Mobile cement additive and concrete admixture manufacturing process and system

• US 6,224,250 B1
• Filed: 02/15/2000
• Issued: 05/01/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: W.R. Grace & Co.-Conn. (WR Grace & Company)
• Original Assignee: W R Grace & Company - CONN (WR Grace & Company)
• Inventors: Shea, Thomas, Winkel, Thomas, Gado, James, Kreinheder, Mark, Westgate, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): SOOHOO, TONY GLEN
• Application Number:
  US09/485,812
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 366/2, 366/6, 366/8, 366/16, 366/17
• US Class Current: 366/8
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/02 Controlling the operation of the mixing
• CPC Class Codes: B28C 7/04 Supplying or proportioning the ingredients B28C7/022 takes precedence; forming a predetermined ratio of the components to be mixed, in general B01F35/80

Abstract

A mobile system and process for manufacturing cement additives and/or concrete admixture products comprises at least two tanks each containing a different raw material for manufacturing cement additives or concrete admixtures; a frame for mounting and transporting as an integral unit at least two pumps operative to transfer the raw materials into a blender which mixes the raw materials together to provide a cement additive or concrete admixture for dispensing at the destination site, which could be the manufacturer'"'"'s new or remote manufacturing site, or even a customer'"'"'s site such as a cement plant or a ready-mix concrete plant. The frame can be placed upon or attached to wheels, as in a truck or trailer frame, and the tanks may also be placed on or secured to the truck or trailer frame. A preferred skid-mounted system comprises pumps, valves, meters, and a computer processor unit which can control the equipment and permit adjustments to be made at the destination site. Tanks of raw materials may be transported to a destination site together with or separately from the frame-mounted equipment, and finished products can be blended and adjusted on site by computer-controlled operation drawing upon inputted information parameters such as the quality of limestone, cement, aggregates, water, and also by drawing upon customer profile information (desired product blends, performance features, etc.) at the destination site.

Claims

1. A transportable apparatus for manufacturing cement additives or concrete admixtures, comprising:

at least two tanks each containing a raw material for manufacturing cement additives or concrete admixtures, said two tanks containing different raw materials, said raw material contained in said at least two tanks being selected from the group consisting of molasses, sulfonate, melamine sulfonate formaldehyde polymer, naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde polymer, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, amines, alkanolamines and their corresponding salts, tall oil, tall oil fatty acid, fatty acids and their derivatives, calcium stearate, zinc stearate, butyl oleate, fatty esters and their derivatives, sodium gluconate, dyes, formic acid, sucrose, sugars, glucose, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, calcium nitrite, calcium nitrate, calcium bromide, sodium thiocyanate, corn syrup, sodium sarcosinate, calcium or sodium lignosulfonate, lignin, alcohols, glycols, glycerols, phenols, acetic acid, anhydrous caustic soda, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium linear alkyl sulfonate, formaldehyde, silica, diglycinate, polymers containing oxyalkylene, calcium formate, formic acid, siloxanes, surfactants, resins and resin acids, rosins and rosin acids, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylic acids having oxyalkylenes, polyvinyl pyrollidone, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polysaccharides, carboxylic acids, borax, organic acids and their corresponding salts, carbohydrates, phosphates, phthalates, water-insoluble esters of carbonic and boric acid, silicones, synthetic detergents, salts of sulfonated lignin, salts of petroleum acids, proteinaceous materials, fatty and resinous acids and their salts, alkylbenzene sulfonates, salts of sulfonated hydrocarbons, pozzolans, fly ash, silica fume, blast furnace slag, salts of lithium and barium, rubber, polyvinyl chloride, acrylics, styrene butadiene copolymers, carbon black, iron oxide, phthalocyanate, umber, chromium oxide, titanium oxide, cobalt blue, sodium benzoate, fluoroaluminates, fluorosilicates, vegetable glue, animal glue, saponin, hydroxyethylcellulose, organic flocculents, paraffin emulsion, coal tar, bentonite, silicas, fungicides, germicides, insecticides, and mixtures and derivatives of any of the foregoing;

a frame for mounting and transporting as an integral unit at least two pumps, each of which is operative to transfer raw material from said tanks into a blender;

said at least two tanks not being mounted on said frame;

said frame further having mounted or connected thereupon a blender, meters, and at least two valves, said blender being operative for receiving said raw materials transferred from said tanks and blending said raw materials together to provide a cement additive or concrete admixture product;

said meters operative for metering the amount or rate of raw material transferred by said pumps into said blender; and

said at least two valves for controlling the transfer, by said at least two pumps, of raw material from said at least two frame-mounted tanks to said blender; and

said frame further having mounted thereupon a junction box for connecting a computer processor unit to said pumps; and

