RU2506992C2 - Foam making unit - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: process engineering.

SUBSTANCE: proposed device relates to foam making devices and can be used in medicine and balneology, chemical and food industries, etc. It includes vessel accommodating bubbler composed of a perforated grate. Tubular grate has at least two manifolds. At least two tubes with multiple small-diameter holes are arranged between said manifolds and directed opposite the bottom and arched tube with the same holes to cover one manifold. Second manifold has air feed pipe union. Aforesaid vessel accommodates additionally the water feed union and foam discharge pipe as well as foam level control beam pickup.

EFFECT: stable high expansion factor foam at low power consumption.

4 cl, 2 dwg

Description

The invention relates to the field of mixing liquids and gases to produce foam and can be used in medical and balneological practice, in the chemical, food and other industries.

The problems to be solved by the present invention should be highlighted: simplification of the design, improving the quality of the foam produced and reducing the energy consumption of the foaming device.

Analysis of the current level of technology showed the following. A device for producing foam is known, consisting of a housing, a mixer, a number of elements dispersing a gas-liquid flow, and a mesh dispersant, consisting of a block of meshes (see UK Law No. 1468249 of 08/12/74, according to CL B01F 3/04, publ. 23.03.77 g.). all elements are aligned. A disadvantage of the device of this design is its complexity and bulkiness, as well as the inability to obtain high-quality foam. The technical solution uses the effect of the impact of a jet of a mixture of a foaming liquid with air on a mesh. As a result of the unevenness of the high-speed flow in the pipe, the gas-liquid flow enters the grid unevenly, and the foam emerging from the device is of poor quality. In this case, the quality of the foam is understood to mean its stability (“life” time), which depends on the presence of a cellular structure in the foam. The more bubbles in the foam that are equally sized (uniform dispersion) and the smaller they are in size, the higher the quality of the foam. The known device is used mainly for extinguishing fires, where the main indicator is not quality, but the amount of foam obtained. In addition, the use of a large number of mesh elements located one after another increases the metal consumption and significantly complicates the design of the product, and pollution or failure of the first mesh will lead to failure of the entire device.

As a prototype, a device based on passing gas through a liquid layer was taken. Devices that implement this principle include a housing with a fitting for supplying liquid and gas and fittings for discharging foamy liquid and gas, as well as a grill located horizontally and dividing the housing into two parts (Tarat E. Ya. Et al. Foam mode and foam machines. L ., "Chemistry", 1977, p.17). When using this device, fluid flow passes over the grill. Under the grate, a stream of gas enters through the openings in the grate and through a layer of water, creating a foam. The disadvantage of this design should recognize the limited foaming capabilities caused by the design features of the device. The size of the holes in the lattice, as well as their number, has a limiting value, limited by the strength characteristics of the lattice material and its dimensions. The fluid flow rate along the grate is limited by the need to create a sufficiently thin continuous flow. The gas velocity and flow rate have limit values that prevent the entrainment of fluid through the gas outlet fitting. In addition, the principle of passing gas through a liquid by itself does not allow a sufficient pricing, since the degree of mixing of gas and liquid in this case is not large.

The aim of the invention is to obtain high-quality foam with low energy consumption and costs in the production and operation of the device.

The technical problem solved by the use of the present invention is to develop the design of the device with holes in the tubes of the lattice in an amount of at least two pieces on an area of 1 cm ^{2 of the} outer surface with a diameter of ⌀0.3-0.5 mm.

This goal is achieved by the fact that in a technical solution containing a tank with a bottom in which a tubular grating is installed, having at least two collectors, between which there are at least two tubes with holes directed to the opposite side of the bottom and an arc-shaped tube with the same holes, closing one end of the manifold, and at least one fitting on the second manifold for air supply. According to the invention, the container further comprises at least one foam discharge fitting, at least one inlet fitting for supplying water to the container, and at least one radiation sensor for controlling the foam level.

Water enters the foam tank with filling to a level that is 20-30 mm higher than the immersion level of the grating tubes, the dosed volume of the foam-forming liquid is poured, and air is supplied from the compressor at a flow rate through openings that prevent bubble coalescing.

The gas entering the tubes passing through openings of ⌀0.3-0.5 mm forms small bubbles, which float up slightly increasing in size, because the immersion level of the lattice tubes is 20-30 mm.

In this mode, the device produces high-quality foam, characterized by a cellular structure, uniform dispersion, small bubble sizes, and stability. To maintain the level of stable foam, using radiation monitoring sensors, less compressor operation time will be required and thereby reduce energy costs. The present invention has an inventive step.

Figure 1 shows a General view of the device. The device consists of a tank 1, a tubular grate 2, a water supply fitting 3, an air supply fitting 4, a drain fitting, water and foam 5 and a beam level control sensor 6. The design of the grate is made of stainless steel.

The device operates as follows:

a metered volume of water is poured into a container 1 through a nozzle 3 and a metered volume of a foaming liquid is added;

through the fitting 4, air is supplied from the compressor to the grill 2, which through the collector 7 enters the tubes 8 and through the collector 9 into the arcuate tube 10;

under the action of gas entering the tubes with a small diameter of the foaming mixture of the foaming agent and water foams, small bubbles are formed that pass through the water with the foaming liquid to form a foam mass of a cellular structure, uniform dispersion and high stability.

When the number of holes, at least two pieces on the area of 1 cm ^{2 of the} outer surface, with a diameter of 0.3 ÷ 0.5 mm, located in the tubes of the lattice covering the entire surface of the bottom of the tank, and immersed to a shallow depth of 20 ÷ 30 mm in a foaming liquid, are formed bubbles of small sizes, which form the cellular structure of the foam with uniform dispersion, which provides it with high stability.

Due to the high stability of the foam and control of its level by radiation sensors, less compressor operation time will be required for air supply and, therefore, energy costs will be reduced.

Thus, the use of the invention will provide a stable stable foam of high multiplicity at low energy costs.

Claims (4)

1. A device for preparing foam containing a container with a bottom in which a tubular grate is installed, characterized in that the tubular grate has at least two collectors, between which at least two tubes are located with openings directed to the side opposite to the bottom, at a depth of 20 -30 mm from the liquid level and the arcuate tube with the same holes closing one collector, and at least one fitting on the second manifold for air supply. 2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tank further comprises at least one fitting for water and foam. 3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tank further comprises at least one inlet fitting for supplying water to the tank. 4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the tank further comprises at least one radiation sensor for controlling the level of the foam.

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