Device and method for admixing liquids into flowable bulk material

• US 8,083,395 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2007
• Issued: 12/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DIOSNA Dierks & Söhne GmbH
• Original Assignee: DIOSNA Dierks & Söhne GmbH
• Inventors: Etzenbach, Joachim
• Primary Examiner(s): SOOHOO, TONY GLEN
• Application Number:
  US11/955,413
• Publication Number:
  US 20080144425A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,475 Days
• Field of Search: 366/173.2, 366/167.1, 366/167.2, 366/137.1, 366/178.1, 366/181.1
• US Class Current: 366/137.1
• CPC Class Codes: A21C 1/1435 for liquids A21C1/1425 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/721 for spraying a fluid on falling particles or on a liquid curtain

Abstract

A device for admixing a liquid into flowable dry materials has a housing with a mixing chamber having an inner wall with an impact area and an exit opening at a bottom end of the mixing chamber. Dry material is supplied from above into the mixing chamber and falls downwardly toward the impact area in front of the inner wall of the mixing chamber and exits through the exit opening. A nozzle generates a pressurized high-speed jet of a liquid impacting on the inner wall of the mixing chamber in the impact area and wetting the dry material with the liquid as the jet passes through the dry material and impacts against the inner wall. An opening inside the housing is provided for supplying liquid and pasty additives, wherein the opening is directed toward an area of the mixing chamber between the nozzle and the impact area.

Claims

1. A device for admixing a liquid into flowable dry materials, the device comprising:

a housing comprising a mixing chamber having an inner wall with an impact area and an exit opening at a bottom end of the mixing chamber, wherein dry material supplied from above into the mixing chamber falls downwardly toward the impact area in front of the inner wall of the mixing chamber and exits through the exit opening;

at least one nozzle disposed in the housing above the mixing chamber and having a nozzle opening facing the exit opening, wherein the at least one nozzle generates a pressurized high-speed jet of a liquid directed downwardly and impacting on the inner wall of the mixing chamber in the impact area and wetting the dry material with the liquid as the jet passes through the dry material and impacts against the inner wall;

a jacket disposed inside the housing and surrounding the at least one nozzle such that an annular opening is defined between an outer wall of the at least one nozzle and an inner wall of the jacket, wherein the annular opening is provided for supplying liquid and pasty additives and is directed downwardly toward an area of the mixing chamber between the at least one nozzle and the impact area.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the impact area extends along the inner wall and the annular opening has an elongate shape.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the at least one nozzle is a rotary nozzle oriented toward the impact area that is annular.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the annular opening has a width that is adjustable by moving the jacket relative to the nozzle housing.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one nozzle has a nozzle housing and the nozzle housing delimits radially inwardly the annular opening.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the nozzle housing is conical in the area of the annular opening.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the jacket is slidably arranged on a distribution body provided in the housing so as to be movably in a n axial direction of the jacket relative to the nozzle housing.

8. The device according to claim 3, comprising a distribution body in which the at least one nozzle is arranged, wherein the distribution body has a bottom side and the at least one nozzle opening and the annular opening for supplying liquid and pasty additives are provided at the bottom side.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the distribution body and the inner wall of the mixing chamber delimit an annular opening for the dry material.

10. The device according to claim 9, further comprising a filling chamber above the distribution body.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein at least one compressed air inlet is provided in the filling chamber.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the mixing chamber is provided with at least one liquid inlet near the impact area.

13. A method for admixing a liquid into flowable dry materials, the method comprising the steps of:

supplying dry material from above into a mixing chamber having an inner wall with an impact area so that the dry material falls downwardly toward the impact area in front of the inner wall of the mixing chamber and exits from the mixing chamber through an exit opening positioned below the mixing chamber;

supplying a liquid in theform of a pressurized high-speed jet from at least one nozzle with a nozzle opening facing the exit opening, wherein the jet forms a liquid cone that widens downwardly and away from the nozzle opening in a direction toward the impact area of the inner wall and wets the dry material with the liquid;

introducing through an annular opening surrounding the nozzle opening additives that are liquid or pasty into the liquid cone in an area between the nozzle opening and the impact area.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the additives are added above the impact area.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein, in the step of introducing, the additives are supplied in the form of an annular curtain about the at least one nozzle that is a rotary nozzle.