An instant coffee powder granulating device with a compound granulation function

Abstract

The present invention is applicable to the field of instant coffee production technology and provides an instant coffee powder granulation device with a composite granulation function, comprising a drying tower, a vibrating screening machine, a high-pressure spray gun, a steam input pipe, a powder pipe, and a conveying pipe with a first pipeline accelerator. The vibrating screening machine is arranged at the bottom of the drying tower, the top feed end of the vibrating screening machine is connected to the bottom discharge end of the drying tower, and the lower discharge end of the vibrating screening machine is connected to the feed end of the powder pipe through the conveying pipe. The present invention uses the high-pressure spray gun, the steam input pipe, and the powder pipe to centrally input atomized droplets, steam, and powder into a cyclone body, causing the powder to rotate within the cyclone body, collide with each other, and under the action of steam, the powder surface is wetted. The colliding powders aggregate into larger particles, reducing the content of ultrafine powder in the powder. The powder gradually falls into the cyclone cone by its own weight and enters the drying tower through the discharge port at the bottom of the cyclone cone, thereby improving the efficiency of the aggregation of the powders.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of instant coffee production, and more particularly to an instant coffee powder granulating device with a composite granulating function. Background Art

[0002] Traditional instant coffee powder is often produced using a single spray drying method, where the raw liquid is sprayed into a drying chamber, rapidly evaporating the water to form a dry powder. When spray-dried coffee or milk powder products are too fine and have a high particle density, the powder often agglomerates and becomes insoluble in water (i.e., some coffee powder tends to float on the surface and refuse to dissolve). However, advances in processing technology have found a solution to this problem. Granulation, a process that transforms the previously dense, fine powder into larger, porous, hollow particles, allows water to quickly enter and dissolve. Granulation technology allows instant coffee to become larger particles, making them more soluble.

[0003] Spray drying is a key technology in the production of instant coffee powder. It involves applying high-pressure or centrifugal atomization to a solution, emulsion, or suspension, dispersing it into tiny droplets that enter a dryer and mix with hot air to form a powder or granules. Due to the nature of spray drying, the resulting coffee powder may contain a significant amount of fines that do not meet particle size requirements. These fines are separated and collected in a cyclone or baghouse. These fine coffee particles are dense and less compatible with water. To obtain larger coffee particles and enhance their solubility, current methods include mixing fine and coarse coffee powders for sale, which results in significant differences in solubility. Alternatively, the sprayed fines are re-dissolved before being sprayed into the drying tower. This approach not only increases the production process but also significantly increases the manufacturing cost.

[0004] The existing authorized publication number is CN215353288U, which is a pressure spray dryer fine powder return tower re-aggregation granulation device, comprising a pressure spray drying tower, a vibrating screen and a fan; the top of the pressure spray drying tower is provided with a liquid inlet and a hot air inlet, and the bottom end of the pressure spray drying tower is connected to the vibrating screen through a first discharge pipe; the right side of the pressure spray drying tower is connected to a cyclone separator, and the bottom end of the cyclone separator is provided with a second discharge pipe; the right air outlet of the cyclone separator is connected to a bag dust collector, and the bottom end of the bag dust collector is provided with an ultrafine powder collection bin; the fan is located on the right side of the vibrating screen, the air outlet end of the fan is connected to a filter, the side of the filter away from the fan is connected to an electric heater, the side of the electric heater away from the filter is connected to a conveying pipe, and the top end of the conveying pipe is connected to the liquid inlet; by returning the fine powder to the tower, the overall particle size of the product is increased, the waste of fine powder is reduced, and the production capacity and profit are improved.

[0005] Although the reduction can increase the particle size to a certain extent and reduce the waste of fine powder, simply relying on the method of increasing the particle size of coffee powder by repeatedly agglomerating the fine powder back into the tower will result in a long time for reagglomeration granulation and a poor efficiency of reagglomeration granulation, which will lead to increased energy consumption. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art, the object of the present invention is to provide an instant coffee powder granulating device with a composite granulation function, which can improve the efficiency of coffee powder agglomeration and reduce energy consumption.

