APPARATUS FOR PUMPING AND MIXING HIGH AGGREGATE PLURAL COMPONENTS OF DIFFERING VISCOSITIES

• US 20060221763A1
• Filed: 03/30/2005
• Published: 10/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Substructure Encapsulation Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Substructure Encapsulation Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Reis, Paul G., Reis, Robert G., Kelly, Andrew R., Reis, Thomas E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,357,564 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 366/149
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/53 using driven stirrers
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 23/57 Mixing high-viscosity liquids with solids
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/43141 composed of consecutive sections of helical formed elements
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/433 Mixing tubes wherein the shape of the tube influences the mixing, e.g. mixing tubes with varying cross-section or provided with inwardly extending profiles
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 25/4331 Mixers with bended, curved, coiled, wounded mixing tubes or comprising elements for bending the flow
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 27/722 the helices closely surrounded by a casing
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/7141 using measuring chambers moving between a loading and unloading position, e.g. reciprocating feed frames
• CPC Class Codes: B01F 35/7174 using pistons, plungers or syringes
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/7447 including means for feeding the components
• CPC Class Codes: F04B 13/02 of two or more fluids at the same time

Abstract

An apparatus for pumping and mixing plural components of differing viscosities having at least one hopper for accepting each component, each hopper having a hopper outlet; an auger secured within each hopper, the auger being designed to wipe the inside surface of its respective hopper during rotation; a piston pump plumbed to each hopper outlet, each piston pump being substantially identical and having a pump inlet and a pump outlet, and each piston pump designed to be joined by a coupling yoke, whereby components of differing viscosities can be pumped uniformly; and a static mixer. The static mixer has a mixer inlet and a mixer outlet, and is designed so that plural components of differing viscosities can be uniformly pumped and mixed.

Claims

1. An apparatus for pumping and mixing plural components of differing viscosities comprising:

at least one hopper for accepting each component, each hopper comprising a hopper outlet;

an auger rotatably secured within each hopper, the auger being adapted to wipe the inside surface of its respective hopper during rotation;

a piston pump in communication with each hopper outlet, each piston pump comprising a pump inlet and a pump outlet, and each piston pump adapted to be joined by a coupling yoke, whereby components of differing viscosities can be pumped at a desired mix ratio and

a static mixer comprising;

a mixer inlet; and

a mixer outlet, whereby plural components of differing viscosities can be uniformly pumped and mixed and observed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, each hopper comprising a horizontal, semi-cylindrical hopper bottom portion having the hopper outlet near the bottom and near one end.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of spaced dividers positioned vertically over the hoppers defining areas for adding each component to the hoppers, and one area for adding aggregate to each hopper.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, the augers comprising:

a drive shaft;

a plurality of helically-shaped outer flights adapted to move the component in the hopper toward the direction of the hopper outlet;

a plurality of helically-shaped inner flights; and

a plurality of armatures securing the outer flights and inner flights to the drive shaft.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, the outer flights comprising a flexible wiper portion secured to the outer flights, the wiper portion being adapted to wipe the inside surface of the hopper during rotation, whereby the component and aggregate is more completely mixed and the hopper may be completely clean after operation of the apparatus.

6. The apparatus of claim 4, the helically-shaped inner flights being secured in an opposite directional sense from the helically-shaped outer flights, whereby, when the auger is rotated, a shear zone is created that improves mixing.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, the piston pumps being positioned in a spaced, parallel relationship, and each pump comprising a cylinder and a piston adapted to slide within the cylinder, such that the distance between the centerline of the pistons is less than twice the diameter of the largest portion of each cylinder, thereby making the load on each pump substantially equal and reducing the wear on pump components.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein each piston is adapted to be secured to the coupling yoke by a tapered fit adapted to reduce play between the pistons and the yoke.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the pistons are adapted to be threadably connected to the coupling yoke to reduce play between the pistons and the yoke.

