Background of the invention The present invention generally relates to a barrel processor of the type which is suited for processing of molten polymer compositions and includes at least one de¬ gassing means, i. e. a device or "port" for removing steam or other gaseous components that accumulate within the barrel processor and are generated by the processed material upon heating, e.g. when processing a thermoplastic polymer composition which may in- elude additives, fillers and other components conventionally used in polymer composi¬ tions for extrusion, molding, coating, and other processing methods. Generally, degassing or "venting" techniques in the processing of polymer com¬ positions rely on the exposure of a melt to a pressure which is lower than ambient or atmospheric pressure (i.e. absolute pressures ranging between zero and any pressure be- low ambient). The need for degassing a viscous fluid, e.g. a polymer melt, may be due to residues of humidity or low boiling fractions, e.g. oligomers in the processed mate¬ rial, and the fact that such gasses should be eliminated, either to avoid polymer degrada¬ tion or simply to optimize the extrudate quality.

Prior Art It is known in the art that the efficiency of the degassing method depends on sev¬ eral parameters, such as diffusion rates, the extent of the gas/melt interface, the pressure differential, thickness of the melt, etc. Conventionally, barrel processors designed for degassing include at least one de- gassing means or port, generally an opening for connecting the cavity of the processor with a source of reduced pressure, e.g. a pump or other suction device for removing gaseous components that are formed in the cavity, e.g. water vapor or gaseous decom¬ position products generated from the processed material or its components. Examples of advanced prior art ports suitable, inter alia, for degassing are disclosed in EP 0 907 492 and EP 1 419 041. More conventional devices are those of the type disclosed, for exam¬ ple, in US 4 722 680. Typically, degassing or venting (these terms being used interchangeably herein) of a barrel processor is achieved along a melt conveying section but in a melt-sealed zone where the filling factor of the screw channel Φ has been designed such as to be smaller than unity when in operation. When the filling factor Φ is equal to unity, the screw channel is completely filled with molten material, and no significant degassing could be achieved there in lack of a significant interface between the melt and gas. In fact, when the filling factor approaches unity the interfacial area melt-gas approaches zero. Moreover, in this latter case melt would intrude into any venting aperture in the wall of the barrel and cause clogging of the aperture. However, even if the venting section has been designed so as to guarantee a fill¬ ing factor Φ « 1 throughout operation, it may happen that some molten material re- mains at or near the venting aperture and obstructs or prevents degassing, notably when it has a chance to accumulate. The factor Φ is defined herein as a factor dependent on the ratio of melt volume to the screw free volume in a given screw location, where the screw volume is the barrel cavity volume less the screw volume, and the melt volume is the volume occupied by the melt within the screw volume. When the melt volume equals the screw free volume, then Φ=l ; when the melt volume is less than the screw free volume, then Φ<1. For example, assuming that the free volume of a given screw over two turns (one turn corresponds to the helical path required to pass from the beginning of one pitch to the beginning to the subsequent pitch down the screw channel) is 100 cm3 and the melt volume is 100 cm3 too: In this case and in line with the above definition, the screw channel is "full" and Φ=l. However, if the free volume is 100 cm3 and the melt volume is only 25 cm3, then Φ=0.25 and the screw channel is relatively empty. The problems with cleaning the venting port (even if Φ«l) are due to a drag flow mechanism which becomes temporarily "blinded" during the short interval when melt passes in front of the venting aperture, and even more recent proposals, e.g. as dis¬ closed in US 6 302 572 or EP 822 055, have not fully resolved this problem in that even a small melt deposit may become a problem for the quality of the extrudate because melt particles tend to become degraded after a certain time as a consequence of ex¬ tended exposure to processing temperatures, and some drops of the melt may re-enter the extrusion melt stream if carried away, e.g. by a flank of the screw flight flank when passing in front of the venting port. Both of these effects may act in combination, and result in severe contamination of the melt and decreasing extrudate quality to the point of product rejection. Further, after a certain processing time even a very low rate of ac¬ cumulation may eventually clog and block the venting aperture and cause an avalanch- ing contamination effect or machine down-time for cleaning. The disadvantages of these effects have been recognized in the art but all previous attempts to avoid them (e.g. US 4,722,680) have not been sufficiently effective. Further, attempts to resolve the problem by a "ram" or piston- type device, - i.e. for reciprocating motion along an axis that intersects with the longitudinal axis of the screw and having a front face shaped in conformity with the inner wall of the elongated cavity , e.g. as dis¬ closed in US 3 078 512 as far back as 1960 - have not become generally accepted in the art and have not resolved the problem when in commercial operation even though seem¬ ingly providing a fail-safe solution. With this type of device, the front face of the piston forms part of the inner wall of the cavity as long as the piston is in the first position while providing an opening of the inner wall when the piston is in the second position for connecting the opening of the processor's wall by a passage with a source of reduced pressure. In other words, the front face of the piston can be contacted by the screw when in its first position so that a deposit formed on the piston's front face is removed upon rotation of the screw. It has been observed, however, that in actual practice deposits may still remain on the front face of the piston to the extent that the venting duct that is connected with a source of reduced pressure may become clogged with polymer material.

