US2908346A

US2908346A - Apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable materials

Info

Publication number: US2908346A
Application number: US721253A
Authority: US
Inventors: Cornell Mead
Original assignee: GRIFFIN CORNELL Co
Current assignee: GRIFFIN CORNELL Co
Priority date: 1958-03-13
Filing date: 1958-03-13
Publication date: 1959-10-13
Anticipated expiration: 1976-10-13

Description

Oct. 13, 1959 M. CORNELL 2,908,346

APPARATUS FOR HOMOGENIZING AND DEGASIFYING FLOWABLE MATERIALS Filed March 13, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l6 1 8 l4 l7 3 4 49 I5 I2 33 29 2 25 26 m 3| 34 25 2l-2 35 3O 27 3 I9 32 v33 24 22 2O 47 45 2 L r l INVENTOR.

MEAD CORNELL F ATTORNEYS Oct. 13, 1959 M. CORNELL 2,903,346

APPARATUS FOR HOMOGENIZING AND DEGASIFYING FLOWABLE MATERIALS Filed March 13. 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I |8 I? J l 1 l 4 Ii ..l"

F Z INVENTOR. BYIVIEAD CORNELL ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice APPARATUS FOR HOMOGENIZING AND DEGASIFYING FLOWABLE MATERIALS Mead Cornell, San Francisco, Calif., assignor to Griffin,

Cornell Company, San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of California Many materials such as lubricants, paints, flowable plastics, foods and great varieties of other compositions need to be physically refined in order to attain the highest degree of efiicacy.

Many organic compounds are subject to spoilage or deterioration by oxidation or the action of aerobic agents. There are, of course, many processes in which aeration is advantageous, but there are also many processes in which the elimination of air and/ or other gases or vapors is quite as important, and in which it is impracticable to employ heat to drive out the deleterious gaseous or vaporous contaminants.

. The superiority of suspensions of fine solid particles in liquids and of colloidal suspensions usually depends to a considerable extent upon the fineness and uniformity of distribution of the fine solid or colloidal'particles; the finer and more uniformly distributed the particles of pig ment in a paint, for example, the better its covering characteristics and the longer it will keep in storage without settling out.

Keeping qualities, utility in the culinary arts, and flavor and healthful qualities of foodstuffs often also are enhanced by thorough homogenization and degasification.

The need for homogenization and degasification in the preparation of liquid and pasty components of oils and greases is well known.

My application for United States patent Serial No. 660,266 discloses a machine for degasifying, blending, milling and homogenizing materials having liquid or pasty components. Themethod and apparatus disclosed in the instant application enables materials, such as oils and greases, that are handled in large volume to be processed more rapidly in apparatus which is relatively sturdy and compact and which can be manufactured and operated with great economy.

It is an object of this invention to provide homogenizing and degasifying apparatus in which materials are supplied to rapidly rotating processing units that are fixed to rotating shafts, such materials being supplied through conduits which themselves are stationary.

A further object is to provide conduits whose mountings are so designed as to facilitate removal and replacement of sections thereof which are adjacent to processing units.

It is a further object to provide apparatus having evacuating conduits which are stationary and which are readily removable and replaceable.

It is a further object to provide apparatus having a single shaft, said apparatus being so designed that a plurality of homogenizing and degasifying units can be mounted upon said single shaft, and being so designed that the number of units so mounted can be readily increased or decreased.

Other objects and many advantages of the invention will be apparent upon perusal of the following specificawhich:

2,908,346 -Patented Oct. 13, 1959 2 Fig. I is a sectional view taken substantially along a vertical plane through the apparatus;

Fig. I1 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale of a homogenizing and degasifying unit;

Fig. III is a plan view on a further enlarged scale of an impeller which is an element of the apparatus; and

Fig. IV is an elevational view of the impeller. Materials to be homogenized and/or degasified are processed in a chamber 1 which has a cylindrical wall ,2, and the size and wall thickness of which may vary with the type of material to be treated and with the rate at which the materialis to be processed. A chamber 36 inches in diameter and 60 inches high having a wall thickness of 7 inch has been found to operate satisfacton'ly in processing some materials. The lower end of the chamber 1 is closed by a dishshaped bottom 3 which may be welded in place. The upper end of the chamber is closed by a flat cover 4 which is removably bolted in place. Since the interior of the chamber 1 is partially evacuated when the apparatus is functioning, the bottom 3 is made convex outwardly to better withstand the excess of outer'atmospheric pressure over the reduced interior pressure. I The chamber 1 is supported by four legs 5 which are fitted into sockets feet 9 which maybe fastened to a floor or base plate 10.

