DE20008421U1 - Device for homogenizing and / or dispersing flowable substances and containers for holding flowable substances such as emulsions and / or dispersions - Google Patents

Description

Eisenführ, Speiser & Partner .:

Bremen, 10 May 2000

Our reference: S 4332 MAN/bes/dw

Applicant/Owner: Schröder & BOOS

Official reference number: New registration

Brfttfen *

Paier«anv«älte
itirope'aS Patent Attorneys
Dipl.-Ing. Günther Eisenführ
Dipl.-Ing. Dieter K. Speiser
Dr.-Ing. Werner W. Rabus
Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Brügge
Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Künghardt
Dipl.-Ing. Klaus G. Göken
Jochen Ehlers
Dipl.-Ing. Mark Andres

Lawyers
Ulricn H. Sander
Sabine Richter

Martinistrasse 24

D-28195 Bremen

Tel.+49-10)421-36 35 0

Fax+49-(0)421-337 8788 (G3)

Fax-r49-(0)421-328 8631 (G4)

mail@eisenfuhr.com

Hamburg

Patent Attorney

European Patent Attorney

Dipl.-Phys. Frank Meier

Lawyers Christian Spintig Rainer Böhm Silja J.Greischel

Munich

Patent attorneys

European Patent Attorneys

Dipl.-Wirtsch.-Ing. Rainer Fritscne

Lbm.-Chem. Gabriele Leißler-Ger:

Patent Attorney

Dipl.-Chem. Dr. Peter Schuler

Berlin

Patent Attorneys European Patent Attorneys Dipl.-Ing. Henning Christiansen Dipl.-Ing. Joachim von Oppen Dipl.-Ing. Jutta Kaden

Alicante

European Trademark Attorney Dipl.-Ing. Jürgen Künghardt

Schröder & Boos Mixing and Plant Technology GmbH & Co. KG,
Am Bredenmoor 4, 27578 Bremerhaven

Device for homogenizing and/or dispersing flowable substances and containers for holding flowable substances such as emulsions and/or dispersions

The present invention relates to a device for homogenizing and/or dispersing flowable substances, in particular emulsions and/or dispersions, with a container which has an inlet opening for the flowable substances and an outlet opening for the flowable substances, and a homogenizing/dispersing device whose suction side is connected to the outlet opening of the container so that the flowable substance can flow from the container to the homogenizing/dispersing device.

The invention further relates to a container for holding flowable substances with a filling opening for the flowable substances and an outlet opening for the flowable substances.

Such devices and containers are known and are used in the chemical, pharmaceutical or cosmetic industry for the production of creams, ointments, pastes and the like. The homogenization/dispersion device

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(hereinafter referred to as homogenizer) is attached to the lower part of the container and homogenizes and/or disperses the material flowing out of the container, which can then be returned to the container or further processed or filled elsewhere.

In the prior art, for example in a device known from DE 299 17 365.8 U 1, which goes back to the present applicant, the outlet opening of the container first leads into a cylindrical antechamber upstream of the homogenizer, so that the flowable material flows from the container through the antechamber into the homogenizer and is usually homogenized and conveyed there with the help of rotors. The homogenizer is flanged to a housing that delimits the antechamber.

A disadvantage of the known device is that when the homogenizer is switched off, flowable material accumulates permanently in the anteroom between the container and the homogenizer and remains in a kind of "dead space". This occurs in particular when a flowable material is to be mixed in the container by means of an agitator when the homogenizer is switched off.

The object of the present invention is to provide a device and a container of the type mentioned at the outset which avoids the disadvantages of the prior art and in particular enables an independent operation of the container, in particular an agitator container, on the one hand, and the homogenizer on the other hand.

The invention solves this problem in a device of the type mentioned at the outset by a shut-off device with a closure body for selectively interrupting or releasing the flow of the substance to the homogenization/dispersion device.

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The invention further achieves the object in a container of the type mentioned at the outset in that a shut-off device with a closure body is provided for selectively interrupting or releasing the flow of the substance through the outlet opening and the closure body, in the closed state, essentially continuously continues the inner wall of the container.

The shut-off device according to the invention provides for the first time a device comprising a container and a homogenizer in order to enable either simultaneous mixing of the flowable substance in the container and homogenization of the substance flowing out of the container or, in an operating state in which the shut-off device is closed, to store or mix the substance in the container and simultaneously use the homogenizer to homogenize another flowable substance. In the latter case, the flowable substance can be fed from another container into the homogenizer through another feed line.

Dead spaces in the area in front of the homogenizer can be avoided by the invention by bringing the closure body of the shut-off device into the closed position and then mixing or stirring in the container with the aid of an agitator. When the shut-off device is closed, the substance does not pass through the outlet opening of the container into the area of the homogenizer or into an anteroom arranged between the container and the homogenizer.

