Apparatus and method for liquid mixing employing nip zones

An apparatus for processing a liquid material, which apparatus comprises:

• (a) a housing have at least one inlet whereby an unprocessed liquid is fed into the apparatus;
• (b) a rotating drum, located within the housing, containing a plurality of perforations;
• (c) exterior to the rotating drum and in cooperation therewith, an outside relatively stationary body capable of tangential contact with a convexly curved outer surface of the rotating drum, which tangential contact is elongated in the direction of the axis of the rotating drum, thereby forming, outside the rotating drum and in proximity to said tangential contact, two outer nip regions between the curved outer surface of the rotating drum and an inward surface of the outside relatively stationary body, which outer nip regions each converge, in radial cross-section with respect to the rotating drum, as the surfaces approach each other in a point of tangential contact, whereby liquid material accumulating within each outer nip region is forced through some of the perforations into the inside of the rotating drum, including the forming of a liquid film on the surface areas of the drum which are opposite to those drum surface areas adjacent to each said outer nip region;
• (d) interior to the rotating drum, an inner relatively stationary body positioned within the rotating drum, a convexly curved outer surface of the inner relatively stationary body capable of tangential contact with a concavely curved inner surface of the rotating drum, which tangential contact is elongated in the direction of the axis of the rotating drum, thereby forming, inside the rotating drum and in proximity to said tangential contact, two inner nip regions between the convexly curved outer surface of the inner relatively stationary body and the concavely curved inner surface of the rotating drum, which inner nip regions each converge, in radial cross-section with respect to the rotating drum, to each point of tangential contact, whereby liquid material accumulating within each inner nip region is forced, though said perforations, out of the rotating drum, including forming a liquid film on the surface areas of the drum which are opposite to those drum surface areas adjacent to each said inner nip region;
• whereby, in cross-section with respect to the rotating drum, the points of tangential contact and, therefore, also the inner and outer nip regions formed thereby, are arcuately spaced along the circumference of the rotary drum, and whereby the liquid material being processed can repeatedly move, to and fro, between the outer nip region and the inner nip region until being withdrawn from the apparatus, as the liquid material progresses in the direction of the axis of the rotating drum.

A process for reacting components of a liquid mixture, comprising:

• (a) introducing the components of the liquid mixture into a reactor comprising a housing inside of which is a rotating drum containing a plurality of perforations;
• (b) operating the rotating drum such that an outside relatively stationary body, exterior to the rotating drum and in cooperation therewith, makes tangential contact with a curved outer surface of the rotating drum, which tangential contact is elongated in the direction of the axis of the rotating drum, thereby forming, outside the rotating drum and in proximity to said tangential contact, at least one outer nip region between the curved outer surface of the rotating drum and an inward surface of the outside relatively stationary body, which at least one outer nip region converges, in radial cross-section of the rotating drum, to a point of tangential contact, thereby causing the liquid mixture which is spread over an outer surface area of the rotating drum to accumulate within the at least one outer nip region and forcing the liquid mixture, through some of the perforations in the rotating drum, into the inside of the rotating drum, including the forming of a liquid film on a surface area of the drum which is opposite to that drum surface area adjacent the at least one outer nip region;
• and, furthermore, causing a curved outer surface of an inner relatively stationary body, positioned within the rotating drum, to make tangential contact with the curved inner surface of the rotating drum, which tangential contact is elongated in the direction of the axis of the rotating drum, thereby forming, inside the rotating drum and in proximity to said tangential contact, at least one inner nip region between the curved outer surface of the inner relatively stationary body and the curved inner surface of the rotating drum, which said at least one inner nip region converges, in radial cross-section with respect to the rotating drum, to a point of tangential contact, such that the liquid material on the inner surface of the rotating drum is moved towards, and accumulates within, the at least one inner nip region and is forced, though said perforations, out of the rotating drum, including the forming of a liquid film on that surface of the drum which is opposite to that drum surface adjacent the at least one inner nip region;
• whereby, in cross-section with respect to the rotating drum, the at least one inner and outer nip regions formed thereby are arcuately spaced along the circumference of the rotary drum, such that the surface of the liquid material is thereby increased while simultaneously mixing the liquid material exposed to the surface of the rotary drum so that the liquid material is processed to add or remove vaporizable components;
• and
• (c) withdrawing, from the reactor, the reaction product which has thereby been produced.

A process for processing a liquid mixture, comprising:

• (a) introducing the components of the liquid mixture into a processor comprising a housing inside of which is a rotating drum containing a plurality of perforations;
• (b) operating the rotating drum such that an outside relatively stationary body, exterior to the rotating drum and in cooperation therewith, makes tangential contact with a convexly curved outer surface of the rotating drum, which tangential contact is elongated in the direction of the axis of the rotating drum, thereby forming, outside the rotating drum and in proximity to said tangential contact, at least one outer nip region between the convexly curved outer surface of the rotating drum and an inward surface of the outside relatively stationary body, which at least one outer nip region converges, in radial cross-section with respect to the rotating drum, to a point of tangential contact, thereby causing the liquid mixture spread over an outer surface of the rotating drum to accumulate within the at least one outer nip region and forcing the liquid mixture, through some of the perforations, into the inside of the rotating drum, including the forming of a liquid film on that surface of the drum which is opposite to that drum surface adjacent the at least one outer nip region;
• and, furthermore, causing a convexly curved outer surface of an inner relatively stationary body, positioned within the rotating drum, to make tangential contact with a concavely curved inner surface of the rotating drum, which tangential contact is elongated in the direction of the axis of the rotating drum, thereby forming, inside the rotating drum and in proximity to said tangential contact, at least one inner nip region between the curved outer surface of the inner relatively stationary body and the curved inner surface of the rotating drum, which said at least one inner nip region converges, in radial cross-section with respect to the rotating drum, to a point of tangential contact, such that liquid material on the inside surface of the rotating drum is moved towards, and accumulates within, the at least one inner nip region and is forced, though said perforations, out of the rotating drum, including forming a liquid film on that surface of the drum which is opposite to that drum surface adjacent the at least one inner nip region;
• whereby points of tangential contact, in cross-section with respect to the rotating drum, and therefore also the at least one inner and outer nip regions formed thereby, are arcuately spaced along the circumference of the rotary drum, such that the surface of the liquid material is increased while simultaneously mixing the liquid material exposed to the surface of the rotating drum so that the liquid material is processed by the passage of vaporizable or gaseous components;
• and
• (c) withdrawing, from the processor, the processed product which has thereby been made.