10. The apparatus of claim 7, the pistons comprising:

an upper piston portion having an internal channel for a majority of their lengths, thereby providing a relief duct for excess internal pressure and any component bypass discharge; and

a lower piston portion.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, the lower piston portion comprising:

a plurality of semicircular relief grooves formed on the lower piston portion outside surface; and

an internal channel, the grooves and internal channel thereby providing a relief duct for excess internal pressure and any component bypass discharge.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, the pumps further comprising upper and lower sintered bronze bearings, said bearings having grooves adapted to release pressure and allow passage of material to the lower piston portion relief grooves, whereby the sintered bronze bearings are self-lubricating.

13. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

an upper packing nut positioned between each piston and each cylinder, the packing nut having an inside surface that is in a spaced relationship to the piston and forming a gap therebetween, whereby the gap provides an outlet for any bypass discharge or pressure and provides an inspection point that will indicate the need for packing replacement before packing failure; and

an upper packing seal having an angled and tapered leading edge relative to its respective piston, whereby the shape of the packing seal is adapted to maximize contact with the piston and minimize the amount of component that could become lodged between the upper packing seal and nearby structures.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the upper packing seal being made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a lower packing assembly positioned at an end of the each respective piston opposite the piston end adapted to be secured to the coupling yoke, the lower packing assembly comprising:

a lower piston;

a piston base threadably connected to a lower piston portion;

an upper check ball adapted to permit passage of component only during a piston down stroke;

an upper check ball seat;

a piston base washer;

a lower packing seal; and

a lower bronze bearing, whereby the lower packing assembly is adapted to be modular and replaceable in the field as a unit.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, the upper ball seat being made of tungsten nickel carbide, whereby wear and corrosive effects of the component are minimized.

17. An apparatus for pumping and mixing plural components of differing viscosities comprising:

at least one hopper for accepting each component, each hopper comprising a hopper outlet;

an auger rotatably secured within each hopper, the auger being adapted to wipe the inside surface of its respective hopper during rotation;

a piston pump in communication with each hopper outlet, each piston pump comprising a pump inlet and a pump outlet, and each piston pump adapted to be joined by a coupling yoke;

a static mixer comprising;

a mixer inlet corresponding to each pump outlet; and

a mixer outlet, whereby components of differing viscosities can be pumped at a desired mix ratio; and

a temperature controllable heating and cooling jacket secured under the hoppers, whereby the temperature can be increase to decrease the viscosity of the components, which facilitates pumping, and whereby the temperature can be decreased to prevent damage to apparatus components.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, the heating and cooling jacket comprising:

an immersion heating element adapted to heat a fluid in the jacket; and

a heat exchanger adapted to remove heat from the jacket and exchange it with that of a cooling fluid.

19. An apparatus for pumping and mixing plural components of differing viscosities comprising:

at least one hopper for accepting each component, each hopper comprising a hopper outlet;

an auger rotatably secured within each hopper, the auger being adapted to wipe the inside surface of its respective hopper during rotation;

a piston pump in communication with each hopper outlet, each piston pump comprising a pump inlet and a pump outlet, and each piston pump adapted to be joined by a coupling yoke, whereby components of differing viscosities can be pumped at a desired mix ratio; and

a static mixer comprising;

a plurality of mixer housings removably secured in series, the last housing being made of a clear material, whereby an operator can visually determine whether a flaw exists in the mixing process and the housings can be removed for cleaning; and

a plurality of helically-shaped mixing elements disposed within the mixer housings, whereby plural components of differing viscosities can be uniformly pumped and mixed.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the mixer housings are made of nominal 1.25 inch diameter schedule 80 pipe, whereby the pressure head caused by the mixer is reduced.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the clear housing is made of clear polyvinyl chloride.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the mixing elements are substantially the same diameter as the inside diameter of the mixer housing pipe, and the mixing elements are adapted to be manually removable by an operator to facilitate access for cleaning.