Patent Publication Number: US-2021178347-A1

Title: Chemistry vessel agitator

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/906,901, filed Sep. 27, 2019, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein. 
    
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
     The presently-disclosed invention relates generally to agitation devices for vessels and methods of use thereof for mixing and stirring materials to produce a chemical reaction and, more specifically, to systems and methods of use thereof that facilitate removal of the end product from the vessel after the chemical reaction. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Agitator devices for use in mixing elements, especially for mixing chemicals, are well known in the art. Existing agitator devices typically include a drain port, or tap, on a lower portion of the device for draining the end product of the agitation process from the corresponding vessel. Because such a tap is necessarily at a low portion of the device to allow for adequate draining, the tap poses an issue with regard to leakage of the vessel&#39;s contents. This issue is exacerbated when the chemistry vessel being agitated is used in a highly radioactive environment, which can lead to degradation of the seal within the tap. In other known embodiments, the agitation process can be ceased to allow for product removal via a dip tube that is passed downwardly through a port in the lid of the vessel. However, securing the agitation process during withdrawal of the product can lead to the undesired separation of the elements within the vessel at the time of withdrawal. 
     As such, there at least remains a need, therefore, for agitation devices and methods for mixing materials and facilitating removal of the product from the device while still agitating. 
     SUMMARY OF INVENTION 
     One embodiment of the present disclosure provides an agitator device for mixing materials, including a containment vessel defining an interior volume, a hollow shaft having an upper end, a lower end, and defining a central bore along its length, the lower end extending downwardly into the interior volume of the containment vessel, the hollow shaft being rotatable with respect to the containment vessel, and a takeout tube having an upper end, a lower end, and a central bore along its length, wherein the takeout tube is disposed within the central bore of the hollow shaft so that the lower end of the takeout tube is in fluid communication with the interior volume of the containment vessel and the upper end of the takeout tube extends axially outwardly beyond the upper portion of the hollow shaft. 
     Another embodiment of the present disclosure provides an agitator device for mixing materials in a containment vessel defining an interior volume, a hollow shaft having an upper end, a lower end, and defining a central bore along its length, the drive assembly being operably connected to the upper end of the hollow shaft, wherein the hollow shaft is rotatable with respect to the drive assembly; and a takeout tube having an upper end, a lower end, and a central bore along its length, wherein the takeout tube is slidably receivable within the central bore of the hollow shaft so that the lower end of the takeout tube is in fluid communication with the interior volume of the containment vessel. 
     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate one or more embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The invention now will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not, all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, this invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view of an agitation device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG. 2  is a schematic cross-sectional view of the agitation device shown in  FIG. 1 , mounted to a containment vessel; 
         FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of the agitation device shown in  FIG. 2 , taken along line  3 - 3  of  FIG. 2 ; 
         FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view of the agitation device shown in  FIG. 2 , taken along line  4 - 4  of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional view of the agitation device shown in  FIG. 2 , taken along line  5 - 5  of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
    