A further advantage of the invention is that when the shut-off device is closed, the interior of the container is separated from the homogenizer, and the homogenizer can therefore be cleaned, maintained, dismantled or replaced without the flowable substance having to be drained from the container beforehand. By separating the interior of the container from the homogenizer according to the invention, flowable substance can instead be stored in the container or mixed by means of an agitator during cleaning or dismantling of the homogenizer. This allows the operating times

of the container can be increased significantly. With the shut-off device closed, the container and the homogenizer can also be used independently of each other for different flowable media.

The device according to the invention is further developed and the container according to the invention is characterized in that the closure body of the shut-off device is arranged and shaped on the container in such a way that the inner wall of the container is essentially continuously continued by the closure body in its closed state. In other words, the closure body can be placed in the closed position relative to the outlet opening in such a way that the contour of the inner wall of the container continues essentially continuously. As a result, when the shut-off device is closed, any flow that may occur in the interior of the container during stirring is not affected or is minimally affected.

Preferably, the shut-off device according to the invention is arranged in the lower region of the container and designed as a valve. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the valve is designed as a disk valve with a disk-like closure body which is attached to a rotatably mounted shaft, so that the closure body can be rotated, for example by manually rotating the shaft, from a closed position in which the outlet opening is closed by the valve body into an open position in which the outlet opening of the container is essentially opened and released.

A further preferred embodiment is characterized in that the valve body has an eccentric shape relative to the axis of rotation of the shaft.
By means of an eccentric shape of the valve body, it is possible to achieve in a structurally simple manner that in the closed state of the shut-off device, the

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The closure body essentially continues the inner wall of the container without protruding far into the interior and at the same time there is only minimal dead space.

An alternative embodiment is characterized in that the valve body is movably mounted on the built-in parts of the container. It is particularly preferred that the closure body is mounted on a stirrer arranged rotatably in the container and is movable axially on the stirrer from its open position into a closed position in which the closure body interacts with a stationary valve seat to close the outlet opening.

The invention is explained below using embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a device according to the invention and a

Container in a partial sectional view as a first embodiment;

Figure 2 shows a device according to the invention in a partial sectional view in

a second embodiment and;

Figure 3 shows a device according to the invention in a partial sectional view in

a third embodiment.

Fig. 1 shows a first embodiment of a device according to the invention for homogenizing and/or dispersing flowable substances with an agitator container 2 and a homogenization/dispersion device 4, which is referred to below as a homogenizer. The agitator container 2 has as internals a stirrer 6 which can be rotated about an axis 3 and to which a plurality of stirring elements 8 or the like are fastened. The stirrer 6 is designed in the manner of an anchor stirrer. The container 2 is designed as a double-walled container so that it can be heated or cooled by means of a heat transfer medium. In addition, it is insulated and lined. Alternatively, another agitator container could be used.

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The homogenizer 4 contains a rotor rotatably mounted in a housing 10 and several stator elements, which together ensure intensive mixing of the flowable material and conveyance of the material, which can flow out through an outlet line 12. The flowable medium flowing out can be led back into the container 2 through a short bypass line 14 or alternatively through a return line 16 leading to the upper area of the container or can be discharged through a line 18. The homogenizer is driven by an electric motor in a manner not shown.

A shut-off device 20 according to the invention is designed as a disk valve with a disk-like closure body 22 which can be rotated about an axis 25 from a closed position shown into an open position indicated by dashed lines 24. The closure body 24 is circular in a plan view (dashed line 24) and tapers outwards on both sides in cross-section. Bearing projections (not shown) are formed on opposite end sections of the closure body 22 arranged on the axis 25, with the aid of which the closure body 22 is laterally mounted. The bearing projections are mounted on a substantially ring-shaped bearing and sealing element 26 which is conical in cross-section and which is inserted in correspondingly shaped recesses on a flange 28 welded to the container 2 and an upper section of the housing 10.

The bearing attachment on the left in Fig. 1 is designed, for example, as a cylindrical pin and projects into the sealing element 26. The bearing attachment on the right in Fig. 1 has a first cylindrical section located in the area of the sealing element 26 and an adjoining square section that protrudes outside the sealing element 26 and from it, onto which the shaft 30 can be plugged with its end section - on the left in Fig. 1 - so that a torque can be applied from the shaft 30 to the square section and thus to the closure body 22. The shaft 30 is in turn cylindrical on the outside and can be rotated on the flange 28 or the housing 10.

