A method of hydrating a dry powdered viscosifier such as a powdered polymer is disclosed. The method includes mixing the powdered viscosifier with a solvent such as water to form a mixture; moving the mixture through a cavitation zone; inducing energetic shock waves and pressure fluctuations in the mixture by mechanically inducing cavitation events within the mixture, the shock waves and pressure fluctuations untangling, separating, and straightening polymer molecule chains and distributing the chains throughout the mixture, and extracting the resulting hydrated viscosifier from the cavitation zone.

A co-rotating self-cleaning multi-screw extruder with a speed ratio of 2.5 and an extruding method therefor are disclosed. The screw mechanism includes a center screw and peripheral screws which rotate in the same direction. The peripheral screws are each of a double threaded structure, and the center screw is of a quintuple threaded structure. The rotation speed of the peripheral screws is 2.5 times that of the center screw, and the peripheral screws are always meshed with the center screw, whereas the adjacent peripheral screws are intermittently meshed with each other. The extruding method therefor is as follows: there is a periodically open space between adjacent peripheral screws, providing the periodical and intermittent mixing action, so that material from different thread grooves is mixed with each other. Meanwhile, the topological chaos action, by which the material is cut into two portions, is formed between the center screw and the peripheral screws, and the chaos mixing is caused by the random motion which is generated from the periodical changes of the channel, so that a periodical action of “compression-expansion” is achieved. Furthermore, due to the tensile force field action caused by the differences in rotation speed between the center screw and the peripheral screws, the compression preheating and dispersion mixing of the material are achieved. The co-rotating self-cleaning multi-screw extruder effectively improves the efficiency of conveying and mixing of materials.

High thermal transfer, hollow core extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) include elongated hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) equipped with helical fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) along the lengths thereof. The fighting (132, 134, 194) may also be of hollow construction which communicates with the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192). Structure (88, 90) is provided for delivery of heat exchange media (e.g., steam) into the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) and the hollow fighting (132, 134, 194). The fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) also includes a forward, reverse pitch section (64, 162, 216). The extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) are designed to be used as complemental pairs as a part of twin screw processing devices (20), and are designed to impart high levels of thermal energy into materials being processed in the devices (20), without adding additional moisture.

The invention relates to a device for generating gas bubbles in suspensions, which are contained in a tank, having a rotation-symmetric stator (16) and a rotation-symmetric rotor (15), which is connected to a hollow drive shaft (5), wherein the stator, the rotor and the hollow drive shaft are arranged concentrically about a vertical axis of rotation (17) of the rotor and the drive shaft, and the rotor executes a rotational movement about the axis of rotation inside the stator.

A mixer for mixing a mobile phase in a sample separation device for separating a fluidic sample, wherein the mixer includes a fluid inlet for supplying the mobile phase to be mixed to a mixing volume, a movable body configured for rotating and axially moving in the mixing volume to thereby mix the mobile phase, and a fluid outlet for supplying the mixed mobile phase to a mobile phase consumer.

High thermal transfer, hollow core extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) include elongated hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) equipped with helical fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) along the lengths thereof. The fighting (132, 134, 194) may also be of hollow construction which communicates with the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192). Structure (88, 90) is provided for delivery of heat exchange media (e.g., steam) into the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192) and the hollow fighting (132, 134, 194). The fighting (56, 132, 134, 194) also includes a forward, reverse pitch section (64, 162, 216). The extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) are designed to be used as complemental pairs as a part of twin screw processing devices (20), and are designed to impart high levels of thermal energy into materials being processed in the devices (20), without adding additional moisture.

An apparatus for enhancing phase contact and chemical reactions is provided. The apparatus comprises at least one high-turbulence mixing stage and at least one high-shear-stress and high-cavitation stage. The stages are adapted to cause an increase in relative sliding speeds of phases involved in a multiphase flow passing through the stages. The high-shear-stress and high-cavitation stage comprises a rotor having radial teeth housed in a cavitation chamber surrounded by a stator having radial teeth. The facing surfaces of the radial teeth have a parabolic profile in circumferential direction. For each tooth, the parabolic profile lies along a curve of a parabola of which a vertex is arranged at a rear edge of the tooth, with respect to a direction of rotation of the rotor, and along a radius extending from the rear edge to a center of the rotor. The focus of the parabola is also located on the radius.

A cavitation apparatus capable of performing multiple, different-type cavitation processes taking place simultaneously in the same geometric space, thereby obtaining an effective cavitation process that is significantly faster than those provided by conventional cavitation apparatus. The cavitation apparatus can include consecutive and/or simultaneous cavitation units which are configured to carry out consecutive and/or simultaneous cavitation processes on a material flowing through the apparatus, such that effects of one or more prior cavitation processes are present in the material while the material is subjected to one or more further cavitation processes within the apparatus, enhancing the cavitation effects in a reduced amount of time and increasing productivity of the apparatus. In some embodiments, the apparatus can perform seven cavitation processes, of four different types.

A device for dispersing a water-soluble polymer includes a primary water inlet circuit that feeds an overflow, at the bottom end of the cone, an assembly including a chamber for grinding and draining the dispersed polymer, having a rotor driven by a motor provided with knives, a stator, over all or part of the periphery of the chamber, a ring fed by a secondary water circuit, the ring communicating with the chamber by way of slots for spraying pressurized water onto the stator The slots of the stator and/or the knives of the rotor are tilted at an angle of between 20 and 80 relative to the horizontal plane of the stator and the lateral face of the blade next to the stator is curved in such a way as to make the distance separating the two components substantially constant.

Viscosity and other properties are determined at desired temperatures in drilling mud and other fluids by using a versatile cavitation device which, operating in the cavitation mode, mixes and heats the fluid to a specified temperature, and, operating in the shear mode, acts as a spindle for application of Couette principles to determine viscosity as a function of shear stress and shear rate. The invention obviates the practice of adjusting rheology of a drilling fluid by passing it through the drill bit. Drilling fluid may be managed by a straight-through method to the well, or by placing the cavitation device in a loop which isolates an aliquot of known volume and circulating the fluid through the loop including the cavitation device. A controller may be programmed to manage the viscosity and other properties at various temperatures by controlling the power input and angular rotation of the spindle (which has cavities on its cylindrical surface), and feeding viscosity-adjusting agents and other additives to the fluid. Data may be collected from the loop and used in the straight-through mode until it is determined that conditions require a new set of data, or the loop may be used continuously. The system may be used with a supplemental viscometer, density meter, and other instruments.