Thin-film processing apparatus and method
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 587,995, filed June 18, 1975, now abandoned. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     In a wiped or turbulent thin-film processing apparatus, particularly with vertically axised evaporators, it is particularly difficult to obtain good thin-film agitation on the interior wall surface as the amount of fluid processed through the apparatus from the feed inlet to the product outlet ends decreases in the thin film by evaporation. There have been attempts to overcome this difficulty and to control the flow and/or residence time of the fluid material in both horizontally and vertically axised thin-film evaporators. With liquid materials, for example, of low viscosity, it is often desirable to obtain a longer flow path or longer residence time, while for materials of higher viscosity, typically a shorter flow path or shorter residence time is required. Control of flow time and residence time in thin-film evaporators has been attempted through modifications of the rotary blades in the evaporators, such as, for example, by the use of a tapered thin-film evaporator as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 2,927,634 or by employing wedges on rotary blades as set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,600. 
     In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,477, issued Dec. 12, 1967, describes a rotary thin-film-type liquid evaporator which employs helical rotor blades to control the flow path and residence time of a material being processed through the evaporator. In one embodiment, the rotor blades are twisted throughout their entire length in order to control the flow and residence time. As set forth in the patent, the degree of offset or the extent of the helical twist of the blades employed is critical, since the degree of offset cannot be so large that the vector forces developed prevent the processing of material or cause process material to remain in the evaporator for too long a time period, resulting in thermo-degradation of the material. In this patent, rotor blades with helical turns of 180° or more have been found to be unsatisfactory for control purposes, since the back force created by such large extent of blade offset is so great that it becomes extremely difficult or impossible to process material through the evaporator. Typically then where the blade is helically twisted over the entire length, the extent of the helical twist is not more than about 1/2 to 30° of twist per linear foot of blade length. This patent does not discuss and is not directed to the problems associated with the diminution of the film thickness as the film decreases in thickness from the feed to the product end on the interior wall of the evaporator. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     My invention relates to new and unique thin-film processing apparatus and method, and in particular, my invention is directed toward a rotary wiped thin-film-type liquid evaporator having helical rotor blades, the pitch of such blades continuously varying from the feed inlet to the product outlet ends of the evaporator, so as to permit, particularly in vertical evaporator units, good agitation on the wall surface of the evaporator as the amount of material in thin-film form processed decreases due to evaporation as the film progresses from the feed to the product outlet. 
     I have found that, with prior art helical blade-type evaporators, such evaporators, particularly when employed in a vertical position, flood at the feed inlet end durng high liquid-loading conditions. Further, I have also found that the straight-bladed-designed evaporators, with wedges at the blade end projecting out little beyond the blade ends themselves, are not wholly satisfactory when the liquid film on the wall surface becomes very thin; that is, as the liquid film being processed approaches the product outlet end of the evaporator. 
     My invention permits the processing of materials through a thin-film evaporator with good agitation on the wall surface of the evaporator, even though the thin film varies in thickness as it progresses from the feed to the product outlet. More particularly, my invention permits the employment of helical rotary blades in a rotary-type evaporator, which blades may have a helical twist per linear foot of blade length which can exceed the limitations set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,357,477, and is an improvement on the apparatus and method therein. My invention will be described in particular in connection with a vertical-axised, cylindrical, rotary, thin-film evaporator; however, it is recognized and is within the spirit and scope of my invention that my invention is equally applicable to tapered-type evaporators, as well a horizontally axised evaporators of both the cocurrent and countercurrent type. 
     My invention thus concerns a thin-film rotary-type evaporator, the evaporator containing helically twisted blades in which there is a continuous varying pitch of the blades, starting with no or little pitch at the feed inlet end of the evaporator, and with a continuous increasing pitch as desired as the blade approaches the product outlet of the evaporator. The continuous varying increase in pitch of the blades is increased in relationship to the decrease in the thin-film fluid being processed in the evaporator, with the maximum pitch occurring at or about the product discharge outlet. 
     In the embodiment described, the rotation of the rotor blades of the evaporator is in the direction of providing a hold back for increasing the residence time of the material as it progresses through the evaporator. However, if desired, the pitch can be reversed or rotation of the rotor reversed. The selection of the particular continuing and varying pitch of the helical blade, the direction of rotation and the direction of the pitch will, of course, depend upon the material being processed, the desired flow and residence time and other factors. Typically and preferably, the total helical twist or pitch of the rotor blades from the feed inlet to the product outlet ranges from about 90° to 180°, may be more or less as desired; that is, the continuous varying of the pitch of the helical blade may vary from the feed to the product outlet from 0° to 180°. By varying continuously the pitch, rather than having a constant or uniform pitch or twist, the rotor blade is permitted to be twisted more than the critical helical twist limitations imposed in the prior art, with the result that flooding at the feed inlet end by the material is prevented with good agitation of the thin film on the interior wall of the surface of revolution from the feed inlet to the product outlet, even though the film thickness varies or decreases as you approach the product outlet. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     FIG. 1 is a schematic, longitudinal section through a cylindrical rotary-wiped thin-film evaporator of my invention. 
     FIG. 2 is a sectional end view taken along the lines 2--2 of FIG. 1. 