The chamber 1 may be properly plumbed by screwing the lower ends of the legs 5 into or out of the bosses 7, whereupon the legs 5 may be locked against accidental turning by means of set screws 11 threaded into the sockets 6.

Fitted through a central opening in the cover 4 is a bearing holder 12 having a flange .13 which overlies the cover 4. Mounted within the bearing holder 12, below a spacer ring 14, is the outer race of a double row ball bearing 15 which is capable of supporting an axialload or thrust.

The inner race of the double row ball bearing 15 is fixed to a rotatable vertical shaft 16, which preferably is turned by an electric motor acting through variable speed mechanism, such, for example, as a V-belt drive, to turn the vertical shaft 16 at an appropriate speed, e.g. 1,000 to 1,500 rpm. Since suitable motors and drive mechanisms are commercially available they are not described in detail herein or illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The upper and lower ends of the bearing holder 12 are provided 'with oil seals 17 and 17a which surround the shaft 16 and serve to retain lubricant with whichthe bearing holder'12 is adapted to be packed. A cover plate 18 closes the upper end of the bearing holder 12 and surrounds the shaft '16, the cover plate 18 and bearing holder 12 being secured to the main cover 4 by means of cap screws. Keyed to the shaft 16 at definite heights within'the chamber 1 are hubs 19, which after being located as to height are fastened to the shaft 16 by set screws 20. Each of the hubs 19 has a flange to which is secured a circular dispersing rotor 21, having a flat central portion and an outer portion thatis frusto-conical in shape. overlying the flat central'portion of the dispersing rotor 21 and fixed thereto is an annulus 22, the edge of which is beveled to fit the frusto-conical outer portion of the dispersing rotor without leaving a shoulder around the edge of the annulus Also mounted upon thehub'19, parallel to the flat portion of the dispersing rotor2 1, is a but;- tering ring' 23. The butteri'ng ring23ihas a sharp edge around its periphery which lies in optimumproximity-to the surface of thefrusto-conical'portion of the dispersing rotor 21. The optimum proximity may vary with the viscosity and other characteristics of the material to be creeping over the edge as some materials would be liable to do if the edge were rounded or blunt.

Surrounding the periphery of each dispersing rotor 21 and overlapping somewhat the peripheral edge of the dispersing rotor is a stationary deflecting ring 24, which is smoothly curved as indicated in Fig. I with its uper margin turned nearly horizontally inward, to catch material thrown centrifugally outward from the periphery of the dispersing rotor, and with its lower margin nearly vertical to direct the material downward. The deflecting rings 24 are hung by stiff metal straps 25 which are secured at their upper ends to the cover 4.

Material to be homogenized and/or degasified is fed through pipes 26 which extend over the deflector rings 24 from fittings 27 welded into openings in one side of the chamber 1. Each pipe 26 is provided with a flange 28 which is'bolted between an inlet pipe flange 29 and a flange 30 on the fitting 27.

The inner end of each pipe 26 enters a radial tapered hole in a boss formed on a collar 31 (which may be of cast bronze or other metal) that loosely surrounds the shaft 16 and a hub 19 but does not turn with the shaft and hub. The lower end of each collar 31 extends into the central opening of a buttering ring 23, so that material to be processed follows through the pipe 26' into the collar 31, and from the lower end of the collar to the center of the dispersing rotor assembly.

Fittings 32 similar to the fittings 27 are welded into openings on the opposite side of the chamber 1. Bolted between each fitting 32 and an outlet pipe flange 33 is a flange on the outer end of a pipe 34, the inner end of which extends into a radial opening in a second boss formed on one of the collars 31-. Each collar 31 thus is supported by the

pipes

26 and 34, which extend radially inward from opposite sides of the cylindrical chamber 1. Each collar 31 is supported with sufiicient firmness by one pipe 26 and one pipe 34, but the machine may be constructed with three or

more pipes

26 and 34 supporting each collar 31.

Each pipe 34 is employed to evacuate gases from the chamber '1. The inner end of each pipe 34 that extends into a boss on a collar 31 is plugged, and a plurality of perforations 35 are located along each pipe 34. One of the pipes 34 is located above each of the deflecting rings 24, and an additional pipe 34 may be located below the lowermost deflecting ring 24.

