A reactor assembly is provided for heating plastic material. The reactor assembly includes: a reactor vessel including a central axis; and an agitator mounted within the reactor vessel. The agitator includes: one or more blade(s) distal from the central axis for mixing contents of the reactor vessel in use; and one or more wearing parts mounted to the blade(s) to extend from the blade(s).

A bowl assembly for a base driven appliance, the base driven appliance providing a primary drive coupling for the accessory assembly. The accessory assembly including: a bowl element that defines a reservoir; and a gear-box element having a secondary drive coupling and a secondary driven coupling. The bowl element defines a lower recess that removably receives the gear-box element, such that the primary drive coupling can engage the secondary driven coupling when the bowl assembly is supported by the base driven appliance. The secondary driven coupling is couplable to an accessory element that is operated within the reservoir, and such that the accessory element is operable by rotation of the primary drive coupling.

A mixer for combining food constituents into a homogeneous mass includes an eccentric drive mounted on a mixing head of the mixer, where the eccentric drive is configured to rotate around a central axis of a mixing area and rotate an offset rotational axis of a drive shaft in an orbit about the central axis of the mixing area. An angled beater attachment for the mixer further includes a top mounting portion operably coupled to the drive shaft of the stand mixer, a bottom beater portion disposed above the mixing area, and a beater support member operably coupled with a support shaft of the bottom beater portion. The bottom beater portion is driven by the drive shaft about an angled rotational axis that extends at an acute angle relative to the central axis of the mixing area.

A method of coating particles includes dispensing particles into a vacuum chamber to form a particle bed in at least a lower portion of the chamber that forms a half-cylinder, evacuating the chamber through a vacuum port in an upper portion of the chamber, rotating a paddle assembly such that a plurality of paddles orbit a drive shaft to stir the particles in the particle bed, injecting a reactant or precursor gas through a plurality of channels into the lower portion of the chamber as the paddle assembly rotates to coat the particles, and injecting the reactant or precursor gas or a purge gas through the plurality of channels at a sufficiently high velocity such that the reactant or precursor a purge gas de-agglomerates particles in the particle bed.

An agitator rotor includes a shaft, rails, and a rod. The shaft defines a longitudinal axis. The rails extend radially from and are coupled to the shaft. The rails are separated from each other along a length of the shaft. Each rail includes a surface defining a non-zero angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. The rod includes a first end coupled to a first one of the rails. The rod includes a second end coupled to a second one of the rails. A projection of the first end and the second end of the rod in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the shaft defines a minor arc about a portion of the shaft.

The present disclosure provides advantageous rotary interfaces for fluid assemblies (e.g., rotary interfaces for fluid flow in bioreactor applications), and related methods of fabrication and use. More particularly, the present disclosure provides improved rotary interfaces for fluid flow through porous impellers for filtration and/or sparging for fluid assemblies (e.g., bioreactor applications), and related methods of fabrication and use. Disclosed herein is a fluid assembly (e.g., bioreactor) that includes a porous impeller which is in fluid communication with a hollow shaft that can be used to transport a reaction fluid to an external storage tank or the like. The fluid assembly/bioreactor can include a coupling mechanism that transmits rotary motion from a motor to a primary shaft and then to a hollow secondary shaft, while at the same time permitting removal of a filtrate from the fluid assembly or bioreactor via the hollow secondary shaft and a porous impeller.

A stirrer includes a stirring shaft; a plurality of mixing wings extending from the lower end of the stirring shaft and spaced from each other around the stirring shaft; and a conical hub connecting the lower ends of the mixing wings.

A stirring device of a plug-flow fermentation device includes a shaft rotatable about an axis of rotation which defines an axial direction. The stirring device further includes a boundary stirring element that defines the axial extent of a stirring volume covered by the stirring device. A nearest neighbor of the boundary stirring element in the axial direction has an axial maximum width which is smaller than an axial maximum width of the boundary stirring element and which is larger than an axial maximum width of a next-nearest neighbor of the boundary stirring element.

A method of mixing a fluid includes at least partially unfolding a collapsible bag bounding a compartment, the collapsible bag containing in the compartment at least a portion of an elongated drive line or drive shaft and an impeller secured to the drive line or drive shaft, the impeller including a plurality of impeller blades that are pivotable relative to the drive line or drive shaft, at least one of the plurality of impeller blades being in a collapsed position. A fluid is delivered into the compartment of the collapsible bag. The drive line or drive shaft is then rotated so as to rotate the impeller within the compartment and mix the fluid therein, the at least one of the plurality of impeller blades pivoting from the collapsed position to an expanded position as the impeller is rotated within the compartment.

A thermokinetic mixer for melt mixing plastics waste includes a housing enclosing a mixing chamber, and a shaft protruding through the mixing chamber and connectable to a drive unit. In the mixing chamber, Y-shaped mixing blades protrude radially from the shaft, wherein the free end of the mixing blades protruding into the mixing chamber is cuboid, and the end opposite the free end of the mixing blades has two legs in each case having at least one through bore. The shaft has polygonal recesses, in which recesses the legs can be fastened by a fastener protruding through the through bores.