     FIG. 3 is a representative end view showing a single helical blade on the rotor, with the varying degrees of continuous pitch expressed in angles about the blade. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS 
     With reference to the drawings where there is illustrated one embodiment of my invention, there is shown a vertically axised wiped thin-film rotary countercurrent evaporator 10 which comprises a closed, cylindrical processing chamber 12 having an interior wall 14 surrounded by a greater part of its length by a temperature-control jacket 16 adapted for the introduction of a heat-exchange fluid, such as steam, cold water or the like. The chamber 12 is characterized by a feed inlet 18 and a product outlet 20 spaced apart from and at the opposite end thereof and a vapor outlet 24, which vapor outlet extends from a vapor chamber 22 which is adjacent the feed inlet end of the evaporator. A condenser and a vacuum means (not shown) may be placed in communication with the vapor outlet 24 to permit condensation of the vapor and operation of the evaporator under subatmospheric conditions. The evaporator described is a countercurrent evaporator; however, my invention is equally applicable with concurrent evaporators wherein the vapor chamber may be placed at the product oulet end of the evaporator. At each end are closing heads 26 and 28 which support a centrally axised tube-like rotor 30, which rotor extends from the one to the other end of the chamber 12 and through the vapor chamber 22. The rotor 30 is driven by a motor, such as a reversible motor, or other means (not shown) which may be placed at either end. The rotor generally extends outwardly from each end of the closing heads. Rotor 30 extends through suitable bearings and seals and the seal packing at each end of the evaporator. The rotor 30 is typically mounted for axial displacement; that is, it is adjusted by any desired or convenient means and may include a series of grooves of threads which locate the position of the rotor 30 with respect to the end rotor blades. 
     Extending axially outwardly from the rotor shaft 30 is a plurality of radial rotor blades 32 which are nonsymmetrically and smoothly twisted to extend radially from the one to the other end of the chamber between the feed inlet 18 and the product outlet 20. The radial edges of the helically twisted varying pitch blades are smooth and extend into a small but generally uniform, closely spaced, thin-film relationship with respect to the interior wall 14 of the chamber 12, so that, upon rotation of the rotor shaft 30, the rotor blades 32 provide a thin, wiped or turbulent film of the processing material on the interior walls 14 of the chamber 12. The direction of rotation as illustrated is such as to impart a vector force back toward the feed inlet 18 in order to provide for increasing the residence time of the material being processed through the evaporator 10. 
     As illustrated, the rotor blades 32 are characterized by a continuous nonsymmetrical, helical, axial pitch or twist along the rotor blades 32 from one to the other end; i.e., between the feed inlet 18 and the product outlet 20. A short section of each of the rotor blades through the longitudinal axis are aligned with the rotor at the feed inlet end and at the product outlet 20 end at 180° from the position of the blades at the feed inlet 18. Optionally, the rotor blades 32 have a notched opening 34 in the rotor blades adjacent and extending across the width of the feed inlet 18 which permits material to be fed into the evaporator to be placed rapidly in thin-film form on the interior wall, and makes entry of the material into the processing chamber easier. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 3, the rotor blades continually vary in pitch or helical twist of the blades for a total of 180 °, with approximately 90 ° of the pitch of the rotor blades occurring at the half-way point of the processing chamber. The degree of pitch progressively and rapidly increases from the feed inlet 18 to the product outlet 20 shown more particularly in FIG. 3. If desired, the rotor blade pitch may be mathematically relationed and designed to a relationship with the varying degree of material film thickness within the processing chamber. 
     As illustrated in FIG. 3, the rotor blades have a continually varying pitch, starting with almost no pitch at all at the feed inlet 16 to 180° change in position and no pitch at all at the product outlet 18. This particular rotor design may be applied to both vertical and horizontal evaporators, and there are varying combinations with pitch and continuations of pitch which may be utilized for specific problems involved in processing specific materials. 
     In operation, a liquid, such as a low-viscosity liquid, to be processed is introduced into the feed inlet 18 by pump or gravity. The evaporator may operate under supra or subatmospheric conditions. The liquid material is permitted to move downwardly and is formed into a thin-film form onto the interior wall 16 of the chamber 18 by the rotating rotor blades 32, and a relatively nonvolatile product material with increased viscosity or powder or slurry is withdrawn from the product outlet 20, and the vaporized volatile material is withdrawn from the vapor chamber through vapor outlet 24. A heat-exchange fluid, such as steam, is introduced into the temperature-control jacket 16 so that the thin film on the interior wall is placed in a heat-exchange relationship to effect evaporation of the relatively volatile component of the feed material as the material progresses through the evaporator. The helical rotor blades with continually varying pitch rotating as illustrated exert a backward directional force on the material, and due to the varying pitch, provide for a greater force and turbulence as the thin film on the wall decreases in thickness as it approaches the product outlet. My helical blades with a continually varying pitch provide for excellent agitation of the thin film on the wall throughout the entire length of the processing chamber. 
     My invention has been described in particular in connection with a particular evaporator; however, my continually varying pitch with helical rotor blades may be usefully employed in a wide variety and types of thin-film evaporators.