The shaft 16 extends through a central opening in the bottom 3 of the chamber 1, where it is journaled in a guide bearing 36 mounted upon a structure 37 having ports through which treated material may fiow into a discharge pipe 38.

The extreme lower end of the shaft 16 is reduced in size and has detachably fixed thereon an impeller 39 having helical blades 40 which move homogenized and degasified material into the discharge pipe 38, whence it is pumped by a variable flow pump 41, the capacity of which is substantially less than the pumping capacity of .the impeller 39 but can be adjusted manually by turning a hand wheel 42. Leading upward from the discharge pipe 38 is a branch pipe 43 for returning a stream of the material to the chamber 1. The'branch pipe 43 passes through the bottom 3 ofthe chamber 1 and is equipped with a manually adjustable valve 44 that can be set to maintain in the discharge pipe 38 a pressure higher (e.g. by 15' inches of mercury) than that in the chamber 1, so as to increase the efliciency of. the pump 41. f v.

When the apparatus is in operation and the impeller is pumping treated material downward, an upward thrust is exerted upon the shaft 16. This upward thrust tends to counterbalance the weight of the dispersing rotors and other parts carried by the shaft 16, thus relieving the ball bearing of much of the axial load to which it other wise would be subjected.

Tapped into the wall 2 of the chamber 1 are level controls '45 and 46 for maintaining the volume of liquid in the chamber 1 between a certain minimum and a certain maximum. These level controls may be of any desired type but are shown schematically as floats actuating

micro switches

47 and 48 and arranged one above the other. The micro switches 47 and 48 may transmit signals to an attendant, in response to which he can increase or decrease the rate of discharge through the pump 41 or the rate at which material is supplied through the'pipes 26 or, instead of merely transmitting signals to an attendant, they may actuate controls which automatically adjust the pump 41 or the rate at which material is'supplied.

Ingress of air into the chamber '1 is prevented by a gasket or seal such as a rubber O-ring 49 that is clamped between the cover 4 and a flange S0 at the upper end of the cylindrical wall 2.

In the operation of the device, air is first withdrawn through the pipes 34 until the vacuum inside the chamber 1 has reached approximately 28 inches of mercury. Then with the shaft 16 and the parts fixed thereto rotating at a speed of about 1200 r.p.m., a flowable material such as oil or grease is admitted to the pipes 26 and is fed through each collar 31 to the space between the annulus 22 and the hutterlng ring 23. Since the annulus and 'buttering ring are rotating at high speed, a'thin layer of the material emerges through the gap between the sharp edge of the buttering ring and the conical inner surface of the dispersing rotor 21 and is pressed by centrifugal force against the conical inner surface of the rotor. Such bubbles as the material may contain are flattened and ruptured by the centrifugal pressing and by the distortion that they undergo as the thin layer stretches over more and more area during its expanding outward movement. Even bubbles of microscopic size are thus destroyed as the layer is converted into a film, and as the film stretches under the vacuum prevailing within the chamber, absorbed gases are largely eliminated.

The same forces that destroy the bubbles also flatten and disperse any soft lumps that may have passed through the gap between the conical inner surface of the dispersing rotor and the sharp edge of the buttering ring.

The film of material being processed is flung centrifugally from the peripheral edge of the dispersing rotor through the narrow gap between the rotor and the concavely curved inner surface of the deflecting ring 24. The deflecting ring is stationary and deflects the material downward in a cylindrical curtain that runs into an accumulation of processed material in the lower part of the chamber 1. A partial vacuum is maintained on both sides of the curtain by evacuation of air through the pipes 34, which take air and other gases from outside and from inside of the curtain.

The lowermost of the pipes 34 takes gases which emanate from the descending cylindrical curtain and from the accumulation in the lower end of the chamber. Since gases from inside the curtain are removed without being drawn through the curtain, none of the liquid material is entrained with the gases. The lowermost pipe 34 is located at a substantial distance above the level that the accumulation of material is permitted to reach.

Since the impeller 39 as described above forces the material into the discharge pipe 38, the pump 41 in this device is not required to work against the vacuum prevailing in the chamber 1, and the necessity of installing the chamber 1 at an elevated location is obviated.

