Mill for triturating and breaking up solids predispersed in liquids

Abstract: Mill for triturating and breaking up solids predispersed in liquids, whose stator (2) consists of two hollow truncated cone-shaped halves (3,4) connectable to each other by their open major bases provided with flanges (5,6), with their minor bases closed and provided with external cooling or heating chambers (9,10). The front half (3) presents the grinding body separating means (17) and the outlet connection (18) of the product, with its cooling or heating chamber. The rear half (4) presents a central orifice traversed by the rotating shaft (22) of the mill and the inlet connection (23) of the product to be ground. The rotor consists of a body formed by two hollow truncated cones (26,27), joined by their open major bases and their minor bases being closed, which are attached to the shaft end. It has a hermetic seal (38,39) formed by a ring fastened to the shaft, surrounded by a retainer fastened to the rear half of the stator.

Description: The present invention relates to a mill for triturating and breaking up solids predispersed in liquids, as set forth in the preamble of claim 1. A mill of this kind is known from FR-A-2 358 928. That known mill, normally with horizontal shaft and cooled, for products consisting of solids predispersed in liquids of different viscosity makes use of grinding bodies, for example balls, which enter a grinding chamber through an inlet mouth for the product to be treated or through a separate mouth provided for said grinding bodies only. Normally they are extracted through an outlet in the bottom of said chamber, which is provided with a double wall for cooling or heating. Said known mill may include a circulating pump for the cooling or heating liquid, and has a shaft on which interchangeable agitation disks are disposed at predetermined distances from each other, separated by spacers, said shaft being driven by a motor via the proper transmission and optionally speed control, and having also a pump with flow regulator, which impels the product to be treated for its forced and continuous passage through the grinding chamber. The known mill has a strainer for retaining the grinding bodies inside the grinding chamber while letting only the ground product pass; the strainer consists of a sieve, rotating with the shaft or being static and feed in the grinding chamber in the outlet zone of the treated product. There are also mills in which the grinding body strainer consists of the so-called "gap" defined by a kind of washer of special material fixed transversely on the shaft of the mill, said washer being disposed at a certain adjustable distance from another washer fixed on the corresponding wall of the grinding chamber and facing it, leaving between them a peripheral clearance smaller than the smallest diameter of the grinding bodies, to retain them inside the grinding chamber, but permitting the passage of the ground product as it is being treated in the mill. Known also are mills, both with horizontal or vertical shaft, with a cylindrical fixed element or stator and a cylindrical rotating element or rotor disposed in their interior, the grinding chamber being formed between the latter and the cylindrical inner wall of said stator. These mills have a separating device which lets out the ground product but not the grinding bodies; it corresponds to the above described sieve or "gap" strainer. The grinding bodies return to the grinding chamber through passages, and those mills also have at least a cooling chamber in the stator and sometimes in the rotor. Also, mills are known like those described before, but in which the grinding chamber is defined by two coaxial cylindrical walls with radial lugs, between which the cylindrical jar-shaped rotor is disposed, also provided with lugs on its two parallel surfaces opposite said two walls. From DE-A-3 900 262 a powder mill is known having a double-walled, fixed milling container within which a rotary element is disposed. The shell of the milling container is formed as a sphere and consists of two halves which are connected at their rim. In the space defined between the two walls of the shell a helical partition is disposed, and through the helical compartment formed thereby a cooling liquid is circulated. However, there are no means for cooling the rotor. Repair of separating means disposed in the container requires total dismounting of the shell. From GB-A-1 325 835 a continuously operating agitator ball mill is known comprising a generally annular stator assembly including a first annular member, a rotor shaft mounted co-axially with respect to the stator assembly, a second annular member mounted on the rotor shaft to rotate therewith, mutually axially-facing surfaces of the first and second annular members defining there between a gap, a demountable spacer member axially locating the second annular member relative to the rotor shaft, and means for applying a cooling medium to the stator assembly to cause the latter to contract axially relative to the rotor shaft and thereby to increase the width of the gap, so that in use the width may be so adjusted within a range of gap widths, as to prevent grinding bodies from passing through it whilst permitting material ground in the mill by the bodies to pass through the gap and thereby become separated from the grinding bodies. The mill comprises special provisions for cooling the shaft of the rotor so as to maintain very narrow gap widths of 0.02 mm, a necessary size of grinding bodies of 0.1 mm diameter when treating bacteria. The structure for attaining this aim is rather complicated. From EP-A-0 219 740 a ball mill is known comprising a rotating container composed of two parts and a rotor disposed therein and also composed of two parts and rotating in opposite direction, the