Patent Grant
7963218
This is a National Phase of PCT/US2006/004067 filed on Feb. 7, 2006, which in turn claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/054,151 filed on Feb. 8, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,152,522 issued on Dec. 26, 2006.
The present invention relates generally to screw presses for extracting liquids from semi-solids. More particularly, the present invention is directed to an improved screw press for the mechanical separation of liquids from semi-solid material. The invention is believed to have particular application to the extraction of liquids from manure. However, the screw press of the present invention is believed to also have application to the extraction of liquids from a wide variety of materials, such as the extraction of liquids from fruits or vegetables, the pressing of grapes within the wine industry, and the processing of garbage and trash for reducing the volume thereof.
Presses suitable for the extraction of liquids from semi-solid materials have been known for a very long time, and there are various press structures that have been utilized. The most popular is the screw press. Screw presses include longitudinally extending shafts having enlarged threads. The shaft and screw are encased within a housing. Screw presses work because the rotation of the shaft and threads causes materials to be conveyed through the housing to a restriction. The restriction, also commonly referred to as a strainer, includes an orifice, cone, mesh or screen. Because screens are one of the more popular straining devices and considered most useful for application of the present invention, screw presses will be described herein as including a screen restriction. However, other restrictions may be also utilized in the practice of the present invention.
In operation, the screw press forces the semi-solid material towards the screen causing the material to compress and squeeze liquid through the screen openings for capturing in a large tank or other container. Some screw presses use a variable decreasing thread also referred to as a flight, to compress the material between the threads. Unfortunately, these types of presses are prone to the machinery jamming because too much material can be compressed between the flights restricting rotation of the shaft. Moreover, the material's “head” can be too full of moisture content to act as a plug at the discharge restriction. Variable flight designs also place a lot of radial pressure on the screens which can shorten the screen's life.
Still additional problems have been encountered with cantilevered screw presses. In a cantilevered press, the screw is driven from the drive end but has no support at the discharge end. The discharge end will typically include a closed door immediately past the screen. Material introduced to the feed screw is carried forward and built up in the screen chamber and forced against the screen and closed door. Once the cake is built up, material continues to be fed into the cantilevered presses causing liquids to be squeezed out of the cake and passed through the screen. Unfortunately, the weight of the screw shaft can cause the shaft to bend causing the screw threads to engage the screen and/or interior housing. Moreover, it is extremely difficult to engineer a screw shaft to be perfectly parallel to its annular housing which also causes the screw threads to engage the housing and/or screens. Because the screw threads, housing and screens are typically made of metal, this results in a metal-to-metal contact creating significant noise, wear and friction which hinders rotation of the screw shaft. The cantilevered screw press has another shortcoming in that excessive pressure at the discharge end requires a high rate of shaft revolution which can cause significant wear to the screw press components, or requires a long screw to separate the high pressure end from the low pressure end causing a long and costly design. Moreover, an equilibrium pressure will often occur somewhere along the shaft causing the high pressure end of the shaft to push or pull back towards the inlet and cause the inlet to fill with the semi-solid material. This will inhibit the proper movement of material toward the high pressure side of the press. The material will then just “roll” with the rotation of the screw between the screw threads.
To overcome some of these problems, screw presses will sometimes employ a radial gate valve, also referred to as a “star wheel”, to inhibit back-flow of material in the press. The radial gate valve includes a plurality of teeth which project into the interstitial spaces between the screw's threads which inhibit the back-flow of material. Unfortunately, radial gate valves are expensive to manufacture and often do not impart sufficient force upon the material to completely prevent material back-flow.
Still additional screw press designs limit the amount of pressure at the material head and, consequently, less liquid is removed from the product before the solid material is pressed and discharged. In order to counter these problems, it has been known to use “super chargers” which build pressure within the inlet of the screw press to force material through the screw press to increase head pressure. These super-charged screw presses also reduce the tendency of material to back-flow towards the inlet which can stop all production. Thus, there are significant disadvantages with all prior screw press designs.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved screw press which increases the liquid extraction from semi-solid materials.
It is still an additional object of the present invention to provide an improved screw press which reduces wear to components structures.
