A kind of machine blocking pressure relief discharge device and pressure relief discharge method for twin-screw extruder

Abstract

The present invention discloses a device and method for discharging materials by relieving pressure and discharging materials for a twin-screw extruder. The device is nested in the reaction zone of the twin-screw extruder body and is connected and matched with the cavity. The device includes an arm valve, a valve, a valve arm, and a pressure sensor. The valve arm can be completely retracted into the arm valve. The valve can be inserted or pulled out of the reaction zone by the extension and contraction of the valve arm. A pressure sensor is installed at the connection between the arm valve and the cavity. The device and method for discharging materials by relieving pressure and discharging materials for a twin-screw extruder provided by the present invention use a valve, a valve arm, etc. to modify the extruder, thereby improving the difficulty of disassembly caused by the screw installation in the original extrusion equipment. The device is attached to the reaction zone of the extruder, is easy to install, and can make the extruder work continuously. It has the characteristics of high efficiency, safety, and saving production time.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of deep processing of agricultural and sideline products, and in particular to a blocking pressure relief and discharge device and a pressure relief and discharge method for a twin-screw extruder. Background Art

[0002] In recent years, with the increasing demand for nutritional and health foods, vegetarian meat products as a new variety have huge market prospects.

[0003] At present, vegetarian meat products can be divided into fibrous, extruded and heated gelled types according to different processing methods. In the experiment, a twin-screw extruder was used to process and produce extruded high-moisture plant protein vegetarian meat. Due to uncontrollable factors such as irregular moisture and material ratio, the twin-screw extruder was blocked and could not work normally, which required a lot of time and energy to repair.

[0004] The existing equipment for producing high-moisture plant protein vegetarian meat still needs to be improved. Patent CN105370939A discloses a pressure relief valve and connector pressure relief assembly, which relieves pressure through a liquid medium. When the temperature rises, there are safety risks, and it cannot be used in conjunction with an extruder. Patent CN206964517U discloses an anti-blocking assembly, an anti-blocking structure, and a cooking device having the same, but it only uses a fine hole arrangement. In view of the changes in the raw material particle size and the amount of water added during the production of vegetarian meat products, it cannot achieve the purpose of extruder pressure relief and discharge. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, the present invention discloses a device and method for discharging materials after a machine blockage and pressure relief, which is used for a twin-screw extruder, thereby reducing the disassembly and installation of the machine in unexpected situations during the production process, shortening the production time and improving the production efficiency.

[0006] In the first aspect, the present invention provides a blocking, pressure-relieving and material-discharging device for a twin-screw extruder, wherein the device is nested in the reaction zone of the twin-screw extruder body and is connected and matched with the cavity. The device includes an arm valve, a piston, a piston arm and a pressure sensor. The body of the piston and the piston arm are both placed in the arm valve, and one end of the piston is placed outside the arm valve; the end of the piston arm is clamped in a groove matching it in the reaction zone, and the piston arm can be completely retracted into the arm valve. The insertion or removal of the piston in the reaction zone is achieved by retracting the piston arm, and a pressure sensor is installed at the connection between the arm valve and the cavity.

[0007] Preferably, the reaction zone is the eighth zone of the twin-screw extruder.

[0008] Preferably, the groove is an inwardly hollowed hemispherical body; the machine wall valve is a precisely made gradient cylindrical body, and the stopcock force arm is a precisely made smooth rod structure.

[0009] Preferably, the machine wall valve is formed by two cylinders of different sizes connected as one, the outer cylinder is larger and the inner cylinder is smaller.

