Mixing apparatus and method of preparing edible dispersions
AssigneeUnilever BCS US Inc.
InventorsShailendra Gupta, Johannes Jozef M Janssen, Krysztof Piela
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Abstract
Disclosed is a mixing apparatus which is characterized by a specific range of cavity diameters in combination with a specific range for the size of the inner element (i.e. the maximum diameter, typically of the rotor). Said mixing apparatus provides good shear and distributive mixing with low energy dissipation (i.e. low temperature increase of the mixture due to the mixing process) and allows the manufacture of edible dispersions at a wide range of mixture throughput levels. Also disclosed is a process using said mixing apparatus for the manufacture of edible dispersions.
Claims15
A mixing apparatus comprising two elements (1,5) which are rotatable relative to each other about a predetermined axis (10) , said two elements being an outer (5) and an inner element (1), whereby said outer element is circumferent about said inner element, and between which is defined a flow path extending between inlet (6) for material to be mixed and an outlet (7), wherein the flow path is defined between surfaces of the elements (9,11,13,14) each of which surfaces defines a senes of annular projections (8;12) centered on the predetermined axis (10), the surfaces are positioned such that projections defined by one element (1) extend towards spaces between projections defined by the other element (5), cavities are formed in each surface to define flow passages bridging the projections (8;12), cavities formed in one surface being offset in the axial direction relative to cavities in the other surface, and cavities in one surface overlapping in the axial direction with cavities in the other surface such that material moving between the surfaces from the inlet to the outlet is transferred between the overlapping cavities, wherein the cavities (16,17,18,19, 20,21;
- 23,24,25,26,27,28) have curved bases, characterized in that the maximum outer diameter of the inner element (22), as measured in mm, is
- greater than 108 plus A, wherein A is the average diameter of the surface area of said cavities times 1.47, and
- greater than 8.5 plus B, wherein B is the average diameter of the surface area of said cavities times 3.85, and
- smaller than 468, and
- wherein the diameter, as measured in mm, of the surface area of a cavity, as measured in mm2, is defined as the diameter being derived from a circle with equal surface area as said cavity and, wherein at least one annular projection does not have cavities (15) and is an annular projection with an above average diameter compared to annular projections as defined by the same surface.
A mixing apparatus comprising two elements (30, 34) which are rotatable relative to each other about a predetermined axis (39), said two elements being an outer and an inner element, whereby said outer element is circumferent about said inner element, and between which is defined a flow path extending between inlet (35) for material to be mixed and an outlet (36), wherein the flow path is defined between surfaces of the elements (38,40,42,43) each of which surfaces defines a series of annular projections (37;41) centered on the predetermined axis (39), the surfaces are positioned such that projections defined by one element (37) extend towards spaces between projections defined by the other element (41), cavities are formed in each surface to define flow passages bridging the projections (37;41), cavities formed in one surface being offset in the axial direction relative to cavities in the other surface, and cavities in one surface overlapping in the axial direction with cavities in the other surface such that material moving between the surfaces from the inlet to the outlet is transferred between the overlapping cavities, wherein the cavities (45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50;
- 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58) have curved bases, characterized in that the maximum outer diameter of the inner element (51), as measured in mm, is
- greater than 108 plus A, wherein A is the average diameter of the surface area of said cavities times 1.47 and,
- greater than 8.5 plus B, wherein B is the average diameter of the surface area of said cavities times 3.85 and,
- smaller than 468 plus C, wherein C is the average diameter of he surface area of said cavities times −2.92,
- wherein the diameter, as measured in mm, of the surface area of a cavity, as measured in mm2, is defined as the diameter being derived from a circle with equal surface area as said cavity.
A mixing apparatus according to claim wherein said axium outer diameter of the inner element (51), as measured in mm
- greater than 120 plus A, wherein A is the average diameter of the surface area of said cavities times 2 and,
- greater than 10 plus B, wherein B is the average diameter of the surface area of said cavities times 5 and,
- smaller than 468 plus C, wherein C is the average diameter ace area of said cavities times −3,
- and preferably,
- greater than 30 plus A, wherein A is the average diameter of he surface area of said cavities times 5, and
- greater than 160, and
- smaller than 400 plus C, wherein C is the average diameter of the surface area of said cavities times −3,
- and most preferably,
- greater than 30 plus A, wherein A is the average diameter of the surface area of said cavities times 5, and
- greater than 160, and
- smaller than 400 plus C, wherein C is the average diameter of the surface area of said cavities times −3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.