초록 ▼

Novel rotary processors and devolatilizing methods which provide extremely efficient devolatilization of materials, including viscous and visco-elastic materials and which involve a devolatilizing stage including a rotatable element carrying a plurality of annular channels and a stationary element p

Novel rotary processors and devolatilizing methods which provide extremely efficient devolatilization of materials, including viscous and visco-elastic materials and which involve a devolatilizing stage including a rotatable element carrying a plurality of annular channels and a stationary element providing a coaxial closure surface operationally arranged with the channels to provide enclosed processing passages. Each passage of the devolatilizing stage includes inlet means, outlet means and a channel blocking member all associated with the stationary element and arranged and adapted so that material fed to the inlet can be carried forward by the rotatable channel walls to the blocking member for discharge from the passage. The passages are interconnected by material to transfer grooves formed in the closure surface and operationally communicate with a vacuum source to provide a highly efficient devolatilizing stage. The novel devolatilizing stage is characterized by features which provide control of the processing volume available within the passages and of the transfer volume available within the transfer grooves. These volumes may then be coordinated with other processing variables to effect a foam devolatilizing mechanism in which nucleation of bubbles of volatiles within the material, bubble growth and bubble rupture occur during substantially plug-flow movement alternating with non-pressurizing shearing within the novel devolatilizing stage.

대표청구항 ▼

A rotary processor for processing liquid materials containing volatiles dispersed therein and comprising a devolatilizing stage which comprises: (a) two or more annular devolatilizing channels carried by a rotatable element, each having opposed side walls extending radially inwardly from the surface

A rotary processor for processing liquid materials containing volatiles dispersed therein and comprising a devolatilizing stage which comprises: (a) two or more annular devolatilizing channels carried by a rotatable element, each having opposed side walls extending radially inwardly from the surface of the rotatable element and enclosed by a coaxial closure surface provided by a stationary element to provide two or more annular devolatilizing passages; (b) a blocking member for each devolatilizing passage associated with the stationary element and extending into the channel to provide a material collecting end wall for the passage; (c) an inlet for each devolatilizing passage associated with the stationary element and positioned a major portion of the circumferential distance about the passage from the end wall, the inlet to the most upstream passage providing an inlet to the devolatilizing stage; (d) an outlet for each devolatilizing passage associated with the stationary element and positioned near the end wall, the outlet from the most downstream passage providing an outlet from the devolatilizing stage; (e) an intra-stage transfer groove formed in the closure surface to interconnect each adjacent pair of devolatilizing passages, the upstream end of the transfer groove providing the outlet from the more upstream of the adjacent pair of passages and the downstream end of the transfer groove providing the inlet to the more downstream of the adjacent pair of passages, so that material entering each passage at its inlet may be carried by the rotating channel side walls toward the end wall for collection, shearing and discharge through the outlet, and so that devolatilized material discharged from each devolatilizing passage except the most downstream passage may be transferred through the associated transfer groove to the next adjacent downstream passage for further devolatilizing, providing in-series operation of the passages of the devolatilizing stage; (f) vacuum means operationally arranged to remove volatiles from the devolatilizing stage and to maintain a predetermined vacuum level in the devolatilizing stage; and (g) sealing means to aid in maintaining the vacuum level in the stage; and wherein (h) the vacuum level in the devolatilizing stage is capable of inducing foaming as bubbles containing volatiles are formed in the material processed in the devolatilizing stage; and wherein (i) the processing volume capacity of each devolatilizing passage and the transfer volume capacity of each intra-stage transfer groove are capable of coordination with the processing rate, with the rate of rotation of the rotatable element and with the vacuum level, so that the formed material occupies no more than a predetermined portion of the processing volume capacity of each devolatilizing passage and of the transfer volume capacity of each intra-stage transfer groove, permitting the material to be carried through a portion of each passage in a substantially plug-flow fashion for substantially unrestrained formation and growth of the bubbles in the material, and permitting shearing of the foamed material for bubble rupture and release of the volatiles with minimal repressurization of the material at non-pressurizing shearing zones at the end wall of each devolatilizing passage except the most downstream passage and within each intra-stage transfer groove; and in which (j) clearances are provided between the portions of the rotatable element adjacent the channel side walls of the most upstream passage of the devolatilizing stage and the closure surface; and further including (k) means to control the inlet pressure comprising a blocking means associated with the stationary element and extending into the most upstream passage of the stage near the inlet to at least partially block and to induce an increase in pressure within the material entering the stage, forcing at least some of the material into the clearances and diagonal grooves formed in the portions of the closure surface adjacent the clearances and downstream of and near the inlet so that material entering the clearances is dragged toward the diagonal grooves by the rotating surface of the rotatable element, is collected in the diagonal grooves, is directed by the coaction of the diagonal grooves and the rotating surface of the rotatable element toward the most upstream devolatilizing passage and enters the most upstream devolatilizing passage downstream of the blocking means in the form of strands of material.