[0010] The second invention is a method for pressure relief and discharge of a twin-screw extruder using the device, comprising the following steps:

[0011] a. The pressure sensor in the device determines the blockage in the machine cavity;

[0012] b. After receiving the blocking signal from the pressure sensor, the main control of the twin-screw extruder controls the twin-screw extruder to stop supplying water, stop feeding, lower the machine body temperature, and reduce the screw speed;

[0013] c. Open the stopcock. After the pressure value is displayed as normal, open the machine wall valve, increase the speed of the twin screw, and clean the material in the machine cavity through the driving action of the screw in the extruder, so that the material blocked in the cavity flows out from the machine wall of the machine body reaction zone;

[0014] d. Reduce the speed of the twin-screw, close the machine wall valve, and close the stopcock;

[0015] e. The main control of the twin-screw extruder starts supplying water and materials, increases the machine body temperature, adjusts the screw speed, and operates normally.

[0016] Preferably, in step a, the basis for the pressure sensor to determine the machine blockage phenomenon in the machine cavity is: when the pressure value is 15%-20% higher than the set safety value, the main machine working display screen will give an alarm prompt;

[0017] Preferably, in step b, the body temperature is lowered to 20°C-30°C, and the twin-screw speed is reduced to 60%-80% of the original speed.

[0018] Preferably, the step c is specifically as follows: after receiving the alarm prompt from the pressure sensor, the stopcock is rotated clockwise by a matching wrench to drive the stopcock force arm inside the machine arm valve to retract; when the force arm is completely retracted into the machine arm valve, the machine arm valve is gently pulled horizontally by a matching wrench to achieve physical pressure relief of the extruder by utilizing the internal and external pressure difference until the machine arm valve is removed;

[0019] The twin-screw rotation speed is increased to 110%-130% of the original rotation speed.

[0020] Preferably, in step d, the speed of the twin screw is reduced to 60%-80% of the original speed. After the speed stabilizes, the arm valve (2) is horizontally embedded in the reaction zone, and the stopcock is rotated by a matching wrench so that the stopcock arm is fully extended to the inner groove of the reaction zone, thereby completing the work of closing the mechanical valve.

[0021] The present invention provides a device and method for discharging materials after blocking a twin-screw extruder. The device uses a valve, a valve arm, etc. to modify the extruder, thereby improving the difficulty of disassembly caused by screw installation in the original extrusion equipment. The device is attached to the reaction zone of the extruder, which is easy to install and can make the extruder work continuously. It has the characteristics of high efficiency, safety, and saving production time.

[0022] The valve of the device of the present invention adopts a mechanical force arm design, and a pressure sensor is provided at the contact surface with the material in the cavity, which can sense the blockage condition in the first time, remind the experimenter to make a judgment, and smoothly carry out the experiment content.

[0023] It is to be understood that the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0025] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, for ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0026] Figure 1 A schematic side view of a device for discharging materials from a twin-screw extruder to relieve pressure and discharge materials provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the main structure of a blocking pressure relief and discharge device for a twin-screw extruder provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 An internal cross-sectional view of a device for discharging materials after blocking and relieving pressure of a twin-screw extruder provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 A schematic top view of a device for discharging materials from a twin-screw extruder to relieve pressure and discharge materials provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 A schematic flow chart of a method for relieving pressure and discharging materials in a twin-screw extruder during blockage is provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Exemplary embodiments will be described in detail herein, examples of which are shown in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the drawings, the same numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present invention. Instead, they are merely examples of systems consistent with some aspects of the present invention as detailed in the appended claims.

[0032] In the prior art, a twin-screw extruder is used to extrude materials. When material blockage occurs during the production process, the inherent screws of the equipment are often disassembled to solve the blockage problem. The disassembly and installation of the machine under unexpected conditions during the production process greatly prolongs the production time and reduces the production efficiency. For this reason, the present embodiment provides a blockage pressure relief and discharge device for a twin-screw extruder, such as Figure 1-4 As shown, the device is nested in the reaction zone of the twin-screw extruder body and is connected and matched with the chamber 5, including an arm valve 2, a stopcock 3, a stopcock arm 4, and a pressure sensor 6. The body of the stopcock 3 and the stopcock arm 4 are both placed in the arm valve 2, and one end of the stopcock 3 is placed outside the arm valve 2; the end of the stopcock arm 4 is clamped in a matching groove in the reaction zone, and the stopcock arm 4 can be completely retracted into the arm valve 2. The arm valve 2 can be inserted or removed in the reaction zone by retracting the stopcock arm 4, and a pressure sensor 6 is installed at the connection between the arm valve 2 and the chamber 5.

