Patent Grant
7320183
The present invention relates to a method for drying a honeycomb formed structure and, more particularly, to a method for drying a honeycomb formed structure which method prevents partial drying of an undried honeycomb formed structure before complete drying of the honeycomb formed structure, thereby preventing deformation such as warpage of partition walls of the dried honeycomb formed structure.
Generally, ceramic-based honeycomb formed structures are produced through a procedure of, for example, forming (e.g., extruding) a raw material composition containing a predetermined ceramic source, a binder, and water to thereby form a formed structure of a honeycomb shape (a honeycomb formed structure) having a plurality of cells defined by partition walls, each cell serving as a fluid conduit; drying the honeycomb formed structure by means of hot air or an electromagnetic wave (high-frequency wave); and firing the dried honeycomb formed structure.
Ceramic honeycomb formed structures find uses such as cleaning of automobile exhaust gas and catalyst carriers. In recent years, cell partition walls of such honeycomb formed structures have come to be thinner, and partition walls and an outer wall of the aforementioned honeycomb formed structures are readily deformed or cracked during drying thereof. In order to prevent such deformation and cracking, drying is performed through high-frequency heating, which realizes drying of the entirety of the honeycomb formed structure more uniformly as compared with hot air drying. In the drying through high-frequency heating, an electromagnetic wave (high-frequency wave) having a frequency corresponding to water heating is applied to a honeycomb formed structure, thereby evaporating water by heating, whereby the honeycomb formed structure is dried. However, even when the high-frequency heating drying technique is employed, partial deformation of the dried honeycomb formed structure sometimes occurs in the production of the aforementioned ceramic honeycomb formed structure. For example, the problem occurs in the case in which, during drying of a honeycomb formed structure formed from a raw material composition, the formed honeycomb formed structure is placed on a stand; the honeycomb formed structure placed on the stand is transferred into a drying apparatus so as to dry the formed structure; the dried honeycomb formed structure is removed from the stand; and a newly formed undried honeycomb formed structure is placed on the stand so as to dry the undried honeycomb formed structure. In the above case, the stand is used repeatedly.
Meanwhile, in order to prevent deformation of partition walls and cracking of an outer wall, there has been proposed an approach in which high-frequency heating drying of a honeycomb formed structure is performed in a humidified atmosphere in a drying apparatus, thereby controlling the drying state of the honeycomb formed structure (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When this approach is employed, water may remain on a conveying tray on which a honeycomb formed structure is placed, since the atmosphere of the drying apparatus is highly humidified. Thus, there has been proposed a technique in which a conveying tray made of a predetermined porous ceramic material is employed so as to remove water. However, even when the technique is employed, if the conveying tray is used repeatedly, partial deformation and other defects of partition walls of the honeycomb formed structure are difficult to prevent.
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (kokai) No. 2002-283329
As mentioned above, partial deformation of partition walls of the dried honeycomb formed structure caused by repeated use of the stand occurs through the following mechanism. Specifically, the stand which has been employed for drying is heated during drying, and a new, undried honeycomb formed structure is placed on a high-temperature surface of the stand. Therefore, a portion of the undried honeycomb formed structure which is in contact with the high-temperature stand is locally heated and dried. Thus, when the undried honeycomb formed structure is locally dried, the dried portions of partition walls undergo partial shrinkage, resulting in deformation and other structural variation of the partition walls.
The present invention has been conceived in order to solve the aforementioned problem. Thus, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for drying honeycomb formed structure, which method can prevent partial drying of an undried honeycomb formed structure placed on a stand before drying of the honeycomb formed structure, and suppress deformation such as warpage of partition walls of the dried honeycomb formed structure.
