The present disclosure generally relates to industrial heating units and, more particularly, to modular industrial heating units for thermally processing workloads.
Industrial and commercial heating units, commonly referred to as ovens and or furnaces, transfer energy in the form of heat to a workload in order to complete a thermal process. Example thermal processes can include curing and/or drying of components. These industrial heating units must add energy to the workload in a way that raises its temperature in a controlled, precise and repeatable manner. Energy may be transferred in a number, or combination, of approaches such as: forced convection, natural convection, radiant, microwave, and/or induction processes.
The practical implementation of any of these approaches varies by application and/or equipment manufacturer. Some example factors can include, but are not limited to: available installation space and/or dimensions of the manufacturer and/or user facility, over-the-road shipping constraints, preferred utility types, thermal process types and performance requirements, safety standards, budgetary concerns, preferred components, historic platforms previously implemented, manufacturing capabilities, and/or environmental constraints. Presently, manufacturers take end-user requirements for each unique project and build solutions that are optimized to each individual project. In essence, upon determining requirements of a particular project, manufacturers design an appropriate chassis, which is oftentimes a time-consuming, inefficient process due to the inability to rely on previous designs for guidance and/or standards. Manufacturers attempt to implement more cost-effective practices by optimizing each individual project, which results in configuring a system of off-the-shelf purchased components through a post-sale engineering process.
In accordance with a first aspect, a modular industrial energy transfer system includes a shell and at least one energy transfer unit coupled to the shell. The shell includes a plurality of sidewalls, a ceiling member coupled thereto, and a plurality of mounting structures disposed along the shell. The plurality of sidewalls and the ceiling member cooperate to define an interior volume to accommodate a work product. The at least one energy transfer unit is coupled to the shell via at least one of the plurality of mounting structures and is partially disposed through the shell to generate an airflow pattern through the interior volume of the shell.
In some examples, the energy transfer unit or units may include a base member having a motor and at least one mounting leg coupled thereto, a housing member including a housing body having a drive opening, a housing inlet, and at least one housing mounting structure, a fan at least partially disposed within the housing, and a duct member operably coupled to the housing member. The at least one mounting leg of the base member is operably coupled to the at least one housing mounting structure. The fan is operably coupled to the motor via a motor drive shaft, which, in some examples, is inserted through the drive opening. The duct member includes a duct member includes a duct body having a duct inlet and at least one duct outlet. In these examples, actuation of the motor causes the fan to rotate which in turn causes air in the interior volume of the shell to enter the housing inlet and circulate through the at least one duct outlet.
In some aspects, the at least one mounting leg is inserted through at least one of the ceiling member or one of the plurality of sidewalls via at least one of the plurality of mounting structures. The duct member may be coupled to a sidewall via at least another one of the plurality of mounting structures.
In some forms, the energy transfer unit or units may be air recirculators. In some examples, the air recirculator may additionally include a heating element at least partially disposed within the housing member. The heating element may be, for example, at least one of an electric and/or a fluid heat source. Other examples are possible.
The modular industrial energy transfer system may include a controller operably coupled to the energy transfer unit or units to control operation thereof. In some approaches, the controller may control characteristics such as activation of the motor, an output of the motor, a fan speed, a heat output, and the like. Other examples are possible.
In accordance with a second aspect, a method of assembling a modular industrial energy transfer system includes providing a shell that includes a number of sidewalls, a ceiling member coupled to the number of sidewalls, and a number of mounting structures disposed along the shell. At least one desired characteristic of the modular energy transfer system is used to identify and select at least one energy transfer unit from a group of selectable energy transfer units. The modular industrial energy transfer system is assembled by mounting the at least one selected energy transfer unit to the shell via at least one of the mounting structures.
In accordance with a third aspect, a method of assembling a modular industrial energy transfer system includes providing a shell having a number of sidewalls, a ceiling member coupled to the number of sidewalls, and a number of mounting structures disposed along the shell. At least one energy transfer unit is coupled to the shell via at least one of the plurality of mounting structures such that the at least one energy transfer unit is partially disposed through the shell to generate an airflow pattern through the interior volume of the shell.
In accordance with a fourth aspect, a modular energy transfer unit is provided for use in a modular industrial energy transfer system that has a shell defining an interior volume. The modular energy transfer unit includes a base member including a motor and at least one mounting leg coupled to the motor, a housing member including a housing body having a drive opening, a housing inlet, and at least one housing mounting structure, a fan at least partially disposed within the housing member and being operably coupled to the motor via a motor drive shaft, and a duct member operably coupled to the housing member. The at least one mounting leg is operably coupled to the at least one housing mounting structure. The duct member includes a duct body having a duct inlet and at least one duct outlet. A portion of the at least one mounting leg is adapted to operably couple to the shell of the modular industrial energy transfer system to secure the modular energy transfer unit within the interior volume of the shell. Actuation of the motor causes the fan to rotate, thereby causing air in the interior volume of the shell to enter the housing inlet and circulate through the at least one duct outlet.