     Repeat use of reference characters in the present specification and drawings is intended to represent same or analogous features or elements of the invention according to the disclosure. 
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
     Reference will now be made to presently preferred embodiments of the invention, one or more examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Each example is provided by way of explanation, not limitation of the invention. In fact, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof. For instance, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used on another embodiment to yield a still further embodiment. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers such modifications and variations as come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents. 
     As used herein, terms referring to a direction or a position relative to the orientation of the fuel-fired heating appliance, such as but not limited to “vertical,” “horizontal,” “upper,” “lower,” “above,” or “below,” refer to directions and relative positions with respect to the appliance&#39;s orientation in its normal intended operation, as indicated in the Figures herein. Thus, for instance, the terms “vertical” and “upper” refer to the vertical direction and relative upper position in the perspectives of the Figures and should be understood in that context, even with respect to an appliance that may be disposed in a different orientation. 
     Further, the term “or” as used in this disclosure and the appended claims is intended to mean an inclusive “or” rather than an exclusive “or.” That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from the context, the phrase “X employs A or B” is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, the phrase “X employs A or B” is satisfied by any of the following instances: X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B. In addition, the articles “a” and “an” as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean “one or more” unless specified otherwise or clear from the context to be directed to a singular form. Throughout the specification and claims, the following terms take at least the meanings explicitly associated herein, unless the context dictates otherwise. The meanings identified below do not necessarily limit the terms, but merely provided illustrative examples for the terms. The meaning of “a,” “an,” and “the” may include plural references, and the meaning of “in” may include “in” and “on.” The phrase “in one embodiment,” as used herein does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, although it may. 
     Referring now to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an example embodiment of an agitator device  10  in accordance with the present invention includes a containment vessel  12  having a lid  14 , a takeout tube  16 , preferably rigid, with a plumbing connection  18  at one end, a spool piece  20  with removable end cap  22 , a hollow shaft  24 , and an optional filter or screen  26  ( FIG. 2 ). Note, the agitator device  10  shown in the schematic diagram at  FIG. 2  differs slightly from the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 . As discussed in greater detail below, the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1  differs primarily from that shown in  FIG. 2  in that the spool piece  20  is omitted. The hollow shaft  24  is operatively connected to a drive assembly  28 , or gear box, with an output hub  30  that is open on both ends. The drive assembly  28  connection to the hollow shaft  24  is necessary to impart rotational forces on the hollow shaft  24 . The details of how the hollow shaft  24  is supported have many known solutions and are, therefore, not further discussed in the present disclosure. 
     As shown, the hollow shaft  24  preferably includes paddles  25  (although screw forms, vanes, propellers, etc., may also be used) extending radially outwardly from an outer surface thereof in order to agitate the materials in the vessel  12  as the hollow shaft  24  is rotated. Note, two different forms of paddles  25  are shown in  FIG. 1 . The spool piece  20  (embodiment in  FIG. 2 ) is mounted to the drive assembly  28  but does not rotate with respect to the containment vessel  12 . The spool piece  20  supports the takeout tube  16  without imparting rotational forces to the takeout tube  16 . An opening  21  in the spool piece  20  is sufficiently large to allow the takeout tube  16  to be inserted (a lead-in taper may be included), but small enough to ensure proper alignment of the takeout tube  16  through the hollow shaft  24 , as best seen in  FIG. 3 . The takeout tube  16  may incorporate a soft bushing (not shown) that provides a seal for preventing gases from entering or leaving the containment vessel  12  through the hollow shaft  24  connection. Note, in alternate embodiments a dip tube with an integrated pump may be used rather than the above described configuration. 
     As noted above, in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 1 , the spool piece  20  can be removed and the hollow shaft  24  can be extended upwardly through the drive assembly  28 . The top end of the hollow shaft  24  can be sealed with a removable end cap  34 , similar to end cap  22 , when the takeout tube  16  is not in place. As shown, a shaft seal  40  is disposed around the outer surface of the hollow shaft  24  to present the release of gasses and liquids where the hollow shaft  24  penetrates the containment vessel. As the spool is omitted in the presently described embodiment, a takeout tube mount  33  is provided on the upper surface of the drive assembly  28 . After the takeout tube  16  is inserted in the hallow shaft  24 , the takeout tube  16  is secured to the tube mount  33  by a flange  31  that is disposed on the upper end of the takeout tube  16 . Preferably a bushing (not shown), or bearing arrangement, is utilized in this alternate arrangement to maintain alignment of the takeout tube  16  when the agitation device  10  is operating. A mounting flange  43  is provided on the agitator device  10  to allow mounting the device to the lid  14  of the corresponding containment vessel  12 . In yet another embodiment, the takeout tube  16  can be replaced by, or combined with, an instrumentation probe (not shown) that would allow measurement of mixture conditions (e.g., temperature, pH) or allow for the addition of extra materials. 
     Referring additionally to  FIG. 4 , the hollow shaft  24  has sufficient clearance to allow rotation of the hollow shaft  24  with the takeout tube  16  fully inserted therein. The upper portion of the sidewall  24   a  of the hollow shaft  24  is solid above the maximum height of the chemical product within the vessel  12 , but is preferably not solid (e.g., slotted or includes apertures  29 ) at the lower portion of the sidewall  24   b , as shown in  FIG. 5 . As shown, the slotted configuration aides in the circulation of the product within the vessel  12  and assists in the cleaning of the hollow shaft  24  after the product is withdrawn from the vessel  12 . The design of the lower hollow shaft portion  24   b  includes features that prevent accumulation of particles that may exist in the product material. For example, the clearance  27  between the lower portion  24   b  of the hollow shaft  24  and the takeout tube  16 , and the slots  29 , may be designed to be larger than the largest anticipated product particles. A filter  26  may be mounted on the bottom end of the hollow shaft  24  to prevent large particles (e.g., larger than one-half the takeout tube  16  inner diameter) from clogging the takeout tube  16 . 
     The takeout tube  16  may be inserted at the beginning of the chemistry batch agitation run or it may be inserted at the completion of the chemistry batch agitation run. If the takeout tube  16  is inserted during the chemistry run, the takeout tube  16  may be pressurized with a gas to prevent reactants from entering the takeout tube  16  and potentially depositing products that may clog the takeout tube  16 . In either case, the top of the spool piece  20  should be sealed to prevent leakage of gaseous reaction products from the vessel  12 . If the takeout tube  16  is inserted after completion of chemical reactions, then the top of the spool piece  20  may be sealed with an easily removable cap  22  during the process. 
     While one or more preferred embodiments of the invention are described above, it should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope and spirit thereof. It is intended that the present invention cover such modifications and variations as come within the scope and spirit of the appended claims and their equivalents.