Patent ID: 9427890
Filing Date: 2016-08-30
CPC Classification: B01F,B01J,B29B,C08F

Claim Text:
1. A kneader/stirrer comprising a tubular casing defining therein a processing chamber, two rotary shafts extending parallel to each other in the processing chamber, first impellers mounted to one of the rotary shafts so as to be arranged in an axial direction of the one of the rotary shafts, and second impellers mounted to the other of the rotary shafts, wherein the first and second impellers are configured to knead and stir a material supplied into the processing chamber, wherein the first impellers are fixed to the one of the rotary shafts at same axial positions as the respective second impellers, wherein at least a pair of first and second impellers at a same axial position have identical regular triangular sectional shapes along a plane perpendicular to axes of the respective rotary shafts, each of the regular triangular sectional shapes having three apexes, and wherein the pair of first and second impellers are fixed to the respective rotary shafts at points offset in a predetermined direction by a predetermined distance such that when the two rotary shafts are rotated in a same rotational direction at a same rotational speed, the pair of first and second impellers are configured to be eccentrically pivoted with one of the three apexes of one of the pair of first and second impellers kept in contact with or close proximity to a contour of the other of the pair of first and second impellers, whereby the material to be processed that is adhered to an outer periphery of either of the pair of first and second impellers can be removed by the other of the pair of first and second impellers, wherein the kneader/stirrer is used as a polymerizer for increasing a degree of polymerization of a polycondensation resin with a low polymerization degree which is supplied into the processing chamber as the material to be processed, by stirring the polycondensation resin supplied into the processing chamber, wherein the impellers each have a lightening hole such that the polycondensation resin forms a film in the lightening hole while the polycondensation resin is being stirred by the impellers, wherein the two rotary shafts and the first and second impellers are configured so that the two rotary shafts are rotatable in the same rotational direction at the same rotational speed, and wherein, for each of the impellers, the regular triangular sectional shape has three sides, each adjacent pair of the three apexes is joined by one of the three sides, and the lightening hole opens through one of the sides other than the one of the sides closest to the rotary shaft to which the respective impeller is mounted.