Vortex static mixer
AssigneeSulzer Chemtech AG
InventorsGottlieb Schneider, Shaffiq Jaffer
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A static fluid mixer includes a cylindrical flow conduit and at least two inclined, axially spaced, and circumferentially offset internal baffle members for creating counter-rotating vortices in fluids passing through the conduit. The baffle members each have upstream edges spaced from an inner surface of the conduit by a first distance less than a radius of the conduit and downstream edges that are spaced from the inner surface of conduit by a second distance that is greater than the first distance. The baffle members can each have a trapezoidal shape with the downstream edge being smaller in length than the upstream edge thereof.
Claims49
A static fluid mixer comprising:
- an elongated fluid flow conduit having a centrally located longitudinally extending axis and a generally cylindrical wall extending around said centrally located axis and defining a fluid flow path within the conduit which extends along said centrally located axis;
- a first elongated inclined baffle member positioned in said fluid flow path adjacent a first location on an inner surface of the wall, said first baffle member having a series of peripheral edges including an upstream edge, an elongated, laterally extending downstream edge, and a pair of laterally spaced side edges which join with respective laterally spaced ends of said downstream edge of the first baffle member to present a first pair of laterally spaced, external, counter-rotating eddy creating corners, said upstream edge of the first baffle member being spaced radially from the first location a first distance which is less than a radius of the conduit, said downstream edge of the first baffle member being spaced radially from the first location a second distance which is greater than said first distance;
- a second elongated inclined baffle member positioned in said fluid flow path adjacent a second location on said inner surface of the wall, said second baffle member having a series of peripheral edges including an upstream edge, an elongated, laterally extending downstream edge, and a pair of laterally spaced side edges which join with respective laterally spaced ends of said downstream edge of the second baffle member to present a second pair of laterally spaced, external, counter-rotating eddy creating corners, said upstream edge of the second baffle member being spaced radially from the second location a third distance which is less than a radius of the conduit, said downstream edge of the second baffle member being spaced radially from the second location a fourth distance which is greater than said third distance;
- and
- a respective mounting structure for each of said baffle members, each said structure including a connecting element extending inwardly from said wall to a corresponding baffle member,
- said baffle member being positioned with said downstream edges, said side edges and said external corners all spaced from said inner surface of said wall whereby at least a portion of the fluid flowing along said flow path flows around the outside of each baffle member between the corners and the wall, said second location being offset circumferentially from said first location and spaced longitudinally of the conduit a fifth distance from said first location,
- wherein at least one of said baffle members is trapezoidal in shape and the downstream edge of said at least one baffle member is smaller in length than the upstream edge thereof.
A static fluid mixer comprising:
- an elongated fluid flow conduit having a centrally located longitudinally extending axis and a generally cylindrical wall extending around said centrally located axis and defining a fluid flow path within the conduit which extends along said centrally located axis;
- a first elongated inclined baffle member positioned in said fluid flow path adjacent a first location on an inner surface of the wall, said first baffle member including a downstream portion presenting an elongated downstream peripheral edge and a pair of external, counter-rotating eddy creating corners, located at respective opposite ends of the peripheral edge of the first baffle member, said peripheral edge and said external corners of the first baffle member being spaced from said surface;
- a second elongated inclined baffle member positioned in said fluid flow path adjacent a second location on said inner surface of the wall, said second baffle member including a downstream portion presenting an elongated downstream peripheral edge and a pair of external, counter-rotating eddy creating corners located at respective opposite ends of the peripheral edge of the second baffle member, said peripheral edge and said external corners of the second baffle member being spaced from said surface,
- wherein at least one of said baffle members is trapezoidal in shape and the downstream edge of said at least one baffle member is smaller in length than the upstream edge thereof;
- and
- a respective mounting structure for each of said baffle members, each said structure including a connecting element extending inwardly from said wall to a corresponding baffle member,
- the arrangement of said baffle members being such that said mixer includes no additional baffle members which are aligned either circumferentially or longitudinally with either said first baffle member or said second baffle member.
