Producing particle dispersions

An improvement for processing particle-carrying feedstock to produce a supply of mixed feedstock from which air entrained within the particle-carrying feedstock has been removed, the improvement comprising:

• a mixing chamber extending between a lower bottom and an upper top and having a chamber wall providing the mixing chamber with a limited volume;
• a rotor-stator mixing mechanism placed within the limited volume of the mixing chamber for mixing the particle-carrying feedstock, the rotor-stator mixing mechanism being located intermediate and spaced from the lower bottom and the upper top of the mixing chamber, the rotor-stator mixing mechanism having a shroud and an impeller arranged for rotation within the shroud during a mixing operation;
• the shroud having an inner peripheral surface juxtaposed with the impeller, and a plurality of openings extending through the shroud outwardly from the inner peripheral surface to the mixing chamber for passing mixed particle-carrying feedstock through the shroud, from the impeller into the mixing chamber;
• the chamber wall having a wall portion surrounding and in close juxtaposition with the outer peripheral surface of the shroud;
• an inlet passage in communication with the impeller for delivering the particle-carrying feedstock to the impeller for passage through the openings extending through the shroud, whereby mixed feedstock is delivered from the shroud to the limited volume of the mixing chamber;
• a pumping mechanism communicating with the mixing chamber for establishing a negative pressure within the limited volume of the mixing chamber during the mixing operation, whereby air entrained within the mixed feedstock in the mixing chamber is expanded for separation from the mixed feedstock;
• an outlet conduit communicating with the mixing chamber adjacent the upper top of the mixing chamber at a level elevated with respect to the limited volume, for facilitating carrying expanded air separated from the mixed feedstock out of the mixing chamber while delivering mixed feedstock from the mixing chamber;
• and wherein
• openings of the plurality of openings that extend through the shroud are configured in the shape of a letter H and are intermingled with one-another within the shroud.

An improvement for processing particle-carrying feedstock to produce a supply of mixed feedstock from which air entrained within the particle-carrying feedstock has been removed, the improvement comprising:

• a mixing chamber extending between a lower bottom and an upper top and having a chamber wall providing the mixing chamber with a limited volume;
• a rotor-stator mixing mechanism placed within the limited volume of the mixing chamber for mixing the particle-carrying feedstock, the rotor-stator mixing mechanism being located intermediate and spaced from the lower bottom and the upper top of the mixing chamber, the rotor-stator mixing mechanism having a shroud and an impeller arranged for rotation within the shroud during a mixing operation;
• the shroud having an inner peripheral surface juxtaposed with the impeller, and a plurality of openings extending through the shroud outwardly from the inner peripheral surface to the mixing chamber for passing mixed particle-carrying feedstock through the shroud, from the impeller into the mixing chamber;
• the chamber wall having a wall portion surrounding and in close juxtaposition with the outer peripheral surface of the shroud;
• an inlet passage in communication with the impeller for delivering the particle-carrying feedstock to the impeller for passage through the openings extending through the shroud, whereby mixed feedstock is delivered from the shroud to the limited volume of the mixing chamber;
• a pumping mechanism communicating with the mixing chamber for establishing a negative pressure within the limited volume of the mixing chamber during the mixing operation, whereby air entrained within the mixed feedstock in the mixing chamber is expanded for separation from the mixed feedstock;
• an outlet conduit communicating with the mixing chamber adjacent the upper top of the mixing chamber at a level elevated with respect to the limited volume, for facilitating carrying expanded air separated from the mixed feedstock out of the mixing chamber while delivering mixed feedstock from the mixing chamber;
• and wherein
• the rotor-stator mixing mechanism includes a housing having axially opposite first and second inlet openings;
• the impeller is placed within the housing and comprises a disk including axially opposite first and second faces, and first and second sets of vanes, each one set of vanes extending toward the shroud along a corresponding one of the opposite first and second faces from a corresponding one of first and second inputs juxtaposed with a corresponding one of the first and second inlet openings;
• and
• the shroud extends circumferentially around the impeller, in juxtaposition with the vanes of each set of the corresponding sets of vanes, and the plurality of openings that extend through the shroud include first openings juxtaposed with the first set of vanes, and second openings juxtaposed with the second set of vanes.

An improvement for processing particle-carrying feedstock to produce a supply of mixed feedstock from which air entrained within the particle-carrying feedstock has been removed, the improvement comprising:

• a mixing chamber extending between a lower bottom and an upper top and having a chamber wall providing the mixing chamber with a limited volume;
• a rotor-stator mixing mechanism placed within the limited volume of the mixing chamber for mixing the particle-carrying feedstock, the rotor-stator mixing mechanism being located intermediate and spaced from the lower bottom and the upper top of the mixing chamber, the rotor-stator mixing mechanism having a shroud and an impeller arranged for rotation within the shroud during a mixing operation;
• the shroud having an inner peripheral surface juxtaposed with the impeller, and a plurality of openings extending through the shroud outwardly from the inner peripheral surface to the mixing chamber for passing mixed particle-carrying feedstock through the shroud, from the impeller into the mixing chamber;
• the chamber wall having a wall portion surrounding and in close juxtaposition with the outer peripheral surface of the shroud;
• an inlet passage in communication with the impeller for delivering the particle-carrying feedstock to the impeller for passage through the openings extending through the shroud, whereby mixed feedstock is delivered from the shroud to the limited volume of the mixing chamber;
• a pumping mechanism communicating with the mixing chamber for establishing a negative pressure within the limited volume of the mixing chamber during the mixing operation, whereby air entrained within the mixed feedstock in the mixing chamber is expanded for separation from the mixed feedstock;
• an outlet conduit communicating with the mixing chamber adjacent the upper top of the mixing chamber at a level elevated with respect to the limited volume, for facilitating carrying expanded air separated from the mixed feedstock out of the mixing chamber while delivering mixed feedstock from the mixing chamber;
• and wherein
• openings of the plurality of openings that extend through the shroud are configured in the shape of a letter H and are intermingled with one-another within the shroud.