In order to attain the aforementioned object, the present invention provides the following method for drying a honeycomb formed structure.
placing on a plurality of stands a plurality of honeycomb formed structures in an undried state (undried honeycomb formed structures) which have been formed through forming into a honeycomb structure a raw material composition containing a ceramic material, a binder, and water;
causing the undried honeycomb formed structures placed on the stands to pass through a drying apparatus equipped with a high-frequency heating means for providing a heated atmosphere from an entrance of the apparatus to an exit thereof;
drying the undried honeycomb formed structures through high-frequency heating, to thereby form dried honeycomb formed structures;
removing, from the stands, the dried honeycomb formed structures which have passed through the exit of the drying apparatus;
conveying the stands transferred through the exit of the drying apparatus to enter the entrance thereof in a circulating manner;
placing newly formed undried honeycomb formed structures on the stands which have been circulated and returned to enter the entrance of the drying apparatus; and
repeating these operations,
wherein the stands which have been heated in the drying apparatus are cooled to a temperature lower than the gelation temperature of the undried honeycomb formed structures until the stands are circulated and returned to enter the entrance of the drying apparatus; the newly formed undried honeycomb formed structures are placed on the cooled stands; and the undried honeycomb formed structures are caused to pass through the drying apparatus,
thereby preventing partial deformation of dried honeycomb formed structure products, which deformation might be caused by localized heating, through heat from the stands, of portions of the undried honeycomb formed structures in contact with the stands and portions in the vicinity thereof (hereinafter these portions are referred to as the contact portions) upon placement of the undried honeycomb formed structures on the stands.
According to the honeycomb formed structure drying method of the present invention, the stands which have been dried in the drying apparatus are cooled to a temperature lower than the gelation temperature of the undried honeycomb formed structures until the stands are circulated and returned to enter the entrance of the drying apparatus, and the newly formed undried honeycomb formed structures are placed on the cooled stands. Therefore, the method of the invention can prevent drying, through heat from the stands, of portions of the newly formed undried honeycomb formed structures in contact with the stands and portions in the vicinity thereof (hereinafter these portions are referred to as the contact end portions) upon placement of the undried honeycomb formed structures on the stands, whereby shrinkage and deformation in the contact end portions of the undried honeycomb formed structures can be prevented.
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Best modes for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter may be referred to as “embodiments”) will next be described with reference to the drawings. However, these embodiments should not be construed as limiting the invention thereto. It is also understood by those skilled in the art that appropriate changes and modifications in arrangement of the embodiments may be made in the invention without departing from the scope of the present invention. In the drawings, the same reference numerals denote components common to the drawings.
The embodiment of the honeycomb formed structure drying method of the present invention can be carried out by means of a honeycomb formed structure drying system 100 (hereinafter may be referred to simply as “drying system 100”) shown in
As shown in
Thus, the stands 12 which have been dried in the drying apparatus 1 are cooled to a temperature lower than the gelation temperature of the undried honeycomb formed structures 10 until the stands 12 are circulated and returned to enter the drying apparatus entrance 5, and the newly formed undried honeycomb formed structures 10 are placed on the cooled stands 12. Therefore, there can be prevented drying, through localized heat from the stands 12, of portions of the newly formed undried honeycomb formed structures 10 in contact with the stands 12 and portions in the vicinity thereof (contact end portions) upon placement of the undried honeycomb formed structures 10 on the stands 12, whereby shrinkage and deformation in the contact end portions of the undried honeycomb formed structures can be prevented. The phenomenon “gelling an undried honeycomb formed structure” refers to hardening of the binder incorporated into the honeycomb formed structure. Undried honeycomb formed structures may be gelled at a temperature higher than 30° C.
When forming failure products of the undried honeycomb formed structures are formed, the undried honeycomb formed structure failure products are not dried in the drying apparatus. Instead, the honeycomb structures may be crushed, and the crushed material is fed to a raw material composition for producing undried honeycomb formed structures. Meanwhile, when an undried honeycomb formed structure is placed on a heated stand, the contact end portion of the formed structure is dried and deformed, and the contact end portion is partially gelled, to form a hard mass. Therefore, when an undried honeycomb formed structure having a contact end portion which has been partially converted to a hard mass is crushed and returned to a raw material composition as mentioned above, in some cases, the added undried honeycomb formed structure cannot be completely dispersed in the raw material composition due to aggregation of the hard mass. In this case, the raw material containing such aggregates are undesirably formed to form new products. Thus, when the raw material composition contains hard mass aggregates, during subsequent forming to form a new undried honeycomb formed structure, cells of the undried honeycomb formed structure may be plugged, or partition walls may be broken.
