Diffuser/emulsifier

• US 7,806,584 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2002
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Revalesio Corporation
• Original Assignee: Revalesio Corporation
• Inventors: Wootan, Norman L., Wood, Anthony B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cecil; Terry K
• Application Number:
  US10/123,004
• Publication Number:
  US 20030072212A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,095 Days
• Field of Search: 366/170.3, 366/169.1, 366/168.1, 366/171.1, 366/172.2, 366/176.1, 366/181.4, 366/181.7, 366305-307, 366/348, 366/174.1, 366 96- 99, 366219-220, 366224-236, 366/341, 416/1, 416/236
• US Class Current: 366/170.3
• CPC Class Codes: A01K 63/042 Introducing gases into the water, e.g. aerators, air pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2101/305 Treatment of water, waste water or sewage
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 2101/505 Mixing fuel and water or other fluids to obtain liquid fuel emulsions
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/233 using driven stirrers with completely immersed stirring elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/2331 characterised by the introduction of the gas along the axis of the stirrer or along the stirrer elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/23311 through a hollow stirrer axis
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/233641 at the stirrer axis
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/237611 Air
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/237612 Oxygen
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/41 Emulsifying
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/4145 Emulsions of oils, e.g. fuel, and water
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/43 using driven stirrers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/431 the liquids being introduced from the outside through or along the axis of a rotating stirrer, e.g. the stirrer rotating due to the reaction of the introduced liquid
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/271 with means for moving the materials to be mixed radially between the surfaces of the rotor and the stator
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/2713 the surfaces having a conical shape
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/272 with means for moving the materials to be mixed axially between the surfaces of the rotor and the stator, e.g. the stator rotor system formed by conical or cylindrical surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/2723 the surfaces having a conical shape
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 33/70 Mixers specially adapted for working at sub- or super-atmospheric pressure, e.g. combined with de-foaming
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 19/008 Processes for carrying out reactions under cavitation conditions
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/34 with mechanical oscillations
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/685 : Devices for dosing the additives
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/727 : using pure oxygen or oxygen rich gas
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/74 : with air aeration of stretches of water C02F7/00
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 1/78 : with ozone C02F1/4672 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 2101/322 : Volatile compounds, e.g. benzene
• CPC Class Codes: C02F 3/20 : using diffusers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 10/10 : Biological treatment of water, waste water, or sewage

Abstract

A diffuser provides the ability to diffuse one or more infusion materials into a host material. A rotor and stator rotate relative to one another. The infusion materials are drawn through openings in the rotor and stator. These openings are also causing turbulence within the host material, which is flowing through an area between the rotor and stator. As aligned openings pass one another, succussion occurs, which provides energy to diffuse the infusion materials into the host material to an extremely high degree. The opening patterns in the rotor and stator can be designed to operate at a single frequency or at multiple frequencies. The frequencies of operation may affect bonding between the infusion materials and the host material and may also be effective in break down of complex molecular structures.

Claims

1. A method of diffusing a first material within a second material, the method comprising:

flowing the first material from a first inlet substantially without interruption into a first end of a channel formed between a first side of a first member and a first side of a second member;

flowing the first material from the first end through the channel to an outlet proximate to a second end of the channel;

while the first material is flowing through the channel, moving the second member with respect to the first member;

while the second member is moving with respect to the first member, flowing the first material over surface disturbances comprising at least one of depressions or protrusions and a plurality of second inlets formed therein, formed in at least the one of the first side of the first member and the first side of the second member and thereby generating a plurality of vortexes in the first material, the surface disturbances comprising a plurality of second inlets formed therein, in the second member;

introducing the second material proximate to the plurality of vortexes in the first material through the plurality of second inlets in the second member, the plurality of second inlets being arranged in a pattern including at least two rows of spaced second inlets and located between the first inlet and the outlet thereby causing the first material to flow past the plurality of second inlets, the plurality of vortexes diffusing the second material within the first material; and

causing the first material with the second material diffused therein to exit the channel through the outlet.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein moving the second member with respect to the first member comprises rotating the second member with respect to the first member.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

including the surface disturbances in the first side of both the first member and the second member.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprises:

configuring each of the surface disturbances formed in the first side of the first member with a passage to a second side of the first member.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

configuring the passage as a borehole through the first and second sides of the first member.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

locating the surface disturbances in a two dimensional array configured to create cavitation bubbles in the first material when the second member is moved with respect to the first member, the method further comprising;

creating cavitation bubbles in the first material configured to generate the plurality of vortexes in the first material.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the surface disturbances each have a diameter, the method further comprising:

