Spherical particles having narrow size distribution made by ultrasonic vibration
AssigneeCorning Incorporated
InventorThomas D. Ketcham
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and process for producing liquid droplets having a narrow size distribution. Thin liquid streams are forced under pressure through a plurality of orifices in an orifice plate, the largest of which orifices has a diameter not greater than about three times the diameter of the smallest of those orifices. Also the thin liquid streams are vibrated to cause the breakup of each stream into droplets having a narrow size distribution.
Claims29
An apparatus for the commercial scale production of liquid droplets having a narrow size distribution comprising:
- containment means for containing a body of liquid under pressure;
- an orifice plate in communication with said containment means having a thickness of up to about 25 microns and a plurality of orifices therein, said orifices having a mean orifice diameter of up to about 20 microns and a spacing between said orifices of up to about 100 microns, the diameter of the largest orifice in said orifice plate being not greater than about three times the diameter of the smallest orifice in said orifice plate;
- means for forcing said liquid from said containment means through said orifices to produce a plurality of thin streams of liquid;
- means for vibrating said liquid streams to cause the breakup of said streams into droplets having a narrow size distribution;
- and
- means for converting said droplets to particles, said particles having a narrow size distribution.
A process for the commercial scale production of particles having a narrow size distribution said process comprising:
- (a) forming a plurality of thin liquid streams by forcing said liquid under pressure through a plurality of orifices in an orifice plate having a thickness of up to about 25 microns, the mean diameter of said orifices being up to about 20 microns, the largest of said orifices in said orifice plate having a diameter which is not greater than about three times the diameter of the smallest orifice in said orifice plate and the spacing between said orifices being up to about 100 microns;
- (b) vibrating said thin liquid stream to cause the breakup of said streams into liquid droplets;
- and
- (c) processing said droplets to produce particles therefrom, said particles having a narrow size distribution.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.