Patent Grant
10088231
The present invention relates to an indirectly heating rotary dryer, which has achieved enhanced energy saving performance by reducing heating tubes non-contacting with material to be dried and reducing power required for rotation even when a hold up ratio is increased. The invention can be applied especially to an apparatus to dry or cool materials to be processed.
A steam tube dryer (hereinafter, appropriately called STD as well) being an indirectly heating rotary dryer is provided with a rotating shell of which length is 10 to 30 meters. Drying is performed in the rotating shell with heated steam as external heat for drying during a course where material to be dried, fed from one end side of the rotating shell is discharged from the other end side while the rotating shell is rotated.
Specifically, wet powders or granular powders being material to be dried are dried as being contacted to heated tubes in which steam and the like is fed as a heat medium, and concurrently, the dried material is sequentially moved to a discharge opening owing to rotation of the rotating shell. In this manner, the material to be dried is continuously dried.
Such an indirectly heating rotary dryer can be increased in size and is less expensive than an indirectly heating type disc dryer. In addition, drive operation is easy with less maintenance spots and required power is small. Accordingly, such an indirectly heating rotary dryer has been conventionally used in various fields as an apparatus to dry or cool material to be processed.
In an indirectly heating rotary dryer of the related art illustrated in
However, an upper limit value of a hold up ratio ((volume of material to be dried retained in the rotating shell)/(inner volume of the rotating shell)) of material H to be dried in the rotating shell is approximately 30% owing to a factor of a position through which the material H to be dried is fed. Accordingly, there are not many heating tubes 111A, which contribute to heating as being contacted to the material H to be dried. The ratio of the heating tubes 111A, which contribute to heating, is on the order of 30% with respect to the total heating tubes 111.
Consequently, the heating tubes 111 have not been effectively utilized in a conventional apparatus owing to existence of the heating tubes 111B, which are not contacted to the material H to be dried, or short contact time of the heating tubes being close to a shaft center of the rotating shell even though they are heating tubes 111A, which are contacted to the material.
Further, since the upper limit value of the hold up ratio of material to be dried is approximately 30% as described above, the heating tubes are rarely contacted to the material to be dried even when being arranged in the vicinity of the center in the rotating shell. Accordingly, in the conventional apparatus, heating tubes are not arranged in the vicinity of the shaft center of the rotating shell, thereby resulting in being inefficient and non-economical.
On the other hand, it has been evaluated to increase the hold up ratio of material to be dried in order to increase a contact area between the material to be dried and the heating tubes. However, this case results in causing a power increase for lifting the material to be dried within the rotating shell. Accordingly, the above has been also non-economical with low energy efficiency.
Patent Literature 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2001-91160
Patent Literature 2: JP-A No. 59-69683
Patent Literature 3: JP-A No. 4-7810
Patent Literature 4: JP-A No. 2005-16898
Meanwhile, some of direct type rotary drying apparatuses or direct type rotary cooling apparatus disclosed in Patent Documents to dry or cool material to be processed by way of directly supplying heated air or cooled air to a rotating shell, which is rotatable about a shaft center, have been provided with partition walls, which partition the inside of the rotating shell to be approximately sector-shaped segments.
However, since haD (ha: volumetric coefficient of heat transfer, D: inner diameter of the rotary drying apparatus and the like) denoting drying capability or cooling capability is constant in the rotary drying apparatus and the like described above, it has been targeted to improve a heat-transfer efficiency by increasing ha while lessening D in accordance with arranging the partition walls in the rotating shell. Therefore, the above has little relation with an indirectly heating rotary dryer of this application.
In view of the above facts, it is an object of the present invention to provide an indirectly heating rotary dryer, which has achieved enhanced energy saving performance by reducing heating tubes non-contacting with material to be dried and reducing power for rotation even when a hold up ratio is increased.
