WO2001068229A1

WO2001068229A1 - Inline mixer

Info

Publication number: WO2001068229A1
Application number: PCT/EP2001/002717
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ernst Hartkopf
Original assignee: Maschinenfabrik Hermann Linden Gmbh & Co. Kg
Priority date: 2000-03-14
Filing date: 2001-03-09
Publication date: 2001-09-20
Also published as: DE10012072B4; DE10012072A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a continually working mixer that contains a closed container (5) for mixing products. Said container comprises at least one supply line (9, 10) and at least one discharge line (9, 10) and a mixing apparatus (3) that is provided with at least two mixing tools (1, 8) and can be rotated. The mixing tools (1, 8) can be rotated around their own axes.

Description

Inline mixer

The invention relates to a continuously operating mixer.

Such mixers are used in the manufacture of homogeneous mixed goods in the chemical, plastics, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, electrophotography, food industry and related industries, for mixing and dispersing slightly liquid to pasty masses and suspensions.

For this purpose, for example, EP-0 645 179 AI mixers are known which consist of a mixing drum in which a shaft is arranged centrally, on which mixing tools are fastened. This shaft with the mixing tools is driven by a drive system consisting of an electric motor, V-belt drive and reduction gears. Due to the special shape of the mixing tools and their arrangement on the shaft, the mix is intensely swirled. In order to improve the degree of homogenization, it is customary for the mixers to arrange mills transversely to the axial mixing tools, to which the mixing components are fed by the mixing tools. Different types of mills are used, such as, for example, attrition mills, rotor-stator mills, knife mills or pin mills, which have an annular stator which is provided with cylindrical pins arranged parallel to one another. A rotor in the form of a disk is arranged within this stator, on the circumference of which a number of cylindrical pins are arranged which are arranged parallel to the stator pins and which pass the stator pins leaving a small gap. The elements of the rotor delimiting a grinding gap to the pins of the stator are formed by vanes running approximately radially to its axis, the radially outer ends of which have a cutting edge. The stator pins are provided with edges which are assigned to the radially outer ends of the wings. The rotor inside of the stator is essentially open, as described in EPA-0 200 003.

From EP-A-0 474 102 a mill with grinding elements is known which is arranged on the mixer in such a way that the milling tools can be moved between the container and the grinding elements. The mill comprises two concentrically arranged grinding elements that are freely movable against each other. At least one of these flour elements allows product movement in the axial and radial directions, while the further grinding element can only be flowed through axially. One grinding element is designed as a rotor and the other grinding element as a stator.

EP-A-0 836 880 describes a mixer for the continuous processing of flowable material, the mixer arms being distributed over the length and the circumference of the mixer shaft in such a way that the projections of the mixer arms in a plane perpendicular to the mixer shaft differ from one another at different angles alpha _j _ im Include the range from 60 ° to 195 °, with i> 3. In a further development, the projections of at least two mixer arms are diametrically opposite in the plane perpendicular to the mixer shaft. It then applies that the other mixer arms are distributed over the circumference and over the length of the mixer shaft in such a way that their projections into the plane perpendicular to the mixer shaft enclose angles alpha not equal to 180 ° with one another.

The object of the invention is to improve the prior art.

This object is achieved by the invention.

The subject matter of this invention is a continuously operating mixer containing a closed mixture container with at least one inlet and at least one outlet and a mixer, which has at least two mixing tools, the mixer itself being rotatable and the mixing tools being rotatable about their own axis. The mixed material container is an arbitrarily designed mixed material container, which is preferably designed as a cylindrical mixed material container that can work vertically or vertically. The mixed material container can also be completely or partially surrounded by a double jacket, in which a heating or cooling transfer medium can be located in order to keep the mixed material container at a specific temperature in a temperature range of preferably -10 ° C. to + 250 ° C. The closed mixture container has at least one inlet and at least one outlet, the arrangement being irrelevant, that is, at which point of the container the inlet or outlet is arranged on the container. In the case of a vertical alignment of the mixed material container, the at least one inlet is at the top and the at least one outlet is at the bottom, but the arrangement can also be reversed, that is to say the at least one inlet at the bottom and the at least one outlet at the top, since the conveyance of the mixed material depends on the function and arrangement depends on the mixing tools. If the mixing container is arranged horizontally, the at least one inlet or the at least one outlet are preferably at the respective ends of the mixing container, but they can also be located at any point on the mixing container, depending on the mode of operation and the design of the mixing tools. There may also be preferably 2, 3 or 4 inlets or preferably 2, 3 or 4 outlets, the number of inlets not having to be identical to the outlets and vice versa. The mixer preferably includes a planetary gear which enables the mixer itself to be rotatable and the mixing tools contained in the mixer to be rotatable about its own axis.

