Dry ice pellitizer
AssigneeWaste Minimization & Containment Services, Inc.
InventorJames R. Becker
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention pertains to an apparatus and process for producing predetermined size and density dry ice pellets used for blasting operations. Liquid carbon dioxide is compressed into solid dry ice within a computer controlled piston and cylinder extruder. The applied pressure by the piston is controlled to produce solid dry ice at a predetermined pressure while forward movement is controlled in an intermittent start-stop cycle where the "start" mode controls the length of the dry ice extrudate while the "stop" mode enables an exterior cutting device to cut the extrudate to the predetermined length. Preferred pellets exhibit uniform dimensions such as cylindrical or cubic pellets.
Claims23
A dry ice pellitizer apparatus for producing solid dry ice pellets of predetermined size from a source of liquid carbon dioxide, the pellitizer comprising:
- cylinder extrusion means operatively controlled by a computer means, the cylinder containing a movable piston having a forward piston head operative to move forwardly and rearwardly within the cylinder, the cylinder containing a forward wall die member having a plurality of identical cross-sectional through openings, a compression chamber forwardly disposed within the cylinder and containing the forward piston head, the piston being computer controlled to move forwardly a measured distance to compress carbon dioxide into solid dry ice of a predetermined density within the compression chamber, dry ice pellets being extrudated a selected measured distance through the die member, said pellitizer equipped with computer controlled external cutting means operative to cut dry ice extrudate emerging from the die to produce dry ice pellets of a predetermined density and predetermined dimension.
The dry ice pellitizer of circle 12 where the length of the pellets extrudated equals the diameter of the circular pellets.
In a process for producing solid dry ice pellets of a predetermined size and density, the dry ice pellets produced by extruding solid dry ice, the improvement in the process comprising:
- providing a computer controlled piston and cylinder extrusion device adapted to receive liquified carbon dioxide from a source forming solid dry ice under pressure;
- controlling the pressure applied by the piston to form solid dry ice of a preselected density;
- controlling the forward movement of the piston under a start-stop cycle to extrude dry ice pellets of a predetermined length during the start mode;
- and
- cutting the extrudate during the stop mode to form extruded dry ice pellets of predetermined length.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.