High speed and direct driven rotating equipment for polyolefin manufacturing

• US 20070109911A1
• Filed: 11/16/2005
• Published: 05/17/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Univation Technologies LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Univation Technologies LLC (Dow, Inc.)
• Inventors: Neubauer, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US11/280,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20070109911A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 366/77
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/465 each shaft comprising rotor parts of the Banbury type in addition to screw parts
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/488 Parts, e.g. casings, sealings; Accessories, e.g. flow controlling or throttling devices discharging B29B7/582; feeding B29B7/60
• CPC Class Codes: B29B 7/7485 with consecutive mixers, e.g. with premixing some of the components
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/022 characterised by the choice of material
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/04 Particle-shaped making granules B29B9/00
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/37 Gear pumps
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/387 using a screw extruder and a gear pump
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/395 using screws surrounded by a cooperating barrel, e.g. single screw extruders
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/40 using two or more parallel screws or at least two parallel non-intermeshing screws, e.g. twin screw extruders
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/404 the screws having non-intermeshing parts
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 48/405 Intermeshing co-rotating screws

Abstract

An apparatus and method for melting polymer is provided. In at least one embodiment, the apparatus includes a housing, two or more rotatable members at least partially contained within the housing, where each rotatable member having a shaft coupled thereto. The apparatus also includes a motor having a drive shaft directly coupled to the shaft of the rotatable members such that the rotatable members rotate at a speed of the motor drive shaft. The rotatable members are preferably non-intermeshing and counter-rotating.

Claims

1. An apparatus for melting polymer, comprising:

a housing;

two or more rotatable members at least partially contained within the housing, each rotatable member having a shaft coupled thereto; and

a motor having a drive shaft directly coupled to the shaft of at least one of the rotatable members such that the coupled rotatable member rotates at a speed of the motor drive shaft,

wherein the rotatable members are non-intermeshing and counter-rotating.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motor is a variable speed motor.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the motor drive shaft rotates at a rate of about 200 rpm to about 3600 rpm.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each shaft of the two or more rotatable members are directly coupled to the drive shaft of the motor.

5. An apparatus for transferring molten polymer, comprising:

a first housing having two or more non-intermeshing screws contained therein;

a first motor directly coupled to at least one of the two or more screws and adapted to counter-rotate the screws;

a second housing in fluid communication with the first housing, the second housing having two or more gears contained therein; and

a second motor directly coupled to at least one of the two or more gears and adapted to rotate the two or more rotatable gears.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the motor is a variable speed motor.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the motor drive shaft rotates at a rate of about 200 rpm to about 3600 rpm.

8. A method for polyolefin production, comprising:

directing a polyolefin through a continuous mixer to provide a molten polymer, the continuous mixer comprising;

a housing having two or more non-intermeshing screws contained therein; and

a motor directly coupled to the two one or more screws and adapted to counter-rotate the two or more screws at a rate of about 600 rpm or more;

adding one or more additives to the molten polymer within the first housing;

mixing the molten polymer and the one or more additives to provide a mixed polymer comprising the one or more additives at least partially dispersed therein;

directing the mixed polymer to a gear pump comprising;

a housing having two or more gears contained therein; and

a motor directly coupled to at least one of the two or more gears and adapted to rotate the two or more gears at a rate of about 10 rpm to about 1200 rpm; and

pressurizing the mixed polymer within the gear pump to transfer the mixed polymer for further processing.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the polymer melt advances through the housing at a residence time of about 5 seconds to about 15 seconds.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the molten polymer is mixed at a variable speed.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the motor drive shaft rotates at a rate of about 200 rpm to about 3600 rpm.

12. A method for polyolefin production, comprising:

providing polyolefin particles to a twin screw continuous mixer, the twin screw continuous mixer comprising a housing having two or more non-intermeshing rotatable members contained therein, each rotatable member having a shaft coupled thereto, and a motor having a drive shaft directly coupled to the shaft of at least one of the two or more rotatable members;

counter-rotating the two or more rotatable members at a speed of the motor drive shaft without gear reduction;

melting the polymer particles within the housing to provide a polymer melt; and

advancing the polymer melt through the housing.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the polymer melt advances through the housing at a residence time of about 5 seconds to about 15 seconds.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the molten polymer is mixed at a variable speed.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the motor drive shaft rotates at a rate of about 200 rpm to about 3600 rpm.