The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Nov. 09, 1976
Filed:
Oct. 10, 1974
Wendell Gaylon Whitehouse, Pittsfield, MA (US);
General Electric Company, Pittsfield, MA (US);
Abstract
This disclosure is for a solvent flashing process for recovering polymer from dilute solution in discrete, uniform granules substantially free of solvent. The process comprises pressurizing a dilute solution of a polymer dissolved in a solvent, preferably at an elevated temperature, spraying the solution through a first fluid atomizing outlet of a two fluid nozzle, and forcing a hot gas through at least one outlet port of the two fluid nozzle directed so as to intersect with the polymer solution emerging from the nozzle. The solution is atomized into fine droplets from which the bulk of the solvent flashes by both passage through the atomizing nozzle and by a shearing of the solution by the hot gas leaving finely divided granules of polymer which are collected in water. The process is characterized by the use of the two fluid nozzle and by the passage of the hot gas through the nozzle which causes further atomizing of the polymer solution with more efficient heat transfer from the gas to the polymer solution. In a preferred embodiment of this invention, the nozzle is maintained below the surface of the water, the polymer solution is a polyphenylene ether solution, preferably a poly-(2,6-diphenyl-1,4-phenylene) ether in benzene, and the hot gas is steam.