the groove 5 is inclined at the same angle as the surface of the convex portion 6 described later.

The tapered inclination angle of the dispersion rotor 1 is set by the relative positional relationship with the inner wall of the cylindrical body of the stator or the slits or through holes formed in the stator when the dispersion rotor 1 is incorporated into the dispersion device described below. In this embodiment, it is set as follows.

In this embodiment, the grooves 5 on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1 overlap at the same position, and the dispersion target is not sent to the slits 54 of the stator 50 at the same time, but for ease of explanation, in Figure 5, it is assumed that the grooves 5 on the front and back surfaces are in the same position.

The outlets of both grooves 5 formed on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1 face the inlet of the stator 50. In addition, the position X where the two imaginary lines (chain lines in FIG. 5) extending outward from the longitudinal central axes of both grooves 5 intersect is set to be deeper than the inlet of the slit 54 formed in the cylindrical body 51 of the stator 50. With this setting, the dispersion objects sent out from each groove 5 formed on both sides of the dispersion rotor 1 do not collide with each other before reaching the inner wall of the stator 50. In other words, the dispersion rotor 1 does not cause the two flows of dispersion objects accelerated by its rotation and sent out from the front and back surfaces to collide with each other and stall. Therefore, the dispersion objects collide with the inner wall of the stator 50 while maintaining their momentum, and are dispersed by this collision. In addition, the dispersion objects are sent with force to the slits 54 formed in the cylindrical body 51 of the stator 50, and are discharged into the tank outside the stator.

A roughly fan-shaped convex portion 6 is formed between adjacent grooves 5 on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1. In this embodiment, the convex portion 6 is set so that the surface area of the convex portion 6 is larger than the opening area of the groove 5 when the dispersion rotor 1 is viewed in plan from the axial center side of the rotating shaft.

<Dispersion device>
Next, a dispersing device incorporating the dispersing rotor 1 having the above-mentioned configuration and its operation will be described.

As shown in FIG. 6, the dispersion device 10 includes a tank 20 for storing the material to be dispersed, a rotating shaft 30 on which the dispersion rotor 1 is mounted, a power source 40 for rotating the rotating shaft 30, and a stator 50.

The tank 20 is cylindrical with a bottom and has a jacket 21 on its outer periphery. The jacket 21 adjusts the internal temperature of the tank 20 by supplying and circulating a refrigerant or hot water through a flow path formed inside the jacket 21. The tank 20 also has a removable top lid 22 on the top. The top lid 22 seals the inside of the tank. The tank 20 also has a discharge section 23 on the bottom that discharges the stored dispersion target.

The rotating shaft 30 is inserted into the tank through a through hole formed in the center of the top cover 22 via a seal such as a gland packing or a mechanical seal. The dispersion rotor 1 is attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 30.

The power source 40 is, for example, a motor. A belt is suspended between the drive shaft of the motor and the rotating shaft 30, and the driving force is transmitted to the rotating shaft 30. The motor of the power source 40 may be directly connected to the rotating shaft 30.

The stator 50 is suspended within the tank by a number of stator rods 60 that are inserted into the tank through through holes formed in the top lid 22. That is, the stator 50 is composed of a cylindrical body 51, a top plate 52 with a through hole (opening) through which the rotating shaft 30 is inserted, and a bottom plate 53, and houses the dispersion rotor 1 attached to the rotating shaft 30 (see Figures 5 and 6).

The cylindrical body 51 has a plurality of holes 55 (see FIG. 4) on the upper end surface into which the stator rod 60 is inserted and connected, and a plurality of slits 54 are formed at equal intervals around the outer wall. The slits 54 are set so that they become narrower from the inside to the outside. That is, in this embodiment, the width of the slit 54 is set such that the inner entrance width L3 is greater than the outer exit width L4. The relationship between the exit width L2 of the groove 5 and the entrance width L3 of the slit 54 is set such that the exit width L2 of the groove 5 is less than the entrance width L3 of the slit 54. That is, the entrance of the slit 54 is set so that it is easy to accept the dispersion object that is accelerated and sent out from the exit of the groove 5 without decelerating. The entrance depth of the slit 54 is deeper than the exit of the groove 5.