Objects and Summary of the Invention

Accordingly, it is a general object of the invention to provide for a barrel proces¬ sor which does not only provide for complete avoidance of clogging or residue forma¬ tion art or near the venting aperture but which additionally does so by means of a most simple design. This object is achieved according to the invention by means of a processor com- prising at least one screw rotatably arranged within an enclosure having an inner wall fitting the at least one screw in a portion, at least, of the enclosure; the processor com¬ prises a means for degassing the molten polymer by temporarily connecting the enclo¬ sure with a source of reduced pressure; the means for degassing comprises at least one piston for reciprocating movement within a chamber between a first (FP) and a second (SP) position; the piston has a front face shaped in conformity with the inner wall of the enclosure when in first position (FP) so that the front face of the piston forms a part of the inner wall and provides an opening of the inner wall when in second position (SP); the chamber provides a passage for connecting the opening of the wall with a degassing outlet when said piston is in second position (SP); the outlet of the chamber is con¬ nected with a source of reduced pressure; according to the invention the inlet of the chamber is provided with a valve for permitting an intermittent passing of a stream of gas across the front face of the piston when in or entering into second position (SP).

According to a second embodiment, the present invention provides for a method of degassing a molten polymer composition contained in a barrel processor comprising at least one screw rotatably arranged within an enclosure having an inner wall fitting said at least one screw in a portion, at least, of said enclosure; the processor is connected with at least one piston for reciprocating movement within a piston-receiving space be¬ tween a first and a second position therein; the at least one piston has a front face shaped in conformity with said inner wall of said enclosure in fitting portion thereof; the front face of the piston when in fitting first position forms part of the processor's inner wall and providing an opening of the processor's inner wall when in second position to connect the processor's wall and thereby the processor's interior with a source of re¬ duced pressure when in second position; at that time, a valve in an inlet of the piston- receiving space or chamber is opened to permit passage of a stream of pressurized gas (air or an inert gas) to pass across the front face of the piston and into the exit connected with the source of reduced pressure or vacuum.

Preferred Embodiments and Definitions

Typically, the piston includes a preferably cylindrical piston for back-and-forth movement within a piston-receiving chamber and a drive for causing alternating motion of the piston between a first, or closing, and the second, or venting, position. The front face of the piston is shaped so as to form an essentially continuous and smooth portion of the inner wall of the cavity without any significant interruption, i.e. be essentially "chink free" when in the first or closing position.. This implies both the best possible fit of the piston within the cylinder, in the area of the front face, at least, as well as preclusion of any rotation of the piston around its axis of motion. Preferably, the movement of the piston is controlled so that the piston alternates at a frequency of typi- cally between, about 10 and 100 cycles per minute. A piston cycle is the period of time that passes between a back-and-forth movement of the piston. According to a preferred embodiment, the piston is provided with a device, such as a "loading cell" or pressure sensor for signaling a pressure exerted by molten poly¬ mer composition on the piston's front face when in the first or closing position. Conven- tional control means can then be used to prevent that the front face of the piston is moved into the second or opening position when melt is accidentally being moved by the screw past the piston's front face. According to a further preferred embodiment, the processor is provided with at least two piston s operated alternately so that one piston's front face is in first or closed position when the other piston is in second or open position The term "processor" as used herein is intended to refer to any type of apparatus having an elongated cavity that holds at least one rotor capable of causing motion of a material through the cavity from an inlet end to an exit end thereof. To that effect, the rotor is provided in a portion, at least, of the length of the cavity with screw-type ele- ments fitting into the cavity. The rotor may include conveying or non-conveying helical portions upstream and/or downstream of the degassing device. However, at or near the degassing means, a conveying portion of the screw should be provided in a fitting arrangement, and the fill¬ ing factor φ should be less than unity to ascertain satisfactory operation. The term "fitting" is intended to refer to such fit that the peripheral flight ends of the screw have a clearance of typically from about 0.001 - 5 mm, preferably not more