[0033] Specifically, the above-mentioned device can also include a spring 7 and a cross connector 8; the spring 7 and the cross connector 8 are placed in the arm valve 2, wherein the four protruding ends of the cross connector 8 are respectively connected to one end of the four-section spring 7, and the other end of each section of the spring 7 is respectively connected to the tail end of the piston arm 4, the head ends of the four piston arms 4 are arc-shaped, and the corresponding positions in the reaction zone of the body are provided with grooves adapted to the head ends of the piston arms 4; and when the spring 7 is in a natural state, the head end of the piston arm 4 extends out of the arm valve 2 and is placed in the reaction zone of the body, and is integrated with the groove, and a pressure sensor 6 is installed at the connection between the arm valve 2 and the chamber 5.

[0034] The reaction zone is preferably the eighth zone 1 of the twin-screw extruder. Usually, a twin-screw extruder has a total of 10 zones for heating. Water enters in the sixth zone, and blockage generally occurs in the eighth zone. Therefore, this embodiment preferably arranges the device in the eighth zone.

[0035] One end of the stopcock 3 placed outside the arm valve 2 is in a cross shape. This shape is convenient for opening the stopcock by rotating the matching wrench clockwise after receiving an alarm prompt; the stopcock 3 matches the concave special wrench, and the wrench cooperates with the stopcock to complete the opening and closing of the stopcock force arm;

[0036] Preferably, the machine wall valve 2 is a precision-made gradient cylinder, which is connected as a whole by two cylinders of different sizes, the outer cylinder is larger and the inner cylinder is smaller. The use of gradient cylinders can increase the precision of the extrusion work and prevent material leakage under the premise of material precision. Preferably, the eighth zone 1 is 9-11 cm long, 16-18 cm wide, and 12-14 cm high; the groove is an inwardly concave hemisphere with a diameter of 0.7-1.2 cm; the piston lever arm has a diameter of 0.7-1.2 cm and a length of 4-6 cm.

[0037] The machine wall valve 2 is a precision-made gradient cylindrical shape, which is connected into one by two cylinders of different sizes. The outer cylinder is larger, with a diameter of 6-9cm and a length of 4-5cm, and the inner cylinder is smaller, with a diameter of 5-8cm and a length of 4-5cm.

[0038] The above device can be made of 45# carbon steel structure.

[0039] The device pressure sensor 6 is arranged at the bottom of the inner chamber of the machine arm valve 2; it can monitor the pressure change inside the chamber in real time, so as to quickly transmit the machine blockage information;

[0040] The above device can be applied to 36-92 type twin screw extruder;

[0041] The arc-shaped side of the four piston levers 4 is arranged in the clockwise direction. The groove is a hemispherical body that is hollowed inward; the piston lever 4 is a precision-made smooth rod structure. When the piston 3 is rotated clockwise, the piston lever 4 inside it also rotates, and the four piston levers 4 are squeezed inside the reaction zone, and the arc-shaped end slides out of the groove due to the force, and the spring is compressed and retracted into the machine arm valve 2; at this time, the machine arm valve 2 is pulled out, and when the discharge is completed, the machine arm valve 2 is horizontally embedded in the reaction zone, and the piston 3 is twisted. When it is rotated to the point where the piston lever 4 corresponds to the groove in the body, the piston lever 4 pops out under the action of the spring, and the machine arm valve 2 is clamped in the reaction zone again;

[0042] In addition, this embodiment also provides a pressure relief discharge method for a twin-screw extruder, such as Figure 5 As shown, follow the steps below to achieve:

[0043] a. The pressure sensor determines the machine blockage phenomenon; stops water supply, stops feeding, reduces the machine body temperature, and reduces the screw speed; the pressure sensor monitors the pressure changes inside the chamber; when the pressure value is 15%-20% higher than the set safety value, the main machine working display screen will give an alarm prompt;

[0044] b. Open the valve; open the machine wall valve; increase the speed of the twin screw; clean the blocked materials; in this step, first stop the water supply, slow down the feeding speed, and then reduce the machine body temperature to 20℃-30℃, and at the same time reduce the speed of the twin screw to 60%-80% of the original speed; after receiving the alarm prompt, open the valve by rotating the matching wrench clockwise to drive the valve lever arm inside the machine arm valve to retract. When the lever arm is fully retracted into the machine arm valve, use the matching wrench to gently pull the machine arm valve horizontally, and use the internal and external pressure difference to achieve physical pressure relief of the extruder until the mechanical valve is removed;

[0045] The above-mentioned opening of the machine wall valve is performed after the pressure relief is completed in the chamber, that is, the pressure value of the pressure sensor on the main engine working screen is within the safe value range;

[0046] Increase the speed of the twin screws to 110%-130% of the original speed to make the material flow out quickly; through the pushing action of the screw in the extruder, clean the material in the machine cavity, so that the material blocked in the cavity flows out from the machine wall of the eighth zone of the machine body;

[0047] c. Reduce the speed of the twin-screw, close the machine wall valve, and close the valve. Reduce the speed of the twin-screw to 60%-80% of the original speed. After the speed stabilizes, insert the machine arm valve horizontally into the eighth zone, rotate the valve with the matching wrench, and fully extend the valve arm to the internal groove to complete the closing of the mechanical valve.

[0048] d. Start supplying water and materials, increase the machine body temperature, adjust the screw speed, and operate normally.

[0049] Example 1

[0050] The twin-screw plugging machine pressure relief and discharge 36-type extruder, when working to extrude high-moisture plant protein vegetarian meat, the pressure value is 15% higher than the set safety value; the arc-shaped side of the four valve lever arms 4 is arranged in a clockwise direction. The groove is a hemispherical body that is hollowed inward; the valve lever arm 4 is a precision-made smooth rod structure. When the valve 3 is rotated clockwise, the valve lever arm 4 inside it also rotates, and the four valve lever arms 4 are squeezed inside the reaction zone. The arc shape of the end slides out of the groove along with the force, and the spring is compressed and retracted into the machine arm valve 2; at this time, the machine arm valve 2 is pulled out, and when the discharge is completed, the machine arm valve 2 is horizontally embedded in the eighth zone of the machine body, and the valve 3 is twisted. When it is rotated to the point where the valve lever arm 4 corresponds to the groove in the machine body, under the action of the spring, the valve lever arm 4 pops out and the machine arm valve 2 is clamped in the reaction zone again;

[0051] The working display screen gives an alarm prompt; stop the water supply, slowly stop feeding, and reduce the body temperature to 20℃; use the matching wrench to rotate the valve with a cross-shaped side length of 2cm on the bottom surface counterclockwise, and the matching wrench cooperates with the valve to complete the opening of the valve lever arm; after the valve is rotated 45° clockwise, the valve lever arm inside the machine arm valve is completely retracted to an outer diameter of 6cm and a length of 4cm; in the machine arm valve with an inner diameter of 5cm and a length of 5cm, the pressure difference between the inside and the outside is used to physically relieve the pressure of the extruder. The pressure relief is completed after the working display screen shows that the pressure value drops to 1%, and the machine wall valve is taken out horizontally; increase the screw speed of the extruder to 350 r / min, clean the material, at this time, the material flows out from the machine wall of the eighth zone of the machine body; after the material is cleaned, reduce the screw speed to 200r / min, embed the machine arm valve horizontally into the eighth zone, rotate the stopcock with the matching wrench, make the stopcock force arm fully extend to the internal slot, close the machine wall valve; start water supply and material supply, increase the machine body temperature to the set temperature, adjust the screw speed, and operate normally. The above whole process takes 8 minutes.