The slits 54 are covered with the top plate 52, which closes the upper portion and forms a through hole. Note that in this embodiment, the slits 54 are not limited to being formed in the cylindrical body 51, and a through hole formed through the wall may also be used.

The thickness of the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 53 increases from the rotating shaft side toward the inner wall of the cylindrical body 51, and they form inclined surfaces that are parallel to the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1 and have a predetermined clearance. Furthermore, each opening of the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 53 is set to approximately the same outer diameter as the ring-shaped groove 4 of the dispersion rotor 1. In this embodiment, the clearance is appropriately set based on the natural frequency of the dispersion rotor 1 and the resonance phenomenon obtained from frequency analysis of the vibration acceleration during that rotation so that the dispersion rotor 1 does not come into contact with each inner wall when it rotates.

<Operation description>
Next, the operation of the dispersion device 10 will be described. First, a predetermined amount of unprocessed dispersion objects is stored in the tank 20. At this time, the stator 50 and the dispersion rotor 1 are immersed in the dispersion objects. The motor, which is the power source 40, is operated to start the dispersion process. That is, the rotational force of the motor is transmitted to the rotating shaft 30 via the belt, and the rotating shaft 30 is rotated while generating a predetermined rotational speed and torque. As the rotating shaft 30 rotates, the dispersion rotor 1 rotates within the stator and draws the dispersion objects into the stator from the gap between the rotating shaft 30 and the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 53 of the stator 50. At this time, the dispersion rotor 1 forms two flows in the dispersion objects on both the front and back sides of the surface and back surfaces ...

The first flow travels from the upstream side of the rotating shaft to the downstream side of the outer periphery while rotating in the rotation direction of the dispersion rotor 1 in the clearances formed between the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 53, sandwiching the dispersion rotor 1, inside the stator. The second flow travels downstream through the grooves 5 formed on both sides of the dispersion rotor 1.

The material to be dispersed in the first flow is sheared by frictional resistance that occurs on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1 in the clearance as the dispersion rotor 1 rotates.

The second flow of dispersion objects is pumped downstream by the groove 5, which narrows from upstream to downstream. That is, the dispersion objects flowing through the groove 5 are subjected to centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the dispersion rotor 1. That is, the centrifugal force applied to the dispersion objects flowing through the groove 5 increases the pressure in the groove, and the dispersion objects are forcefully sent out from the outlet. At this time, a part of the dispersion objects collide with the inner wall of the cylindrical body 51 of the stator 50 with force, and are dispersed by the impact. In addition, another part of the dispersion objects flows with force into the slit 54 of the cylindrical body 51. That is, the dispersion rotor 1 efficiently discharges the dispersion objects into the tank outside the stator. In addition, since the grooves 5 on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1 are alternately formed in the rotation direction, the dispersion objects can be continuously sent out toward the inner wall and slit 54 of the cylindrical body 51, compared to the case where the grooves 5 are formed at the same position on the front and back surfaces. Furthermore, as the dispersion rotor 1 rotates, the dispersion object rotating in the rotational direction between the dispersion rotor 1 and the cylindrical body 51 is sheared by the outer peripheral edge of the dispersion rotor 1.

The material to be dispersed that is discharged into the tank outside the stator becomes a circulating flow that is a combination of a flow that rotates in the same direction as the dispersion rotor 1 in the tank due to the influence of the rotation of the dispersion rotor 1, and a flow that divides the material into upper and lower parts due to the suction force of the dispersion rotor 1.

After performing the process for a specified time until the material to be dispersed reaches a predetermined particle size, the motor is stopped and the material to be dispersed is moved while still in the tank 20, or is discharged from the discharge section 23 and transferred to another container for transport. This completes the series of operations and processes performed by the dispersion device 10.