said at least two tanks and said frame and frame-mounted pumps, blender, meters, and valves being operative to be shipped to a destination site and there assembled into a cement additive or concrete admixture blending system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said frame is a skid.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising conduits selected from pipes or hoses whereby said at least two pumps on said frame are in communication with said at least two tanks containing said raw materials.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein

said cement additives manufactured using said apparatus are selected from grinding aids, quality improvers, workability improvers, masonry/mortar additives, slurry thinners, or a mixture thereof; and

said concrete admixtures manufactured using said apparatus are selected from accelerators, retarders, air detrainers, air entrainers, alkali-reactivity reducers, bonding admixtures, water-reducing admixtures, superplasticizers, colorants, corrosion inhibitors, dampproofing admixtures, gas formers, permeability reducers, pumping aids, fungicidal admixtures, germicidal admixtures, insecticidal admixtures, or a mixture thereof.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a computer processor unit electrically or electronically connected to said at least two pumps on said frame.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a computer processor unit (CPU) that is electrically or electronically communicative with a first memory location into which are stored formulation parameters to enable said CPU to control the flow rate or amount of raw materials pumped by said at least two pumps on said frame.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said CPU is electrically or electronically communicative with a second memory location into which are stored customer profile parameters to enable said CPU to control the flow rate or amount of raw materials pumped by said at least two pumps on said frame in accordance with relative amounts of particular raw materials for cement additive or concrete admixture specified for a customer.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising a computer processor unit electrically or electronically connected with said at least two pumps on said frame, at least two valves on said frame, and at least two meters on said frame whereby the flow rate or amount of raw material being transferred by said pumps into said blender on said frame are monitored and adjusted.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one pump on said frame for providing water at a destination site to said blender on said frame.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising, on said frame, at least three pumps, at least three valves, and at least three meters for metering the amount or flow of raw materials being pumped into said blender.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising at least one quality control unit operative for measuring at least one physical quality thereof, said quality control unit being operative to measure total solids, viscosity, or specific gravity of a cement additive or concrete admixture or raw material.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a pressurized air source for operating at least one component selected from valves and pumps on said frame.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising a second pressurized air source operative for cleaning said apparatus.

14. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said tanks are plastic barrels.

15. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said pumps are piston type positive displacement pumps.

16. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said frame has mounted thereon a power supply, a converter, or combination thereof.

17. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a pump, valve and flow meter mounted on said frame for pumping and measuring water at the destination site.

22. The method of claim 12 further comprising cleaning at least one valve or pump mounted on said frame.

18. A method for manufacturing cement additives or concrete admixtures comprising:

providing at least two tanks each containing a raw material for manufacturing cement additive or concrete admixture, said two tanks containing different raw materials, said raw material contained in said at least two tanks being selected from the group consisting of molasses, sulfonate, melamine sulfonate formaldehyde polymer, naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde polymer, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, amines, alkanolamines and their corresponding salts, tall oil, tall oil fatty acid, fatty acids and their derivatives, calcium stearate, zinc stearate, butyl oleate, fatty esters and their derivatives, sodium gluconate, dyes, formic acid, sucrose, sugars, glucose, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, calcium nitrite, calcium nitrate, calcium bromide, sodium thiocyanate, corn syrup, sodium sarcosinate, calcium or sodium lignosulfonate, lignin, alcohols, glycols, glycerols, phenols, acetic acid, anhydrous caustic soda, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium linear alkyl sulfonate, formaldehyde, silica, diglycinate, polymers containing oxyalkylene, calcium formate, formic acid, siloxanes, surfactants, resins and resin acids, rosins and rosin acids, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylic acids having oxyalkylenes, polyvinyl pyrollidone, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polysaccharides, carboxylic acids, borax, organic acids and their corresponding salts, carbohydrates, phosphates, phthalates, water-insoluble esters of carbonic and boric acid, silicones, synthetic detergents, salts of sulfonated lignin, salts of petroleum acids, proteinaceous materials, fatty and resinous acids and their salts, alkylbenzene sulfonates, salts of sulfonated hydrocarbons, pozzolans, fly ash, silica fume, blast furnace slag, salts of lithium and barium, rubber, polyvinyl chloride, acrylics, styrene butadiene copolymers, carbon black, iron oxide, phthalocyanate, umber, chromium oxide, titanium oxide, cobalt blue, sodium benzoate, fluoroaluminates, fluorosilicates, vegetable glue, animal glue, saponin, hydroxyethylcellulose, organic flocculents, paraffin emulsion, coal tar, bentonite, silicas, fungicides, germicides, insecticides, and mixtures and derivatives of any of the foregoing;

providing a frame for mounting and transporting as an integral unit at least two pumps;