[0052] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present invention after considering the specification and practicing the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses or adaptations of the present invention that follow the general principles of the present invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed by the present invention. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of the present invention are indicated by the claims.

[0053] It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the exact construction that has been described above and shown in the drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for discharging materials by relieving pressure during blockage of a twin-screw extruder, characterized in that: A machine-blocking pressure relief and discharge device is used to discharge pressure on a twin-screw extruder, wherein the device is nested in the reaction zone of the twin-screw extruder body and is connected and matched with the chamber (5), and the device comprises an arm valve (2), a stopcock (3), a stopcock arm (4), a pressure sensor (6), a spring (7) and a cross connector (8), wherein the body of the stopcock (3) and the stopcock arm (4) are both placed in the arm valve (2), and one end of the stopcock (3) is placed outside the arm valve (2); the end of the stopcock arm (4) is clamped in a matching groove in the reaction zone, and the stopcock arm (4) can be completely retracted into the arm valve (2). The arm valve (2) can be inserted or removed from the reaction zone by retracting the stopcock arm (4), and a pressure sensor (6) is installed at the connection between the arm valve (2) and the chamber (5); The reaction zone is the eighth zone (1) of the twin-screw extruder; The pressure relief and material discharge method using the device comprises the following steps: a. Using the pressure sensor (6) in the device to determine whether there is a blockage in the machine cavity; b. After receiving the machine blocking signal from the pressure sensor (6), the main control of the twin-screw extruder controls the twin-screw extruder to stop supplying water, stop feeding, lower the machine body temperature, and reduce the screw speed; c. Open the stopcock (3). After the pressure value is displayed as normal, open the machine wall valve (2) to increase the speed of the twin screws. Through the pushing action of the screws in the extruder, the material in the machine cavity is cleaned, so that the material blocked in the cavity flows out from the machine wall in the reaction zone of the machine body; d. Reduce the speed of the twin-screw, close the machine wall valve, and close the stopcock; e. The main control of the twin-screw extruder starts to supply water and materials, increases the machine body temperature, adjusts the screw speed, and performs normal operation; In step a, the pressure sensor (6) determines whether there is a blockage in the machine cavity based on the following: when the pressure value is 15%-20% higher than the set safety value, the main machine working display screen will give an alarm prompt; In the step b, the body temperature is lowered to 20°C-30°C, and the twin-screw speed is reduced to 60%-80% of the original speed; In the step d, the speed of the twin screw is reduced to 60%-80% of the original speed. After the speed stabilizes, the arm valve (2) is horizontally inserted into the reaction zone, and the stopcock is rotated by a matching wrench so that the stopcock arm is fully extended to the groove inside the reaction zone, thereby completing the work of closing the mechanical valve.

2. A method for discharging materials after blockage and pressure relief for a twin-screw extruder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The groove is an inwardly hollowed hemispherical body; the machine wall valve (2) is a precisely made gradient cylindrical body; and the stopcock force arm (4) is a precisely made smooth rod structure.

3. A method for discharging materials after blockage and pressure relief for a twin-screw extruder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The machine wall valve (2) is composed of two cylinders of different sizes connected as one body, wherein the outer cylinder is larger and the inner cylinder is smaller.

4. A method for discharging materials after blockage and pressure relief for a twin-screw extruder according to claim 1, characterized in that: The step c specifically comprises: after receiving the alarm prompt from the pressure sensor, the stopcock (3) is rotated clockwise by a matching wrench to drive the stopcock force arm inside the machine arm valve to retract; when the force arm is completely retracted into the machine arm valve, the machine arm valve is gently pulled horizontally by a matching wrench to achieve physical pressure relief of the extruder by utilizing the pressure difference between the inside and the outside, until the mechanical valve is removed; The twin-screw speed is increased to 110%-130% of the original speed.

Images