The dispersion rotor 1 provided in the dispersion device 10 of the above configuration disperses the material to be dispersed to a predetermined particle size without using media, due to the synergistic effect of three actions: shearing using frictional resistance on the front and back surfaces of the material to be dispersed that has been drawn into the stator, dispersion caused by accelerating the material from upstream to downstream through the grooves 5 and colliding it with the inner wall of the cylindrical body 51 of the stator 50, and shearing by the outer peripheral edge of the dispersion rotor 1.

In addition, in conventional manufacturing lines, the material to be dispersed is premixed using an agitator, then pre-dispersed using a media-type dispersing device, and then the main dispersion is performed using another media-type dispersing device with media smaller in diameter than the media used in the pre-dispersing process. However, by using the media-less dispersing device configured as described above, the pre-mixing process using an agitator and the pre-dispersing process using a media-type dispersing device can be omitted. Therefore, the media management and careful cleaning process so that no media remains can be performed only with the media-type dispersing device for the main dispersion process, and the number of devices used can be reduced, which in turn reduces the number of processing steps in the manufacturing line and significantly improves work efficiency.

Second Embodiment
This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in the configuration of the grooves 5 in the dispersing rotor 1. Therefore, the different configuration will be described in detail, and the same configuration as the first embodiment will be described by simply assigning the same reference numerals.

7 and 8, the grooves 5A on the front and back surfaces are formed so as to send the object to be dispersed from the inlet toward the rear from the outlet. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, the imaginary line T extending from the inner wall on the rotation direction side of the groove 5A forms a tangent line passing through the contact point M with the outer edge of the ring-shaped groove 4. Therefore, when the dispersion rotor 1A is viewed in plan, the grooves 5A are inclined toward the rear from the rotating shaft side. In other words, the grooves 5A are formed so as to face diagonally rearward from the inlet to the outlet. In addition, the grooves 5A are formed at equal intervals on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1A in the same number as in the first embodiment. In addition, the grooves 5A are formed at different positions on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1A. That is, the grooves 5A are formed at the back side of the intermediate position between the adjacent grooves 5A on the front surface of the dispersion rotor 1A. In other words, the grooves 5A on the front and back surfaces are formed alternately in the rotation direction.

A roughly fan-shaped convex portion 6A is formed between adjacent grooves 5A on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1A. In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the dispersion rotor 1A is viewed in plan from the axial center side of the rotating shaft, the convex portion 6A is set to have a surface area larger than the opening area of the width of the groove 5A. Note that the width of each of these grooves 5A narrows from the ring-shaped groove 4 that is connected to it on the upstream side toward the downstream side of the outer periphery. In addition, the depth of the grooves 5A is set to be constant. Therefore, the bottom surface of the groove 5 is inclined at the same angle as the surface of the convex portion 6A.

The tapered inclination angle of the dispersion rotor 1A is set by the relative positional relationship with the inner wall of the cylindrical body 51 of the stator 50 or the slits 54 formed in the cylindrical body 51 when the dispersion rotor 1A is installed in the dispersion device 10.

In other words, the inclination angle of the grooves 5A in this embodiment is set so that the position X where the two imaginary lines extending outward from the longitudinal central axes of both grooves 5A formed on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1A intersect, like the grooves 5 in the first embodiment, is at the back side of the entrance of the slit 54 formed in the stator 50. In particular, in this embodiment, it is preferable to set the position X at the connection between the receiving portion 54A and the collision portion 54B of the slit 54, which will be described later. With this configuration, the flow of the dispersion object sent into the slit can be vigorously collided with the wall of the collision portion 54B without stalling.

<Dispersion device>
Next, a dispersing device incorporating the dispersing rotor 1A having the above-mentioned configuration and its operation will be described.

As in the first embodiment, the dispersion device 10 includes a tank 20 for storing the material to be dispersed, a rotating shaft 30 on which the dispersion rotor 1 is mounted, a power source 40 for rotating the rotating shaft 30, and a stator 50 (see FIG. 6). The dispersion device 10 may have the same configuration as the first embodiment except for the dispersion rotor 1A, but the shape and structure of the slits 54 formed in the cylindrical body 51 of the stator 50 are changed. Therefore, the configuration of the stator 50 will be described in detail, and the same components will be given the same reference numerals.

