Emulsifying milling machine and process for emulsifying

Abstract

A mill for emulsifying immiscible fluids comprises a mill body having a cylindrical cavity extending therewithin, a fluid inlet at one end of the cavity and a fluid outlet near the other end, both in fluid communication with the cavity. The mill further comprises a stator having a first stator surface, and a rotor assembly having a rotor mounted on a shaft for rotation in the cavity, where the rotor has a first milling surface which faces the first stator surface. Between the first stator surface and the first milling surface is a first fluid milling space. The stator includes at least one annular row of stator projections extending from the first stator surface into the first fluid milling space, and the rotor includes at least one annular row of rotor projections extending from the first milling surface into the first fluid milling space. The annular rows of rotor projections are concentrically adjacent to the annular rows of stator projections within the first fluid milling space. The fluid inlet delivers the hydrophobic and hydrophilic fluids to the first fluid milling space, such that, upon rotating the rotor assembly, the fluids are pumped from the fluid inlet into the first fluid milling space where they are emulsified, and are then pumped from the first fluid milling space to the fluid outlet. The mill thus utilizes a single pass continuous feed process to produce fluid emulsions of a substantially uniform particle size.