The mixer according to the invention is characterized by a functionally appropriate construction and ensures rapid and uniform mixing and conveying of the material to be mixed. The continuously operating mixer contains a rotatable mixer, which has at least two mixing tools, but also preferably three, four or five etc. mixing tools can have which can rotate about their axes of rotation at the same or different speeds and preferably, if not directly driven, by means of a common one

Gearbox are in operative connection. The direction of rotation of the

Mixing tools are preferably opposite to the mixing device.

However, the mixing tools can also have the same direction of rotation as the mixing mechanism. Furthermore, the

Rotate the mixing tools in the opposite direction of rotation to one another, the direction of rotation of the mixer being able to rotate both in one direction and in the opposite direction. The speed of the mixing tools is preferably higher than the speed of the mixer. The speed of the

Mixer can also be higher than the speed of the

Be mixing tools. The speed of the mixer can also be the same as the speed of the mixing tools. The

The speed of the mixing tools can be different from one another, that is to say that one mixing tool rotates faster than the other mixing tool. The mixing tools can be designed the same or different. For example, one mixing tool can be designed as a mixing star, while the other

Mixing tool is designed as a vertebrate. Furthermore, the mixing tools can preferably be used as dissolvers, such as

Dissolver disks, which can be fine and coarse toothed,

Cross bar, combination disc, butterfly stirrer, clover leaf stirrer,

Z-shaped mixing elements, grid agitator, bar agitator,

Propellers, dispersing elements, screw conveyor mixer,

Auger segment mixer, paddle mixer, ploughshare and other special mixing blade shapes.

Mixing tools, which are in the form of cross bars and / or

Dissolvers are trained. Preferably, the

Crossbar can be adjusted as desired. In a further preferred embodiment, a mixing tool can also be used as

Dissolver, preferably with at least one propeller arranged above or below it, and the other mixing tool can be designed as a cross bar, the cross bars preferably being adjustable as desired.

In addition to the mixing tools, one can also

Wipers are present, which wipes the wall of the mix container and thus an even better mixing of the Mixed goods guaranteed. The mix is added in the same amount as it is removed.

In the case of at least two mixing tools, the speed of the first mixing tool can be greater than the speed of the second mixing tool by a predetermined factor. In one of the preferred embodiments according to the invention, in which one mixing tool is a dissolver and the other mixing tool is a crossbar, the dissolver preferably rotates faster than the crossbar, but the crossbar can also rotate faster than the dissolver, both of which can be the same Have direction of rotation or also have an opposite direction of rotation. Each mixing tool can also have its own drive, preferably a motor. At least one motor, in particular an electric motor, is provided for driving the mixing mechanism, and the mixing mechanism with a gear arranged for the at least two rotatable mixing tools is also driven by this motor. The gear is conveniently arranged on the mixer. The mixing mechanism has an essentially rotationally symmetrical and / or cylindrical housing which encapsulates the gear arranged therein and the storage and sealing, which in particular ensures elastic storage and sealing of the mixing tools. The penetration of mix, dirt or the like into the interior of the mixer is thus avoided in a particularly expedient manner. The mixing mechanism is preferably rotatably mounted on the underside of a carrying device, preferably by means of a large roller bearing, while the at least one drive motor is arranged on the upper side of said carrying device, a drive shaft being guided downwards from the driving motor through the carrying device to the mixing device.

Advantages of the continuously operating mixer according to the invention is that it has no dead space during mixing and conveying and virtually no air pockets occur in the mix. Furthermore, the mixer according to the invention operates from pressureless to a pressure of 0 to 250 bar, preferably 0 up to 100 bar, particularly preferably 0 to 50 bar. Furthermore, the continuously operating mixer according to the invention can demand the material to be mixed in any direction during the mixing.

1 and 2 show a side view of the mixer, the mixing container being shown partly in section.

1 shows the mixer with a mixing container 5, on which an in particular electric drive motor 6 is arranged, from which a drive shaft 7 leads into the mixing container 5 in order to drive the mixing mechanism with the planetary gear 3. Furthermore, the mixed material container 5 has an inlet or outlet 9 and an inlet or outlet 10. The mixing mechanism 3, which can be rotated by means of the drive motor 6, is essentially rotationally symmetrical with respect to the vertical axis of rotation and contains a housing for the tight encapsulation of the components arranged in the interior and to be explained below. The gearbox, which is encapsulated within the mixer 3, is thus secured against contamination and penetration of foreign bodies or parts of the material to be mixed. Furthermore, the mixer 3 with planetary gear is sealed from the mix by means of seals 4 to the drive shaft 7.

