Method And Apparatus For Mixing Materials

Abstract

An apparatus for delivering a plurality of materials has a first conduit with a chamber coaxially connected to a line. A second conduit extends from adjacent the first conduit through a sidewall of the first conduit to a coaxial location within the first conduit for injecting and directing at least one other material into and along the axis of the first conduit.

Description

It is desirable to provide an apparatus for the injection of at least one material into another material with said materials being positioned relative one to the other such that a mixer can more uniformly mix the materials together. Heretofore utilized apparatus did not position the materials to be mixed in the relationship of this invention which resulted in less uniform mixing. Unless the materials are relatively positioned, as in this invention, prior to contacting the mixer, the resultant mixed material stream may have decreased uniformity of particle size and particle distribution, and where an emulsion is being formed, larger volumes of undispersed oil phase. Oil, injected into a water phase, often layers along the conduit or collects in pockets upstream of the mixer and then passes as a slug therethrough thereby lowering the degree of mixing and often resulting in an unacceptable emulsion.

These heretofore problems are overcome by the method and apparatus of this invention whereby a composite stream has one material substantially, axially positioned within and encompassed by a second material and in this position is delivered to a mixer within a line.

Other aspects, objects, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a study of the disclosure, the appended claims, and the drawings.

The drawings are diagrammatic views of the apparatus of this invention.

FIG. 1 shows the apparatus within a line,

FIG. 2 shows the apparatus with the mixer contained therein, and

FIG. 3 shows an end view of the apparatus.

Referring to FIG. 1, a first conduit 2 of the apparatus of this invention has a sidewall 4, first and second ends 6,8, and a chamber 10 extending axially therethrough. The first conduit 2 is coaxially attached at the first and second ends 6 and 8 to a line 12. The line 12 can be a portion of a mixing loop, a transfer line, or other lines as known in the art which can have an in-line material mixer therein as known in the art.

In order that the apparatus of this invention can be easily installed and removed from the line 12, it is preferred that the first conduit 2 has a flange 22 or 24 on respective first and second ends 6,8 of said first conduit 2.

A second conduit 14 extends through the sidewall 4 of the first conduit 2 and is sealably attached thereto. The second conduit 14 has a chamber extending therethrough, a first end 16 spaced from the sidewall 4 of the first conduit 2 and a second end 18 positioned within the first conduit 2 and directed along the axis of the first conduit 2 for injecting and directing at least one material into and along the axis of the first conduit 2 and a stream of material flowing through said first conduit 2.

As shown in FIG. 1, it is preferred that the second end 18 of the second conduit 14 has a nozzle 20 fixedly attached thereto and is positioned adjacent the second end 18 of said first conduit 2 in close proximity to an inline mixer positioned within the first conduit 2. It is also preferred that the axis of the second conduit 14 be coaxially aligned relative to the associated mixer 28 in order that the resulting composite stream is assured of contacting the mixer in the desired relative positions of its components. The nozzle 20 can also be utilized to further assure direction of the stream of material into and along the axis of the material flowing through the first conduit 2.

The distance of outlet of the second conduit 14 from the mixer 28 preferably should not be more than the diameter of the first conduit 2, more preferably not more than one-half the diameter of said conduit 2.

The first end 16 of the second conduit 14 can also be connected to a material metering apparatus in order that the material passing through the second conduit 14 can be injected at a preselected rate and positioned within the material passing through the first conduit 2. Where the apparatus is utilized for the mixing of oil and water to form an emulsion, for example, the water phase is passed through the first conduit 2 with the oil phase passing through the second conduit 14 and into the axis of the water stream, thereby preventing the oil from layering or collecting on the sidewalls 4 of the first conduit 2 and presenting the composite stream to the mixer in a position which will assure improved mixing of the water and oil.

For relative positioning of the streams delivered to the mixer 28, at least one supporting element 26 can be connected to the second conduit 14 and to a sidewall 4 of the first conduit 2 for maintaining the second end 18 of the second conduit 14 axially aligned relative to the axis of the first conduit 2.

Referring to FIG. 3, where the streams passing therethrough are viscous or have flow rates and/or pressures that are relatively high, it is preferred that a plurality of supporting elements 26,26',26" and 26'", for example, be utilized and that these supporting elements 26 be spaced a substantially equal arcuate distance one from the other about the line 12 and the second conduit 14 in order to provide a more uniform composite stream flow.

Referring to FIG. 2, the in-line mixer 28 can also be positioned within the second end portion 30 of the first conduit 2 with the second end 18 of the second conduit 14 terminating adjacent and upstream of said mixer 28. This construction is particularly useful where the line 12 downstream of the apparatus is of short length such as, for example, where said line 12 leads directly into a storage tank.

The in-line mixer 28 used with this invention can be, for example, a Gifford-Wood pipeline homo-mixer, manufactured by Gifford-Wood, Inc., Hudson, N.Y., or other pipeline mixers known in the art. That mixer can have its discharge outlet at an angle relative to the inlet without departing from the invention.

In the method of this invention, a first stream of material, for example water for forming an emulsified product, is passed through the first conduit and into a pipeline mixer 28. A second stream of material, for example an oil containing dissolved synthetic rubber, is passed through a second conduit and directed along the axis of the water stream flowing through the first conduit 2. The oil and rubber stream is discharged into the water stream and the composite stream is passed to a pipeline mixer 28 with said water stream encompassing said oil and rubber stream. The composite stream is then mixed with the mixer 28 for forming an oil-rubber and water emulsion, for example.

The streams passing into contact one with the other for forming the composite stream for mixing by the mixer can be separate streams any one of which can contain one or more materials or mixtures. Where materials other than oil and water or oil-rubber and water are utilized, the particular conduit 2 or 14 selected for carrying one of the materials would depend upon the nature of said materials. For forming oil-water or water-oil emulsions, however, it is preferred that the water encompasses the oil in order to improve subsequent mixing as described above.

Other modifications and alterations of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing discussion and accompanying drawings, and it should be understood that this invention is not to be unduly limited thereto.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. Mixing apparatus comprising:

a first conduit having an axis, a sidewall, first and second ends, and a chamber extending axially therethrough, said conduit being coaxially attached at the first and second ends to a line;

a second conduit extending through the sidewall of the first conduit and being sealably attached thereto, said second conduit having a chamber extending therethrough, a first end spaced from the first conduit and a second end coaxially positioned within the first conduit and directed along the axis of said first conduit; and

an in-line mixing means positioned adjacent the second end of said second conduit and spaced from said second end a distance not greater than about the inside diameter of the first conduit, said second conduit second end being directed toward said mixing means.

2. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second end of the second conduit has a nozzle attached thereto.

3. A apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first conduit has a flange on the first and second ends for removably attaching said conduit to said line.

4. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second conduit has at least one supporting element connected thereto and to a sidewall of the first conduit for maintaining the second end of the second conduit axially aligned relative to the axis of the first conduit.

5. An apparatus, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the in-line mixer is within the first conduit.

6. A method for mixing materials with an in-line mixer and forming an emulsion comprising:

passing a water stream through a first conduit and directing said water stream into the in-line mixer;

passing an oil stream into a second conduit;

directing said oil stream along the axis of the water stream flowing through the first conduit;

discharging the oil stream into the water stream and forming a composite stream;

passing the composite stream through the first conduit a distance not greater than about the diameter of the first conduit to the in-line mixer with said water stream encompassing said oil stream; and

mixing the composite water and oil stream with the in-line-mixer.

7. A method, as set forth in claim 6, including passing and directing an oil stream having synthetic rubber particles dissolved therein into the water stream at a location adjacent and upstream of the mixer.