Multi-shaft thin-layer reactor
First Claim
1. A multi-shaft thin-layer reactor for the treatment of fluid materials wherein gaseous components are present during said treatment, said reactor comprising:
- a) housing means having a longitudinal axis and a wall surface spaced from said longitudinal axis to form an internal wall of said housing thereby defining a hollow interior within said housing, and first and second opposed axial end regions;
b) feed means for introducing said fluid material into said hollow interior of said housing;
c) a plurality of conveying shaft means disposed adjacent and in intermeshing relation with one another within said hollow interior adjacent said internal wall of said housing;
each of said conveying shaft means including a longitudinal axis, with said axes of said shaft means all extending parallel with one another and jointly defining the outer periphery of a chamber within said hollow interior of said housing;
d) drive means operatively connected to each said conveying shaft means for rotation of each said shaft means about its axis, said driven means comprising at least one sun and planet roller extrusion assembly mounted in said housing in at least one of said opposed end regions, said planet roller extrusion assembly including a plurality of planet rollers, and said operative connection between said drive means and each said conveying shaft means comprising a form lock between each said shaft and respective ones of said planet rollers of said roller extrusion assembly;
e) actuating means for actuating said drive means, said actuation causing all of said conveying shaft means to rotate about their axis in the same direction, each said conveying shaft means functioning to scrape against said internal wall of said housing thereby causing thin layers of said fluid material to be formed on said outer periphery of said chamber, andf) gas duct means in communication with said chamber for selectively permitting inflow of gas into said chamber or outflow of gas from said chamber so as to vary the gaseous condition therein.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-shaft thin-layer reactor for treating fluid materials in which gaseous material is present during such treatment. The treatment involves the addition of gas to the fluid material or the removal of gas therefrom. The reactor includes a housing in which a plurality of axis-parallel conveying shafts are disposed. The housing is cylindrical and the shafts are disposed around the inner periphery thereof in such a manner that each shaft meshes with the two shafts adjacent thereto. The meshing shafts jointly define the outer periphery of a treatment chamber within the housing. At least one sun-and-planet roller extrusion assembly rotates the shafts and is adjacent at least one end of the shafts in a form-locking manner. The conveying shafts also scrape against the internal wall of the housing so that thin layers of the fluid materials fed into the reactor are formed and these thin layers become disposed on the conveyor shafts. Since the treatment chamber is connected to a vacuum source or to a source of gas, the material is readily gassed or degassed as desired. The material itself seals the treatment chamber.
93 Citations
12 Claims
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1. A multi-shaft thin-layer reactor for the treatment of fluid materials wherein gaseous components are present during said treatment, said reactor comprising:
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a) housing means having a longitudinal axis and a wall surface spaced from said longitudinal axis to form an internal wall of said housing thereby defining a hollow interior within said housing, and first and second opposed axial end regions; b) feed means for introducing said fluid material into said hollow interior of said housing; c) a plurality of conveying shaft means disposed adjacent and in intermeshing relation with one another within said hollow interior adjacent said internal wall of said housing;
each of said conveying shaft means including a longitudinal axis, with said axes of said shaft means all extending parallel with one another and jointly defining the outer periphery of a chamber within said hollow interior of said housing;d) drive means operatively connected to each said conveying shaft means for rotation of each said shaft means about its axis, said driven means comprising at least one sun and planet roller extrusion assembly mounted in said housing in at least one of said opposed end regions, said planet roller extrusion assembly including a plurality of planet rollers, and said operative connection between said drive means and each said conveying shaft means comprising a form lock between each said shaft and respective ones of said planet rollers of said roller extrusion assembly; e) actuating means for actuating said drive means, said actuation causing all of said conveying shaft means to rotate about their axis in the same direction, each said conveying shaft means functioning to scrape against said internal wall of said housing thereby causing thin layers of said fluid material to be formed on said outer periphery of said chamber, and f) gas duct means in communication with said chamber for selectively permitting inflow of gas into said chamber or outflow of gas from said chamber so as to vary the gaseous condition therein. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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Specification