Conical mixing device comprising at least one mixing screw and a fast rotating horizontal rotor on a vertical drive shaft

Abstract: Device for mixing powdery, granular and/or pasty material, comprising a conical mixing vessel (1) having a vertical axis (2) that narrows downwardly, and at least one mixing screw (13) that extends parallel to the innerside of the mixing vessel (1) and at the one hand makes a rotating movement around its sloping axis (14) and at the other hand makes integrally a revolving movement parallel to the innerside of the mixing vessel (1), in which the drive unit (6) for the mixing screw (13) is provided with a vertical passage (15). According to the invention the passage contains a rotating driveshaft (17) with at the lower end a horizontal, fast rotating rotor (18). The rotor (18) with its driveshaft (17) is mounted in a cage which is open at the lower end, of which cage (19) the upper end is hung on the lower side of the central shaft (17) of the drive (6) unit that extends into the mixing vessel (1). Preferably a separate driving motor for the rotor shaft (17) is mounted on the central drive unit.

Description: The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1. A device of this type is described in the document WO-A-9634240. A hollow, cylindrical or double cone sector shaped element is here fastened on the carrier, of which element the wall extends into the vicinity of the mixing screw. This element is an antenna for a MHF- or RF-field, with which the product in the mixing vessel is heated and/or dried. With certain cohesive products and with those ones that quickly form agglomerates undesired, badly mixed zones can be formed. A device in accordance with the preamble of claim 1 is known from document EP-A-0 406 981. The object of the invention is to remove this objection, which is reached by the measures of the characterizing part of claim 1. These measures are effective for obtaining the mixing and/or homogenizing of the product and cause no other heat exchange than of the friction heat between the rotor and the product, which causes a practically negligible temperature raise of the product. It is remarked, that from FR-A-2 076 009 the use of a fast horizontal rotating rotor is known. Other preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the sub-claims. The invention will now be further elucidated referring to the accompanying drawing of some embodiments. Fig. 1 shows a schematic axial cross-section over a first embodiment of the mixing device according to the invention. Fig. 2 and 3 show a bottom view on the rotor in its cage according to a first and a second embodiment respectively of the invention. Fig. 4 and 5 show in side view a detail of the rotor according to a third and a fourth embodiment respectively of the invention. According to the drawing the known mixing device comprises a conical mixing vessel 1 having a vertical symmetry axis 2. The upperside of the mixing vessel 1 is closed by a lid 3, that is fastened to a support structure 4. This support structure 4 has on both sides a pair of hoisting eyes 5. On this support structure rests a drive unit, generally indicated with 6, having the electrical horizontal motors 7 and 8 on the outside of the mixing vessel 1. On the inside of the mixing vessel 1 the drive unit 6 comprises a central shaft 10 having a swing arm 11. This swing arm 11 gives at the one hand, driven by the little horizontal electrical motor 7, by its rotating movement around the symmetry axis 2 on the head 12 of the mixing screw 13 a slow circular revolving movement along the inner wall of the mixing vessel 1. The swing arm 11 drives at the other end, driven by a medium sized, horizontal electrical motor 8, through a (non-shown) transmission in the swing arm 11 and the head 12, the shaft 14 of the mixing screw 13 with a somewhat higher number of revolutions around its own symmetry axis. According to the invention the central shaft 10 of the drive unit 6 has a passage 15 for a vertical drive shaft 16 which carries a rotor, generally indicated with 18, on the lower side of the lower part 17 of the drive shaft with a larger diameter. The drive of the rotor shaft 16, 17 takes place through the passage 15 by a vertical electrical motor 9, of which the number of revolutions can be controlled. This rotor 18 is in this embodiment a substantially horizontal, preferably fast rotating rotor 18. This one is at the side and the upper side surrounded by a bottle shaped cage which is generally indicated with 19. This cage 19 comprises a number of bent rods 25, which are at the upper ends hung on the lower side of the central shaft 10. The lower ends of the rods 25 are connected by a ring shaped hoop 20. The other circumference of the substantial horizontal hoop 20 of the cage 19 extends into the vicinity of the outer circumference of the sloping mixing screw 13, by which the rotor 18 strongly influences by further mixing and/or homogenizing the material flow which is transported upwardly by the mixing screw 13 and thereafter flows back downwardly. According to the embodiment shown in fig. 1 and 2 the inside of the hoop 20 is provided with ribs 22, which together with the rotor blades 21 can effect a grinding action. At the embodiment shown in fig. 3 the inside of the hoop 20 is finished with an even surface. At the embodiment of fig. 1 the rotor shaft 16, 17 and the rotor 18 with the blades 21 are hollow and these hollow spaces are interconnected. The rotor blades are here provided with spraying orifices 23 for spraying the product P in the mixing vessel 1 with a liquid L. The rotor 18 can be exchanged and has a number of blades 21, of which in fig. 2 and 3 four are shown, but it is clear that this can also be another number. These blades 21 have been fastened with an adjustable angle of attack A on a central hub 24. Fig. 2 and 4 show an angle of attack A of about 45 degrees, whereas fig. 3 and 5 show an angle of attack A of 0 degrees. It is also possible that the blades 21 are substantially flat or also provided with a profile. The action of the rotor is as follows: the rotor 18 rotates in the flow of the product P, which flows downwardly under a sloping angle from the upper end of the mixing screw 13, with a much higher velocity of circumference than the mixing screw 13. This rotor 18 now bends a part of this slow flow in a downward direction and executes a very intensive mixing and/or distributing action on said slow flow. With certain cohesive products and with those products which can quickly form agglomerates, by this very intensive mixing and/or distributing action the undesired, badly mixed areas are radically homogenised with the rest of the product P. During the treatment of the product P this can be sprayed with liquid L from the spraying orifices 23.

Claims: Device for mixing powdery, granular and/or pasty materials, comprising a conical mixing vessel (1), having a vertical axis (2), which narrows downwardly, and at least one mixing screw (13), which extends parallel to the inside of the vessel wall (1) and which on the one hand makes in operation a rotating movement around its sloping axis (14) and at the other hand makes in operation a revolving movement parallel to the inside of the mixing vessel (1) with its upper end (12), in which the drive unit (6) for the mixing vessel (13) is provided with a vertical passage, in which passage at least one cylindrical carrier is ranged, which carries at its lower end a rotatable element, that extends into the vicinity of the outer circumference of the mixing screw (13), whereby the passage comprises a rotatable drive shaft (17), characterized in that said drive shaft comprises at its lower end a horizontal, rotatable rotor (18), which can rotate at a much higher velocity rotational speed than the mixing screw, whereby the rotor (18) with its drive shaft (17) is arranged in a cage (19) that is open on the lower side, of which cage the upper end is hung on the lower side of a central shaft (10) of the drive unit (6) that extends into the mixing vessel (1). Device according to claim 1, characterized in that , the rotor (18) is surrounded along the side and on the upperside by a cage (18) made from rods (25) that are connected on the lower ends by a circular hoop (20).

Inventors: JOLINK JOHAN WILLEM, JOLINK, JOHAN WILLEM
Applicants: HOSOKAWA MICRON B V, HOSOKAWA MICRON B.V.
Application year: 1997
Main classification: B01F7
IPC codes: B01F7