According to the embodiment of the honeycomb formed structure drying method, formation of a hard mass through localized heating of undried honeycomb formed structures placed on the stands is prevented. Therefore, when undried honeycomb formed structures are re-fed to a raw material composition without drying the structures, the raw material can be formed to form undried honeycomb formed structures again. In this case, the raw material composition contains no hard mass aggregations, and cell plugging and breakage of the re-formed undried honeycomb formed structures can be prevented.
In the honeycomb formed structure drying system 100 shown in
For example, a drying apparatus 1 as shown in
The outer frame 24 forming the drying apparatus 1 is formed in a cylindrical shape such that the center axis is oriented virtually in the horizontal direction. Undried honeycomb formed structures 10 are transferred into the drying apparatus through the drying apparatus entrance 5, and the dried honeycomb formed structures 11 are removed through drying apparatus exit 6. In the outer frame 24, a ceiling 26 is disposed virtually in the horizontal direction so as to provide a space between the ceiling and a roof 25 of the outer frame 24, and divides the outer frame 24 into two chambers. The drying chamber 21 is formed into a cylinder, and the center axis of the cylinder virtually aligns the center axis of the outer frame 24. The drying chamber is disposed under (in the vertical direction) the roof 25 formed in the outer frame 24.
In the embodiment of the honeycomb formed structure drying method, when the undried honeycomb formed structures 10 are dried by means of the drying apparatus 1, the following procedure is employed. Firstly, as shown in
In the embodiment of the honeycomb formed structure drying method, no particular limitation is imposed on the atmosphere in drying chamber 21 which is controlled to a predetermined humidity and temperature, and a humidity level of 30 to 65% and a temperature of 75 to 130° C. are preferred. The atmosphere in the drying chamber 21 is heated by the mediation of honeycomb formed structures serving as heat sources, since the honeycomb formed structures have been heated through high-frequency heating. Alternatively, the atmosphere may be controlled through feeding water vapor or hot air into the chamber or discharging the inside gas. Thus, when honeycomb formed structures have been heated in the drying chamber 21, the atmosphere in the drying chamber 21 is maintained at 75° C. or higher. Therefore, stands 12 are heated to high temperature.
As shown in
The electromagnetic wave generator 22 may be a magnetron, a dielectric electrode, etc. In the embodiment of the honeycomb formed structure drying method, the electromagnetic wave employed in high-frequency drying preferably has a frequency of 10 to 10,000 MHz, more preferably 915 to 10,000 MHz. When the frequency is lower than 10 MHz, water is difficult to undergo high-frequency heating, and honeycomb formed structures may be difficult to dry. In contrast, when the frequency is higher than 915 MHz, water undergoes high-frequency heating more effectively. As shown in
The energy of the electromagnetic wave applied to the honeycomb formed structures is appropriately determined in accordance with factors such as the capacity of the drying chamber 1, and the number and dimensions of honeycomb formed structures accommodated in the drying chamber 1. For example, when the capacity of the drying chamber 21 is about 7 m3, the total energy is preferably 150 to 300 kW. When the energy is smaller than 150 kW, the honeycomb formed structures may fail to be dried to a predetermined drying degree, whereas when the energy is higher than 300 kW, the vaporization speed of water from the honeycomb formed structures is elevated, and difficulty may be encountered in reduction of the difference in drying condition between the inner part of the honeycomb formed structure and the outer part thereof.
Preferably, the undried honeycomb formed structures 10 are transferred into the drying chamber 1 and dried through high-frequency heating such that 50 to 99 mass % of water contained in each undried formed structure 10 is evaporated at the end of high-frequency heating.
As shown in
No particular limitation is imposed on the type of the hot air generator 32 so long as the generator attains predetermined temperature and flow rate. For example, a hot air generator having a heater employing high-temperature water vapor or an electric heater and a blower may be used. In the generator, a blow generated by the blower is heated to provide hot air. The hot air generated by the hot air generator 32 may be used.
The hot air drying chamber 31 is provided in the form of a chamber having a predetermined area in the drying apparatus 1 so as to be aligned with the longitudinal direction of the drying chamber 21. Needless to say, the hot air drying chamber 31 may be provided outside the drying apparatus 1.