The slits 54 formed in the cylindrical body 51 of the stator 50 are bent like the character "K" in hiragana or the letter "L" as shown in Figs. 10 and 11. That is, the slits 54 have a receiving section 54A that receives the dispersion object sent backward from the dispersion rotor 1A from the inside to the outside of the stator 50 in the same direction, and a collision section 54B that causes the dispersion object received in the receiving section 54A to collide with the inner wall when reversing the flow of the dispersion object to the forward direction. Furthermore, the width of the slits 54 narrows from the upstream to the downstream. The slits 54 are covered with a top plate 52 to form a through hole with the top closed, but are not limited to the slits 54 and may be a through hole that penetrates the wall.

As shown in FIG. 11, the receiving portion 54A faces diagonally backward, just like the groove 5A of the dispersion rotor 1A. Specifically, when the outer outlet of the groove 5A and the inner inlet of the receiving portion 54A are in opposing positions, the longitudinal center axes G of the groove 5A and the receiving portion 54A are set to overlap. Also, the inlet of the receiving portion 54A is set to be wider than the outlet of the groove 5A. In other words, the receiving portion 54A is set to easily receive the dispersion object sent out from the groove 5A.

<Operation description>
Next, the operation of the dispersion device 10 will be described. When dispersion processing is started, the dispersion rotor 1A rotates within the stator and draws the dispersion target into the stator through the gap between the rotor 30 and the openings of the top plate 52 and bottom plate 53 of the stator 50. At this time, the dispersion rotor 1A forms two flows in the dispersion target on both the front and back sides, as in the first embodiment.

The first flow travels from the upstream side of the rotating shaft to the downstream side of the outer periphery while rotating in the rotation direction of the dispersion rotor 1A in the clearances formed between the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 53, sandwiching the dispersion rotor 1A, inside the stator. The second flow travels downstream through the grooves 5A formed on both sides of the dispersion rotor 1A.

The material to be dispersed in the first flow is sheared by frictional resistance that occurs on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1 in the clearance as the dispersion rotor 1 rotates.

The second flow of dispersion objects is pumped downstream by the groove 5A, which narrows from upstream to downstream. That is, the objects to be dispersed flowing through the groove 5A are subjected to centrifugal force. That is, the centrifugal force applied to the objects to be dispersed flowing through the groove increases the pressure in the groove, and the objects to be dispersed are forcefully sent out rearward from the outlet. At this time, the dispersion rotor 1A disperses the objects to be dispersed from the groove 5A by forcefully colliding them with the inner wall of the stator 50 without stalling, and also forcefully sends the objects to be dispersed into the slits 54 of the stator 50. The grooves 5A on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion rotor 1A are alternately formed in the direction of rotation, so the objects to be dispersed are continuously sent out toward the inner wall of the cylindrical body 51 and the slits 54.

The material to be dispersed is sent into slit 54 when the outlet of groove 5A passes in front of the inlet of slit 54. During this process, the inlet of receiving portion 54A of slit 54 is set wider than the outlet of groove 5A, so that the material to be dispersed from groove 5A is more reliably received inside without losing speed. The material to be dispersed that has been received by receiving portion 54A maintains its momentum by pressure from further upstream as it passes through slit 54, which gradually narrows in width.

During this passage, when the object to be dispersed reaches the collision section 54B, it collides with its inner wall, the flow is reversed, and it is discharged outside the stator. That is, as in the explanation based on FIG. 5 in the first embodiment above, the position X where the imaginary lines T extending from both grooves 5A on the front and back sides of the dispersion rotor 1A intersect is set to the bending section, which is the connection section of the receiving section 54A and the collision section 54B, so that the object to be dispersed maintains its momentum until it collides with the inner wall of the bending section. Therefore, the object to be dispersed is further dispersed by the impact of the collision at the bending section.

Furthermore, the material to be dispersed is sheared by the outer edge of the dispersion rotor 1A rotating between the dispersion rotor 1A and the cylindrical body 51.

