Device for continuous degassing of mixes

Claim 1

An apparatus for continuous degassing of a mix of liquid and solids, such as polymer binding agents and filler materials and/or fibers, said apparatus comprising an inlet housing, open to the atmosphere, a vacuum chamber adjustable to regulate the low pressure therein, and a unitary multi-zoned screw conveyor which provides a first conveying zone between said inlet housing and said vacuum chamber, wherein the mix is metered out of the area of the inlet housing and a vacuum seal is provided on the upstream side of said vacuum chamber by said mix residing in said inlet housing and in said first conveying zone; said screw conveyor also comprising a second conveying zone in said vacuum chamber for allowing said mix to remain in said vacuum section for a period of time sufficient for it to be degassed due to the low pressure in the vacuum chamber, said second zone also including means for conveying the resulting degassed mix out of the vacuum chamber; said multi-zoned screw conveyor also including a third conveying zone down stream of said vacuum chamber for transporting the resulting degassed mix to a discharge port for discharge of the degassed mix into the atmosphere wherein a vacuum seal is provided on the down-stream side of said vacuum chamber by said mix residing in said third conveying zone; said inlet housing, multi-zoned screw conveyor, and said vacuum chamber being joined together to provide a hermetically sealed path of travel for said mix; and said multi-zone screw conveyor providing metering, compression, decompression, and compression zones, in sequence, which zones are formed by respective differences in pitch of flights, and/or by respective differences in diameter of the screw core.

Claim 2

An apparatus for continuous degassing of a mix of liquid and solids, such as polymer binding agents and filler materials and/or fibers, said apparatus comprising an inlet housing, open to the atmosphere, a vacuum chamber adjustable to regulate the low pressure therein, and a unitary multi-zoned screw conveyor which provides a first conveying zone between said inlet housing and said vacuum chamber, wherein the mix is metered out of the area of the inlet housing and a vacuum seal is provided on the upstream side of said vacuum chamber by said mix residing in said inlet housing and in said first conveying zone; said screw conveyor also comprising a second conveying zone in said vacuum chamber for allowing said mix to remain in said vacuum section for a period of time sufficient for it to be degassed due to the low pressure in the vacuum chamber, said second zone also including means for conveying the resulting degassed mix out of the vacuum chamber; said multi-zoned screw conveyor also including a third conveying zone down stream of said vacuum chamber for transporting the resulting degassed mix to a discharge port for discharge of the degassed mix into the atmosphere wherein a vacuum seal is provided on the down-stream side of said vacuum chamber by said mix residing in said third conveying zone; said inlet housing, multi-zoned screw conveyor, and said vacuum chamber being joined together to provide a hermetically sealed path of travel for said mix; and said multi-zone screw conveyor providing metering, compression, decompression, and compression zones, in sequence, which zones are formed by respective differences in pitch of flights, and/or by respective differences in diameter of the screw core.

Claim 9

An apparatus for continuous degassing of a mix of liquids and solids, such as polymer binding agents and filler materials and/or fibers said apparatus comprising an inlet housing and a conveyor together constituting a metered mix-feeding zone; said mix-feeding zone including means for conveying said mix to a following vacuum chamber, said conveyor including a treatment zone in said vacuum chamber including means for providing sufficient residence time for said mix in said vacuum chamber to be substantially degassed due to the low pressure in the vacuum chamber, said vacuum chamber having a mix-inlet side and a mix-outlet side, wherein at the mix-outlet side, the vacuum chamber is combined in a gas-tight connection with the conveyor which is gas-tight towards the outside in the down-stream direction when said conveyor contains mix, and wherein said vacuum chamber is combined with the conveyor at the inlet side in gas tight connection, and said conveyor is connected to said inlet housing in gas tight connection towards the outside in the upstream direction, both cooperating to provide a vacuum seal for the vacuum chamber when the conveyor in said mix-feeding zone and said inlet housing contains said mix.

Claim 10

An apparatus for continuous degassing of a mix of liquids and solids, such as polymer binding agents and filler materials and/or fibers said apparatus comprising an inlet housing and a conveyor together constituting a metered mix-feeding zone; said mix-feeding zone including means for conveying said mix to a following vacuum chamber, said conveyor including a treatment zone in said vacuum chamber including means for providing sufficient residence time for said mix in said vacuum chamber to be substantially degassed due to the low pressure in the vacuum chamber, said vacuum chamber having a mix-inlet side and a mix-outlet side, wherein at the mix-outlet side, the vacuum chamber is combined in a gas-tight connection with the conveyor which is gas-tight towards the outside in the down-stream direction when said conveyor contains mix, and wherein said vacuum chamber is combined with the conveyor at the inlet side in gas tight connection, and said conveyor is connected to said inlet housing in gas tight connection towards the outside in the upstream direction, both cooperating to provide a vacuum seal for the vacuum chamber when the conveyor in said mix-feeding zone and said inlet housing contains said mix.