An indirectly heating rotary dryer according to the present invention includes
a rotating shell, which is rotated about a shaft center thereof, and which is capable of feeding of a material to be dried from one end side thereof and discharge of the dried material from the other end side thereof,
a plurality of heating tubes, which heat the material to be dried in the rotating shell as being arranged respectively in the rotating shell in parallel to the shaft center of the rotating shell, and
a plurality of partition walls, which are arranged in the rotating shell so as to partition an inner space of the rotating shell into a plurality of small spaces respectively extended along the shaft center of the rotating shell.
In the following, operation of the indirectly heating rotary dryer according to the present invention will be described.
In the indirectly heating rotary dryer of the present invention, the material to be dried is fed from one end side of the rotating shell, which is rotated about the shaft center, and the dried material is discharged from the other end side of the rotating shell. During that time, the plurality of heating tubes arranged respectively in the rotating shell as being in parallel to the shaft center of the rotating shell, heats the material to be dried in the rotating shell. Here, in the present invention, in accordance with arrangement of the plurality of partition walls in the rotating shell, owing to these partition walls, the indirectly heating rotary dryer has a structure where the inner space of the rotating shell is partitioned into the plurality of small spaces respectively extended along the shaft center of the rotating shell.
With the structure where the inside of the rotating shell is partitioned by arranging the plurality of partition walls, the material to be dried can be supplied into the rotating shell as being distributed into the respective small spaces. As a result, a hold up ratio of the material to be dried can be increased and effective usage of the heating tubes can be achieved while more heating tubes are to be contacted to the material to be dried. Meanwhile, in a case of processing the same amount of material to be dried, the rotating shell can be downsized and cost reduction of the indirectly heating rotary dryer can be achieved.
Further, since the material to be dried is supplied as being distributed into the respective small spaces, the material to be dried is moved only within each small space even when the hold up ratio is increased. Therefore, power to lift the material to be dried in the rotating shell is reduced and weight of the material to be dried in the respective small spaces is balanced. Accordingly, power required to rotate the rotating shell can be reduced.
Thus, the present invention provides an indirectly heating rotary dryer having a high economic efficiency with an achievement of enhanced energy saving performance by lessening power even when a hold up ratio is increased as well as reducing the heating tubes, which are not contacted to the material to be dried as increasing the hold up ratio.
Further, an indirectly heating rotary dryer according to the present invention includes a feed unit, which feeds the material to be dried into the rotating shell, and
a cylindrical center cover, which is arranged in the vicinity of the shaft center of the rotating shell, having a size corresponding to a seal portion to seal a clearance between the feed unit and the rotating shell, and
the respective partition walls connect an outer circumferential face of the center cover and an inner circumferential face of the rotating shell.
Although arrangement of the heating tubes in the vicinity of the shaft center of the rotating shell contributes to an increase of the heat-transfer area, such heating tubes interfere with the feed unit, which feeds the material to be dried into the rotating shell. Accordingly, it is required to prevent the heating tubes from interfering with the feed unit, for example, by bending the heating tubes in the vicinity of the feed unit. As a result, there is a fear to cause a cost increase for manufacturing the indirectly heating rotary dryer.
In contrast, according to the present invention, in addition to simply arranging the partition walls, the center cover having a size corresponding to the seal portion, which seals the clearance between the feed unit and the rotating shell, is arranged in the vicinity of the shaft center of the rotating shell. Further, the partition walls are structured to connect the outer circumferential face of the center cover and the inner circumferential face of the rotating shell, so that a lateral section of each small space is to be a closed shape as being approximately sector-shaped. As a result, the contact efficiency can be improved as reducing a dead space where the heating tubes in the respective small spaces and the material to be dried are not contacted, without need for a complicated structure, such as the heating tubes being bent in the vicinity of the feed unit. Additionally, it becomes possible to further reduce costs for manufacturing the indirectly heating rotary dryer owing to unnecessity for arrangement to prevent the heating tubes from interfering with the feed unit.