[0007] To solve the above technical problems, the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions:

[0008] The present invention discloses an instant coffee powder granulating device with a composite granulating function, comprising a drying tower, a vibrating screening machine, a high-pressure spray gun, a steam input pipe, a powder pipe, and a conveying pipe with a first pipeline accelerator. The vibrating screening machine is arranged at the bottom of the drying tower, the top feed end of the vibrating screening machine is connected to the bottom discharge end of the drying tower, and the lower discharge end of the vibrating screening machine is connected to the feed end of the powder pipe through the conveying pipe.

[0009] A conical sealing end cover is fixed to the top of the drying tower by bolts, and a cyclone barrel is passed through the top of the conical sealing end cover, and the cyclone barrel is fixedly connected to the conical sealing end cover; a cyclone cone extending to the interior of the drying tower is fixed to the bottom of the cyclone barrel, and a discharge port is provided at the bottom of the cyclone cone, and a feed channel connected to the inner cavity of the cyclone barrel is fixed on the outer circular surface of the cyclone barrel; a hemispherical material blocking cover is provided inside the drying tower opposite to the discharge port, and the open end of the hemispherical material blocking cover faces the discharge port.

[0010] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, it also includes a cyclone separator, a bag dust collector, an ultrafine powder storage bin, a fan, a filter, a heater and a second pipeline accelerator. The exhaust gas output end of the drying tower is connected to the input end of the cyclone separator, and the drying tower is fixed with a hot air input pipe and an exhaust gas output pipe that are connected to the inner cavity of the drying tower.

[0011] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the exhaust gas output pipe is connected to the input end of the cyclone separator through a conduit, the exhaust gas output end of the cyclone separator is connected to the input end of the bag dust collector through a conduit, the powder output end of the cyclone separator is connected to the input end of the vibrating screening machine through a conduit, the powder output end of the bag dust collector is connected to the input end of the ultrafine powder storage bin through a conduit, the fan, filter, and heater are connected in sequence along the air circulation direction, the output end of the heater is connected to the discharge end of the ultrafine powder storage bin through a conduit, and the discharge end of the ultrafine powder storage bin is connected to the conveying pipe through a conduit with a second pipeline accelerator.

[0012] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the air inlet end of the feed channel is fixed with a mounting plate by bolts, the powder pipe passes through the mounting plate and extends into the inside of the feed channel, and the powder pipe is fixedly connected to the mounting plate.

[0013] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the high-pressure spray gun penetrates the powder pipe along the axis of the powder pipe and extends into the inside of the feed channel, and the steam input pipe is fixed to the feed channel and communicates with the inner cavity of the feed channel.

[0014] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the cyclone separator, the bag dust collector and the discharge end at the bottom of the ultrafine powder storage bin are all equipped with a discharger connected to the conduit.

[0015] As an optimal technical solution of the present invention, several support rods are fixed on the outer spherical surface of the hemispherical material retaining cover, and one end of the support rods away from the hemispherical material retaining cover is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the drying tower by bolts, and a support seat that cooperates with the support rods is fixed on the inner wall of the drying tower.

[0016] As a preferred technical solution of the present invention, the feed channel is arranged along the tangential direction of the outer circular surface of the cyclone body.

[0017] The advantages of the present invention are:

[0018] The present invention arranges a cyclone barrel and a cyclone cone at the top of a drying tower, and centrally inputs atomized liquid droplets, steam and powder into the cyclone barrel through a high-pressure spray gun, a steam input pipe and a powder pipe, so that the powder rotates in the cyclone barrel and collides with each other. Under the action of steam, the powder surface is moistened, and the colliding powders aggregate into larger particles, thereby reducing the content of ultrafine powder in the powder. The powder gradually falls into the cyclone cone by its own weight and enters the drying tower through the discharge port at the bottom of the cyclone cone, thereby improving the efficiency of the aggregation of the powders.

[0019] The present invention provides a hemispherical material retaining cover inside the drying tower, which is opposite to the discharge port at the bottom of the cyclone cone. The powder falling into the hemispherical material retaining cover is further blown up by the airflow and the dry hot air in the drying tower, and the powder inside the drying tower is further aggregated, thereby further reducing the content of ultrafine powder, thereby improving the efficiency of powder aggregation, shortening the time for powder re-aggregation, reducing energy consumption, and improving economic benefits.