than about 1 mm. The term "polymer composition" as used herein is intended to refer to a generally thermoplastic composition of the type commonly processed by means of barrel proces- sors, typically of the extruder type having one or two screws for co-rotational or counter-rotational operation, or even more screws like, for a non limiting example, the planetary extruder or the ring extruder, which are well known in the extrusion art. The term "piston " as used herein is intended to refer to a device of the piston- and-cylinder type for reciprocal back and forth motion of the piston element under the impact of a drive which may be pneumatic, mechanical, hydraulic, electric, or magnetic, between two end positions. According to the invention, the piston has a closed front face shaped in confor¬ mity with the cavity wall so as to form a smooth, i.e. un-interrupted portion when in "closed" (i.e. non- venting) or "first" position. It is exposed to the action of the screw flights which - at least in the portion of the degassing means according to the invention - are "fitting" as explained above. Obviously, the piston element of the piston must not be allowed to rotate around its own displacement axis because even a small rotation would result in an incomplete closure of the cavity. If the front face of the piston would not match smoothly with the wall of the cavity — i.e. not form an essentially continuous surface with the latter as is the aim of the piston according to the invention when in first or closed position - re- cesses or niches for accumulation of molten polymer composition would be formed. In the area of the front face, clearance between piston and cylinder preferable is below about 0.1 mm, e.g. in the range from 0.001 - 0.01 mm or even lower. Depending on the screw speed, the screw flight should pass along the front face of the piston at least once within a cycle, i.e. between any two movements of the piston between first and second position. In practice, with typical screw speeds, e.g. in the or¬ der of 60 RPM = 1 RPS, and with realistic piston frequency values of 5 seconds per cy¬ cle, i.e. at a frequency of about 12 cycles per minute, at least five passages of a screw flight, per principle, over the front face of the piston will normally occur during each cycle. According to this example a two-principle screw will have at least 10 passages of a screw flight during 5 seconds. Preferably, flight clearance in the scraping area is small, i.e. is in line with the definition of "fitting" as defined above. The term "degassing outlet" (also sometimes referred to as "venting port") is in¬ tended to refer to a gas-passing connection between the cavity of the processor and an area of reduced pressure or vacuum, e.g. a pump, for receiving gas formed or contained within the cavity of the processor. The passage includes an outlet and is closed by the piston element when in its first position but is open when in its second position. When the piston is in second position, a valve provided at an inlet to the gas- passing connection, typically the piston-receiving cylinder, an operated by a controlled drive is opened and a stream of gas, e.g. air at ambient pressure or under elevated pres¬ sure, or an inert gas, such as nitrogen, helium, carbon dioxide etc. is passed across the front face of the piston and into the outlet. Preferably, the valve is operated at a fre¬ quency that is lower than the frequency of the piston cycles. A valve cycle is the time that passes between a closed position of the valve through one open position and until return of the valve into closed position. As will be apparent to those experienced in the art, the intensity of interaction be- tween the gas that is passed across the front face of the piston and any polymer residue adhering to that front face - also termed "gas scouring" herein - can be determined by the pressure differential between the gas inlet and the reduced pressure or vacuum at the exit side of the piston-receiving space or cylinder as well as by the shape of the valve's outlet near the piston. Optimum conditions may depend upon the type of polymer com- position that is being processed and other operating conditions, e.g. temperature and screw rotation speed but can be determined by a few simple tests for any given case. Generally, the valve is operated at a frequency which is lower than the frequency at which the piston is operated. Preferably, the frequency of the piston is at least 2 - 20 times higher than the frequency of the valve operation and both the drive of the piston as well as the drive of the valve are controlled by electronic means in a manner known per se in the art. The phrase "about" when used herein is intended to refer to a deviation of ± 50% of the value preceded by "about". Thus, the present invention provides a system to remove any melt at the de- gassing site or port of the barrel. By using either a high-frequency or short-cycle opera¬ tion of the piston or — preferably — by using at least two pistons s for alternating opera¬ tion the venting function can be made continuous in effect. Preferably, the axis of the path of piston operation intersects with the axis of the adjacent screw at an acute angle, preferably 90°, but intersection