Further, in an indirectly heating rotary dryer according to the present invention, the center cover is extended to the vicinity of the feed unit, which feeds the material to be dried into the rotating shell,
a screw-shaped blade, which reaches the inner circumferential face of the rotating shell, is arranged at the outer circumferential face of the extended center cover, and
a cutout portion is formed so as to eliminate a portion of the center cover at a part where the screw-shaped blade is arranged.
That is, the cutout portion is arranged so as to eliminate the portion of the center cover at the part where the screw-shaped blade is arranged, and the material to be dried is supplied into each partitioned small space via the cutout portion while being fed toward the innermost of the small space owing to rotation of the screw-shaped blade in association with rotation of the rotating shell. Accordingly, the material to be dried enters into the respective small spaces approximately evenly in accordance with rotation of the rotating shell.
Further, in an indirectly heating rotary dryer according to the present invention, the heating tubes are arranged apart from the shaft center of the rotating shell by a length being 15% or more of a radius of the rotating shell as being in parallel to the shaft center of the rotating shell.
In an apparatus of the related art, an upper limit of a hold up ratio of a material to be dried is approximately 30% (to a position at approximately 30% of the radius of a rotating shell). Therefore, even when heating tubes are arranged in the vicinity of the center of a rotating shell, their contact with the material to be dried rarely occurs or if occurs, the contact time per a rotation of the rotating shell is short, thereby providing few effects. Accordingly, the heating tubes have not been arranged in the vicinity of the shaft center by 30% or less of the radius of the rotating shell. However, according to the present invention, as described above, the heating tubes can be contacted to the material to be dried even when the tubes are arranged in the vicinity of the shaft center of the rotating shell as long as they are arranged apart from the shaft center of the rotating shell by 15% of the radius of the rotating shell (corresponding to a seal portion, which seals a clearance between the feed unit and the rotating shell). As a result, an efficiency of heating process of the material to be dried can be further promoted.
Further, in an indirectly heating rotary dryer according to the present invention, a heat medium is supplied into the partition walls or the center cover.
According to the present invention, since the heat medium is supplied into the partition walls or the center cover, the material to be dried is heated not only by the heating tubes but also by the partition walls or the center cover. As a result, a heating efficiency is to be improved.
As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide an indirectly heating rotary dryer, which has achieved enhanced energy saving performance by reducing heating tubes non-contacting with material to be dried and reducing power required for rotation even when a hold up ratio is increased.
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of an indirectly heating rotary dryer according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In advance of a description of the present embodiment, a general structure of the present embodiment will be previously described to enrich understanding, taking the example of the embodiment illustrated in
<General Structure of Indirectly Heating Rotary Dryer>
An indirectly heating rotary dryer 1 illustrated in
Further, the indirectly heating rotary dryer 1 is provided with a feed unit 20, which includes a screw 22 and the like for feeding material H to be dried into the rotating shell 10. Wet powders or granular powders being the material H to be dried poured into the rotating shell 10 from one end side thereof through a feed nozzle 21 of the feed unit 20 are dried as being contacted to the heating tubes 11 which are heated by the heated steam KJ. In addition, owing to an arrangement that the rotating shell 10 is installed to become downward pitch, the dried material H can be continuously discharged from the other end side of the rotating shell 10 as being sequentially and smoothly moved in a direction toward a discharge opening 12.
As illustrated in
Meanwhile, a driven gear 50 is arranged around the rotating shell 10 to rotate the rotating shell 10. A drive gear 53 is engaged with the driven gear 50 and rotational force of a motor 51 is transmitted via a reducer 52, so that the rotating shell 10 is rotated about the shaft center C via the drive gear 53 and the driven gear 50. Further, carrier gas CG is introduced from a carrier gas inlet 71 to the inside of the rotating shell 10. The carrier gas CG is discharged from a carrier gas outlet 70 as being entrained in steam generated by evaporation of water which is contained in wet powders or granular powders being the material H to be dried.