container and the rotor defining an annular gap to which the product to be ground and the grinding bodies are introduced. There are no means for cooling the container or rotor. It is the object of the invention to provide a mill as set forth above which has a simpler design, less cost of manufacture, enables easy and simple access to the interior of the grinding chamber, simple maintenance, convenient cleaning and simple replacement or repair of its first hermetic seal. This object is attained by the features comprised in claim 1. Preferred embodiment of the invention are subject matter of the dependent claims. The mill of the invention facilitates the product treatment without altering or damaging its properties, facilitates cleaning, replacement and repair of components, in particular of the sealings and the separator means. The invention will now be explained with reference to the accompanying drawings in which merely as an example and not limiting the scope of the present invention, a practical case of the mill for triturating and breaking up solids predisposed in liquids is shown. In the drawings, figure 1 shows a view in side elevation of the mill and figure 2 is a front view thereof; figure 3 represents the mill according to a view in side elevation thereof, but without the right sidewall, and figure 4 is a view in conventional section along A-A of figure 3; and in figures 5A and 5B a detail is shown in longitudinal section of the stator, rotor, shaft and supporting and bearing means thereof. As shown in the drawings, the mill for triturating and breaking up solids predispersed in liquids comprises, according to the example of realization illustrated, a frame (1) for supporting and fixing the various elements of the mill, said frame also comprising protection and trim coverings (figures 1 to 4). We shall call front the part of the mill situated more toward the exterior thereof and presenting the outlet of the ground product, and rear part thereof the opposite side presenting the inlet of the product to be ground, the right and left side of the mill being those as seen from its front. On the frame is mounted a fixed element or stator (2) which is composed of two hollow truncated cone halves, a front one (3) and a rear one (4). Said two halves have the minor bases closed and they are removably joined together by their major open bases (figures 1, 3 and especially 5A). The major bases of the two halves (3) and (4) have outer flanges (5) and (6), in this instance circular ones, between which seal means are disposed, which flanges serve to make the two halves removable, either by screws or the like, or by hinges and hermetic locks, and in this latter case the operation of opening the element is facilitated, all this in such a way that the rear half (4) is the one that is mounted and fastened to the frame (1). The hinge (C) is seen in figure 2. As in the treatment or grinding zone a temperature rise may occur due to excess inherent heat of such operation, and since that would adversely affect the product by vaporizations and segregation of stabilizing dispersants, apart from the change of color of the ground product, respective cooling chambers are provided in conventional manner in the two halves (3) and (4), for which purpose both halves are provided with outer envelopes (7) and (8) defining between them and said halves cooling chambers (9) and (10). It should be noted that these chambers are normally for cooling and, if and when applicable, for heating. On the outside of the respective half and/or on the inside of its envelope, said chambers may have grooves (11) or annular or helicoidal deformations to promote the transfer of heat. Figure 5A shows that the two halves of the example have a grooving such as (11) on their inclined outer faces. Each chamber (9) and (10) has an inlet and outlet connection for the cooling or heating liquid. Thus, chamber (9) has an inlet conduit (12) and an outlet conduit (13), while chamber (10) has an inlet conduit (14) - which is in communication with the antechamber (15) which communicates with chamber (10) - and an outlet conduit (16). The inlets as well as the outlets will be connected in turn with a cooling or heating system or systems external of the mill, and the cooling or heating liquid may be water or other medium and will be impelled by forced feed means, such as pumps, or it may be supplied by a general cooling or heating liquid system. Alternatively the cooling or heating system of the mill may be integrated therein with a motor pump and liquid supply tank in which the respective cooling or heating takes place, for example, by means of coils, etc. On its interior delimiting the grinding chamber, the front half (3) has, centered on its minor base, a grinding body separator (17), in the outlet zone of the product at the end of its treatment, which separator prevents the grinding bodies from escaping but lets the ground product pass. This separator shown in the figure is an invention of the applicant firm of the present application and is subject of European Patent Application No. 91 109 360.0, published as EP 0 483 452 A1 on 06.05.1992, but the mill being described in this example may have any other type of separator or sieve for the grinding bodies. The front half (3) presents, on its exterior, the ground product outlet conduit (18), which in turn extends through a cooling (or heating) chamber (19) which communicates by radial orifices (20) with the chamber (9) and with an inlet conduit not shown in figure 5A because of its position but of which can be seen part of its mouth (21) leading to said chamber (19), which inlet is for the cooling or heating liquid, and its conduit connects with the cooling or heating system, the same as for the inlet conduits (12) and (14). The three cooling (or heating) circuits of the chambers (9), (10) and (19) are independently controllable and can be connected, if desired, with one another, particularly with regard to chambers (9) and (19) which are already interconnected through the orifices (20), so that the cooling (or heating) liquid can enter through the conduits (12) and (21) and issue from the chambers (9) and (19) through the single conduit (13). Chamber (19) contributes supplementary cooling in the zone of separation between the grinding bodies and the ground product and in the exit zone of the latter, which represents an advantage in that it reduces the final temperature of said ground product. The rear half (4) has, centered on its minor base, a central orifice which is traversed by a mill shaft (22) and also presents an inlet conduit (23) of the product to be ground, said conduit (23) presenting also a non-return device consisting of a sphere and a spring holding the sphere against a seat, thereby producing a closure, so that the impulsion pressure of the product to be ground overcomes the counter action of said spring and opens the passage to a grinding chamber (24), defined between the inner face of the stator (2) and the outer face of the rotor (25) fastened to the shaft (22). The rotor (25) consists of an element composed of two hollow truncated cones, a front one (26) and a rear one (27), which are joined together by their open major bases, and the front truncated cone (26) has its minor base closed and provided with a central recess (28), which in this case is of truncated cone shape but in inverted position and with its minor base toward the inside of the rotor (25) and joined to the end of the shaft (22) of the mill; the recess (28) is disposed opposite the separator (17); said recess (28) may have any other suitable form, preferably correlative or matched to the actual form of the separator or sieve installed in the mill. The rear truncated cone (27) has its minor base closed and provided with an orifice which is traversed by the shaft (22) to which it too is joined, as in the case of the front truncated cone (26). In this example, the two truncated cones (26) and (27) which make up the rotor (25) are coupled together hermetically by their major bases, the edges of which have the necessary sealing means, which are used also in the union of said two truncated cones (26, 27) with the end of the shaft (22), both truncated cones being strongly coupled by conventional pressure and friction means which consist, in this case, of a kind of disk or pan (D) which is joined firmly to the extreme edge of the shaft (22) by a central screw, and there are also provided pins disposed circumferentially between said pan and the minor base of the recess (28) of the truncated cone (26), to prevent any relative rotation between the rotor and its drive shaft (22). Inside the rotor (25) are means of conduction of the cooling or heating liquid, consisting of curved pipes, such as pipe (29), which propel the respective cooling or heating liquid into the rotor (25) for cooling or heating same, which pipes are disposed around the shaft (22), joined thereto and connected to an internal line provided centrally and longitudinally in said shaft. Said liquid is discharged near the inner walls of the rotor (25). The rotor also comprises means for collecting said liquid, such as a conduit (30), which are connected in turn to an internal line in the shaft (22) for its return to the outside thereof. The shaft presents at its rear end and projecting outward a linkage device (31) for its longitudinal, central and internal lines for connection to a a cooling or heating system and through control and regulating means, which system may be the same that feeds the chambers (9), (10) and (19) of the stator, said linkage device (31) maintaining the hydraulic hookup even though it remains fixed in space while the shaft rotates. The cooling or heating liquid fills the interior of the rotor and circulates in a controlled manner adjustable from outside the mill. Shaft (22) is mounted overhung in supporting and bearing means (32) joined to the frame (1) of the mill and said shaft is rotated by an electric motor (33) through transmission and speed variation means joined to the frame, which transmission and speed variation means may consist of a driven pulley (34) and a driving pulley (35), both linked by an endless belt, in this case a V-belt, and the pulley (35) being actuated to vary its diameter by a servomechanism (36) which acts on it via pinions and linkage chains (see figures 3 and 4), the desired and appropriate speed variation of the shaft (22) being thus obtained, which is controlled, for example, by means of an inductive detector (37). Between the stator (2) and shaft (22) seal means are disposed to prevent escape of the product which circulates continuously and forcedly through the grinding chamber (24), said seal means presenting a first hermetic seal, located at the grinding chamber (24) and comprising a ring (38) lodged in a circular peripheral canal of the shaft (22), in cooperation with a circular retainer (39) disposed in an offset of the inner wall of the minor base of the rear half (4) of the stator and, concretely, in the inner mouth of its central orifice which is traversed by the shaft (22), which retainer (39) is applied tightly around said ring (38), all so that both the ring and the retainer are exchangeable (figure 5A). This first watertight seal is of simple construction and is easy to replace without affecting the shaft, and at the same time it cooperates assuring the effect of a second hermetic seal (40), which is conventional and is located at the outer part of said minor base of the rear half (4). The second hermetic seal (40) receives a lubricating cooling liquid (which may be of a nature compatible with the liquids in which the solids to be treated are