Tobacco moisture conditioning process and tobacco moisture conditioning machine

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of tobacco processing technology, and in particular to a tobacco rehumidification process and a tobacco rehumidification machine. This tobacco rehumidification process includes the following steps: S1. The tobacco is fed into a rehumidification box via a conveyor belt, the inlet of the rehumidification box is provided with a first exhaust gas suction system, and the outlet of the rehumidification box is provided with a second exhaust gas suction system and a visual detection device for detecting steam; S2. During normal rehumidification operation, the damper of the first exhaust gas suction system is controlled to be closed, and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system is controlled to be 85% to 95%; when the visual detection device detects steam, the damper opening of the first exhaust gas suction system is controlled to be 60% to 80%, and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system is controlled to be 20% to 40%. The present application can control the exhaust volume of the exhaust gas suction systems at both ends of the rehumidification box according to the steam overflow situation, not only ensuring that the temperature of the outlet of the rehumidification box is maintained within the process range, but also maximizing the dehumidification capacity, effectively improving the phenomenon of water stains and wet clumps easily generated in the tobacco rehumidification machine, and ensuring product quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cut tobacco processing, in particular to a cut tobacco rehumidification process and a cut tobacco rehumidification machine. Background Art

[0002] In the cigarette production process, shredding is a crucial step. The tobacco leaves must be very soft when shredding. If the leaves are too dry, they will be too broken when shredded and will not meet the requirements of subsequent processing. Therefore, the tobacco leaves need to be steam-soaked and moistened before shredding.

[0003] Existing tobacco material conditioning equipment primarily includes: Vacuum conditioning machines: This method involves placing tobacco materials into a vacuum conditioning chamber (removing packaging and loosening as necessary). The sealed chamber is then vacuumed and then sprayed with water and steam to raise the temperature and moisture content of the tobacco materials. Vacuum conditioning machines are currently a relatively mature method for pre-conditioning tobacco materials, but they consume large amounts of steam and energy. Furthermore, vacuum conditioning machines operate intermittently, requiring several units to meet the needs of continuous production lines. Furthermore, the vacuuming process results in significant loss of aromatic compounds, hindering the preservation of the tobacco's aroma. Drum conditioning machines: This equipment utilizes a drum-type system, using hot steam and water to condition and loosen the incoming material. However, for larger lumps of tobacco material, pre-loosening methods such as slicing or microwaves are necessary. The advantage of this method is that the moisture content of the material is uniform after rehydration, but for materials with a relatively low moisture content, the material will be broken into pieces during the rehydration process, which significantly increases the loss during the processing.

[0004] Patent document CN104082841A discloses a method and apparatus for pre-tempering the surface of tobacco materials. The apparatus comprises a conveyor, a rehumidification chamber, a heating and humidification system installed within the chamber, an exhaust gas exhaust system, a condensate collection and exhaust system, and a control system installed outside the chamber. The chamber is shaped like a long kiln, with a rehumidification channel in the middle, open at both ends. One end of the channel is a discharge gate, and the other is a feed gate. A conveyor belt is connected to the bottom of the channel. An exhaust gas exhaust system is installed at each end of the chamber. Several steam and water nozzles are installed at the top and sides of the chamber. As the material passes through or remains in the rehumidification channel, steam and water are applied to increase its temperature and moisture content, facilitating subsequent processing.

[0005] In this application, during normal production, only residual steam will be generated at the discharge door, but the exhaust gas emission systems at the front and rear ends of the rehumidification box are sucking at the same time. This will result in insufficient dehumidification suction force due to improper adjustment of the emission force of the two exhaust gas emission systems. Condensation water is likely to form in the exhaust gas emission system and flow back into the tobacco, producing water-stained smoke clusters, which seriously affect product quality. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present invention aims to solve the above problems and provides a tobacco rehumidification process and a tobacco rehumidification machine.