It would be an additional object of the present invention to provide an improved screw press which is inexpensive to manufacture, simple to operate and less prone to breakdowns.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following written description which follows.
Briefly, the screw press of the present invention includes a longitudinally extending screw-shaft including the shaft itself, as well as the screw threads which are concentrically and spirally affixed around the shaft. The threads extend a substantial portion of the length of the shaft and may include a fixed pitch throughout the shaft's length or the pitch may be variable to increase pressure along its length.
The screw press of the present invention further includes a motor for rotating the screw shaft. The motor may be any type as can be selected by those skilled in the art, such as gas or electric powered. In addition, the screw press includes a housing for encasing the screw shaft. The housing includes an opening for allowing the shafts proximal extremity to project through the housing to engage the motor. Furthermore, the housing includes an inlet for the introduction of semi-solid material to be pressed, as well as outlets for the discharge of fluids and substantially solid materials. To this end, the housing includes a screen which is positioned at the distal end of the screw shaft for the discharge of liquids. In addition, the housing includes an openable and closeable discharge door positioned distal to the screen for selectively discharging the substantially solid material.
The screw press of the present invention further includes additional structures and modifications which improve efficiency, reduce wear and reduce the cost of the assembly. In particular, the screw shaft is preferably not cantilevered to ensure that the screw shaft is concentrically aligned within the housing throughout the shaft rotation. To this end, the shaft includes a first support for supporting the shaft at its proximal end, in similar manner to a cantilevered shaft. This can be accomplished by various means. For example, the mounting of the shaft to the motor can provide sufficient support for the shaft at its proximal extremity. Alternatively, the assembly may include a bearing mount which is supported by any number of fixtures to maintain support for the proximal extremity of the screw shaft.
In addition to the proximal support, the screw shaft is supported by a second support located toward the screw shaft's distal extremity, but proximal to screw press' filtration screen. This second support structure includes one or more “wear” bearings which are located within the screw press' housing. The wear bearings are annular structures having an inner diameter substantially the same or only slightly greater than the diameter of the screw threads. The screw shafts and threads are concentrically positioned within the wear bearing so that the threads reside upon and are supported by the wear bearings. The wear bearings prevent a radial movement of the screw shaft thereby reducing wear to the screens and housing. Moreover, the introduction of the wear bearings enables the housing and screw shaft to be manufactured to more exacting standards to provide increased pressure throughout the screw press process. The wear bearings may be manufactured from various low friction materials including metals. However, it is preferred that the wear bearings be manufactured from durable low-friction plastic materials including ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) plastic.
The screw press of the present invention preferably also includes a radial gate valve, commonly referred to as a star wheel. The radial gate valve includes a circular body and a plurality of teeth. In a preferred embodiment, the radial gate valve includes ten teeth. The radial gate valve is positioned to project through a slot formed in the screw press' housing so that one or more teeth project into the interstitial spaces formed between the screw threads. The radial gate valve is rotatably mounted so that it rotates freely about its center, defining its axis of rotation. Moreover, the substantially circular, or wheel-like structure of the radial gate valve defines its “plane of rotation”. The rotatable gate valve is rotated by rotation of the shaft in similar manner to a traditional helical screw and toothed gear mechanism. Meanwhile, the teeth are sized to substantially fill the spaces between threads so as to prevent back-flow of material as it is conveyed through the housing by rotation of the screw shaft.
Advantageously, unlike previous screw press designs, the radial gate valve is not positioned so that its axis of rotation is perpendicular to the screw shaft's longitudinal axis which would require that the valve's teeth be angled to coincide with the pitch of the screw threads. Instead, the radial gate valve of the present invention is preferably positioned at an angle relative to the screw shaft so that the radial gate valves' axis of rotation is substantially parallel to the angle of the screw threads.
Advantageously, positioning the radial gate valve at an angle relative to the screw-shaft's longitudinal axis allows the radial gate valve to be manufactured without angled teeth which are far more costly to manufacture. In addition, it has been found that the radial gate valve can be manufactured to tighter tolerances resulting in smaller spaces between the gate valve and screw threads which results in less wear and increased compression of material within the screw press' housing. The radial gate valve may be manufactured of various materials. However, it is preferred that the radial gate valve be manufactured of a plastic such as high molecular weight (UHMW) plastic.