As shown in
As shown in
In the case in which stands each having dimensions of 350 mm×350 mm and a mass of 2.5 kg are heated in a drying apparatus, and the stands which have been heated to 85° C. in the drying apparatus are cooled through application thereto of cold air (20° C., velocity: 5 m/s, and flow rate: 30 m3/min), the stands can be cooled to 30° C. within 15 seconds. The stands may be allowed to cool in an atmosphere at 30° C. or lower. However, when the stands of the aforementioned shape and mass are allowed to cool at 25° C., cooling to 30° C. requires about 20 minutes. Therefore, in order to realize continuous production of honeycomb formed structures, a large number of stands and a long conveyer length are required. Thus, a cooling apparatus is preferably employed in the case where the time of cooling the stands must be shortened. In the present embodiment, when a cooling apparatus is employed under the aforementioned conditions, the number of stands can be reduced by 60%, and the length of the conveyer (apparatus length) can be shortened by about 10 m, as compared with natural cooling.
When the cold air generator 41 is provided merely with a blower, preferably, water of 30° C. or lower is sprayed onto the stands 12 before application of air to the stands 12 by means of the blower, followed by applying air by means of the blower. When the stands 12 are wetted by spraying water onto the stands 12, water vaporizes during application of air to the stands 12, heat corresponding to heat of vaporization of water is deprived from the stands 12. This cooling effect is equivalent or superior to the case where cold air of 30° C. or lower is applied. When water is sprayed onto the stands 12, preferably, water is removed through air fed by the blower so as to prevent retention of water in the stands 12. This operation is performed in order to prevent deformation of undried honeycomb formed structures 10 caused by water. Instead of water, highly volatile liquid such as alcohol may be sprayed thereonto. When the outer air temperature is lower than 30° C., outer air may serve as the cold air after filtration. Alternatively, the cold air generator 41 is provided with a blower and a cooling apparatus, and air cooled to 30° C. or lower by means of the cooling apparatus may be applied to the stands 12 by means of the blower. When the cooling apparatus is provided, a blower is not necessarily provided. In this case, the cooling apparatus 3 may be filled with the air cooled by means of the cooling apparatus by way of convention.
The shape of the cooling apparatus 3 is not limited to the configuration having the cylinder-form cooling apparatus outer frame 43 as shown in
Preferably, each of the stands 12 shown in
The stands are preferably formed of at least one species selected from among MgO, Al2O3, and SiO2, which form cordierite (2MgO.2Al2O3.5SiO2). Among them, alumina (Al2O3) is preferred. Using such a cordierite's raw material composition—that will produce cordierite when fired—in the manufacture of a stand provides the following advantage. In operation, when a flaw is generated in an undried honeycomb formed structure during the forming process, the undried honeycomb formed structure must be crushed to return to a bulk of honeycomb raw material composition. In such a situation, even if accidentally chipped fragments of the stand have migrated into the raw honeycomb material composition, forming failure of a honeycomb formed structure during forming of the raw material composition can be prevented.
When the stand are not formed from at least one species selected from among cordierite components but are formed from, for example, fired cordierite, and chipped fragments of the stands migrate into a new raw material composition, honeycomb formed structures obtained from the raw material composition (cordierite sources) may exhibit drop in percent water absorption and increase in thermal expansion coefficient. As used herein, the term “percent water absorption” refers to a value calculated by dividing the mass of water absorbed by a sample cut from a fired honeycomb formed structure which has been immersed in water at 30° C. by the mass of the honeycomb formed structure, and the term “thermal expansion” refers to a value calculated by the expansion amount of a sample cut of a fired honeycomb formed structure upon heating to 800° C. by the difference between the sample temperature before heating and heating temperature. Specifically, when a raw material composition contains no fired cordierite, the percent water absorption is 20 mass %. In contrast, when fired cordierite has migrated into the composition at percent migrations of fired cordierite of 0.1 mass %, 0.2 mass %, and 0.3 mass %, percent water absorption values are 15 mass %, 14 mass %, and 13 mass %, respectively. The percent migration is obtained by dividing the mass of fired cordierite having migrated by the mass of the raw material composition containing the fired cordierite, and multiplying by 100. The results indicate that percent water absorption drastically decreases with increasing amount of migrated fired cordierite. When a raw material composition contains no fired cordierite, the thermal expansion is 0.5×10−6/° C. In contrast, when fired cordierite has migrated into the composition at percent migrations of fired cordierite of 0.1 mass %, 0.2 mass %, and 0.3 mass %, thermal expansion values are in all the cases 2.0×10−6/° C. The results indicate that thermal expansion drastically increases through migration of fired cordierite.
