US 11,731,142 B2
Methods of jet milling and systems
Richard Troiano, Hyde Park, PA (US); Cliff Raleigh, Hyde Park, PA (US); and Jeffrey Badac, Hyde Park, PA (US)
Assigned to Qwave Solutions, Inc., Hyde Park, PA (US)
Appl. No. 17/421,990
Filed by CTL Energy, Inc., Hyde Park, PA (US)
PCT Filed Jan. 7, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/012522
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jul. 9, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/146337, PCT Pub. Date Jul. 16, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/790,297, filed on Jan. 9, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0111397 A1, Apr. 14, 2022
Int. Cl. B02C 19/06 (2006.01); B02C 23/22 (2006.01); B02C 21/00 (2006.01)
CPC B02C 23/22 (2013.01) [B02C 19/06 (2013.01); B02C 19/061 (2013.01); B02C 19/068 (2013.01); B02C 21/00 (2013.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of grinding one or more substances, the method comprising:
disposing in a grinding chamber of a jet mill a first stream comprising (i) a circulating fluid and (ii) particles of a material to produce a second stream comprising (a) the circulating fluid and (b) a ground material, wherein the jet mill is pressurized by the circulating fluid;
forwarding the second stream to a cyclone separator, wherein the cyclone separator is configured to separate a first portion of the ground material from a second portion of the ground material, wherein the first portion of the ground material includes particles having a particle size equal to or greater than a threshold particle size, and the second portion of the material includes particles having a particle size less than the threshold particle size;
collecting the first portion of the ground material in a first collector;
forwarding to a second collector a third stream comprising (1) the circulating fluid and (2) the second portion of the ground material, wherein the second collector is configured to separate the second portion of the ground material from the third stream to produce a fourth stream comprising the circulating fluid; and
contacting the fourth stream with additional particles of the material to produce a fifth stream;
wherein the jet mill comprises the grinding chamber; a manifold comprising at least one first fluid inlet, wherein the manifold encircles the grinding chamber; and a feed tube assembly comprising a hollow body having (A) a second fluid inlet and (B) a material inlet;
wherein the grinding chamber is in fluid communication with the manifold and the hollow body of the feed tube assembly;
wherein the disposing of the first stream in the grinding chamber of the jet mill comprises—
disposing the particles of the material in the material inlet of the feed tube assembly, and
disposing the circulating fluid in the grinding chamber and the feed tube assembly via the at least one first fluid inlet and the second fluid inlet, respectively.