A controlled cavitation reactor is disclosed that is particularly suited to the treatment of abrasive fluids and slurries with a minimum of erosion and mechanical failure caused by abrasion. The reactor includes a generally cylindrical housing having a peripheral wall that extends between end plates. A rotor is rotatably disposed in the housing and has at least one outer peripheral surface spaced from the peripheral wall to define a cavitation zone therebetween. A plurality of bores extends through the peripheral surface of the rotor. The rotor may be formed with a central void zone between two lobes of the rotor with each lobe defining a separate cavitation zone with the peripheral wall of the housing. One or more inlet ports is arranged to introduce fluid to the housing tangentially and within one or more void zones. One or more exit ports is arranged to receive fluid from the housing tangentially within another void zone. As a result, fluid takes a spiral path into the housing, across the cavitation zone, and out of the housing. This greatly reduces sharp changes in direction and accordingly reduces abrasion and consequent damage.

A gassing reactor is provided that comprises a dispersion stage with a rotor and a stator. The rotor and the stator respectively exhibit at least one shear surface that exhibits at least one axial component in relation to the axis of rotation of the dispersion stage. It is further provided that the gassing reactor exhibits at least one gas feed line that opens into at least one gas outlet opening into a dispersion gap of the dispersion stage formed between the rotor and the stator, delimited by the shear surfaces. In this way, the gas introduction into the liquid can be done within a range in which the maximum shear forces and highly-turbulent shear fields occurs when the gassing reactor is operating and rotor is rotating. This promotes a reliable as a fine-beaded as possible dissipation of the gas into the liquid.

An extreme acceleration of the process of aging spirits to obtain aged liquors includes circulating the spirits through a cavitation zone within a controlled cavitation reactor and exposing the spirits therein to high energy cavitation induced shockwaves. Sources of flavor and color such as charred wood chips may be added to the spirits to provide the color and flavor of liquors aged for years in traditional charred oak barrels. The method and apparatus of the present invention obtains the same conversion of undesirable alcohols, flavor extraction, and color as years of aging in an oak barrel but does so in a matter of minutes or hours. The apparatus and method also can be used in conjunction with traditional aging techniques and methods and the total aging time is still reduced dramatically.

A device for mixing at least two fluid to pasty substances has a housing (2) with at least two openings (5, 6) for feeding the substances and with a discharge opening (8), a mixing element (3) which can rotate in the housing (2), which mixing element (3) can be displaced in the direction (17) of its axis (7) in relation to the housing (2) in order to adjust the size of a gap (18) between a conically tapering part (14) of the mixing element (3) and a likewise tapering region (15) of the housing (2) in order to adjust the shear rate in the region of the gap (18). The mixing element (3) has a region (9) in which annular ribs (11) are provided which project from the mixing element (3) and which engage between adjacent annular ribs (12) which project from the inner surface (10) of the housing (2).

Several agitators for generating a mixture are described which generally have a housing and an impeller rotatably mounted within the housing. The impeller has a first end with a first end face, and plurality of protuberances and at least one compressed gas channel outlet disposed on the first end face. The agitator also has a mixing chamber that is located adjacent to the plurality of protuberances, a fluid inlet extending through the housing for supplying a mixing fluid to the mixing chamber, and a fluid outlet extending through the housing for discharging the mixture from mixing chamber. When the compressed gas and the mixing fluid are supplied to the mixing chamber, the compressed gas becomes uncompressed gas, and rotation of the impeller agitates the uncompressed gas and the mixing fluid and disperses the uncompressed gas and at least a portion of the mixing fluid to generate the mixture.

Disclosed is a mixing device (1) for mixing a first component (2) with a second component (3) for providing a foamed or foamable plastic (5), comprising a mixing chamber (11), a stirrer (30) that is arranged in the mixing chamber (11) and can be rotated about an axis of rotation (31), a first inlet opening (13) for the supply of the first component (2) into the mixing chamber (11), a second inlet opening (14) for the supply of the second component (3) into the mixing chamber (11), wherein the first inlet opening (13) has an axial spacing from the second inlet opening (14), and an outlet opening (16) for the exit of the plastic (5) from the mixing chamber (11).

A method and device for processing a liquid with cavitation uses a channel element with passageways having local constrictions and a moving rotor surrounding the channel element. The rotor contains a plurality of rotor channels that are moved during rotation to periodically line up with the passageways in the channel element. To operate the device, liquid is passed through the local constriction in the passageway into an outlet channel at a velocity of at least 1.4 m/s at the exit of the outlet channel to form cavitation bubbles. Cavitation bubbles in the liquid in the outlet channel are collapsed by subjecting the cavitation bubbles to a water hammer hydraulic pulse pressure resulting from periodically rapidly closing of the outlet channel by rotation of the rotor.

An extreme acceleration of the process of aging spirits to obtain aged liquors includes circulating the spirits through a cavitation zone within a controlled cavitation reactor and exposing the spirits therein to high energy cavitation induced shockwaves. Sources of flavor and color such as charred wood chips may be added to the spirits to provide the color and flavor of liquors aged for years in traditional charred oak barrels. The method and apparatus of the present invention obtains the same conversion of undesirable alcohols, flavor extraction, and color as years of aging in an oak barrel but does so in a matter of minutes or hours. The apparatus and method also can be used in conjunction with traditional aging techniques and methods and the total aging time is still reduced dramatically.

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.

A foam material generator has a housing; transmission device on the housing; housing cavity within the housing; pressurizing stirring foaming wheel within the cavity; transmission device transmission shaft connected to the wheel; pressurizing stirrers on the wheel; pressurizing stirrer airflow-facing surface forms an inclined angle with a cross sectional surface in a wheel rotational axis direction; housing cavity inlet is on a cavity end, and a housing cavity outlet is on another end; encircling abrasive disc is on a cavity inner wall adjacent to the outlet; encircling abrasive disc inlet is at a encircling disc middle portion; vortex current abrasive foaming disc is on a wheel end adjacent to the encircling disc; vortex current abrasive foaming disc surface conforms to be in close proximity with an encircling disc surface; and vortex current abrasive foaming cavity is between the surfaces of the vortex current abrasive foam disc and encircling disc.