Preferably, the stands are formed from an organic substance having a softening temperature higher than 130° C. When the softening temperature is 130° C. or lower, the stands may be softened and deformed in the drying apparatus, possibly failing to serve as stands. Using such an organic substance in the manufacture of a stand provides the following advantage. In the aforementioned case in which the undried honeycomb formed structure must be crushed to return to a bulk of honeycomb raw material composition, even if accidentally chipped fragments of the stand have migrated into the raw honeycomb material composition, the organic substance is burnt out during firing of dried honeycomb formed structures. Therefore, the fired honeycomb formed structures are nor adversely affected.
As shown in
No particular limitation is imposed on the shape of stands, so long as a honeycomb formed structure can be placed on the stand in a stable manner, and the stand can be placed on the conveyer and circulated via the drying apparatus 1 and the cooling apparatus 3. For example, the plan-view shape of the stand is preferably a plate-like form such as a circle, an ellipsoid, or a polygon (e.g., triangle, square, or pentagon). The receiving member 12a and support 12b shown in
When an undried honeycomb formed structure formed in a forming step by means of a forming apparatus (e.g., extruder) is placed on a stand employed in the embodiment of the honeycomb formed structure drying method, an undried honeycomb formed structure discharged from the forming apparatus may be placed directly on the stand. Alternatively, an undried honeycomb formed structure discharged from the forming apparatus may be placed on another placement stand, followed by transferring to the stand.
The embodiment of the honeycomb formed structure drying method is suitable for drying a honeycomb formed structure made of ceramic material, having a percent opening of 80% or more and a partition wall thickness of 0.18 mm or less. As used herein, the term “percent opening” refers to a ratio (percent) of the total cross-sectional area of the cell through-holes to the cross-sectional area of the honeycomb formed structure in which the cell through-holes are located, as viewed in a cross-section of a honeycomb formed structure cut in a direction normal to the center axis. Examples of the material for forming the honeycomb formed structures (material after firing) include cordierite, alumina, and SiC. Examples of the binder contained in the raw material composition for forming a honeycomb formed structure include at least one water-soluble compound selected from the group consisting of methyl cellulose binders, poly(vinyl alcohol), and hydroxyethyl cellulose binders.
In the production of a honeycomb formed structure, particularly a ceramic honeycomb formed structure, through provision of a honeycomb formed structure drying method which prevents, during a honeycomb formed structure drying step included in the production thereof, deformation such as warpage of partition walls of the honeycomb formed structure is prevented, whereby high-quality, deformation-free honeycomb formed structures can be produced.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-312062 | Sep 2003 | JP | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/JP2004/012738 | 9/2/2004 | WO | 00 | 3/2/2006 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2005/024326 | 3/17/2005 | WO | A |
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| 4057702 | Lacombe-Allard | Nov 1977 | A |
| 4439929 | Kitagawa et al. | Apr 1984 | A |
| 4837943 | Mizutani | Jun 1989 | A |
| 5265346 | Jikumaru et al. | Nov 1993 | A |
| 6768089 | Minobe et al. | Jul 2004 | B2 |
| 6932932 | Miura et al. | Aug 2005 | B2 |
| 20020093123 | Miura et al. | Jul 2002 | A1 |
| 20020109269 | Miura et al. | Aug 2002 | A1 |
| Number | Date | Country |
|---|---|---|
| A 3-271150 | Dec 1991 | JP |
| A 4-297783 | Oct 1992 | JP |
| A 2002-283329 | Oct 2002 | JP |
| A 2002-283330 | Oct 2002 | JP |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20060283039 A1 | Dec 2006 | US |