[0020] The present invention uses additional structures such as a cyclone separator, a bag dust collector, an ultrafine powder storage bin, a fan, a filter, a heater and a second pipeline accelerator to further filter and intercept the ultrafine powder discharged along with the exhaust gas from the drying tower when in use, so that the ultrafine powder can return to the tower for re-aggregation and granulation, thereby increasing the overall particle size of the product, reducing the waste of fine powder, and further improving economic benefits. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 The figure is a schematic structural diagram of an instant coffee powder granulating device with a composite granulating function according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of the present invention from another perspective.

[0023] Figure 3 It is the front view of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 4 It is a structural diagram of part of the structure of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 5 for Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure at AA in the middle.

[0026] Figure 6 It is a structural diagram of the conical sealing end cover, cyclone barrel, cyclone cone, discharge port, and feed chute.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a structural diagram of the cooperation between the high-pressure spray gun, powder pipe, and mounting plate.

[0028] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure from another perspective.

[0029] Figure 9 It is a structural diagram of a hemispherical material retaining cover.

[0030] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the superfine coffee powder returning to the tower for re-aggregation and granulation according to the present invention.

[0031] In the attached figure: 1. Drying tower; 2. Vibrating screening machine; 3. High-pressure spray gun; 4. Steam input pipe; 5. Powder pipe; 6. First pipeline accelerator; 7. Conveying pipe; 8. Conical sealing end cover; 9. Cyclone body; 10. Cyclone cone; 11. Discharge port; 12. Feed chute; 13. Hemispherical material blocking cover; 14. Cyclone separator; 15. Bag dust collector; 16. Ultrafine powder storage bin; 17. Fan; 18. Filter; 19. Heater; 20. Second pipeline accelerator; 21. Hot air input pipe; 22. Exhaust gas output pipe; 23. Mounting plate; 24. Support rod. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other. The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0033] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by ordinary technicians in the technical field to which this application belongs.

[0034] In the present invention, unless otherwise specified, directions such as "up" and "down" are generally used with respect to the directions shown in the drawings, or with respect to the vertical, perpendicular or gravity directions; similarly, for ease of understanding and description, "left" and "right" are generally used with respect to the left and right shown in the drawings; "inside" and "outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the outline of each component itself, but the above-mentioned directions are not used to limit the present invention. Specific embodiments

[0035] See also Figure 1-10 Structural schematic diagram, the present invention provides the following technical solutions:

[0036] Specifically, it refers to an instant coffee powder granulation device with a complex granulation function, including a drying tower 1, a vibrating screening machine 2, a high-pressure spray gun 3, a steam input pipe 4, a powder pipe 5 and a conveying pipe 7 with a first pipeline accelerator 6. The vibrating screening machine 2 is arranged at the bottom of the drying tower 1, and the top feed end of the vibrating screening machine 2 is connected to the bottom discharge end of the drying tower 1. The lower discharge end of the vibrating screening machine 2 is connected to the feed end of the powder pipe 5 through the conveying pipe 7.

[0037] A conical sealing end cover 8 is fixed to the top of the drying tower 1 by bolts, and a cyclone barrel 9 is passed through the top of the conical sealing end cover 8, and the cyclone barrel 9 is fixedly connected to the conical sealing end cover 8; a cyclone cone 10 extending to the interior of the drying tower 1 is fixed at the bottom of the cyclone barrel 9, and a discharge port 11 is provided at the bottom of the cyclone cone 10. A feed channel 12 connected to the inner cavity of the cyclone barrel 9 is fixed on the outer surface of the cyclone barrel 9; the feed channel 12 is arranged along the tangential direction of the outer surface of the cyclone barrel 9.

[0038] A hemispherical material retaining cover 13 is provided inside the drying tower 1, facing the material outlet 11. The open end of the hemispherical material retaining cover 13 faces the material outlet 11. A plurality of support rods 24 are fixed to the outer spherical surface of the hemispherical material retaining cover 13. The ends of the support rods 24 away from the hemispherical material retaining cover 13 are fixedly connected to the inner wall of the drying tower 1 by bolts. A support base that cooperates with the support rods 24 is fixed to the inner wall of the drying tower 1.

[0039] The air inlet end of the feed chute 12 is fixed with a mounting plate 23 by bolts. The powder pipe 5 passes through the mounting plate 23 and extends into the interior of the feed chute 12 . The powder pipe 5 is fixedly connected to the mounting plate 23 .

[0040] The high-pressure spray gun 3 penetrates the powder pipe 5 along the axis of the powder pipe 5 and extends to the inside of the feed channel 12 . The steam input pipe 4 is fixed to the feed channel 12 and communicates with the inner cavity of the feed channel 12 .