The material to be dispersed that is discharged into the tank outside the stator becomes a circulating flow that is a combination of a flow that rotates in the same direction as the dispersion rotor 1A in the tank and a flow that divides the material into upper and lower parts caused by the suction force of the dispersion rotor 1A.

After performing the process for a specified time until the material to be dispersed reaches a predetermined particle size, the motor is stopped and the material to be dispersed is moved while still in the tank 20, or is discharged from the discharge section 23 and transferred to another container for transport. This completes the series of operations and processes performed by the dispersion device 10.

The dispersion rotor 1A provided in the dispersion device 10 of the above configuration disperses the dispersion object drawn into the stator to a predetermined particle size by a synergistic effect of three actions: shearing using frictional resistance on the front and back surfaces of the dispersion object, pumping the dispersion object while applying centrifugal force in the groove and sending out the pumped dispersion object with force from the outlet, dispersion caused by colliding the dispersion object with the inner wall of the cylindrical body 51 of the stator 50, and shearing by the outer peripheral edge of the dispersion rotor 1A. In addition, as the dispersion object passes through the stator, it is further dispersed by a fourth action caused by collision with the inner wall of the bending part that is the connection part between the receiving part 54A and the collision part 54B, which further improves the dispersion process.

In addition, in conventional manufacturing lines, the material to be dispersed is premixed using an agitator, then pre-dispersed using a media-type dispersing device, and then the main dispersion is performed using another media-type dispersing device with media smaller in diameter than the media used in the pre-dispersing process. However, by using the media-less dispersing device configured as described above, the pre-mixing process using an agitator and the pre-dispersing process using a media-type dispersing device can be omitted. Therefore, the media management and careful cleaning process so that no media remains can be performed only with the media-type dispersing device for the main dispersion process, and the number of devices used can be reduced, which in turn reduces the number of processing steps in the manufacturing line and significantly improves work efficiency.

The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various design modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

(1) In each of the above embodiments, the grooves 5, 5A are set to a constant depth, but may be set to become shallower toward the downstream. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the dispersion rotor 1B has the bottom surface of the groove 5B set on the same plane (horizontal plane) as the bottom surface of the ring-shaped groove 4, so that the depth of the groove 5B becomes shallower from upstream to downstream. Alternatively, the depth of the groove 5B may be appropriately adjusted by setting the inclination angle of the groove 5B to be gentler than the inclination angle of the convex portion 6. With this configuration, the pressure of the dispersion object flowing through the groove 5B can be further increased.

When the grooves 5B are set horizontally as in the dispersion rotor 1B, the dispersion objects sent out from the grooves 5B on both sides do not cross. Therefore, in this embodiment, the dispersion objects from the grooves 5B on each side are set to be sent to the slits or through holes that are individually determined. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, the cylindrical body 51 of the stator 50 has slits 54 and through holes 56 formed alternately up and down along the circumference. That is, the dispersion objects sent out from the grooves 5B on the front side of the dispersion rotor 1B are set to be sent to the upper slits 54, and the dispersion objects sent out from the grooves 5B on the back side are set to be sent to the lower through holes 56. With this configuration, the flows of the dispersion objects sent out alternately from the front and back sides of the dispersion rotor 1B are less likely to interfere with each other, and the discharge efficiency of the dispersion objects outside the stator is improved. In this embodiment, the slits 54 and the through holes 56 may be provided at the same position above and below, or the slits 54 and the through holes 56 may be integrated into a vertically long slit 54.

In the above embodiment, the stator 50 may further have the slits 54 inclined slightly upward and the through holes 56 inclined slightly downward. With this configuration, the objects to be dispersed that pass through the slits 54 can be made to contribute to an upward circulation flow in the tank, and the objects to be dispersed that pass through the through holes 56 can be made to contribute to a downward circulation flow in the tank. Furthermore, since the slits 54 and the through holes 56 are bent in the direction of rotation and inclined upward or downward, a twist can be applied to the objects to be dispersed that pass through them, thereby improving the dispersion efficiency and shear efficiency.