A static fluid mixer comprising:
- an elongated fluid flow conduit having a centrally located longitudinally extending axis and a wall extending at least part way around said centrally located axis and defining a fluid flow path within the conduit which extends along said centrally located axis;
- a first elongated inclined baffle member positioned in said fluid flow path adjacent a first location on an inner surface of the wall, said first baffle member having a series of peripheral edges including an upstream edge, an elongated, laterally extending downstream edge, and a pair of laterally spaced side edges which join with respective laterally spaced ends of said downstream edge of the first baffle member to present a first pair of laterally spaced, external, counter-rotating eddy creating corners, said upstream edge of the first baffle member being spaced radially from the first location a first distance which is less than ½ of a lateral dimension of the conduit but which is sufficiently large to permit a portion of the fluid flowing through the conduit to pass between said upstream edge of the first baffle member and said inner surface of the wall, said downstream edge of the first baffle member being spaced from the first location a second distance which is greater than said first distance;
- a second elongated inclined baffle member positioned in said fluid flow path adjacent a second location on an inner surface of the wall, said second baffle member having a series of peripheral edges including an upstream edge, an elongated, laterally extending downstream edge, and a pair of laterally spaced side edges which join with respective laterally spaced ends of said downstream edge of the second baffle member to present a second pair of laterally spaced, external, counter-rotating eddy creating corners, said upstream end edge of the second baffle member being spaced radially from the second location a third distance which is less than ½ of a lateral dimension of the conduit but which is sufficiently large to permit a portion of the fluid flowing through the conduit to pass between said upstream edge of the second baffle member and said inner surface of the wall, said downstream edge of the second baffle member being spaced from the second location a fourth distance which is greater than said third distance,
- wherein at least one of said baffle members is trapezoidal in shape and the downstream edge of said at least one baffle member is smaller in length than the upstream edge thereof;
- and
- a respective mounting structure for each of said baffle members, each said structure including a connecting element extending inwardly from said wall to a corresponding baffle member,
- said baffle member being positioned with said downstream edges, said side edges and said external corners all being spaced from said inner surface of said wall whereby at least a portion of the fluid flowing along said flow path flows around the outside of each baffle members between the corners and the wall, said second location being offset circumferentially from said first location and spaced longitudinally of the conduit a fifth distance from said first location.
A static fluid mixer comprising:
- an elongated fluid flow conduit having a centrally located longitudinally extending axis and a wall extending at least part way around said centrally located axis and defining a fluid flow path within the conduit which extends along said centrally located axis;
- a first elongated inclined baffle member positioned in said fluid flow path adjacent a first location on an inner surface of the wall, said first baffle member including a downstream portion presenting an elongated downstream peripheral edge and a pair of external, counter-rotating eddy creating corners, located at respective opposite ends of the peripheral edge of the first baffle member, said peripheral edge and said external corners of the first baffle member being spaced from said surface;
- a second elongated inclined baffle member positioned in said fluid flow path adjacent a second location on said inner surface of the wall, said second baffle member including a downstream portion presenting an elongated downstream peripheral edge and a pair of external, counter-rotating eddy creating corners located at respective opposite ends of the peripheral edge of the second baffle member, said peripheral edge and said external corners of the second baffle member being spaced from said surface, said second location being offset circumferentially from said first location and spaced longitudinally of the conduit from said first location,
- wherein at least one of said baffle members is trapezoidal in shape and the downstream edge of said at least one baffle member is smaller in length than the upstream edge thereof;
- and
- a respective mounting structure for each of said baffle members, each said structure including a connecting element extending inwardly from said wall to a corresponding baffle member,
- the arrangement of said baffle members being such that said mixer includes no additional baffle members which are aligned either circumferentially or longitudinally with either said first baffle member or said second baffle member.
A static fluid mixer as set forth in claim 48 or 44, wherein said conduit is cylindrical.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.