The abovementioned general structure of the indirectly heating rotary dryer 1 is an example and the present invention is not limited to the above structure.
<Structure of Partition Walls>
As illustrated in
As illustrated in
<Piping Structure of Heating Tubes>
Meanwhile, as illustrated in
Next, operation of the indirectly heating rotary dryer 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in the following.
As illustrated in
In the present embodiment, the four partition walls 16 illustrated in
As described above, with the structure of partitioning the inside of the rotating shell 10 into the four small spaces K by arranging the four partition walls 16, the material H to be dried can be supplied into the rotating shell 10 as being distributed into the respective small spaces K. As a result, a hold up ratio of the material H to be dried can be increased and effective usage of the heating tubes 11 can be achieved while more heating tubes 11 are to be contacted to the material H to be dried. Meanwhile, in a case of processing the same amount of material H to be dried, the rotating shell 10 can be downsized and a cost reduction of the indirectly heating rotary dryer 1 is achieved.
That is, among the heating tubes 11, the heating tubes 11, which contribute to heating, as being contacted to the material H to be dried, can be increased to a proportion of approximately 50% or more, so that drying capability can be improved. Further, as illustrated in
Since the material H to be dried is supplied as being distributed into the respective small spaces K, the material H to be dried is moved only within each small space K even when the hold up ratio is increased. Therefore, power to lift the material H to be dried in the rotating shell 10 is reduced. Further, since the material H to be dried is supplied respectively to the small spaces K, the material H to be dried is present as being distributed at a rotational section of the rotating shell 10 illustrated in
Owing to the above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to perform operation at a hold up ratio being twice or more of that of a conventional apparatus and to increase a contact area between the heating tubes 11 and the material H to be dried compared to the conventional apparatus. A certain retention time is required owing to the fact that decreasing-rate drying is subject to time when the material H to be dried is dried as including a decreasing-rate drying zone. However, since the hold up ratio can be increased in the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce a size of the indirectly heating rotary dryer 1 at the decreasing-rate drying zone.
Accordingly, the present embodiment provides the indirectly heating rotary dryer 1 having a high economic efficiency with an achievement of enhanced energy saving performance by lessening power even when a hold up ratio is increased as well as reducing the heating tubes 11 which are not contacted to the material H to be dried as increasing the hold up ratio.
Next, a second embodiment of the indirectly heating rotary dryer according to the present invention will be described in the following based on
The indirectly heating rotary dryer 1 according to the present embodiment being structured approximately similarly to the first embodiment is also provided with the heating tubes 11, the four small spaces K partitioned by the four partition walls 16, and the like.
However, in the present embodiment, as illustrated in
Here, arranging the heating tubes 11 in the vicinity of the shaft center C of the rotating shell 10 as in the first embodiment contributes to an increase of a contact area between the material H to be dried and the heating tubes 11. However, the heating tubes 11 interfere with the feed unit 20, which feeds the material H to be dried. Accordingly, in the first embodiment, it is required to prevent the heating tubes from interfering with the feed unit 20, for example, by bending the heating tubes 11 in the vicinity of the feed unit 20.
In the present embodiment, there is provided a cylindrically-formed center cover 18 in the vicinity of the shaft center C of the rotating shell 10 having a size corresponding to a seal portion 23 for sealing a clearance between the rotating shell 10 and the feed unit 20, which feeds the material H to be dried into the rotating shell 10. The respective partition walls 16 are structured to connect an outer circumferential face of the center cover 18 and an inner circumferential face of the rotating shell 10.
Therefore, according to the present embodiment, in addition to simply arranging the partition walls 16, the center cover 18 of which diameter is slightly larger than the seal portion 23 corresponding to the seal portion 23, which seals the clearance between the rotating shell 10 and the feed unit 20, is arranged in the vicinity of the shaft center C of the rotating shell 10. In accordance therewith, the partition walls 16 are structured to connect the outer circumferential face of the center cover 18 and the inner circumferential face of the rotating shell 10, so that a lateral section of each small space K is to be a closed shape as being approximately sector-shaped.
