Process for high shear gas-liquid reactions
AssigneeHoll Technologies Company
InventorRichard A. Holl
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reactor produces a gas-in-liquid emulsion for providing increased interfacial contact area between the liquid and the gas for improved reaction of the gas with the liquid, or more rapid solution or reaction of a difficulty soluble or immiscible gas in or with a liquid. The reactor is suitable for a continuous or batch type process. Rotor and stator cylindrical members are mounted for rotation relative to one another and have opposing surfaces spaced to form an annular processing passage. The gap distance between the opposing surfaces and the relative rotation rate of the cylindrical members are such as to form a gas-in-liquid emulsion of the gas in the liquid. The liquid and gas pass through the processing passage, changing into the gas-in-liquid emulsion.
Claims20
An apparatus for providing a large interfacial contact area between one or more liquids and one or more gases to provide a gas-in-liquid emulsion, comprising:
- two cylindrical members mounted for rotation relative to one another, and having opposing surfaces spaced to form an annular processing chamber therebetween providing a flow path for the liquid and gas;
- and wherein:
- the annular processing chamber has a gap distance defined by a distance between the opposing surfaces;
- the cylindrical members rotate relative to each other at a relative rotation rate;
- the gap distance being approximately equal to or less than the back-to-back radial thicknesses of two laminar boundary layers provided by said one or more liquids and one or more gases and relative rotation rate are such as to form a gas-in-liquid emulsion of the one or more gases in the one or more liquids.
A method for producing a large interfacial contact area between a liquid and a gas, comprising:
- passing a liquid and gas to be processed in a flow path through an annular processing chamber between two cylindrical members mounted for rotation relative to one another;
- rotating at least one of the cylindrical members relative to the other fast enough and setting the distance between the two cylindrical members small enough so as to form a gas-in-liquid emulsion of the gas in the liquid, the gap distance being approximately equal to or less than the back-to-back radial thicknesses of two laminar boundary layers provided by said one or more liquids and one or more gases.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.