Radial mixing devices for rotating inclined reactors
Disclosed in this specification is the design for an internal mixing device which increases the plug flow like behaviour of the rotating inclined reactor.
1. An inclined cylindrical rotating reactor comprising an axis of rotation, granules of material treated within the reactor, a granules of material flow regime, at least one mixing device and an inert purge gas,
wherein at least one mixing device has holes to introduce the inert purge gas into the reactor,
wherein the axis of rotation is central and not parallel to the horizontal line perpendicular to the force of gravity,
the granules of material flow regime is characterized by a Froude Number Fr =(ω 2 ×R/g)
comprised in the range of 1×10 −4 to 0.5 ;
where ωis the angular velocity of the reactor;
R is the internal radius of the reactor and g is the gravity of acceleration =9.806 m/s;
and the at least one mixing device has a height, width, and an equivalent length defined as the distance between the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation that contains the point where the mixing device first protrudes from the reactor wall and the plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation that contains the point where the mixing device stops protruding from the wall and the equivalent length of the mixing device is selected from the group consisting of equivalent lengths less than 1/10th the length of the reactor, so as the granules of the material treated within the reactor pass through the reactor due to the force of gravity as well as the reactor rotation with a plug flow like behavior.
2. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein there is at least one mixing device whose equivalent length is less than 1/20th the length of the horizontal reactor.
3. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein there are at least two mixing devices and the at least two mixing devices have holes to introduce the inert purge gas into reactor.
4. The reactor of claim 3 , wherein the at least two mixing devices are connected in a manner so that the inert purge gas can pass from the first mixing device to the second mixing device through a connector.
5. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein there is at least one mixing device, whose equivalent length coincides with the physical length and is less than 1/20 th the length of the reactor.
6. The reactor of claim 3 , wherein there is at least one mixing device, whose equivalent length coincides with the physical length and is less than 1/20 th the length of the reactor.
7. The reactor of claim 1 , wherein the axis of rotation is inclined in respect of the horizontal line perpendicular to the force of gravity of an angle comprised in the range 0.1°-12°.
8. The reactor of claim 3 , wherein the axis of rotation is inclined in respect of the horizontal line perpendicular to the force of gravity of an angle comprised in the range 0.1°-12°.
9. The reactor of claim 4 , wherein the axis of rotation is inclined in respect of the horizontal line perpendicular to the force of gravity of an angle comprised in the range 0.1°-12°.