When incorporating the dispersion rotor 1B of this embodiment into the dispersion device 10, the stator 50 may be that of the first and second embodiments described above.

(2) In each of the above embodiments, the positions of the grooves 5A and 5B on the front and back surfaces may overlap at the same positions rather than being alternated depending on the thickness of the dispersion rotors 1, 1A, and 1B.

(3) In the dispersion rotors 1A and 1B of the second embodiment and the modified example described above, the grooves 5A and 5B are shaped to extend diagonally backward in a straight line that forms a tangent to the outer edge of the ring-shaped groove 4 when viewed in a plan view from the axial center side of the rotating shaft 30, but they may also be shaped to extend backward in an arch shape that curves forward in the direction of rotation.

(4) In each of the above embodiments, it is preferable that the surface of the protrusions 6 is roughened. In this embodiment, the rough surface may be any surface that expands in area, and may be, for example, a rough and textured surface, or may have multiple slits or irregularities. With this configuration, the contact area between the object to be dispersed and the protrusions 6 increases, which in turn increases the frictional resistance, thereby further improving the shearing ability.

(5) In each of the above embodiments, the dispersion rotors 1, 1A, and 1B may be configured without the ring-shaped groove 4, and have grooves 5, 5A and protrusions 6, 6A formed from the mounting portion 3.

(6) In each of the above embodiments, the dispersion device 10 may have a pair of impellers 70 on the rotating shaft 30, sandwiching the dispersion rotor, as shown in FIG. 14. The impeller 70 has a plurality of helical blades 72 on the outer periphery of each of the ring-shaped mounting parts 71, as shown in FIG. 15. As shown in the plan view and front view of FIG. 16, the helical blades 72 are set so that the rear part of the front helical blade 72A and the front part of the rear helical blade 72B of adjacent front and rear helical blades 72 have overlapping parts when viewed from the axial direction. The number of threads of the helical blade 72 is appropriately set and changed depending on the size of the impeller 70 and the size of the helical blade 72, but is preferably 6 threads or more, and more preferably 8 threads or more.

According to this configuration, a pair of impellers 70 mounted on the rotating shaft 30 sandwiching the dispersion rotor 1 rotate at each of the openings of the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 53, promoting the drawing of the dispersion object into the stator. That is, as the drawing of the dispersion object into the stator is promoted, the internal pressure of the stator 50 increases, accelerating the flow of the dispersion object. In addition, as this internal pressure increases, the dispersion object tries to return to the outside of the stator from each opening of the top plate 52 and the bottom plate 53. However, since the rear part of the front spiral wing 72 of the adjacent spiral wing 72 covers the front part of the rear spiral wing 72 when viewed in a plane, each opening is in a state where it is almost blocked, and the dispersion object is suppressed from returning to the outside of the stator from the opening against the suction force. Therefore, the dispersion device 10 can continue to maintain a substantially constant pressure in the stator, and the dispersion object can be efficiently accelerated and sent out by the groove 5 of the dispersion rotor 1.

(7) In each of the above embodiments, the collision portion 54B of the stator 50 is flexed or bent once diagonally forward in the direction of rotation, but this is not limited to the above, and any configuration may be used as long as the dispersion object sent into the slit 54 is unlikely to flow back upstream. Therefore, the number of flexures or bends of the collision portion 54B may be one or more. In addition, the direction of flexure, etc. of the collision portion 54B may be changed in a stepwise manner.

(8) In each of the above embodiments, the dispersion device may further include an auxiliary blade that assists in the circulation flow and stirring of the material to be dispersed in the tank. For example, as shown in FIG. 17, the dispersion device 10 of this embodiment further includes an auxiliary blade 81, a rotating shaft 82 to which the auxiliary blade 81 is attached, and a power source 83 (e.g., a motor) that rotates the rotating shaft 82.

As shown in Figures 18 and 19, the aileron 81 consists of multiple protrusions 81A formed on the outer periphery of a disk shape and vertical wings 81B formed by bending the outer edge side of the protrusions 81A alternately up and down along the circumferential direction. The protrusions 81A are saw-tooth shaped, and the vertical wings 81B are rectangular. The vertical wings 81B are bent perpendicularly from the protrusions 81A.