said at least two tanks not being mounted on said frame; and

providing a blender for receiving said at least two raw materials pumped from said at least two tanks and blending said raw materials to provide a cement additive or concrete admixture,

said frame further having connected thereupon a blender, meters, and at least two valves, said blender being operative for receiving said raw materials transferred from said tanks and blending said raw materials together to provide a cement additive or concrete admixture product;

said meters operative for metering the amount or rate of raw material transferred by said pumps into said blender; and

said at least two valves for controlling the transfer, by said at least two pumps, of raw material from said at least two tanks to said blender; and

said frame further having thereupon a junction box for connecting a computer processor unit to said pumps; and

said at least two tanks and said frame and pumps, blender, meters, and valves being operative to be shipped as an integral unit to a destination site and there assembled into a cement additive or concrete admixture blending system in combination with said at least two tanks not mounted on said frame.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein said method provides a cement additive selected from grinding aids, quality improvers, workability improvers, masonry/mortar additives, and slurry thinners;

or a concrete admixture selected from accelerators, retarders, air detrainers, air entrainers, alkali-reactivity reducers, bonding admixtures, water-reducing admixtures, superplasticizers, colorants, corrosion inhibitors, dampproofing admixtures, gas formers, permeability reducers, pumping aids, fungicidal admixtures, germicidal admixtures, insecticidal admixtures, or a mixture thereof.

20. The method of claim 18 further comprising providing a computer processing unit for controlling said pumps and valves in response to signals from said meters.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising providing a first memory location into which are stored formulation parameters to enable said computer process unit to control the flow rate or amount of raw materials transferred by said at least two pumps on said frame;

and providing a second memory location into which are stored customer profile parameters to enable said computer processor unit to control the amount or flow rate of raw material pumped by said pumps into said blender on said frame in accordance with customer requirements.

23. A process for manufacturing finished cement additive or concrete admixture product at a destination site comprising:

providing in a plurality of separate tanks different raw materials for manufacturing cement additives or concrete admixtures, said two tanks containing different raw selected from the group consisting of molasses, sulfonate, melamine sulfonate formaldehyde polymer, naphthalene sulfonate formaldehyde polymer, calcium chloride, sodium chloride, amines, alkanolamines and their corresponding salts, tall oil, tall oil fatty acid, fatty acids and their derivatives, calcium stearate, zinc stearate, butyl oleate, fatty esters and their derivatives, sodium gluconate, dyes, formic acid, sucrose, sugars, glucose, sodium nitrite, sodium nitrate, calcium nitrite, calcium nitrate, calcium bromide, sodium thiocyanate, corn syrup, sodium sarcosinate, calcium or sodium lignosulfonate, lignin, alcohols, glycols, glycerols, phenols, acetic acid, anhydrous caustic soda, sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, sodium linear alkyl sulfonate, formaldehyde, silica, diglycinate, polymers containing oxyalkylene, calcium formate, formic acid, siloxanes, surfactants, resins and resin acids, rosins and rosin acids, polyacrylic acid, polyacrylic acids having oxyalkylenes, polyvinyl pyrollidone, polyvinyl acetate, polyvinyl alcohol, polysaccharides, carboxylic acids, borax, organic acids and their corresponding salts, carbohydrates, phosphates, phthalates, water-insoluble esters of carbonic and boric acid, silicones, synthetic detergents, salts of sulfonated lignin, salts of petroleum acids, proteinaceous materials, fatty and resinous acids and their salts, alkylbenzene sulfonates, salts of sulfonated hydrocarbons, pozzolans, fly ash, silica fume, blast furnace slag, salts of lithium and barium, rubber, polyvinyl chloride, acrylics, styrene butadiene copolymers, carbon black, iron oxide, phthalocyanate, umber, chromium oxide, titanium oxide, cobalt blue, sodium benzoate, fluoroaluminates, fluorosilicates, vegetable glue, animal glue, saponin, hydroxyethylcellulose, organic flocculents, paraffin emulsion, coal tar, bentonite, silicas, fungicides, germicides, insecticides, and mixtures and derivatives of any of the foregoing;

providing at least one blender mounted on a frame, said blender operative for mixing together at least two of said different raw materials;

said at least two tanks not being mounted on said frame;

providing meters on said frame for metering the amount or rate of said raw materials provided from some of said separate tanks to said at least one blender;

blending said raw materials to provide a finished cement additive or concrete admixture product to be dispensed at a destination site;

providing at least one quality control unit to measure at least one physical quality of a cement additive or concrete admixture product; and

dispensing said cement additive or concrete admixture product into a tank at the destination site.

24. The manufacturing process of claim 23 wherein said destination site is a customer site.

25. The system of claim 23 further comprising at least one quality control unit for measuring total solids, viscosity, specific gravity, or a combination thereof.