By arranging the center cover 18 as described above, the material H to be dried can be prevented from being present in the vicinity of the shaft center C in the rotating shell 10 where the heating tubes 11 are not arranged. Accordingly, opportunity of contacting with the heating tubes 11 is increased for the material H to be dried.
Next, a third embodiment of the indirectly heating rotary dryer according to the present invention will be described in the following based on
In the present embodiment, in addition to forming the center cover 18, the center cover 18 is structured to be extended to the vicinity of the feed unit 20, which feeds the material H to be dried into the rotating shell 10.
As illustrated in
Thus, the present embodiment includes the cutout portions 18A as eliminated portions of the center cover 18 at the parts where the screw-shaped blades 16A are arranged. Accordingly, the material H to be dried fed into the rotating shell 10 from the feed unit 20 is supplied into the respective partitioned small spaces K via the cutout portions 18A in accordance with a rotation of the rotating shell 10. Further, the material H to be dried is distributed to the respective small spaces K approximately evenly by being fed toward the innermost of each small space K owing to a rotation of the screw-shaped blades 16A in association with the rotation of the rotating shell 10.
When the hold up ratio of the material H to be dried is increased as in the present embodiment, there is a possibility that hold up is performed at a position of which height is equal to or higher than a supplying position of the material H to be dried in the feed unit 20, which serves to feed the material H to be dried into the rotating shell 10. Here, since the screw-shaped blades 16A, which feed the material H to be dried, are arranged on the rotating shell 10 in the vicinity of the feed unit 20, the material H to be dried is mandatorily fed by the blades 16A into the small spaces K, which are partitioned into approximate sector shapes.
Here, depending on the diameter of the rotating shell 10 and an arrangement of the heating tubes 11,
As illustrated by the graph of
On the other hand, when the ratio of the outer diameter D2 of the center cover 18 with respect to the inner diameter D1 of the rotating shell 10 falls below 0.2, the outer diameter D of the center cover 18 becomes smaller than an outer diameter of the feed unit 20 in most cases. In such a case, it is required to structure the heating tubes 11 so as not to interfere with the feed unit 20, in order to arrange the heating tubes 11 in the vicinity of the outer diameter of the center cover 18. Such a structure is to be a factor of an increased cost.
Accordingly, in view of an economic aspect and drying capability, the ratio of the outer diameter D2 of the center cover 18 with respect to the inner diameter D1 of the rotating shell 10 is preferably in a range between 0.2 and 0.6.
Meanwhile, it is also possible to supply heated steam KJ being the heat medium to a space KC in the partition walls 16 or the center cover 18 used in the above embodiment. When the heated steam KJ is supplied in the partition walls 16 or the center cover 18, the material H to be dried is heated not only by the heating tubes 11 but also by the partition walls 16 or the center cover 18. As a result, a heating efficiency is further improved. In order to supply the heated steam KJ in the partition walls 16, it is simply enough to form an inner space in the partition walls by arranging a plurality of plates as being opposed with a certain distance or a plurality of pipes as being in parallel.
Next, following is description of a comparison test between an example based on the above embodiment and a conventional example performed by using a batch testing machine of an indirectly heating rotary dryer.
First, specifications of the batch testing machine of an indirectly heating rotary dryer are as indicated below.
Rotating shell diameter: 320 mm
Rotating shell length: 0.25 m
Heating tube heat-transfer area: 0.3 m2
Further, test conditions are as indicated below.
Materials to be dried: sewage sludge having approximately 30% moisture content
Processing rate: approximately 3 kg/h of batch
Outlet moisture content target value: 10%
Carrier gas: 5 m3N/h of normal temperature air
Heated steam: 0.1 MPa (G) of saturated steam
Rotating peripheral speed: 0.5 m/s
Number of small spaces in the example: 4
Next, following is description of a test performed by using a continuous processing machine of an indirectly heating rotary dryer.
