US 12,296,306 B2
Method and installation for homogenizing a shear thinning fluid contained in a cylindrical tank
Robert Sebastian Gärtner, Buizingen (BE); Guillaume Criniere, Braine-l'Alleud (BE); David Lyons, Fort Worth, TX (US); Deborah Ballard, Fort Worth, TX (US); Mickey L. Dixon, Jr., Pasadena, TX (US); and Narahari N. Kramadhati, La Habra, CA (US)
Assigned to S.A. LHOIST RECHERCHE ET DEVELOPPEMENT, Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve (BE)
Appl. No. 17/625,027
Filed by S.A. LHOIST RECHERCHE ET DEVELOPPEMENT, Ottignies-Louvain-la-neuve (BE)
PCT Filed Jul. 10, 2020, PCT No. PCT/EP2020/069673
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 5, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/005242, PCT Pub. Date Jan. 14, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/872,498, filed on Jul. 10, 2019.
Claims priority of application No. 19186739 (EP), filed on Jul. 17, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0288543 A1, Sep. 15, 2022
Int. Cl. B01F 25/00 (2022.01); B01F 23/50 (2022.01); B01F 25/10 (2022.01); B01F 25/21 (2022.01); B01F 25/51 (2022.01)
CPC B01F 25/21 (2022.01) [B01F 23/511 (2022.01); B01F 23/59 (2022.01); B01F 25/104 (2022.01); B01F 25/51 (2022.01); B01F 2215/0431 (2013.01); B01F 2215/045 (2013.01)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for homogenizing a shear thinning fluid contained in a cylindrical tank by pumping said fluid via a return piping out of said tank and via an injection piping back into said tank, which tank has a central axis, a radius, an internal volume and a height up to which the tank can be filled with said fluid which is greater than twice the radius of the tank, which method comprises the steps of:
producing an upwardly directed jet of said fluid in said tank by means of one central nozzle provided on said injection piping and having one outlet opening for producing said jet, which outlet opening is directed upwards and passes through the central axis of the tank or is arranged at a distance from said central axis which is smaller than half said radius; and
creating a swirl movement of said fluid in a bottom portion of the tank by means of at least two off-centered nozzles provided on said injection piping and each having one outlet opening for producing said swirl movement, the outlet openings of the off-centered nozzles being positioned in two peripheral bottom locations within the tank,
wherein said fluid comprises milk of lime, milk of dolime and/or a suspension of alkaline earth metal carbonates.