predispersed) from a pump, for example a pulsating or oscillating membrane pump (41) -figure 4- mounted on a pedestal (42) -figures 3, 4 and 5A). Said pump (41) is not shown in figures 3 and 5A. The second seal (40) receives the lubricating cooling liquid impelled by the pump (41) through an inlet conduit (43), and said liquid returns through another conduit not shown. Said cooling and lubricating liquid may in turn be cooled by conventional means, as for example a tank in which is introduced a cooling coil whose temperature can be controlled and regulated as needed. The pump (41) is driven via an oscillating rod (not shown) which is actuated in reciprocation by the rotation of the shaft (22) and through an eccentric ring (44) (figure 5B). Initially and before the grinding operation, grinding bodies are introduced into said grinding chamber (24) through an inlet conduit (45) of the stator and whose entrance is closed by a plug (46), and in the bottom part of the stator is an outlet conduit (47) for the grinding bodies closed by a plug (48). When the interior of the grinding chamber is to be cleaned, using the appropriate normally solvant products, the plug (46) may be replaced by another which has an orifice traversing it and which protrudes at the top with a short threaded sleeve, for coupling on a line of such cleaning liquids, and the same can be done also in connection with the lower plug (48). During the treatment of the solids predispersed in liquids, the grinding chamber (24) is traversed continuously by said product, while the rotor (25) is rotating. The product is fed by an impeller means consisting of a pump (49) which is linked, via line (50), with the inlet (23) of the product to be ground (figures 1 and 2). Said pump is in turn supplied with the product to be ground via a hopper (51), which may be supplied by a tank via associated lines or directly from a vessel containing the product. The installation may also be such that the mill does not have on its frame the impulsion means or pump (49), in that the inlet (23) is coupled directly to a pressure system of the product to be ground existing in the factory section where the mill is installed. It is also possible to combine the action of the impulsion pump (49) and the pressure of an existing feed system. In this example the pump (49) is driven by the electric motor (52) and through transmission and speed variation means (53) with a servomechanism (54), which are similar to the means and servomechanism for rotating the shaft (22). Obviously, the driving, transmission and speed variation means both of the pump (49) and of the shaft (22) may be any other conventional ones, as also the pump (41). The geometric axis of the mill described and illustrated is horizontal, but it could be vertical, that is to say, the mill could be installed in a position rotated 90° in relation to what is represented, with the proper changes of position for the auxiliary means external to the body of the mill itself. The operation of the mill in question is evident practically from what has been illustrated and described until now, and it should be pointed out that the product and the grinding bodies undergo an acceleration from the entrance of the product to the maximum diameter of the stator and which corresponds to the central transverse plane which contains the connecting surface between the two open major bases of the two hollow truncated cone halves (3) and (4) of the stator (2) and the connecting surface between the two open major bases of the two hollow truncated cones (26) and (27) of the rotor (25), so that in this zone of increasing diameter of the grinding chamber the impregnation of the solid materials of the product in treatment is effected, as they are being ground by the action of the grinding bodies. In the part of the grinding chamber delimited between said central transverse plane and the separator (17) or other means such as a strainer, sieve, etc., the grinding bodies tend to move in a direction opposite to that of the flow of the product in treatment, due to the effect of increase of the centrifugal forces to which such bodies are subjected as a function of the increase of the radius of the rotor, causing a greater friction which facilitates the brewing up of the solid materials and favors their homogeneization. In any case the grinding bodies move in changing directions by variable impulses forming eddies in the aggregate formed by the product in treatment and the grinding bodies, facilitating thereby the homogeneization and resulting in a final fineness of the ground product which is homogeneous and constant at the end of the treatment of the total quantity of the respective product. In figure 5A arrow E indicates the entrance of the product to be ground and arrow S the discharge of the ground product. The control and drive means necessary for the operation of the mill including the respective safety means, may be controlled manually or automatically, including, if desired, automation of the grinding operations. The control and gradation of the operation of the mill are adjustable by its user dependent of the conditions required by the products to be treated; they may be carried out by means of a programmed processor unit, which may in turn include a printer. Variables to be controlled and graded may include, among others, the speed of the rotor, the exit temperature of the cooling liquid of the stator and of the rotor, with limit control, the internal pressure of the grinding chamber, also with limit control, and the temperature of the cooling liquid of the second hermetic seal. Figure 5A shows the temperature sensor (55) at the exit of the ground product. All operations of the mill can be controlled by appropriate electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, or electronic means or combinations thereof.