is not believed to be essential as a matter of principle but one of simplicity of structure. Generally, the position of a degassing device according to the invention along the length of the screw is dependent upon many process parameters but can be selected in accordance with well known requirements for conventional degassing devices. With the preferred arrangement of two piston s for alternating operation and the resulting con¬ tinuous degassing, the pistons of a pair are arranged opposite to each other. Also, the low pressure or "vacuum" conditions for degassing can be selected in accordance with the operation of conventional devices; e.g. operating at an absolute pressure of 20 to 10 mbar or less. It is well known to those experienced in the art that the achievable "vacuum" depends on the gas volume fraction to be removed as well as on the available vacuum pump. Especially when "high vacuum" (i.e. a very low abso¬ lute pressure) is needed, the venting section of the extruder should be melt-sealed both upstream as well as downstream in the screw channel. The piston may additionally be adapted for controlling various operating parame¬ ters, e.g. provided with heating means to avoid that the polymer-contacting front face of the piston is cooled excessively when in its second or open position. Such a heating sys¬ tem may also be advantageous for optimizing the clearance between the piston and the cylinder for reciprocating motion. In fact, by properly adjusting the temperature of the piston relative to the barrel temperature, thermal expansion of the piston element can be controlled as desired. Optimum conditions may be found for any given set of parame¬ ters by means of a few simple tests. As briefly mentioned above, another advantageous auxiliary controlling for the invention is a pressure sensitive transducer applied to the rear part of the piston element of the piston to detect any melt pressure when the front face is in its first position. For example, the signal from the loading cell/s may be suitably analyzed and used to control that motion of the piston element that is blocked except when the melt pressure is zero. Operation of gas removal and gas treatment can be effected in any conventional manner. To simplify reference, the first digit of any reference in the drawings refers to the number of the corresponding figure while the second and third digits are the same for the same or analogous portions of the illustration. The invention will now be explained by way of illustration and not limitation with reference to the enclosed drawings in which: Figure IA is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of a barrel processor according to the invention for degassing with a reciprocating piston and with a single screw, as viewed in a plane that is perpendicular relative to the longitudinal axis of the screw; Figure IB is another cross-sectional view of the barrel processor shown in Fig. IA but viewed in a plane that extends through the longitudinal axis of the barrel processor; Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view analogous to Fig. IA, the view but illustrating a first alternative to provide two venting devices on a single-screw extruder accord¬ ing to the invention; Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view analogous to Fig. IB illustrating a second alter¬ native to provide for two venting devices on a single-screw extruder according to the invention; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view analogous to the diagram shown in Fig. IA but for a twin-screw extruder; and Figure 5 is another cross-sectional view analogous to Fig. 4 but for a twin-screw extruder with two venting devices in juxtaposition.

The processor or extruder 1 illustrated in Figs. IA and IB comprises a screw 10 fitting into the enclosure or barrel 11 which has an essentially smooth inner wall 12. Di¬ rection of rotation and material flow are indicated by lateral arrows. Only a portion of the extruder in the venting area is shown; feeding devices, drive means etc. are omitted in the drawings. Chamber 14 is formed by an outer cylindrical stationary member 142 and piston 141 is arranged for reciprocating movement therein. Piston 141 is connected to a rod 145 for connection with a drive (not shown) to cause motion of piston 141 (in¬ dicated by the double arrow) between its first or closed position FP (shown in broken lines) and its second or open position SP. Piston 141 is operated at a frequency of typi¬ cally between about 10 and 100 cycles per minute. Outlet 16 is provided to form a venting passage 144 which is "open" - i.e. con¬ nects the interior of enclosure 11 with a source (not shown) of reduced pressure or with another means for receiving gases removed from the interior of enclosure 11 - when piston 141 is in open position SP. In a diametrically opposite position relative to outlet 16 is an inlet or duct 17 pro- vided with a valve 171 connected with a drive (not shown) for alternately closing the valve and admitting air or an inert gas held at ambient or elevated pressure of typically up to about 10 bar to stream across front face 143 of piston 141 through venting passage 144 and into and out of duct 16. Valve operation is controlled at a frequency below