Apparatus and process for forming particles

• US 9,878,467 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2015
• Issued: 01/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Huddleston, Richard Albert, Frentzel, Lisa Grace, Dykstra, Robert Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): McGinty, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US14/744,494
• Publication Number:
  US 20160368169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 956 Days
• Field of Search: 512 4, 510441, 510451, 427212
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2/04 in a gaseous medium if combined with suspending the material in a gas, e.g. fluidised beds B01J2/16
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 2/26 on endless conveyor belts
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 13/00 Conditioning or physical treatment of the material to be shaped chemical aspects C08J3/00 ; heating, cooling or curing during shaping B29C35/00; thermal after-treatment B29C71/02
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 9/10 by moulding the material, i.e. treating it in the molten state
• CPC Class Codes: B29K 2071/00 Use of polyethers , e.g. PEEK, i.e. polyether-etherketone or PEK, i.e. polyetherketone or derivatives thereof, as moulding material
• CPC Class Codes: B29L 2031/00 Other particular articles
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 11/0082 one or more of the detergent ingredients being in a liquefied state, e.g. slurry, paste or melt, and the process resulting in solid detergent particles such as granules, powders or beads
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/3707 Polyethers, e.g. polyalkyleneoxides
• CPC Class Codes: C11D 3/505 encapsulated or adsorbed on a carrier, e.g. zeolite or clay

Abstract

An apparatus and process for forming particles.

Claims

1. A process for forming particles comprising the steps of:

providing a precursor material to a feed pipe;

entraining occlusions of a gas into said precursor material;

providing a stator in fluid communication with said feed pipe;

distributing said precursor material to said stator;

providing a cylinder rotating about said stator and rotatable about a longitudinal axis of said cylinder, wherein said cylinder has a periphery and a plurality of apertures disposed about said periphery;

passing said precursor material through said apertures;

providing a moveable conveyor beneath said cylinder;

depositing said precursor material onto said moveable conveyor; and

cooling said precursor material to form a plurality of particles.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein said precursor material comprises polyethylene glycol having a weight average molecular weight from about 2000 to about 13000.

3. The process according to claim 2, wherein said precursor material comprises more than about 40% by weight polyethylene glycol.

4. The process according to claim 3, wherein said particles have an individual mass between about 0.1 mg to about 5 g.

5. The process according to claim 4, wherein said precursor material comprises from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight perfume.

6. The process according to claim 4 wherein said perfume comprises encapsulated perfume.

7. The process according to claim 6, wherein said precursor material comprises between about 0.1% and about 20% by weight encapsulated perfume.

8. The process according to claim 7, wherein said perfume comprises encapsulated perfume and unencapsulated perfume.

9. The process according to claim 1, wherein said precursor material is milled after said gas is entrained into said precursor material.

10. The process according to claim 1, wherein said gas is air.

11. The process according to claim 1, wherein said precursor material is provided to said feed pipe from a batch mixer.

12. The process according to claim 1, wherein said precursor material comprises an antioxidant.

13. A process for forming particles comprising the steps of:

providing a precursor material in a batch mixer in fluid communication with a feed pipe;

providing said precursor material to said feed pipe from said batch mixer;

entraining occlusions of gas into said precursor material;

providing a distributor comprising a plurality of apertures;

transporting said precursor material from said feed pipe to said distributor;

passing said precursor material through said apertures;

providing a moveable conveyor beneath said apertures;

depositing said precursor material onto said moveable conveyor; and

cooling said precursor material to form a plurality of particles.

14. The process for forming particles according to claim 13, wherein said precursor material comprises polyethylene glycol having a weight average molecular weight from about 2000 to about 13000 and from about 0.1% to about 20% by weight perfume.