Claims: Mill for triturating and breaking up solids predispersed in liquids, of the type which comprises a frame (1) on which is mounted a stator (2) having a jacket for conducting a thermal liquid for cooling or heating the product being treated and in whose interior is disposed a rotor (25) fastened to a shaft (22) disposed along the longitudinal axis of the mill and mounted overhung in said stator (2) on supporting and bearing means (32) attached to the frame (1) of the mill, said shaft (22) having internal lines for the circulation of the thermal liquid and is made to rotate by driving means (33,34,35), there being defined between said stator (2) and said rotor (25) a grinding chamber (24) in which grinding bodies are enclosed which are initially introduced into said chamber (24) through a closable entrance (45) of the stator (2), at the lower part of which a likewise closable outlet (47) for the evacuation of said grinding bodies is provided, the grinding chamber (24) being continuously and forcedly traversed by the product in treatment - while the rotor (25) rotates - owing to impeller means (49) feeding said product, the stator (2) having an inlet (23) for the product to be treated communicating with the outlet of the impeller means (49) and an outlet (18) of the ground product, in whose outlet zone separator means (17) are disposed which prevent the grinding bodies from escaping but permit the passage of the ground product, and comprising seal means (38,39) disposed between the stator (2) and the shaft (22) for preventing leakage of product; characterized in that the stator (2) is composed of two hollow truncated cone-shaped halves (3,4), a front (3) and a rear (4) one, with their minor bases closed and joined together by their open major bases in a removable manner, which major bases have outer flanges (5,6) between which seal means are disposed, and which halves (3,4) are provided with outer envelopes (7,8) defining respective chambers (9,10) for the thermal liquid, each chamber (9,10) having an inlet connection (12,14) and an outlet connection (13,16) of the thermal liquid; in that said front half (3) presents, centered an its minor base and in its interior, the separator means (17) and, on its exterior, the outlet connection (18) of the ground product, while the rear half (4) presents, centered on its minor base, a central orifice which is traversed by the shaft (22) of the mill, and the inlet connection (23) of the product to be ground; in that the rotor (25) is composed of two hollow truncated cones (26,27), a front (26) and a rear (27) one, joined together by their open major bases and the front truncated cone (26) having its minor base closed and with a central recess (28), joined to the mill shaft end, which recess (28) is disposed matching the aforesaid separator means (17), and the rear truncated cone (27) has its minor base closed and traversed by said shaft (22) to which it is joined; and in that the rotor (25) has in its interior discharge means (29) disposed around the shaft (22) and joined to the latter and connected to one of the internal lines thereof, for discharging said thermal liquid in the vicinity of the inner walls of the rotor (25), and also has collecting means (30) of said thermal liquid connected to another of said internal lines of said mill shaft (22), for its return out of the mill. Mill according to claim 1, characterized in that the seal means (38,39) between the stator (2) and the shaft (22) present a first hermetic seal, situated at the grinding chamber (24) in the inner mouth of its central orifice traversed by the shaft and comprising a ring (38) lodged in a peripheral circular channel of the shaft, in cooperation with a circular retainer (39) disposed in an offset of the inner wall of the minor base of the rear half (4) of the stator (2) and applied tightly around said ring, which first seal is complemented by a second conventional hermetic seal (40) situated at the outer part of said minor base. Mill according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that said driving means (33,34,35) comprise speed variation means (34,35,36). Mill according to any one of claims 1 to 3 characterized in that said impeller means (49) is driven via speed variation means (53). Mill according to any one of claims 1 to 4 characterized in that the outlet connection (18) of the ground product extends through a chamber (19) communicating with the thermal liquid chamber (9) of the front half (3) of the stator (2) and comprising an inlet (21) for feeding thermal liquid into said chamber (19). Mill according to any one of claims 1 to 5 characterized in that the central recess (28) is truncated cone-shaped and inversely disposed with respect to said front half (26) of said rotor (25) with its miner base being oriented toward the inside of said rotor (25).

Inventors: OLIVER PUJOL CARLOS, OLIVER PUJOL, CARLOS
Applicants: OLIVER & BATTLE SA, OLIVER Y BATLLE S.A.
Application year: 1991
Main classification: B02C17
IPC codes: B02C17