Gas-liquid dispersion impeller assembly with annular-sector-shaped concave blades

Abstract

The invention discloses an agitation device comprising an impeller, an agitating shaft and a power device. The impeller includes a disc, a hub and concave blades. Each blade consists of a concave surface which extends radially and has an annular sector-like shape, the projections of the upper and lower portions of the blade in the horizontal plane are two annular sectors, and the radian of the annular sector obtained by the projection of the upper portion is larger than that of the lower portion, and the annular sector-like shape and the rotation direction of blades are the same, so that each portion of the blades directly faces an incoming flow, the utilization efficiency of blades is increased and the impeller has low energy consumption and high gas-liquid dispersion efficiency. The device is efficient and energy-saving, has low power consumption, high mixing performance and high gas holdup and mass transfer performance.

Claims

1. An agitating device, comprising an impeller, an agitating shaft and a power device, wherein the impeller comprises several radially extending concave blades, the projections of an upper portion and a lower portion of the concave blade in the horizontal plane being annular-sector-shaped, a circumferential contour line, an inner edge and an outer edge of the blades being on cylindrical surfaces centered with the agitating shaft, and the radian of the annular sector obtained by the projection of the upper portion of the blade being larger than the radian of the annular sector obtained by the projection of the lower portion.

2. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the impeller further comprises a disc on which the concave blade being mounted and a hub, each concave blade being divided into the upper portion and the lower portion by the disc plane, and on a contour line in any radial position of the blade, the distance from a point on the lower portion to the disc plane being equal to the distance from a corresponding point on the upper portion to the disc plane.

3. The agitating device as claimed in 1, wherein the contour line is a spatial curve formed by bending a curve such as a parabolic curve, an elliptical arc, a hyperbolic curve or a circular arc along a cylindrical surface.

4. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the value of the radian of the annular sector obtained by the projection of the upper portion of the leading surface of the blade in the disc plane is in a range of 0.52 rad to 2.09 rad.

5. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ratio of the radians and of the annular sectors respectively obtained by the projections of the lower portion and the upper portion of the leading surface of the blade in the disc plane is generally in a range of 0.45 to 0.85.

6. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ratio of the length of the leading surface to the diameter of the impeller is in a range of 0.15 to 0.4.

7. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the disc to the diameter of the impeller is in a range of 0.5 to 0.8.

8. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the radian of a circular arc obtained by the projection of the contour line of the blade in the horizontal plane remains the same during the radial extension.

9. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the extension lines of the projections of an upper leading edge, a lower leading edge and a trailing edge of the leading surface of the blade in the horizontal plane intersect at one point which is a central point of the disc.

10. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the blades has a certain thickness, and has the same shape as the leading surface.

11. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the inner edges and the outer edges of the blades are on two cylindrical surfaces centered with the agitating shaft, and the radius difference between the two cylindrical surfaces being the length of the blades.

12. The agitating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hub is connected to the disc and the agitating shaft.

13. The agitating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the upper and lower portions of the blade are connected at the disc plane.

14. The agitating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the thickness of the disc is less than or equal to the radius thereof, and the blades being uniformly distributed on the periphery of the disc.

15. The agitating device as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ratio of the axial height of the leading surface to the diameter of the impeller is in a range of 0.1 to 0.35.

16. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of the blades of the impeller is 3 to 10.

17. The agitating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the extension lines of the projections of an upper leading edge, a lower leading edge and a trailing edge of the leading surface of the blade in the horizontal plane intersect at one point which is a central point of the disc.

18. The agitating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the radian of a circular arc obtained by the projection of the contour line of the blade in the horizontal plane remains the same during the radial extension.

19. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the agitating device is generally made of stainless steel, or made of other materials such as carbon steel and high strength plastics.

20. The agitating device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the hub and the disc are configured as a detachable split-type or configured as a closed-type according to different operating conditions.

21. The agitating device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the hub is connected with the agitating shaft by a fastening screw, a tightening bolt, or a flat key.

22. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the agitating device is generally used in a cylindrical reactor with an elliptical head or a dished head, and is mounted on a central axis thereof.

23. The agitating device as claimed in claim 22, wherein the ratio of the diameter of the impeller to the inner diameter of the reactor is in a range of 0.25 to 0.6.

24. The agitating device as claimed in claim 22, wherein the impeller is mounted at the bottom of the reactor, and can be used separately or used in combination with other types of impeller.

25. The agitating device as claimed in claim 22, wherein a gas sparger is mounted below the impeller, and the aeration direction of the gas sparger is upward or downward.

