Patent ID: 7178977

Claim:
A homogenizer for the processing of products to be homogenized, said homogenizer being of a mixer type and comprising: a closed tank ( 1 ) with a side wall and bottom ( 2 ) and a replaceable non-rotating, circular, perforated mixer ring ( 3 ) located at the bottom of the tank, the perforations of said ring being in the form of flow orifices and/or slots ( 4 ), the wall of said ring being located at a distance from the tank ( 1 ) wall, a rotational shaft ( 5 ) extending into the tank ( 1 ), said rotational shaft ( 5 ) being concentrical with the perforated mixer ring ( 3 ), and being fixed to the hub of a rotor, and carrying an inducer, said inducer including turbo blades ( 7 ) and a cover plate ( 8 ) carried by the hub, the cover plate having a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the perforated mixer ring ( 3 ), so that the cover plate ( 8 ) outer edge is located radially within the perforated mixer ring ( 3 ), said cover plate having circumferentially spaced openings ( 9 ) and a plurality of circumferentially spaced and radially outwardly directed rotatable paddle blades ( 10 ) secured to a lower side thereof, said paddle blades ( 10 ) rotating with said shaft and being provided with a clearance to the perforated mixer ring wall ( 3 ) and to the bottom ( 2 ) of the tank ( 1 ), the mixer ring ( 3 ) being axially displaceable independent of and during the rotation of the paddle blades ( 10 ) to at least one other position, said position being such that a different section of the mixer ring ( 3 . 1 or 3 . 3 ) is located radially opposite the paddle blades ( 10 ).