The mixing unit 3 carries on its underside a first mixing tool 1, which is preferably designed as a rotary unit with cross bars 2, which can be inclined as desired and which is rotatably mounted in the mixing unit 3 about its axis of rotation. When the drive motor 6 is switched on, the mixing mechanism 3 rotates about its axis of rotation and at the same time the first mixing tool 1 rotates due to a geared operative connection. The mixer 3 preferably has a second mixing tool 8, which is rotatable about its axis of rotation, diametrically to the first mixer tool 1. The second mixing tool 8 is expediently also designed as an agitator arm with cross bars 2, which can preferably be adjusted as desired, and rotates at a predetermined speed about its axis of rotation, which preferably, in a special embodiment, is larger by a predetermined factor can be as the speed of the first mixing tool 1. The two mixing tools 1 and 8, which preferably interlock, are coupled by means of a gear arranged with the mixing mechanism 3. The conveying direction of the mix can also be controlled via the angle of attack of the crossbar.

2 shows the mixer with a mixing container 5, on which two in particular electric drive motors are arranged above, a drive shaft 7 leading from the drive motor 6 into the mixing container 5 in order to drive the mixing mechanism with the planetary gear 3, while the other drive motor drives the mixing tool 8 , directly drives a dissolver with an additional propeller. Furthermore, the mixed material container 5 has an inlet or outlet 9 and an inlet or outlet 10. The mixer 3, which can be rotated by means of the drive motor 6, is essentially rotationally symmetrical with respect to the vertical axis of rotation and contains a housing for the tight encapsulation of the components arranged in the interior and to be explained below. The gearbox, which is encapsulated within the mixer 3, is thus secured against contamination and penetration of foreign bodies or parts of the material to be mixed. Furthermore, the mixer 3 with planetary gear is sealed from the mix by means of seals 4 to the drive shaft 7.

The mixer 3 carries on its underside a first mixing tool 1, which is preferably designed as an agitator with cross bars 2, which can be set at any angle and which is rotatably mounted about its axis of rotation in the mixer 3. When the drive motor 6 is switched on, the mixing mechanism 3 rotates about its axis of rotation and at the same time the first mixing tool 1 rotates due to a geared operative connection. The mixer 3 preferably has a second mixing tool 8, which is rotatable about its axis of rotation, diametrically to the first mixer tool 1. The second mixing tool 8 is expediently designed as a dissolver with a propeller arranged above or below it and rotates around it at a predetermined speed Rotation axis, which, in a special embodiment, can preferably be greater than the speed of the first mixing tool 1 by a predetermined factor. The two mixing tools 1 and 8 preferably mesh with one another.

The transmission is preferably designed in such a way that the speed of rotation of the second mixing tool 8 is faster than the first mixing tool 1 by a predetermined factor, which is preferably between three to twenty and expediently predetermined in the order of six. If the mixer 3 rotates, for example, at a speed of 15 rpm, then the speed of the first mixing tool 1 is 40 rpm in accordance with the predetermined gear ratio. If, in this expedient embodiment, a transmission factor of 6 is specified by means of the transmission, the speed of the second mixing tool is 8 240 rpm.

Claims

claims

1. Continuously operating mixer containing a closed mix container (5) with at least one inlet (9, 10) and at least one outlet (9, 10) and a mixer (3) which has at least two mixing tools (1, 8), the Mixing unit (3) is itself rotatable and the mixing tools (1, 8) can be rotated about their own axis.

2. Continuously operating mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that the mixing tools (1, 8) have cross bars (2).

3. Continuously operating mixer according to claim 2, characterized in that the cross bars (2) of the mixing tools (1, 8) can be set at an angle.

4. Continuously operating mixer according to claim 1, characterized in that the mixing tools (1, 8) are different.

5. Continuously operating mixer according to claim 4, characterized in that of the mixing tools (1, 8), a mixing tool is a dissolver (8) and the other mixing tool is a cross bar (1).

6. Continuously operating mixer according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the direction of rotation of the mixing tools (1, 8) is opposite to the mixer (3).

7. Continuously operating mixer according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the direction of rotation of the mixing tools (1, 8) is the same direction of rotation that the mixer (3) has.

8. Continuously operating mixer according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that the direction of rotation of the mixing tools (1, 8) extends in the opposite direction to each other.

9. Continuously operating mixer according to one of claims 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that the mixing tools (1, 8) rotate at different speeds.

10. Continuously operating mixer according to one of claims 6, 7 or 8, characterized in that the mixing tools (1, 8) rotate at a higher speed than the mixer (3).