26. The agitating device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the agitating device rotates in a horizontal direction, such that the concave surface of the blade directly faces an incoming flow.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a front view of an agitating device in a reactor;

(2) FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the impeller;

(3) FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a leading surface of a blade in the impeller;

(4) FIG. 4 is a top view of the leading surface of a single blade in the impeller;

(5) FIG. 5 is a front view of the leading surface of a single blade in the impeller; and

(6) FIG. 6 is a top view of the impeller.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(7) As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the agitating device 20 provided in the invention comprises an impeller 17, an agitating shaft 18 and a set of power device 19. The impeller 17 includes a disc 15, a hub 16, and several radially extending blades 14.

(8) Each of the blades 14 is obtained by the backward thickness increase of a leading surface 12, and a liquid opposite surface 13 is thus obtained. The technical features of the leading surface 12 represent the technical features of the blade 14.

(9) As shown in FIG. 3, the leading surface 12 is in the shape of a concave surface defined by an inner edge 10, an outer edge 11, an upper leading edge 8 and a lower leading edge 9, and is also in an annular sector-like shape formed by radial extension of the inner edge 10 to the outer edge 11. The inner edge 10 includes an upper leading vertex 3, a lower leading vertex 4 and a trailing vertex 1. The outer edge includes an upper leading vertex 5, a lower leading vertex 6 and a trailing vertex 2. The upper leading vertex 3 radially extends to the upper leading vertex 5 to form the upper leading edge 8, the lower leading vertex 4 radially extends to the lower leading vertex 6 to form the lower leading edge 9, and the trailing vertex 1 radially extends to the trailing vertex 2 to form a trailing edge 7.

(10) The inner edge 10 is on a cylindrical surface passing through the radial position of the trailing vertex 1, and the outer edge 11 is on a cylindrical surface passing through the radial position of the trailing vertex 2. The intersection part of a cylindrical surface passing through any radial position on the trailing edge with the leading surface 12 is a spatial curve in the same shape as the inner edge 10 and the outer edge 11, and such spatial curves are collectively called contour lines of the leading surface 12. The contour line is a spatial curve obtained by bending, along the cylindrical surface, a plane curve that is perpendicular to the trailing edge at the position of the trailing vertex. The plane curve may be in the shape of an elliptical arc, a parabolic curve, a circular arc or other curves, and is preferably a parabolic curve.

(11) As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, the projection of the leading surface 12 in the horizontal plane is annular-sector-shaped. The horizontal plane is the horizontal plane where the disc 15 is located. The leading surface 12 may be divided into an upper portion and a lower portion by the horizontal plane . The projections of the upper and lower portions of the leading surface 12 form two annular sectors with different radians in the horizontal plane .

(12) As shown in FIG. 4, the radian remains the same during the radial extension of the inner edge 10 to the outer edge 11. The extension lines of the projection lines of the upper leading edge 8 and the lower leading edge 9 of the leading surface 12 in the horizontal plane and the extension line of the trailing edge 7 intersect at one point O. The point O is a central point of the disc 15.

(13) The radian (represented by ) of the annular sector obtained by the projection of the upper portion of the leading surface 12 in the horizontal plane is larger than the radian (represented by ) of the annular sector obtained by the projection of the lower portion in the horizontal plane , so that the upper portion of the leading surface 12 has a protrusion that the lower portion does not have, this helps to capture rising bubbles 23 and enhance gas-liquid dispersion. The value of the radian of the annular sector obtained by the projection of the upper portion of the leading surface 12 in the horizontal plane is generally in a range of 0.52 rad to 2.09 rad (the corresponding central angle is 30 to 120), and is optimally 1.25 rad (the corresponding central angle is 72). The ratio of the radian of the annular sector obtained by the projection of the lower portion of the leading surface to the radian obtained by the projection of the upper portion is generally in a range of 0.45 rad to 0.85 rad, and is optimally 0.75 rad (the corresponding central angle is 43).

(14) As shown in FIG. 5, the height of the inner edge 10 of the leading surface 12 is equal to the height of the outer edge 11. The height of the inner edge 10 of the leading surface 12 refers to the axial height between the upper leading vertex 3 and the lower leading vertex 4 of the inner edge 10. The height of the outer edge 11 refers to the axial height between the upper leading vertex 5 and the lower leading vertex 6 of the outer edge 11. Similarly, the height of a contour line in any radial position of the leading surface 12 refers to the axial height between the upper leading vertex and the lower leading vertex of the contour line. The axial height of a contour line in any radial position of the leading surface 12 is the same, and the axial height is the height (represented by h) of the leading surface 12.

(15) The shape and dimensional features of the leading surface 12 are as described above and represent the shape and dimensional features of the blade 14. The blade 14 is obtained by increasing the thickness of the leading surface 12 toward the external side of the concave surface.

