Apparatus for two phase conveyance of a product

Abstract

An apparatus is disclosed for extruding gelled product by conveying a liquid mixture of chemically reacting components into and through a conveyance channel wherein the components chemically react to form a gel while being conveyed through the conveyance channel. The conveyance channel includes internal surfaces that form flow surfaces for conveyance of the product through the channel. The conveyance channel further includes a fluid flow path communicating with the internal surfaces so as to continuously apply a film of fluid over the internal surfaces as the liquid mixture is conveyed through the channel so that the liquid mixture is conveyed as a first phase within the channel surrounded by the film acting as a second phase to separate the first phase from the internal surfaces. The apparatus includes a mixer for mixing the chemically reacting components to form the mixture, which is conveyed under a pressure sufficient to force the mixture into and through the conveyance channel so that, together with the film acting as a second phase, the gelled product is extruded from the conveyance channel without encountering degrading shear forces that cause loss of integrity of the gelled product. The dimensions of the conveyance channel are fixed and the pressure is sufficiently high such that no substantial gel formation occurs until the mixture flows into the conveyance channel.