The pump 41 need not be started for withdrawing r I) processed material from the accumulation in the lower part'of'the chamber until the level of the accumulated liquid actuates the lowermost level control. Thereupon the pump 41. is set to withdraw processed material at a rate that is'equal to the rate at which material to be processed is supplied through the pipes 26.

Should the quantity of processed material in the lower part of the chamber 1 diminish to a point where the lowermost level control 46 is actuated, the pump 41 is stopped, preferably automatically. Thus the chamber 1 is prevented fromemptying. Because of the rotation of the shaft 16, which passes through the accumulation of processed material in the lower part' of the chamber 1, and because the material that is added to the accumulation strikes the surface of the accumulation from a direction that is slightly out of vertical, the liquid in the lower part of the chamber 1 tends to rotate as a body in the direction in which the shaft 16 rotates. The rotation of the accumulation of processed'material, which may be of the order of 60 r.p.m., tends to form a vortex so as to uncover the ports in the structure 37', In order to provide a counterforce to prevent the material from rotating at a speed sulficient to form a vortex, the branch pipe 4 3 is located adjacent the wall 2 of the chamber 1, and the upper end of the branch pipe 43 is bent to discharge material in a direction opposed to the direction in which the material inthe chamber 1 tends to rotate.

It will be observed that the shaft 16 and all of the elementsdriven by the shaft 16 are fixed together and spin as a unit, there being no gearing between the shaft and the parts turned thereby. Hence the apparatus for homogenizing' and degasifying operates with minimum power consumption and with little or no noise.

The capacity of the apparatus is high and can be multiplied, when desired, by the addition of identical units each consisting of two

pipes

26 and 34 and a dispersing assembly.

The size of the apparatus, the speed at which the shaft 16 is turned and the rate at which material is supplied, as well as the number of units mounted on the shaft, can be varied to adapt the machine to the conditions under which it is to be operated as well as to the output desired. v

A machine such as illustrated, having a chamber 36 inches in diameter and 60 inches in height with a 2.125 inch shaft turning at a speed of 1200 rpm. and carrying two homogenizing and degasifying units, will have a capacity of about 175 to 300 gallons per minute when operating upon oil of various viscosities, the lighter the oil the greater the capacity.

' The embodiments of the invention hereinabove described and illustrated by the accompanying drawings are tobe regarded as exemplary only and the invention is to be-regarded as encompassing all modifications and variations within the spirit and scope of the subjoined claims. v

Havingdescribed the invention, I claim:

' 1. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable-materials, 'a chamber having a side wall, a bottom and a cover removably secured to said side wall; means for withdrawing material from the bottom of the chamber; saidcoverhaving a central opening; a rotatable substantially vertical shaft projecting through said opening; a dispersing rotor fixed upon said shaft, said dispersing rotor having 'a concave frusto-conical upper sur face; a buttering ring having a peripheral edge spaced slightly from said concave frusto-conical upper surface; a stationary inlet pipe leading from without said chamber; a non-rotating deflecting ring surrounding said dispersing rotor, said deflecting ring being smoothly curved with its upper margin being turned nearly horizontally inward and its lower margin turned nearly vertically downward, said deflecting ring being located below said inlet pipe; an evacuating pipe leading out of said chamber from space abovev said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring, said evacuating pipe having its inner end closed and having a series of perforations along its side; and another evacuating pipelying beneath said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring; whereby gases and vapors extracted from the material are withdrawn from opposite sides of the film of material flowing from the dispersing rotor.

2. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable materials, a chamber having a side wall, a bottom and a cover removably secured to said side wall; means for withdrawing material from the bottom of the chamber; said cover having a central opening; a rotatable substantially vertical shaft projecting through said opening; a dispersing rotor fixed upon said shaft, said dispersing rotor having aconcave frusto-conical upper surface, a buttering ring havin g a peripheral edge spaced slightly from said concave frusto-conical upper surface; a stationary inlet pipe leading from without said chamber to'the space between said ring and rotorsurface; a non-rotating deflecting ring surrounding said dispersing rotor, said deflecting ring being smoothly curved with its upper margin being turned nearly horizontally inward and its lower margin turned nearly vertically downward, said deflecting ring being located below said inlet pipe; an evacuating pipe leading out of said chamber from space above said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring, said evacuating pipe having its inner end closed and having a series of perforations along its lower side but in other respects being similar to and mounted similarly to said inlet pipe; and another evacuating pipe lying beneath said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring and being similar to the evacuating pipe first mentioned; whereby gas and vapor are extracted from opposite sides of the film of material flowing from the dispersing rotor.

3. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable materials, a chamber having a side wall, an outwardly convex bottom and a cover removably secured to a flange surrounding said side wall; means for withdrawing material'from the bottom of the chamber; said cover having a central opening; a'rotatable substantially vertical shaft projecting through said opening; a dispersing rotor'fixed for axial adjustment upon said shaft, said dispersing rotor having a concave frusto-conical upper surface, a buttering ring having a peripheral'edge spaced slightly from said concave frusto-conical upper surface; a stationary inlet pipe leading from without said chamber to the space between the ring and said surface; a non-rotating deflecting ring surrounding said (dispersing rotor, said deflecting ring being smoothly curved with its upper margin being turned nearly horizontally inward and its lower margin turned nearly vertically downward, said deflecting ring being hung by stiff metal straps from said cover, said deflecting ring being located below said inlet pipe; a perforated evacuating pipe leading out of said chamber from space above said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring; and another evacuating pipe positioned beneath said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring; whereby gas and vapor is evacuated from both sides of the film of material flowing from the dispersing rotor. 4. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable materials, a chamber having a cylindrical side wall, a bottom and a cover removably secured to the upper margin of said cylindrical side wall; means for withdrawing material from the bottom of the chamber; said cover having a central opening; a solid rotatable substantially vertical shaft projecting through said opening; a dispersing rotor assembly fixed upon said shaft, said dispersing rotor assembly comprising a hub, a dispersing rotor having a concave frusto-conical upper surface fixed to said hub, a buttering ring also fixed to said hub. and having a peripheral edge spaced slightly from said concave f-rusto-conical upper surface; a non-rotating collar surrounding said shaft and having its lower margin extending through said buttering ring; an inlet pipe rotor, said deflecting ring being smoothly curved with its upper margin being turned nearly horizontally inward and its lower margin turned nearly vertically downward, said deflecting ring being located below said inlet pipe; an evacuating pipe leading out of said chamber from space above said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring, said evacuating pipe having its inner end closed and in supporting relationship to said collar and having a series of perforations along its side; and another evacuating pipe lying beneath said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring; whereby gases and vapors from the material are extracted from opposite sides of the film of material flowing from the dispersing rotor.

5. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable materials, a chamber having a cylindrical side Wall, an outwardly convex bottom and a cover removably secured to a flange surrounding the upper margin of 'said cylindrical side wall; means for withdrawing material lfrom the chamber; said cover having a central opening; a solid rotatable substantially vertical shaft projecting through said opening; a dispersing rotor assembly fixed for axial adjustment upon said shaft, said dispersing rotor assembly comprising a hub, a dispersing rotor having a concave frusto-conical upper surface fixed to said hub, a buttering ring also fixed to said hub and haying a peripheral edge spaced slightly from said concave frusto-conical upper surface; a non-rotating collar surrounding said shaft and having its lower margin extending through said buttering ring; an inlet pipe leading from without said chamber into said collar; a non-rotating deflecting ring surrounding said dispersing rotor, said deflecting ring being smoothly curved with its upper margin being turned nearly horizontally inward and its lower margin turned nearly vertically downward, said deflecting ring being hung by stifl metal straps from said cover, said deflecting ring being located below said inlet pipe; a perforated evacuating pipe leading out of said chamber from space above said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring, said evacuating pipe having its inner end closed and in supporting relationship to said collar; and another perforated evacuating pipe lying beneath-said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring; 'whereby gases and vapors are evacuated from both sides of the film of material flowing from the dispersing rotor. 6. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable materials, a chamber having a side wall,-an outwardly convex bottom and a cover removably secured to a flange surrounding said side wall; means for withdrawing material from the chamber; said cover having a central opening; a rotatable substantially vertical shaft projecting through said opening; a dispersing rotor fixed for axial adjustment upon said shaft, said dispersing rotor having a concave frusto-conical upper surface, a buttering ring having a peripheral edge spaced slightly from said concave frusto-conical upper surface; a stationary inlet pipe leading from without said chamber to the space between said ring and surface; a non-rotating deflecting ring surrounding said dispersing rotor, said deflecting ring being smoothly curved with its upper margin being turned nearly horizontally inward and its lower margin turned nearly vertically downward, said deflecting ring being hung by stiff metal straps from said cover, said deflecting ring being located below said inlet pipe; a perforated evacuating pipe leading out of said chamber from space above said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring, but in other respects being similar to and mounted similarly to said inlet pipe; and another evacuating pipe located beneath said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring and being similar to the evacuating pipe first mentioned, whereby gas and vapor are evacuated from opposite sides of the film of material flowing from the dispersing rotor.

7. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable materials, a chamber having a cylindrical sidewall, a bottom and a cover removably secured to the upper margin of said cylindrical side wall; means for withdrawing material from said chamber; said cover having a central opening containing a bearing holder and a bearing capable of taking axial thrust; a solid rotatable substantially vertical shaft journaled, by means of said bearing, in said bearing holder; a dispersing rotor assembly fixed upon said shaft, said dispersing rotorassernbly comprising a hub, a dispersing rotor having a concave frustoconical upper surface fixed to said hub, a buttering ring also fixed to said hub and having a peripheral edge spaced slightly from said concave frusto-conical upper surface; a non-rotating collar surrounding said shaft and having its lower margin extending through said buttering ring; an inlet pipe leading from Without said chamber into said collar; a non-rotating deflecting ring surrounding said dispersing rotor, said deflecting ring being smoothly curved with its upper margin being turned nearly horizontally inward and its lower margin turned nearly vertically downward, said deflecting ring being located below said inlet pipe; a perforated evacuating pipe leading out of said chamber from space above said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring for evacuating such space, said evacuating pipe having its inner end closed and in supporting relationship to said collar; and another perforated evacuating pipe lying beneath said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring for evacuating the space beneath the rotor and the film of material flowing from the rotor.

8. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable materials, a chamber having a cylindrical side wall, an outwardly convex bottom and a cover removably secured to a flange surrounding the upper margin ofsaid cylindrical side wall; means for withdrawing material from the bottom of the chamber; said cover having a central opening; a solid rotatable substantially vertical shaft projecting through said opening; a dispersing rotor assembly fixed for axial adjustment upon said shaft, said dispersing rotor assembly comprising a hub, a dispersing rotor having a concave frusto-conical upper surface fixed to said hub, a buttering ring also fixed to said hub and having a peripheral edge spaced slightly from said concave frusto-conieal upper surface; a non-rotating collar surrounding said shaft and having its lower margin extending through said buttering ring; aninlet pipe leading from without said chamber into said collar; a non-rotating deflecting ring surrounding said dispersing rotor,,said deflecting ring being smoothly curved with its upper margin being turned nearly horizontally inward and its lower margin turned nearly vertically downward, said deflecting ring being hung by stiff metal straps from said .cover, said deflecting ring being'located below said inlet pipe; a perforated evacuating pipe leading out of said chamber from space above said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring, said evacuating pipe :having its inner end closed and in supporting relationship to said collar; and another perforated evacuating pipe lying beneath saiddispersing rotor and said deflecting ring and being similar to the evacuating pipe first mentioned for evacuating the space beneath the'rotor independently of .the space above the rotor.

9. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifyingflowable materials, a chamber having a cylindrical side wall, an outwardly convex bottom and a cover removably secured to a flangersurroundi'ng the upper margin of said cylindrical side wall; said cover having a central opening; a solid rotatable substantially vertical shaft projecting through said opening; a dispersing rotor assembly fixed for axial adjustment upon said shaftysaiddisp ersing rotor assembly comprising a hub, a dispersing rotor having a concave frusto-conical' upper surface .fixed to said hub, a buttering ring alsofixed to said hub and having a peripheral edge spaced slightly from said COD! cave frusto-conical upper surface; a non-rotating collar surrounding said shaft and having its lowermargin ex:

tending through said buttering ring; an inlet pipe leading from without said chamber into said collar; a non-rotating deflecting ring surrounding sad dispersing rotor, said deflecting ring being smoothly curved with its upper margin being turned nearly horizontally inward and its lower margin turned nearly vertically downward, said deflecting ring being hung by stitf metal straps from said cover, said deflecting ring being located below said inlet pipe; a perforated evacuating pipe leading out of said chamber from space above said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring, said evacuating pipe having its inner end closed and in supporting relationship to said collar; and another perforated evacuating pipe lying beneath said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring for evacuating the space beneath the rotor; a guide bearing and guide bearing supporting structure fitted within an opening in the bot tom of said chamber, said guide bearing surrounding said shaft adjacent the lower end of said shaft, a discharge pipe leading from said support structure, an impeller fixed to the lower end of said shaft and irnpelling processed material from said chamber into said discharge pipe, a pump for withdrawing processed material from said discharge pipe, a branch pipe leading from such discharge pipe and discharging tangentially into said chamber, a valve in said branch pipe; and controls responsive to the amount of such material in said chamber for controlling the rate of withdrawal by said pump.

10. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable materials, a chamber having a cylindrical side wall, a bottom and a cover removably secured to the upper margin of said cylindrical side wall; said cover having a central opening; a solid rotatable substantially vertical shaft projecting through said opening; a dispersing rotor assembly fixed upon said shaft, said dispersing rotor assembly comprising a hub, a dispersing rotor having a concave frusto-conical upper surface fixed to said hub, a buttering ring also fixed to said hub and having a peripheral edge spaced slightly from said concave frusto-conical upper surface; a non-rotating collar surrounding said shaft and having its lower margin extending through said buttering ring; an inlet pipe leading from without said chamber into said collar; a non-rotating deflecting ring surrounding said dispersing rotor, said deflecting ring being smoothly curved with its upper margin being turned nearly horizontally inward and its lower margin turned nearly vertically downward, said deflecting ring being located below said inlet pipe; a perforated evacuating pipe leading out of said chamber from space above sad dispersing rotor and said deflecting-ring, said evacuating pipe having its inner end closed and in supporting relationship to said collar; another perforated evacuating pipe lying beneath said dispersing rotor and said deflecting ring for evacuating the space beneath the rotor; a guide bearing and guide bearing support structure fitted within an opening in the bottom of said chamber, said guide bearing surrounding said shaft adjacent the lower end of said shaft; a discharge pipe leading from said support structure; an impeller fixed to the lower end of said shaft for irnpelling processed material from said chamber into said discharge pipe, a pump for withdrawing processed material from said discharge pipe, a branch pipe leading from said discharge and discharging tangentially into said chamber; a valve in said branch pipe; and controls responsive to the amount of material in said chamber and controlling the rate of withdrawal through said pump, whereby the amount of material collected in said chamber is maintained between predetermined upper and lower limits.

11. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifyingflowable materials, in combination, a vertically positioned cylindrical chamber, a rotatable shaft mounted coaxially 0f the chamber, at least one frusto-conical dispersing rotor mounted on the shaft, means for feeding material onto said rotor, a stationary deflecting ring mounted in the chamber to direct material thrown from the dispersing rotor downwardly into the lower portion of the chamber, perforated evacuating tubes located in the spaces above and below the rotor, a discharge pipe leading coaxially from the bottom of the cyindrical chamber, an impeller mounted on an end of the shaft extending into the discharge pipe, and a branch pipe connected to the discharge pipe and discharging tangentially into the lower portion of the chamber, whereby material driven by said impeller through said discharge and branch pipes opposes a rotary motion of the material induced by the rotation of the dispersing rotor and shaft.

12. In apparatus for homogenizing and degasifying flowable materials, in combination, a vertically positioned cylindrical chamber, a rotatable shaft extending axially through the chamber, at least one frusto-conical dispersing rotor mounted on the shaft, an inlet pipe extending radially into the chamber, a perforated evacuating tube extending generally radially into the chamber at substautially the same elevation as the inlet pipe, a collar that surrounds the rotary shaft and that is supported on said inlet pipe and evacuating tube, said collar serving to direct material from the inlet pipe onto the dispersing rotor, means for axially directing material discharged radially from the dispersing rotor, a discharge pipe leading axially from the bottom of the chamber, an impeller mounted on the lower end of the rotatable shaft and located in the entrance to the discharge pipe for raising the pressure of the material in the discharge pipe over the pressure in the chamber, a discharge pump for withdrawing material from the discharge pipe, and a branch pipe leading from the discharge pipe and discharging tangentially into the lower portion of the chamber in a direction counter to the rotation of the dispersing rotor and material discharged therefrom.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,042,880 Cornell June 2, 1936 2,273,835 Cornell Feb. 22, 1942 2,324,824 Cornell July 20, 1943