An assembly for processing viscous material comprises a process duct extending along a longitudinal axis, wherein viscous material advances in one advancing direction, at least one pumping device provided with a stator comprising a cylindrical seat, and at least one cylindrical rotor. The at least one cylindrical rotor is housed in the stator and is coupled to the stator with a sliding seal. The rotor rotates around a rotating axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis and has an outer face with at least one groove, which forms with the inner surface of the stator one pumping channel. The pumping device is configured so that the pumping channel extends between at least one inlet and at least one outlet and the inlet and the outlet are in fluid connection with the process duct.

A method is described of mixing fluid materials, including solids and gases. The materials to be mixed are introduced between two cylindrical rotors mounted in parallel on a motorized shaft. The rotors have arrays of cavities on their cylindrical surfaces and rotate within close proximity to the interior of a cylindrical shell. Passage of the fluid between the rotating rotors and the interior surface of the cylindrical shell causes cavitation, which mixes the materials. The mixture is passed to outlets on the far sides of the rotors from the inlet. Apparatus is described for extending the flow path of the materials and thus increasing exposure to the cavitation process.

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 method is described of mixing fluid materials, including solids and gases. The materials to be mixed are introduced between two cylindrical rotors mounted in parallel on a motorized shaft. The rotors have arrays of cavities on their cylindrical surfaces and rotate within close proximity to the interior of a cylindrical shell. Passage of the fluid between the rotating rotors and the interior surface of the cylindrical shell causes cavitation, which mixes the materials. The mixture is passed to outlets on the far sides of the rotors from the inlet. Apparatus is described for extending the flow path of the materials and thus increasing exposure to the cavitation process.

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.

A split casing fluid device includes a reaction chamber including a first and second casings having a portions of a stator, a rotor rotatably mounted inside the stator and having a plurality of fluid-interacting features, the rotor exterior surface and the stator define a fluid passageway therebetween, an inlet into the reaction chamber in fluid communication with the fluid passageway, and an outlet from the reaction chamber in fluid communication with the fluid passageway. Removal of a casing creates an opening in the reaction chamber sized to allow passing the rotor through the opening. In some embodiments, the casings span the entire length of the rotor and removal of at least one casing creates an opening in the reaction chamber sized to allow removal of the rotor in a perpendicular direction to the longitudinal axis. The fluid device may be a cavitation generator with a rotor having cavitation-inducing features.

The invention relates to a mixing chamber in which a first liquid comes into contact with a second liquid, and a gas injection device designed to inject a gas into the mixing chamber, wherein the gas injection device comprises: a gas source to provide the gas at a predetermined pressure, and a metering unit to limit the gas provided by the gas source to a predetermined flow rate, wherein the metering unit is in contact with the mixing chamber on a gas outlet side of the metering unit, wherein the gas outlet side of the metering unit comprises an elongated gap, wherein the gas passes out of the metering unit into the mixing chamber via the elongated gap, and wherein the gas passes out of the metering unit into the mixing chamber.

Apparatus and methods for food production including a food preconditioner (228) operable to heat and partially pre-cook food ingredients, and a twin screw extruder (20) operable to further cook the preconditioned ingredients to create final food products. The extruder (20) includes a pair of hollow core extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) having 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) is also of hollow construction which communicates with the hollow core shafts (54, 128, 130, 192). The flighting (56, 132, 134, 194) also includes forward, reverse pitch sections (64, 162, 216). The extrusion screws (50, 52, 124, 126, 190) are designed to impart high levels of thermal energy into materials being processed in the extruders (20), without adding additional moisture.

An improved a device and method for dispersion and simultaneous orientation of nanoparticles within a matrix is provided. A mixer having a shaft and a stator is provided. The shaft may have a rupture region and erosion region. Further, an orienter having an angled stationary plate and a moving plate are provided. The nanoparticles and the matrix are fed into the mixer. A rotational force is applied to the shaft to produce shearing forces. The shearing forces disperse and exfoliate the nanoparticles within the matrix. The dispersed mixture is outputted onto the moving plate. The moving plate is forced across the angled stationary plate to produce fully developed laminar shear flow. The fully developed laminar shear flow or the two-dimensional extensional drag flow orients the dispersed nanoparticles-matrix mixture.

An apparatus for preparing a liquid material containing microbubbles includes a dispensing nozzle and a first positive displacement gas pump. The dispensing nozzles includes a material mixing channel, a rotary gas diffuser positioned in the material mixing channel, and a rotary mixer positioned in the material mixing channel downstream of the rotary gas diffuser. The rotary gas diffuser and the rotary mixer rotate about a common axis of rotation. The first positive displacement pump has a first gas outlet opening to the material mixing channel, which is directed at an outer circumference of the rotary gas diffuser.