The rotating shaft 82 is inserted into the tank through a through hole formed in the top cover 22 via a seal such as a gland packing or a mechanical seal. An aileron 81 is attached to the tip of the rotating shaft 82.

The motor of the power source 83 is, for example, a motor. A belt is suspended between the drive shaft of the motor and the rotating shaft 82, and the driving force is transmitted to the rotating shaft 82. The motor may be directly connected to the rotating shaft 82. Therefore, the power source 83 of this embodiment can adjust the rotation speed independently of the power source 40 for the dispersion unit. The aileron 81 of this embodiment may be rotated by the power source 40 for the dispersion unit. In this configuration, the aileron 81 may be rotated at the same rotation speed as the dispersion rotor 1, or the gear ratio may be adjusted by a gear box or the like to rotate the aileron 81 at a different rotation speed.

With this configuration, the auxiliary wing 81 assists and increases the circulating flow of the material to be dispersed, which is generated by the dispersion unit consisting of the dispersion rotor 1 and the stator 50, as it rotates. In addition, the auxiliary wing 81 shears the material to be dispersed with the saw-toothed protrusions 81A and vertical wing 81B as it rotates. Therefore, the dispersion device of this embodiment simultaneously performs dispersion processing by the dispersion unit and dispersion processing associated with the rotation of the auxiliary wing 81, further improving processing efficiency.

(9) In each of the above embodiments, the dispersion device is configured to include a jacket 21 on the tank 20, but may be configured without the jacket 21. Also, each of the above embodiments may be configured to include a top cover 22 and a seal on the tank 20, etc.

Reference Signs List 1, 1A, 1B Dispersion rotor 2 Through hole 3 Mounting portion 4 Ring-shaped groove 5, 5A, 5B Groove 6 Convex portion 10 Dispersion device 20 Tank 21 Jacket 22 Top cover 23 Discharge portion 30 Rotation shaft 40 Power source 50 Stator 51 Cylindrical main body 52 Top plate 53 Bottom plate 54 Slit 54A Receiving portion 54B Collision portion 60 Stator rod 70 Impeller 81 Aileron

Claims (4)

A dispersion rotor for a media-less type dispersion device, the dispersion rotor being housed in a stator made of a cylindrical body having ring-shaped top and bottom plates suspended in a bottomed cylindrical tank in which a dispersion object is stored, the rotor being fixed to a rotating shaft penetrating openings formed in the centers of the top and bottom plates, the rotor drawing the dispersion object in the tank into the stator as the rotating shaft rotates and discharging the dispersion object outside the stator through a through hole or slit formed in the cylindrical body of the stator,
The dispersion rotor is disk-shaped, has a ring-shaped groove formed around the rotation axis for receiving the dispersion object drawn along the rotation axis as the dispersion rotor rotates, and has a plurality of grooves formed radially from the rotation axis side to the outer periphery on each surface facing the top plate and the bottom plate,
The ring-shaped groove has an outer edge that communicates with the plurality of grooves,
The grooves have a cross section that decreases from the rotating shaft side toward the outer periphery. The dispersion rotor for a media-less type dispersion device according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the plurality of grooves has a shape extending diagonally backward from an inlet communicating with the ring-shaped groove to an outlet relative to the forward direction of rotation of the dispersion rotor, and the dispersion object entering from the inlet is sent out from the outlet toward the rear through the groove. The dispersion rotor for a media-less type dispersion device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the dispersion rotor has a fan-shaped convex portion between adjacent grooves, and when the dispersion rotor is viewed in a plan view from the axial center side of the rotating shaft, the surface area of the fan-shaped convex portion is larger than the opening area of the groove. 2. The dispersion rotor for a media-less type dispersion device according to claim 1, wherein the dispersion rotor has a tapered shape that is inclined from the rotating shaft side toward an outer periphery when viewed from the front from a side perpendicular to the rotating shaft.

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