Method and device for granulating plastics and/or polymers

• US 8,187,512 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Issued: 05/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: MAAG GALA Incorporated (Dover Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Gala Industries, Inc. (Dover Corporation)
• Inventors: Eloo, Michael, Veltel, Juergen Heinz
• Primary Examiner(s): Gupta, Yogendra
• Assistant Examiner(s): SMITH, JEREMIAH R
• Application Number:
  US11/884,462
• Publication Number:
  US 20090115091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,295 Days
• Field of Search: 264/141, 264/8, 264/142, 264/148, 264/151, 251/206
• US Class Current: 264/141
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/58 Component parts, details or accessories; Auxiliary operations
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 9/06 in the form of filamentary material, e.g. combined with extrusion
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 9/065 under-water, e.g. underwater pelletizers
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2793/0027 Cutting off
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92019 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92209 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/9238 Feeding, melting, plasticising or pumping zones, e.g. the melt itself
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92514 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/926 Flow or feed rate
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92609 Dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92704 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 2948/92961 Auxiliary unit, e.g. for external melt filtering, re-combining or transfer between units
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/0022 combined with cutting
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/04 Particle-shaped making granules B29B9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/269 Extrusion in non-steady condition, e.g. start-up or shut-down
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/87 Cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/92 Measuring, controlling or regulating
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0617 specially adapted for fluid materials
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/87877 Single inlet with multiple distinctly valved outlets

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the pelletization of plastics and/or polymers, in which a melt coming from a melt generator is supplied via a diverter valve having different operating positions to a plurality of pelletizing heads through which the melt is pelletized. The plurality of pelletizing heads have different throughput capacities and are used sequentially for the start-up of the pelletizing process, with the melt first being supplied to a first pelletizing head having a smaller throughput capacity and then the melt volume flow being increased and the diverter valve being switched over such that the melt is diverted by the diverter valve to a second pelletizing head having a larger throughput capacity.

Claims

1. A method for the pelletization of plastics and/or polymers, comprising the steps of:

supplying a melt having a specific viscosity coming from a melt generator via a diverter valve having a bypass position and a plurality of different operating positions to a plurality of pelletizing heads through which the melt is pelletized, said plurality of pelletizing heads having different throughput capacities;

during start-up of a pelletizing process, first directing said melt through said diverter valve in said bypass position;

controlling the melt generator such that a melt flow volume of said melt provided by the melt generator is continuously increased during said start-up and determining a temperature of the melt in a region of the diverter valve;

said step of first directing said melt through said diverter valve continuing until the melt flow volume reaches a lower capacity of a first pelletizing head having a first throughput capacity and the determined melt temperature in the diverter valve region reaches a predetermined minimum temperature;

thereafter, when said first throughput capacity of said first pelletizing head and said predetermined minimum temperature in the diverter valve region have been reached during said start-up of the pelletizing process, diverting the melt from said bypass position to said first pelletizing head having said first throughput capacity;

while still in said startup of said pelletizing process, increasing the melt flow volume of said melt by controlling the melt generator until a lower capacity limit of a second pelletizing head having a larger throughput capacity than the throughput capacity of said first head is reached; and

subsequently while still in said startup, switching over the diverter valve to divert the melt to said second pelletizing head after the melt flow volume provided by the melt generator has reached the lower throughput capacity of said second pelletizing head and at least one additional parameter of said pelletizing process has reached a predetermined reference value.

2. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the melt flow volume is increased within the throughput capacity limits of the first pelletizing head before the switchover of the diverter valve to the second pelletizing head.

3. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the melt flow volume is first maintained in the range of the lower capacity limit of the first pelletizing head and is then increased up to an upper capacity limit of the first pelletizing head and/or up to the lower capacity limit of the second pelletizing head.

4. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the diverter valve is only switched over to the second pelletizing head when the melt flow volume has been increased up to the lower capacity limit of the second pelletizing head and/or an upper capacity limit of the first pelletizing head.

5. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein pelletizing heads having overlapping throughput capacity ranges are used.

6. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the melt is diverted past the pelletizing heads by the diverter valve in said bypass position before the supply of the melt to the first pelletizing head, the melt flow volume being increased until it has reached the lower capacity limit of the first pelletizing head having the smallest throughput capacity, and wherein the diverter valve is then switched from said bypass position to the first pelletizing head and the melt is diverted to the first pelletizing head.

7. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of switching the diverter valve from said bypass position to the first pelletizing head is taken when said lower capacity limit of said second pelletizing head is reached and also in dependence on at least one parameter from the group consisting of melt viscosity, mass temperature of the melt and mass pressure of the melt.

8. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of switching the diverter valve from said bypass position to the first pelletizing head is taken when said lower capacity limit of said second pelletizing head is reached and also in dependence on at least one parameter from the group consisting of color of the melt, filler induction and degassing state.

9. The method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the step of switching the diverter valve from the first pelletizing head to the second pelletizing head and/or from the second pelletizing head to a further pelletizing head is taken when said lower capacity limit of said respective pelletizing head is reached and also in dependence on at least one parameter from the group consisting of pellet size, mass pressure of the melt, mass temperature of the melt and pellet shape.

10. A method for the pelletization of plastics and/or polymers using a pelletizing apparatus including a diverter valve having at least one melt generator connection, a bypass position, at least two pelletizer connections and a valve gate for the connection of the melt generator connection selectively to at least one of the pelletizer connections, a respective pelletizing head being connected to the at least two pelletizer connections, each of said at least two pelletizing heads having different throughput capacities, a melt generator for generating a melt having a variable melt volume flow being connected to the melt generator connection, and a control apparatus configured to switch the connection of the melt generator connection of the diverter valve amongst said bypass position and said pelletizing heads, said method comprising the steps during start up of a pelletizing process of:

supplying a melt having a specific viscosity from a melt generator;

directing the specific viscosity melt through the bypass position of said diverter valve;

increasing a melt flow volume of said specific viscosity melt until said melt flow volume reaches at least a lower capacity of a first pelletizing head having a first throughput capacity and a temperature of said melt in a region of the diverter valve reaches a predetermined minimum temperature;

thereafter using said control apparatus to switch said valve gate of said diverter valve from said bypass position to supply said melt to said first pelletizing head;

further increasing the melt flow volume of said specific viscosity melt until said melt flow volume reaches at least a lower throughput capacity of a second pelletizing head, said lower throughput capacity of said second pelletizing head being greater than the lower throughput capacity of said first pelletizing head; and

subsequently using said control apparatus to switch said valve gate of said diverter valve from said first pelletizing head to divert the specific viscosity melt to said second pelletizing head in response to said further increase in said melt flow volume.

11. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the step of switching the diverter valve from said bypass position to the first pelletizing head is taken when at least said lower capacity limit of said first pelletizing head is reached and also in dependence on at least one parameter from the group of melt viscosity, mass temperature of the melt and mass pressure of the melt.

12. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein the step of switching the diverter valve from the first pelletizing head to the second pelletizing head and/or from the second pelletizing head to a further pelletizing head is taken when at least said lower capacity limit of said respective pelletizing head is reached and also in dependence on at least one parameter from the group consisting of pellet size, mass pressure of the melt, mass temperature of the melt and pellet shape.

13. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein said steps of increasing and further increasing said melt flow volume are performed by actively controlling the melt generator.

14. The method in accordance with claim 10, wherein said different throughput capacities of each of said at least two pelletizing heads are overlapping in range.