Ricardo Schneeberger

Title: Ricardo Schneeberger and Seed-Crystal Production

Introduction

Ricardo Schneeberger is an inventor associated with Aesch, Switzerland, and Ciba-Geigy Corporation. His patent work includes an apparatus designed to produce seed crystals in melts, supporting the controlled crystallization of materials into granules.

Latest Patents

Schneeberger is credited with 1 patent, titled “Apparatus for Producing Seed Crystals.” The invention describes a vertically oriented, closed vessel with an inlet for melt and an outlet for melt inoculated with seed crystals. A section of the vessel wall serves as a cooling surface, while a motor-driven shaft rotates a scraping unit inside the vessel. Scraping arms and blades sweep along the inner wall near the cooling surface, removing crystals as they form. The scraping unit can also be heated.

The patent describes using the apparatus in a crystallization plant that includes a melt supply container and a prill tower. In the tower, the inoculated melt is sprayed or introduced as droplets into a cooled gas stream. The droplets crystallize as they fall, and the resulting granules are collected at the tower’s base.

Career Highlights

Schneeberger’s documented patent contribution focuses on equipment for producing seed crystals and integrating that process into granule manufacturing. The described system combines controlled cooling and mechanical scraping to prepare crystal-bearing melt for further processing.

Collaborations

Hans Horisberger and Rudolf Buttiker are identified as Schneeberger’s coworkers. The available information does not specify their roles in developing the patent.

Conclusion

Ricardo Schneeberger’s patent describes a specialized approach to producing seed crystals and using them in a crystallization process that forms granules.