Method and apparatus for mixing a high-viscosity material into a gas

Abstract

A piston pump has a piston and cylinder. A gas is supplied into the cylinder during and/or after a suction stroke of the piston pump, and a high-viscosity material is supplied into the cylinder after the suction stroke. A discharge stroke of the piston pump is effected after completion of supply of the high-viscosity material to thereby discharge the gas and high-viscosity material into a pipe. Use is made of piston pumps 45 A and 45 B, each including a cylinder and a piston which reciprocally moves within the cylinder to effect the suction stroke and discharge stroke, and a membrane gas generator 10 to which compressed air is supplied to generate a gas. A low-pressure gas generated by the membrane gas generator 10 is supplied into each piston pump and the high-viscosity material is introduced into the gas.

1 . An apparatus for foaming a viscous material comprising: 
 (a) a pump;    (b) a first device adapted to introduce gas into the pump under a first pressure;    (c) a second device operable to introduce viscous material into the pump under a second pressure after finishing introduction of the gas to form a mixture of gas and viscous material, the second pressure being higher than the first pressure;    (d) a tubular conduit adapted to disperse the gas into the viscous material by passing the material through the tubular conduit; and    (e) a discharge device adapted to discharge the mixture of gas and viscous material to form a foam;    (f) wherein the first pressure is 0.1 to 5 kg/cm 2  and the second pressure is 100 to 300 kg/cm 2 .    
   
   
       2 . The apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the pump is a piston pump.  
   
   
       3 . An apparatus for providing a high-viscosity, foamed material, comprising: 
 piston pump;    a gas supplying device operable to supply gas to said piston pump at a first pressure;    a high-viscosity material supplying device operable to supply a high-viscosity material into said piston pump at a second pressure after finishing the supply of the gas to the piston pump, said second pressure being greater than said first pressure;    a gas mixing device for mixing the gas and the high-viscosity material to produce a mixture; and    a discharge device for discharging the mixture to provide a high-viscosity, foamed material;    wherein the first pressure is 0.1 to 5 kg/cm 2  and the second pressure is 100 to 300 kg/cm 2 .    
   
   
       4 . The apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein said gas supplying device and said high-viscosity material supplying device comprise valves controlling the supply of gas and high-viscosity material to said piston pump.  
   
   
       5 . The apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the high-viscosity material supplying device is operable to supply the high-viscosity material into said piston pump at the second pressure when a period of time has passed after finishing the supply of the gas to the piston pump.