Comparison of drying capability for drying the same material to be dried was performed between an example and a comparative example being a conventional example having the mutually same main dimensions.
First, operational conditions of the example and the comparative example are as indicated below.
Inlet moisture content of material to be dried: 33%
Mean particle diameter of material to be dried: 2.3 mm
Outlet moisture content of material to be dried: 10%
Heating source: 0.1 MPa (G) of saturated steam
Carrier gas: Air supplied so as to have exhaust gas dew point to be 80° C.
Specifications of an indirectly heating rotary dryer of the example according to the present invention are as indicated below.
Rotating shell diameter: 965 mm
Rotating shell length: 8 m
Number of approximately sector-shaped small spaces: 4
Heating tube heat-transfer area: 43 m2
Specifications of an indirectly heating rotary dryer of the comparative example according to the related art are as indicated below.
Rotating shell diameter: 965 mm
Rotating shell length: 8 m
Heating tube heat-transfer area: 40 m2
A supplying amount of the material to be dried in the above example was set to be 320 kg/h as being the same as the above comparative example and operation was started under this condition. Then, the supplying amount of the material to be dried in the example was acquired in a state of the outlet moisture content being stabilized at approximately 10%. The result was acquired as follows.
Supplying amount of material to be dried: 470 kg/h
Inlet moisture content: 33.1%
Outlet moisture content: 9.8%
STD idle operation power: 3.11 kW
STD drive power: 3.22 kW
Power increase due to load operation: 0.11 kW
The hold up ratio was calculated on collecting the total amount of the dried material in the indirectly heating rotary dryer after the drying test was completed. The hold up ratio was 57%.
Supplying amount of material to be dried: 320 kg/h
Inlet moisture content: 33.0%
Outlet moisture content: 9.9%
STD idle operation power: 3.11 kW
STD drive power: 3.46 kW
Power increase due to load operation: 0.35 kW
The hold up ratio was calculated on collecting the total amount of the dried material in the indirectly heating rotary dryer after the drying test was completed. The hold up ratio was 27%.
Consequently, according to the example, the hold up ratio is improved in addition to that the STD operation power and the power increase due to load operation are drastically reduced compared to the comparative example.
Further, a graph of
In the graph of
As described above, it is proved that the indirectly heating rotary dryer according to the present embodiment is economical as it can reduce required power while drying capacity is increased.
The embodiments of the present invention are described above. However, not limited to the embodiments, the present invention can be actualized as being variously modified without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, as for the partition walls 16, which partition the space in the rotating shell 10 into the small spaces K, the number is four in the embodiment but may be 5, 6 or another plural number. When the partition walls 16 are 5, 6 or the like, the number of the small spaces K becomes to be plural as being 5, 6 or the like.
The present invention can be applied to an indirectly heating rotary dryer for drying woody biomass, organic waste and the like including drying resin, food, organic material and the like. In addition, the present invention can be applied to other industrial machines.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-187509 | Aug 2010 | JP | national |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20110041393 | Sugita | Feb 2011 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 23589 | Nov 1883 | DE |
| 701010 | Jan 1941 | DE |
| 0305706 | Mar 1989 | EP |
| 1785684 | May 2007 | EP |
| 59-69683 | Apr 1984 | JP |
| 04-007810 | Jan 1992 | JP |
| 2001-091160 | Apr 2001 | JP |
| 2005-016898 | Jan 2005 | JP |
| Entry |
|---|
| Machine Translation of EP 0305706. |
| European Search Report of Patent Application No. 11819750.8 dated Nov. 27, 2014, 6 pages, European Patent Office. |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20170248365 A1 | Aug 2017 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 13818716 | US | |
| Child | 15596123 | US |