[0041] The working principle of the present invention is as follows:

[0042] The coffee powder enters the feed channel 12 through the powder pipe 5 (the powder pipe 5 is provided with a feed pipe connected to the powder bin). Under the action of the high-pressure spray gun 3 and the steam input pipe 4, the high-speed liquefied droplets ejected from the high-pressure spray gun 3 and the steam output from the steam input pipe 4 are mixed preliminarily. The powder rotates at a high speed in the cyclone barrel 9 and settles in the cyclone cone 10 by its own weight. During the rotation, the larger particles of coffee powder gather together to form coffee powder that meets the requirements, reducing the amount of fine powder particles. The coffee powder settled in the cyclone cone 10 enters the discharge port 11 at the bottom of the cyclone cone. In the drying tower 1, it is first blocked by the hemispherical material blocking cover 13. Under the action of the airflow ejected from the discharge port 11 and the dry hot air in the drying tower 1, the powder collides and aggregates with each other again in the drying tower 1 to form larger coffee particles, further improving the granulation efficiency. The coffee particles enter the vibrating screening machine 2 through the feeding end of the vibrating screening machine 2. After screening, the qualified coffee particles are output through the upper discharge pipe, and the unqualified coffee powder is input into the first pipeline accelerator 6 through the lower discharge pipe, and is transported to the powder pipe 5 through the conveying pipe 7. The granulation is repeated to improve the utilization rate of the coffee powder and reduce waste. Specific embodiments

[0043] Based on the first specific embodiment, the difference of this embodiment is that:

[0044] like Figure 10 As shown, it also includes a cyclone separator 14, a bag dust collector 15, an ultrafine powder storage bin 16, a fan 17, a filter 18, a heater 19 and a second pipeline accelerator 20. The exhaust gas output end of the drying tower 1 is connected to the input end of the cyclone separator 14, and a hot air input pipe 21 and an exhaust gas output pipe 22 that are connected to the inner cavity of the drying tower 1 are fixed on the drying tower 1.

[0045] The exhaust gas output pipe 22 is connected to the input end of the cyclone separator 14 via a conduit. The exhaust gas output end of the cyclone separator 14 is connected to the input end of the bag dust collector 15 via a conduit. The powder output end of the cyclone separator 14 is connected to the input end of the vibrating screening machine 2 via a conduit. The powder output end of the bag dust collector 15 is connected to the input end of the ultrafine powder storage bin 16 via a conduit. The fan 17, filter 18, and heater 19 are connected in sequence along the air flow direction. The output end of the heater 19 is connected to the discharge end of the ultrafine powder storage bin 16 via a conduit. The discharge end of the ultrafine powder storage bin 16 is connected to the conveying pipe 7 via a conduit with a second pipeline accelerator 20. The cyclone separator 14, bag dust collector 15, and the bottom discharge end of the ultrafine powder storage bin 16 are all equipped with dischargers connected to the conduits.

[0046] The input end of the cyclone separator 14 is connected to the exhaust gas output pipe 22 of the drying tower 1. Part of the fine powder enters the cyclone separator 14 through the exhaust gas output pipe 22. After being processed by the cyclone separator 14, the distributed and fine powder is input to the feed end of the vibrating screening machine 2 through the conduit at the bottom of the cyclone separator 14. After screening by the vibrating screening machine 2, qualified powder is output, and unqualified powder is transported to the first pipeline accelerator 6 through the discharge pipe at the bottom of the vibrating screening machine 2, and granulated again through the conveying pipe 7.

[0047] The ultrafine powder discharged from the air outlet of the cyclone separator 14 is filtered by the bag dust collector 15 and then input into the ultrafine powder storage bin 16. After a certain amount of the ultrafine powder is accumulated, the fan 17 is started, the air is filtered by the filter 18, and the air is heated by the heater 19. The ultrafine powder is then input into the conveying pipe through the second pipeline accelerator 20 connected to the bottom discharge end of the ultrafine powder storage bin 16, and is returned to the tower for granulation again, thereby reducing the waste of fine powder, improving production capacity and increasing profits.

[0048] Obviously, the embodiments described above are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0049] It should be noted that the terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments according to the present application. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular form is also intended to include the plural form. In addition, it should be understood that when the terms "comprise" and / or "include" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, tasks, devices, components and / or combinations thereof.