The above needs are at least partially met through provision of the modular industrial energy transfer system described in the following detailed description, particularly when studied in conjunction with the drawings, wherein:
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and/or relative positioning of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of various embodiments of the present invention. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments. It will further be appreciated that certain actions and/or steps may be described or depicted in a particular order of occurrence while those skilled in the art will understand that such specificity with respect to sequence is not actually required. It will also be understood that the terms and expressions used herein have the ordinary technical meaning as is accorded to such terms and expressions by persons skilled in the technical field as set forth above except where different specific meanings have otherwise been set forth herein.
Turning to
The shell 102 defines an interior volume 103 to accommodate a working product to receive a transfer of energy. For example, the working product may receive a transfer of energy via a baking process, a drying process, a curing process, and the like. Other examples are possible. As noted, the interior volume 103 may additionally accommodate any number of sub-systems such as conveyance devices, work or assembly stations, and the like. Other examples are possible.
The sidewalls 104 and/or the ceiling member 106 may be constructed using any number of approaches. For example, the sidewalls 104 and/or the ceiling member 106 may be in the form of an insulated panel member or an arrangement of insulated panel members having a desired thickness (e.g., between approximately 4″ and approximately 7″). In other approaches, the sidewalls 104 and/or the ceiling member 106 may be in the form of a can-constructed industrial oven shell. Other examples of suitable materials are possible, such as, for example, aluminum, ceramic, and the like. In the illustrated example of
The system 100 further includes any number of mounting structures 108 disposed along the shell. In some examples, the mounting structures 108 are in the form of mounting holes or openings dimensioned to receive securing components therein. In other examples (not illustrated), the mounting structures may be in the form of any number of brackets, ledges, flanges, and the like. Other examples are possible.
With reference to
With continued reference to
The frame 112 may include a mounting portion 112a to which the motor 113 is coupled using any number of approaches. In the illustrated example, the mounting portion 112a defines an opening (not shown) to which a drive shaft 113a operably coupled to the motor 113 is inserted therethrough.
Each of the mounting legs 114 is in the form of an elongated bar or rod having a proximal end 114a coupled to and/or integrally formed with the frame 112 and a distal end 114b. as illustrated in
With continued reference to
Positioned along the housing body 122 are any number of coupling mechanisms 129 which, in the illustrated example, are in the form of holes to accept the mounting legs 114 as will be discussed in further detail below. The housing body 122 may include any number of additional components such as, for example, rivets, bolts, welds, or other securing mechanisms.
With continued reference to
With continued reference to
In some examples, to install the energy transfer system 100, a pattern of mounting structures 108 (e.g., holes) may be formed along the shell 102, such as, for example, through the ceiling member 106. In some examples, the shell 102 may come pre-formed with any number of patterns of mounting structures 108. The distal ends 114b of the mounting legs 114 are then aligned with the mounting structures 108 and inserted therethrough. As a result, and as illustrated in
The fan body 132 is then aligned with the housing inlet 126 of the housing member 120 and installed into the interior volume of the housing body 122. Next, the distal ends 114b of the mounting legs 114 are aligned with the coupling mechanisms 129 of the housing member 120, and the drive shaft 113a is aligned with the coupling portion 132a of the fan body 132. The drive shaft 113a may be secured to the fan body 132 via a press-fit connection or any suitable other approach using desired components. Upon inserting the mounting legs 114 through the coupling mechanisms 129 of the housing member 120, the leg securement devices 117 may be inserted into the holes 116, which may be positioned above and/or below the upper and lower layers 122c, 122d of the housing body 122, thereby securing the base member 111 to the housing member 120. As a result, the base member 111, the housing member 120, and the fan 130 are all operably coupled to the ceiling member 106.
The distal end 122b of the housing body 122 may be coupled to the proximal end 142a of the duct body 142 via any number of suitable approaches such as, for example, rivets, screws, bolts, and the like. Further, the duct member 140 may be secured to the sidewalls 104 via mounting structures 108, if desired. In some examples, the duct member 140 needn't be secured to the sidewalls 104 in order for the energy transfer unit 110 to function properly within the interior volume 103 of the shell 102.