configuring the diameter of at least a portion of the surface disturbances to vary along the depth of the surface disturbance.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein surface disturbances comprising a plurality of third inlets are formed in the first side of the first member, the method further comprising:

introducing a third material proximate to the plurality of vortexes in the first material through the plurality of third inlets, at least a portion of the third material flowing through only a portion of the channel between the inlet and the outlet, the plurality of vortexes diffusing the third material within the first material.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the second member is elongated and has a circular cross-section, the method further comprising:

spacing the plurality of second inlets formed in the second member apart from one another both longitudinally and circumferentially on the first side of the second member.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the second member is elongated and has a circular cross-section, the method further comprising:

arranging the plurality of second inlets formed in the second member in a plurality of longitudinally spaced apart rings, each ring traversing a portion of the first side of the second member circumferentially.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the second member is disk-shaped, the method further comprising:

arranging the plurality of second inlets formed in the second member in concentric rings on the first side of the second member, each of the concentric rings having a common center with the disk-shaped second member.

12. A method of diffusing a first material within a second material inside a channel formed between a rotor and a stator, the rotor being disposed inside the stator, the channel being defined by an outside surface of a rotor and an inside surface of a stator, the channel having a length defined between a first end of the channel and a second end of the channel, an inlet being coupled to the first end and configured to introduce the first material into the channel through the first end, and an outlet being coupled to the second end and configured to allow the first material with the second material diffused therein to exit the channel through the second end, the method comprising:

introducing the first material into the first end of the channel through the inlet;

causing the first material to flow through the entire length of the channel from the first end to the second end of the channel;

while the first material is flowing through the channel, generating a plurality of vortexes in the first material caused by the flow of the first material over surface disturbances comprising at least one of depressions or protrusions and a plurality of second inlets formed therein in the outside surface of the rotor, the plurality of second inlets being arranged in a pattern including at least two rows of spaced second inlets distributed circumferentially about the outside surface of the rotor along the length of the channel; and

introducing the second material proximate to the plurality of vortexes in the first material through the plurality of second inlets formed in the rotor,

using the plurality of vortexes to diffuse the second material into the first material;

causing the first material with the second material diffused therein to exit the second end of the channel through the outlet.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the first material is a liquid and the second material is a gas.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

locating the plurality of second inlets in a two dimensional array configured to create cavitation bubbles in the first material when the first material flows through the entire length of the channel from the first end to the second end of the channel, the method further comprising;

creating cavitation bubbles in the first material configured to generate the plurality of vortexes in the first material.

15. A method of diffusing a first material within a second material, the method comprising:

causing the first material to flow from a first inlet and substantially without interruption through a channel formed between respective first sides of first and second members;

generating a plurality of vortexes in the first material caused by the flow of the first material over surface disturbances formed in at least the one of the respective first sides of the first and second member;

introducing the second material proximate to the plurality of vortexes in the first material through a plurality of second inlets in at least one of the first and second members, the plurality of vortexes causing the second material to be diffused within the first material;

distributing the surface disturbances formed in at least the one of the respective first side of the first sides of the first and second members according to a predetermined pattern;

locating a first portion of the surface disturbances in a first array to compress and decompress the first material at least a first frequency; and

locating a second portion of the plurality of arrays in a second array different from the first array to compress and decompress the first material at least a second frequency different from the first frequency.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

selecting the first and second frequencies to form a constructive interference pattern.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

selecting the first and second frequencies to form a destructive interference pattern.

18. A method of diffusing a first material within a second material, the method comprising:

causing the first material to flow from a first inlet and substantially without interruption through a channel formed between respective first sides of first and second members, wherein the second member is rotatable with respect to the first member;

introducing the second material proximate to vortexes created in the first material through a plurality of spaced apart second inlets formed in a second side of the first and second members, the second side of the first and second members opposite the respective first side of the first and second members, each of the plurality of second inlets formed in the second side of the second member having an opening in the first side of the second member, the openings of the plurality of second inlets being arranged in a pattern including at least two rows of spaced second inlets distributed on the first side of the second member and configured to produce vortexes in the first material when the second member is rotated with respect to the first member; and

causing the second material to be diffused within the first material responsive to the vortexes produced by the flow of the first material over surface disturbances comprising at least one of depressions or protrusions and a plurality of second inlets formed therein in each of the first sides of the first member and the second member and the alignment of the surface disturbances on the first side of the first member and the first side of the second member as the second member rotates, the surface disturbances comprising the openings of the plurality of second inlets distributed on the first side of the second member.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

rotating the second member with respect to the first member to produce vortexes in the first material.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein each of the plurality of second inlets has a diameter, the method further comprising:

configuring the diameter of at least a portion of the plurality of second inlets to vary along the depth of the second inlet.