[0050] It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," and the like in the specification and claims of this application and the accompanying drawings are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or precedence. It should be understood that the terms used in this manner are interchangeable where appropriate, so that the embodiments of the present application described herein can be implemented in an order other than that illustrated or described herein.

[0051] The foregoing description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that various modifications and variations of the present invention are possible. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention are intended to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0052] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. All technical solutions based on the concept of the present invention are within the scope of protection of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, various improvements and modifications that do not depart from the principles of the present invention should also be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An instant coffee powder granulating device with a composite granulating function, comprising a drying tower (1), a vibrating screening machine (2), a high-pressure spray gun (3), a steam input pipe (4), a powder pipe (5) and a conveying pipe (7) with a first pipeline accelerator (6), wherein the vibrating screening machine (2) is arranged at the bottom of the drying tower (1), the top feed end of the vibrating screening machine (2) is connected to the bottom discharge end of the drying tower (1), and the lower discharge end of the vibrating screening machine (2) is connected to the feed end of the powder pipe (5) through the conveying pipe (7), characterized in that: The top of the drying tower (1) is fixed with a conical sealing end cover (8) by bolts, the top of the conical sealing end cover (8) is penetrated by a cyclone barrel (9), and the cyclone barrel (9) is fixedly connected to the conical sealing end cover (8); A cyclone cone (10) extending into the interior of the drying tower (1) is fixed to the bottom of the cyclone barrel (9), a discharge port (11) is provided at the bottom of the cyclone cone (10), and a feed channel (12) communicating with the inner cavity of the cyclone barrel (9) is fixed on the outer circumferential surface of the cyclone barrel (9); A hemispherical material blocking cover (13) facing the material discharge port (11) is provided inside the drying tower (1), and an opening end of the hemispherical material blocking cover (13) faces the material discharge port (11); The high-pressure spray gun (3) penetrates the powder pipe (5) along the axis of the powder pipe (5) and extends to the inside of the feed channel (12); the steam input pipe (4) is fixed to the feed channel (12) and communicates with the inner cavity of the feed channel (12); It also includes a cyclone separator (14), a bag dust collector (15), an ultrafine powder storage bin (16), a fan (17), a filter (18), a heater (19) and a second pipeline accelerator (20). The exhaust gas output end of the drying tower (1) is connected to the input end of the cyclone separator (14). A hot air input pipe (21) and an exhaust gas output pipe (22) connected to the inner cavity of the drying tower (1) are fixed on the drying tower (1); the feed channel (12) is arranged along the tangential direction of the outer surface of the cyclone barrel (9); the exhaust gas output pipe (22) is connected to the input end of the cyclone separator (14) through a conduit. The cyclone separator (14) The exhaust gas output end is connected to the input end of the bag dust collector (15) through a conduit, the powder output end of the cyclone separator (14) is connected to the input end of the vibrating screening machine (2) through a conduit, the powder output end of the bag dust collector (15) is connected to the input end of the ultrafine powder storage bin (16) through a conduit, the fan (17), the filter (18), and the heater (19) are connected in sequence along the air flow direction, the output end of the heater (19) is connected to the discharge end of the ultrafine powder storage bin (16) through a conduit, and the discharge end of the ultrafine powder storage bin (16) is connected to the conveying pipe (7) through a conduit with a second pipeline accelerator (20).

2. The instant coffee powder granulating device with a composite granulating function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The air inlet end of the feed channel (12) is fixed with a mounting plate (23) by means of bolts, the powder pipe (5) passes through the mounting plate (23) and extends into the interior of the feed channel (12), and the powder pipe (5) is fixedly connected to the mounting plate (23).

3. The instant coffee powder granulating device with a composite granulating function according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cyclone separator (14), the bag dust collector (15) and the bottom discharge end of the ultrafine powder storage bin (16) are all equipped with a discharger connected to the conduit.

4. The instant coffee powder granulating device with a composite granulating function according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of support rods (24) are fixed on the outer spherical surface of the hemispherical material blocking cover (13), and one end of the plurality of support rods (24) away from the hemispherical material blocking cover (13) is fixedly connected to the inner wall of the drying tower (1) through bolts, and a support seat that cooperates with the support rods (24) is fixed on the inner wall of the drying tower (1).

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