that of piston 141. The intensity of the gas scouring effect can be increased by increasing gas flow velocity across the piston's front face, e.g. by increasing the pressure of the gas fed through inlet 17 and valve 171. As long as piston 141 is in its "closed" position FP, the front face 143a of piston 141 forms a smoothly continuous portion 121 of the inner surface 12 of processor 1. Control means (not shown) of any conventional type are provided to actuate and control motion of piston 141 from its closed position FP into venting position SP. A pressure sensitive device 18, e.g. a conventional and commercially available pressure transducer is provided, e.g. a conventional Gefran0 strain gauge PT type SP850 for high- temperature melt with a pressure indicating scale of from 0 to 50 or 100 bar. Sensors of this type are sufficiently fast (e.g. 4 - 8 ms) and reliably accurate. Such a device will prevent opening of the venting device when for some reasons melt within enclosure 12 exerts pressure onto front face 143. Typically, a signal will be generated then to indicate to the operator that an abnormal condition exists and that an appropriate action is re- quired, e. g. rearranging the pressure drop conditions at the end of the screw, or taking other action as required to return to normal operation. Figs. 2 and 3 are illustrations similar to the presentation of Figs. IA and IB. Fig. 2 illustrates an extruder 2 with a single screw 20 within an enclosure 21 as above, but with a pair of adjacently arranged piston-cylinder-type venting devices formed by cyl- inders 24, 24a and pistons 245, 245a structured as explained above but operated so that piston 245 is in open position SP when piston 245a is in closed position FP. This way of arranging two or more venting devices according to the invention is termed "radial dis¬ placement" relative to the longitudinal axis of the extruder. Again, analogous to the ar¬ rangement shown in Fig. 1, inlet ducts 27, 27a provided with valves 271, 271a are ar- ranged diametrically opposite to exit ducts 26, 26a to permit gas scouring as explained above. Fig. 3 illustrates a different way of providing extruder 3 with more than one pis¬ ton-type venting device in that two piston-type venting devices 34, 34a are arranged in distanced relation along the axis of screw 30 in enclosure 31. Again, operation prefera- bly is controlled such that one venting device 34 is in open position SP when the other venting device 34a is in closed position FP. This way of arranging two or more venting devices according to the invention is termed "axial displacement" relative to the longi¬ tudinal axis of the extruder. Gas scouring is effected by means of a gas stream passing through inlet 37 branching into adjacent venting passages 344, 344a via valves 371, 371a. Fig. 4 illustrates an extruder 4 with two screws 40a, 40b for co-rotational or counter-rotational operation. A single piston-cylinder type venting device 44 is provided for venting inner space 421 whenever piston 441a is moved from its closed first position FP (indicated in broken lines) into open position SP of piston 441 . Front face 443a of piston 441a is shaped to exactly complement and close inner surface 421 of enclosure 41. Gas scouring is achieved by passing pressurized air or inert gas from a source (not shown) through inlet 47 via valve 471 (when the valve is in open position) across front face 443 of piston 441 (in position SP) through venting passage 444 and through outlet 46 to a source (not shown) of reduced pressure , e.g. a vacuum pump. Fig. 5 illustrates an extruder 5 with two screws 50a, 50b, again for co-rotational or counter-rotational operation. Two piston-type venting devices 540, 540a are provided for venting inner space 531 whenever piston 551 or piston 551a is moved from its closed position FP (indicated for piston 551a in broken lines) into its open position SP (indicated for piston 551 in broken lines). Front faces 521 and 521a of pistons 551, 551a are shaped to exactly complement and close the inner surface of enclosure 51 whenever the corresponding piston is in closed position FP. Gas scouring is achieved by passing pressurized gas through inlet 57, 57a via valve 572, 571a when in open position into and through venting space 544, 544a to a source (not shown) of reduced pressure whenever the associated piston 551, 551a is in closed or first position FP. As will be apparent to persons experienced in the art of producing and operating extruders, embodiments of the invention set forth in the drawing are represented in a diagrammatic manner to show some preferred alternatives. Obviously, various modifi¬ cations can be made, e.g. using more than two venting devices and/or combining radial and linear displacement of pairs of venting devices. Further, various operational alterna¬ tives can be used whenever pressure sensor 18, 28, 38, 48, 58 generates a signal that in¬ dicates a significant amount of molten material on the front face of the associated Pis- ton. It will be understood that the above examples are meant to illustrate and not to limit the invention, and that the scope of the invention is determined by the following claims when properly construed in view of the teachings of the present invention.