As a result, the energy transfer unit 110 is coupled to the shell 102. The housing member 120, combined with the duct member 140, form a recirculating unit that causes air to flow recirculate through the interior volume 103 of the shell 102. As illustrated in
In some examples, depending on particular end-user requirements, energy transfer units 110 having additional functionality may be used. For example, in some environments, an end-user may wish to incorporate a heating element into the energy transfer system 100. Accordingly, each energy transfer unit 110 may accommodate a heater 150 (
The heater 150 may take any number of forms, and may be electrically and/or fluidly (e.g., natural and/or propane gas, steam, oil, and/or water) powered. Other examples suitable heat sources are possible. By positioning the heater 150 in the elbow, heated air will exit the duct outlets 146 to transfer thermal energy to the desired working product. The fan 130 will draw cooled air back into the energy transfer unit 110 to again be heated by the heater 150. Other examples of additional energy transfer unit 110 functionality may include any number of the following: control modules, remote access modules, expansion modules, limit modules, scanner modules, fixed speed motor modules, variable speed motor modules, flame safety modules, electric power modules, electric safety chain modules, gas safety chain modules, fuel train modules, onboard diagnostics modules, data acquisition modules, and the like.
In some approaches, to ascertain an appropriate energy transfer system 100, at least one desired characteristic of the system 100 is used to identify a particular energy transfer unit 110 from an available selection of energy transfer units 110. This desired characteristic may include a desired energy transfer (e.g., a heat transfer) capacity, a desired energy transfer source, and the like. Other examples are possible.
As previously noted, a controller may be used to control any number of energy transfer units 110 installed in the shell 102. The controller may function to control multiple energy transfer units 110 in a similar manner, or alternatively may control each energy transfer unit 110 differently. As a result, in some examples, different regions of the interior volume 103 may selectively have different air flow characteristics, different temperatures, and the like.
In some aspects, each energy transfer unit 110 may interact with multiple computing systems and/or controllers. For example, the energy transfer units 110 may interact with a system common remote human interface module or a system common facility interface module. These modules may act as a common hub from which each energy transfer unit 110 receives power and instructions and delivers data and status. In addition, other system wide non-energy transfer unit 110 hardware (e.g., exhausters, conveyance apparatuses, etc.) may also interface through these modules.
Advantageously, by prioritizing modularity over cost concerns, and utilizing first-order principles to determine a lowest cost of vendor margins, manufacturing and application inefficiencies are greatly reduced and/or removed. Specifically, by requiring multiple functional requirements in common components, eliminating unnecessary interfaces (e.g., wires), and/or eliminating the need for varying energy transfer units, engineering costs will be lowered. Further, scaled manufacturing approaches can result in an increase in overall system quality, and lead times for delivering the system to end users is reduced.
Additionally, because the energy transfer units 110 may be mounted using, in some examples, a simple mounting template, the described system can be used in any number of manufacturer ovens, including previously-existing ovens installed at user locations. Further, while the energy transfer units 110 described herein are described as being partially disposed through the ceiling member 106, in some arrangements, in some examples, the energy transfer units 110 may be partially disposed through any number of sidewalls 104. Accordingly, the engineering time required to design the shell 102 is substantially reduced, as the energy transfer units 110 may be used to retrofit existing spaces. Further, development of shell 102 technologies may be decoupled from the development of the energy transfer unit 110 system, and can easily and rapidly be expanded in existing ovens.
The system 100 described herein may be constructed using any number of suitable alternative approaches. For example,
In this example, the energy transfer unit 210 is coupled with the sidewall 104 instead of being mounted through the ceiling member 106. Such a configuration may reduce the overall height of the system 100. More specifically, the energy transfer unit 210 does not include an elbow between the housing body 222 and the hollow duct body 242. Rather, the energy transfer unit 210 forms a generally straight or linear module.
In this example, the duct member 240 has a generally tapered profile. More specifically, the hollow duct body 242 decreases in width towards the distal end 242b thereof. Such an arrangement may assist in evenly distributing air for improved airflow.
Unless specified otherwise, any of the feature or characteristics of any one of the embodiments of the spreader sprayer machine disclosed herein may be combined with the features or characteristics of any other embodiments of the spreader sprayer machine.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that a wide variety of modifications, alterations, and combinations can be made with respect to the above described embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention, and that such modifications, alterations, and combinations are to be viewed as being within the ambit of the inventive concept.
The patent claims at the end of this patent application are not intended to be construed under 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) unless traditional means-plus-function language is expressly recited, such as “means for” or “step for” language being explicitly recited in the claim(s). The systems and methods described herein are directed to an improvement to computer functionality, and improve the functioning of conventional computers.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62/704,059, entitled “Modular Industrial Energy Transfer System”, filed Feb. 20, 2020, the entirety of which is herein expressly incorporated by reference.
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