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US 4,541,792 AGranted
Dual loop temperature control system for rubber and other extruders with optional connection for heat pump
AssigneeNRM Corporation
InventorPaul Zakic
Life of this patent
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AssigneeNRM Corporation
InventorPaul Zakic
Estimating the term…
An extruder system includes a barrel surrounded by a jacket defining a plurality of zones. Other zones may be in the feed screw and downstream processes. A temperature control unit has a hot water circuit and a cold water circuit each with supply and return manifolds and valves which allow connection of each of the zones to receive either hot or cold water. Each circuit has a single heat exchanger which is used to heat or cool all the water circulating in the respective circuit. The two circuits may be interconnected by a heat pump so that waste heat from the cooling circuit is used by the heating circuit. In this case the heat exchangers become auxiliary. The system permits optimum energy reuse from heated areas to cooled areas, or vice versa, and minimizes additional energy requirements.
An extruder having a barrel through which extrudate is extruded,
A temperature control unit for an extrusion process having a plurality of zones which require either heating or cooling, said temperature control unit comprising a heating circuit circulating hot fluid, a cooling circuit circulating cool fluid, each of said circuits having a supply manifold and a return manifold, conduit means for connecting in parallel each of the zones with both of the supply manifolds and with both of the return manifolds, and valve means for directing either hot fluid or cool fluid through said conduit means to each of said zones.
A temperature control unit for an extrusion process having a plurality of zones which require either heating or cooling, said temperature control unit comprising a heating circuit circulating hot fluid, a cooling circuit circulating cool fluid, each of said circuits having a supply manifold and a return manifold, conduit means for connecting each of the zones with both of the supply manifolds and with both of the return manifolds, valve means for directing either hot fluid or cool fluid through said conduit means to each of said zones, and control means for sensing the temperature of the extrudate in each of said zones and controlling said valve means in response thereto.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.