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US 5,410,984 AGranted
System for polymer crystallization
AssigneeBepex Corporation
InventorsIlya Pikus, Greg J. Kimball, Masayuki Inoue
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AssigneeBepex Corporation
InventorsIlya Pikus, Greg J. Kimball, Masayuki Inoue
Estimating the term…
A system for crystallization of polymers involving the use of a stationary housing with a rotor mounted for rotation within the housing. The rotor supports a plurality of spaced apart hollow discs and heated fluid is delivered to the interior of the discs. The polymer material to be treated is fed into the housing for heat exchange contact with the exterior surfaces of the discs. The rotation of the discs in addition serves as the propelling force for the material along the length of the housing at which point the material is discharged. The speed of rotation of the rotor is controlled to influence agitation and conveying of material in the housing to thereby control the crystallization reaction. A holdup mechanism which operates independently of the speed control is located adjacent the discharge location to contribute to the fixing of the residence time. The material inlet operation, discharge operation and residence control are such that the ratio of crystallized to uncrystallized material is maintained within desired limits, typically at about 4 to 1. The method and apparatus provides various other operating parameters and structural features which maximize the efficiency of the crystallization reaction.
An apparatus for solid phase crystallization of polymers comprising a stationary housing, a rotor mounted for rotation within the housing, a plurality of spaced-apart hollow discs mounted along the length of said rotor, means for delivering heated fluid to the interior of the discs, material feed inlet means associated with said housing whereby the polymer material is adapted to engage the exterior surfaces of the discs for heating of the material, drive means for said rotor, the rotating discs operating to convey the material along the length of the housing, a material outlet means associated with said housing in spaced relationship to said inlet means, control means determining the speed of rotation of said rotor to influence agitation and conveying of material in said housing, and holdup means operating independently of said control means for fixing of residence time and for controlling the ratio of crystallized to uncrystallized material in the housing from 2 to 1 and 20 to 1.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.