(16) As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, and FIG. 6, the impeller 17 is provided with six blades 14 mounted on the disc 15. The number of the blades may be 3 to 10, and is preferably 6. The blades 14 are uniformly distributed on the periphery of the disc 15, and the trailing edges 7 are fixed to the disc 15, that is, the blades 14 are partially embedded into the disc 15 to ensure mechanical strength thereof. The ratio of the diameter (represented by d.sub.3) of the disc 15 to the diameter (represented by D) of the impeller 17 is preferably in a range of 0.5 to 0.8, and is optimally 0.68.

(17) The ratio of the axial height of the leading surface 12 to the diameter D of the impeller 17 is preferably in a range of 0.1 to 0.35, and is optimally 0.2.

(18) As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, the ratio of the length (represented by L) of the leading surface 12 to the diameter D of the impeller 17 is preferably in a range of 0.15 to 0.4, and is optimally 0.3.

(19) The disc 15 may be configured as other shapes, such as hollow-out strip-shaped. The thickness of the disc 15 is smaller than the radius thereof.

(20) The impeller 17 is connected to the agitating shaft 18 by the hub 16, and the hub 16 is provided such that the impeller 17 is firmly connected to the agitating shaft 18.

(21) As shown in FIG. 6, the hub 16 is within the range of the inner side of the blades 14, and the diameter (represented by d.sub.1) of the agitating shaft 18 is smaller than the diameter (represented by d.sub.2) of the hub 16. The diameters of the agitating shaft 18 and the hub 16 should be designed as small as possible while sufficient mechanical strength of the agitating shaft 18 and the hub 16 is maintained, such that the performance and the overall flow field of the impeller 17 is not influenced.

(22) The hub 16 and the disc 15 are configured as a detachable split-type or a closed-type, selected according to different working conditions.

(23) The power device 19 includes a motor and a speed reducer (not shown in detail), so that the impeller 17 obtains rotating power. The impeller 17 preferably rotates in the horizontal direction to keep balance.

(24) As shown in FIG. 1, the impeller 17 is applied in a reactor 26 filled with a certain amount of a fluid 25, the fluid 25 may be a liquid, a mixture of several liquids, suspended particles or the like, and the shape of the reactor 26 may be cuboid, cylindrical or the like, and is preferably a cylindrical container having an elliptical head. Baffle plates 22 are generally additionally provided in the reactor 26 to prevent or reduce the generation of vortexes during rotation.

(25) The ratio of the diameter D of the impeller 17 to the diameter (represented by T, not shown) of the reactor 26 is preferably in a range of 0.25 to 0.6, and is optimally 0.4.

(26) The impeller 17 is preferably mounted near the bottom of the reactor 26, and may be used separately or used in combination with other radial flow or axial flow impellers to form an agitating system for use. The hub 16 and the agitating shaft 18 are connected by fastening screws, tightening bolts or flat keys, and the impeller 17 rotates with the agitating shaft 18. In use, the impeller 17 should be immersed in the fluid 25 in the reactor 26, that is, the liquid level 24 is higher than the impeller 17.

(27) A gas sparger 21 is necessarily mounted below the impeller 17 for introducing bubbles 23 into the fluid 25.

(28) As shown in FIG. 1, the gas sparger 21 is a ventilation ring. The gas sparger 21 may also be one or several ventilation pipes, metallic sintered mesh or of other types, and the ventilation direction of the gas sparger 24 may be upward or downward. The ventilation ring with upward ventilation direction is more common.

(29) The agitating device 20 is made of stainless steel or other high-strength and corrosion-resistant materials such as carbon steel and high-strength plastics.

(30) The specific operation of the agitating device 20 is as follows: the gas sparger 21 blows bubbles 23 into the fluid 25 in the reactor 26, the bubbles 23 rise due to its' lower density, the power device 19 provides power to enable the agitating shaft 18 and the impeller 17 to rotate in the horizontal direction at a certain rotation speed, the rotating blades 14 capture the rising bubbles 23 such that the rising bubbles 23 move radially along with the surrounding fluid 25, and the bubbles 23 are broken due to shearing action in the movement and thus are dispersed in the fluid 25. Two circulation flow patterns are formed above and below the impeller 17, and the purposes of gas-liquid dispersion and mixing are achieved by the release of the bubbles 23 in the gas sparger 21 and rotation of the impeller 17.

(31) The above form of the device is a preferred example of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereby, and modifications are allowed to be made within a certain scope.

(32) The above description is only preferred embodiments of the present invention and not intended to limit the present invention, it should be noted that those of ordinary skill in the art can further make various modifications and variations without departing from the technical principles of the present invention, and these modifications and variations also should be considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.