It is thus an object of the present invention to provide an improved screw press which reduces metal-on-metal wear between the screw threads and screen.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide an improved screw press which increases the liquid extraction from semi-solid materials.
It is still an additional object of the present invention to provide a screw press which is less expensive to manufacture and requires less maintenance.
Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to provide a screw press which is less susceptible to jamming due to back flow or other disabling conditions prevalent to screw press designs.
These and other and more specific objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.
While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described the presently preferred embodiments of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and it is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated.
With reference to the Figures, the screw press 1 of the present invention includes a longitudinally-extending rotating screw shaft 13. The screw shaft 13 includes a central shaft 15 and helically-mounted threads 17. The screw shaft is supported by a support assembly 3 at its proximal extremity. In addition, the screw shaft is rotated by a drive package 5 which may include a gas, diesel or electric driven motor. The screw shaft's central shaft 15 may be constructed in one piece. Alternatively, as shown in
The screw press 1 of the present invention also includes a housing 21 which extends substantially the entire length of the screw shaft 13. As shown in
As shown in the Figures, the radial gate valve 31 resides within a housing 43 formed on top of the transition housing portion 27. The housing 43 includes an opening at its bottom side so that the radial gate valve's teeth 35 project into the transition portion 27 of the housing and into the interstitial spaces 19 formed between the screw threads. Preferably, the radial gate valve and teeth are constructed so that the teeth substantially block the interstitial spaces 19 during rotation of the screw shaft and radial gate valve to inhibit back-flow of material as it is conveyed downstream through the screw press housing.
Of importance, the radial gate valve 31 and radial gate valve housing 43 are affixed at an angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the screw shaft 13 and primary housing 21 so that a radial gate valve's axis of rotation is substantially parallel to the angle of the screw threads. Correspondingly, this causes the radial gate valve's plane of rotation 39 to be substantially perpendicular to the screw threads. Of course, the angle of the radial gate valve relative to the screw shaft may vary greatly depending on the diameter and pitch of the threads of the screw shaft which may vary depending upon various factors such as the rate and percentage of moisture extractions and material to be pressed. For example, a preferred screw press with screw threads having a four inch pitch and six inch diameter will preferably include a radial gate valve positioned so that its plane of rotation is angled 12-14 degrees from the screw-shaft's longitudinal axis.
Constructing a screw press with an angled radial gate valve provides several advantages. First, the radial gate valve is less expensive to manufacture as the teeth do not need to be angled. In addition, it has been found that the radial gate valve is better capable of withstanding the back loads imparted by material attempting to move backward within the screw press housing. Furthermore, the radial gate valve can be manufactured to closer tolerances providing greater impedance to back flow.
An additional advantage of the present invention is the implementation of “wear” bearings for supporting the screw shaft towards its distal extremity. To this end, as shown in
The screen 53 comprises the final portion of the housing 21. The screen encapsulates the distal extremity of the screw shaft and includes mesh openings sized to allow liquids to seep through but prevent solid material from escaping. In a preferred embodiment, the screen is wrapped with one or more helical screen stiffeners 55. Any number of helical screen stiffener's may be utilized which will increase the screen's resistance to bulging and bursting due to internal pressures.
The housing further includes an opening 61 for the release of solid material which is closed by a door 57. The door is controlled by a pneumatic controller 59 which causes the door to open upon pressure within the screen reaching a pre-determined amount. Again, suitable door assemblies can be constructed by those skilled in the art without undue experimentation.
With reference to
Although particular preferred embodiments of the invention have been described herein, it is to be understood that variations may be made in the construction, materials and shape of the screw press without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Having described the invention in such terms to enable those skilled in the art to make and use it, and having identified the presently preferred embodiments thereof,
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/US2006/004067 | 2/7/2006 | WO | 00 | 10/27/2008 |
| Publishing Document | Publishing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| WO2006/086290 | 8/17/2006 | WO | A |
| Number | Name | Date | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4121967 | Reinhall | Oct 1978 | A |
| RE31631 | McFarland | Jul 1984 | E |
| 7152522 | Flor | Dec 2006 | B2 |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20090211467 A1 | Aug 2009 | US |
