초록 ▼

A system for fluid processing is provided to control shear, point velocity and pressure in either a Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluid which includes creation of three fields, namely a dynamic microshear field, a dynamic velocity field and a dynamic pressure field, with the fields being created by the

A system for fluid processing is provided to control shear, point velocity and pressure in either a Newtonian or non-Newtonian fluid which includes creation of three fields, namely a dynamic microshear field, a dynamic velocity field and a dynamic pressure field, with the fields being created by the injection of energy between 1 KHz and 10 MHz into the fluid. Control is achieved by control of the angle at which mechanical energy is delivered, steering and/or focusing of the energy, control of the amplitude of the energy waveform, of the energy, and control of the frequency of the energy in one embodiment to eliminate standing waves. By controlling the three fields, the system is able to control overall fluid behavior. In one embodiment, energy is injected into a fluid at any angle to the direction of flow assuming the fluid is flowing, with the injected energy providing a predetermined controllable zone of energy in the fluid at the region of energy injection. In another embodiment, the container itself is a transducer that acts as a processor, where the energy comes from the container itself. In a further embodiment, a phased array is used for electronically steering and focusing energy to any point within the fluid volume to provide for the desired shear, velocity and pressure distributions. Note that the direction and focusing of the injection of energy is turnable by physically moving a transducer or by the use of a phased array.

대표청구항 ▼

1. A system for reducing viscosity of molten plastic having long chain polymer molecules to permit easy mold filling, reduce cycle times, and improve the quality of parts, comprising: a feed screw for melting plastic pellets; a machine nozzle coupled to said feed screw for injection of already m

1. A system for reducing viscosity of molten plastic having long chain polymer molecules to permit easy mold filling, reduce cycle times, and improve the quality of parts, comprising: a feed screw for melting plastic pellets; a machine nozzle coupled to said feed screw for injection of already melted plastic into a mold cavity; a mold cavity coupled to said nozzle; and, a transducer downstream of said feed screw for injecting acoustic energy as a moving wave propagating in a predetermined direction into the already molten plastic for lowering the viscosity thereof by creating the straightening out of the long chain polymer molecules in the melted plastic so as to disentangle them. 2. The system of claim 1, wherein said transducer is at said machine nozzle. 3. The system of claim 1, and further including an injection molding manifold interposed between said nozzle and said mold cavity, and wherein said transducer is at said manifold. 4. The system of claim 1, wherein said transducer is at said mold cavity. 5. The system of claim 1, wherein said transducer projects acoustic energy in the flow direction. 6. The system of claim 5, wherein said transducer projects acoustic energy anywhere outside of 15 degrees of the flow direction. 7. The system of claim 1, wherein said transducer includes a phased array of transducer elements and wherein said phased array controls the direction of acoustic energy injection. 8. The system of claim 1, and further including direction controlling means, said direction controlling means including an acoustic coupler and means for moving said acoustic coupler. 9. The system of claim 1, wherein a conduit carries said molten plastic and said transducer is embedded in said conduit. 10. The system of claim 1, wherein said transducer includes a planar array of transducer elements. 11. The system of claim 1, wherein said transducer generates energy between 1 KHZ and 10 MHZ. 12. A system for reducing viscosity of molten plastic to permit easy mold filling, reduce cycle times, and improve the quality of parts, comprising: a feed screw for melting plastic pellets; a machine nozzle coupled to said feed screw for injection of already melted plastic into a mold cavity; a mold cavity coupled to said nozzle; and, a transducer assembly downstream of said feed screw for focusing acoustic energy into the already molten plastic for lowering the viscosity thereof.