Fabric care compositions
The present invention is directed to fluid fabric enhancing compositions and processes of making and using same. Such fluid fabric enhancing compositions have a desirable fabric enhancer active efficiency that is, at least in part, due to the particle index of such fluid fabric enhancing compositions. Certain chemical processing and physical processing methods are not required to produce such compositions.
1. A process of making a fluid composition comprising:
combining a plurality of fluids in an apparatus, said apparatus comprising: one or more inlets ( 1 A) and one or more inlets ( 1 B), said one or more inlets ( 1 A) and said one or more inlets ( 1 B) being in fluid communication with one or more suitable liquid transporting devices; a pre-mixing chamber ( 2 ), the pre-mixing chamber ( 2 ) having an upstream end ( 3 ) and a downstream end ( 4 ), the upstream end ( 3 ) of the pre-mixing chamber ( 2 ) being in liquid communication with said one or more inlets ( 1 A) and said one or more inlets ( 1 B); an orifice component ( 5 ), the orifice component ( 5 ) having an upstream end ( 6 ) and a downstream end ( 7 ), the upstream end of the orifice component ( 6 ) being in liquid communication with the downstream end ( 4 ) of the pre-mixing chamber ( 2 ), wherein the orifice component ( 5 ) is configured to spray liquid in a jet and produce shear, turbulence and/or cavitation in the liquid; a secondary mixing chamber ( 8 ), the secondary mixing chamber ( 8 ) being in liquid communication with the downstream end ( 7 ) of the orifice component ( 5 ); at least one outlet ( 9 ) in liquid communication with the secondary mixing chamber ( 8 ) for discharge of liquid following the production of shear, turbulence and/or cavitation in the liquid, the at least one outlet ( 9 ) being located at the downstream end of the secondary mixing chamber ( 8 ); the orifice component ( 5 ) comprising at least two orifice units, ( 10 ) and ( 11 ) arranged in series to one another and each orifice unit comprises an orifice plate ( 12 ) comprising at least one orifice ( 13 ), an orifice chamber ( 14 ) located upstream from the orifice plate ( 12 ) and in liquid communication with the orifice plate ( 12 ); and wherein neighboring orifice plates are distinct from each other;
wherein said combining is achieved by applying a force from about 0.1 bar to about 50 bar to said plurality of fluids, said force being applied by said transportation devices
transporting said plurality of fluids to a second apparatus, and via said second apparatus, applying a shearing energy of from about 10 g/cm s 2 to about 1,000,000 g/cm s 2 for a residence time from about 0.1 seconds to about 10 minutes to said combined plurality of fluids;
optionally, heating individual and/or combined fluids from inlets 1 A and/or 1 B before, during or after shearing step, to temperatures from about 15° C. to about 95° C.;
optionally cooling said combined plurality of fluids, during and/or after said shearing step, to temperatures from about 5° C. to about 45° C.;
optionally, adding a electrolyte;
optionally, adding in one or more adjunct ingredients to said plurality of fluids and/or combined plurality of fluids; and
optionally, recycling said combined plurality of fluids through one or more portions of said process.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein the orifice plates are aligned axially, with the center of each plate offset from the centerline by no more than 25% of the pipe diameter.
3. The process of claim 1 wherein the process comprises adding in one or more adjunct ingredients useful for fabric conditioning.