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The ring-shaped sealing element 26, which in cross section according to Fig. 1 tapers conically in the direction of the closure body 22, is securely fitted due to its design and provides sealing on the one hand and storage on the other. In the closed position of the closure body 22 (Fig. 1), the latter rests with its outer surface against the ring-shaped sealing element 26.

The shaft 30, which is mounted so as to be rotatable about the axis 25, is connected to a handle 32 for manually rotating the shaft 30 and thus the closure body 22. Alternatively, automatic rotation could also be provided using a drive motor.

By means of the shut-off device 20, in the closed position of the closure body 22, a sealed separation is realized between the interior of the container 2 and the homogenizer 4, more precisely the antechamber 34, which is delimited by the housing 10. In the open position of the shut-off device 20, a flow of flowable medium through an outlet opening 36 of the container 2 is possible. In this way, the previously described advantages according to the invention are achieved.

When the shut-off device 20 is closed, flowable material can enter the antechamber 34 through a feed line 38 independently of the operation of the stirrer 2 if a piston slide valve 40 is opened, so that material flowing through the feed line 38 is homogenized and conveyed by the homogenizer 4. Instead of the piston slide valve 40, another valve could also be provided. The material can be conveyed further through the line 12.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 2 has a number of similarities with the previously described embodiment. Identical or similar parts are provided with the same reference numerals and full

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extensive reference is made to the above descriptions.

The shut-off device 20 is designed differently from the previously described embodiment and is designed in the manner of a slide valve. A translationally movable closure body 22 can be moved from a closed position, in which it is arranged in the area of the outlet opening 36 of the container and closes this, into an open position spaced from the outlet opening 36 (upper illustration in Fig. 2) by manually and/or by means of a drive a shaft 44 arranged to be rotatable and translationally movable by means of bearings 42 in the direction of an axis 45. By axially displacing the essentially cylindrical closure body 22, which is curved on its upper side, a separation between the antechamber 34 and the interior of the container can also be achieved or, in the open position, a flow of a substance from the interior of the container into the antechamber and thus to the homogenizer 4 can be achieved. The shaft 44 can be mounted on the stirrer 6 with the aid of several bearings 42.

The embodiment shown in Fig. 3 differs slightly from the first embodiment shown in Fig. 1 in the design of the closure body 22, which is eccentric in relation to the axis of rotation 25 of the shaft 30. In the closed position shown, the closure body 22 is closely spaced from the outlet opening 36, so that dead spaces can be largely avoided and minimized. In the open position, the closure body 22 is rotated by 90° compared to the position shown, so that material can flow from the container interior into the antechamber 34 and then to the homogenizer 4.

Claims (9)

1. Device for homogenising and/or dispersing flowable substances, in particular emulsions and/or dispersions,
with a container ( 2 ) having an inlet opening for the flowable substances and an outlet opening ( 36 ) for the flowable substances, and
a homogenization/dispersion device ( 4 ) whose suction side is connected to the outlet opening ( 36 ) of the container ( 2 ) so that the flowable substance can flow from the container ( 2 ) to the homogenization/dispersion device,
characterized by a shut-off device ( 20 ) with a closure body ( 22 ) for selectively interrupting or releasing the flow of the substance to the homogenization/dispersion device ( 2 ). 2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the closure body ( 22 ) of the shut-off device ( 20 ) is arranged and shaped on the container ( 2 ) in such a way that the inner wall of the container is essentially continuously continued by the closure body ( 22 ) in its closed state. 3. Device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the shut-off device ( 20 ) is arranged in the lower region of the container ( 2 ) and is a valve. 4. Device according to claim 3, characterized in that the valve is a disc valve and the closure body ( 22 ) is attached to a rotatably mounted shaft ( 30 ). 5. Device according to claim 4, characterized in that the valve body ( 22 ) has an eccentric shape with respect to the axis of rotation ( 25 ) of the shaft. 6. Device according to at least one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the valve body ( 22 ) is movably mounted on internals ( 8 ) of the container ( 2 ). 7. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that the closure body ( 22 ) is mounted on a stirrer ( 6 ) arranged rotatably in the container and is movable axially on the stirrer ( 6 ) from its open position into a closing position in which the closure body ( 22 ) cooperates with a stationary valve seat for closing the outlet opening ( 36 ). 8. Container for holding flowable substances, in particular for use in a device according to claim 1,
with a filling opening for the flowable substances and an outlet opening ( 36 ) for the flowable substances,
characterized in that a shut-off device ( 20 ) with a closure body ( 22 ) is provided for selectively interrupting or releasing the flow of the substance through the outlet opening and the closure body, in the closed state, essentially continuously continues the inner wall of the container ( 2 ). 9. Container according to claim 8, characterized in that it is designed according to at least one of the preceding claims 2-8.