[0007] The technical solution to the problem of the present invention is to first provide a tobacco moistening process, comprising the following steps:

[0008] S1. The tobacco is fed into a rehumidification box via a conveyor belt, which has a heating and humidification system inside. The feed port of the rehumidification box is provided with a first exhaust gas suction system, and the discharge port of the rehumidification box is provided with a second exhaust gas suction system and a visual detection device for detecting steam.

[0009] S2. During normal rehumidification operation, the damper of the first exhaust gas suction system is controlled to be closed and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system is controlled to be 85%~95%;

[0010] When the visual detection device detects steam, the damper opening of the first exhaust gas suction system is controlled to 60% to 80%, and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system is controlled to 20% to 40%, until the visual detection device no longer detects steam;

[0011] Then, the damper of the first exhaust gas suction system is controlled to be closed, and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system is controlled to be 85% to 95%;

[0012] S3. After the tobacco is fully moistened, the heating and humidification system is turned off, and the damper opening of the first exhaust gas suction system and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system are controlled to 45%-55%.

[0013] Among them, the larger the air door opening, the greater the air exhaust volume.

[0014] During normal operation, this rehumidification process differs from existing waste gas extraction technologies, which use the same exhaust volume at both the inlet and outlet. Instead, the exhaust volume at the outlet is designed to be extremely high, used to extract the waste gas, while the inlet is not used for extraction. This prevents the problem of steam turbulence caused by bidirectional extraction, which can lead to steam condensation (turbulent steam transfers heat more quickly to the inner walls of the rehumidification chamber and the exhaust gas extraction system, making steam more susceptible to condensation).

[0015] When overflowing steam is detected at the discharge port, it indicates that the second exhaust gas extraction system at the discharge port is operating at an insufficient rate. If the excess steam cannot be promptly extracted, it will easily condense. For those skilled in the art, faced with this situation, the usual measure is to increase the exhaust volume of the second exhaust gas extraction system. However, the inventors have discovered that increasing the exhaust volume not only increases the workload of the exhaust gas extraction system but also tends to cause the temperature at the discharge port to drop sharply, making it more likely to produce condensed water. Therefore, in this application, the opposite approach is taken, reducing the exhaust volume at the discharge port and increasing the exhaust volume at the feed port. This allows the excess steam to move from the discharge port toward the feed port. On the one hand, most of the excess steam is reused and absorbed by the tobacco, while a small amount reaches the feed end and is extracted. At this time, the exhaust volume of the first exhaust gas extraction system is sufficient to extract this small amount of steam. On the other hand, as the excess steam moves through the rehumidification chamber, it is heated again by the heating system within the chamber, making it less likely to condense after reaching the feed port. At the same time, the total amount of exhaust air in the entire rehumidification system remains basically unchanged, which has the characteristics of energy saving and emission reduction.

[0016] In order to realize the above-mentioned tobacco rehumidification process, another object of the present invention is to provide a tobacco rehumidification machine, comprising a rehumidification box with a heating and humidification system inside, a conveyor belt, a first exhaust gas suction system, a second exhaust gas suction system and a visual detection device; the first exhaust gas suction system and the second exhaust gas suction system both include a smoke collection hood suspended above the conveyor belt and a moisture exhaust fan connected to the smoke collection hood; the smoke collection hood includes an air outlet, a damper arranged at the air outlet, and a control component for controlling the opening of the damper; the visual detection device is arranged outside the smoke collection hood located at the discharge port of the rehumidification box.

[0017] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a water receiving tray is provided in the smoke collecting hood, and the water receiving tray is annular and includes an outer ring and an inner ring. The horizontal plane of the outer ring is not higher than the horizontal plane of the inner ring, and the outer ring is connected to the inner wall of the smoke collecting hood; the smoke collecting hood is also provided with an outlet for discharging condensed water on the water receiving tray.

[0018] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the discharge outlet is provided with a one-way door.

[0019] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a sedimentation box is provided between the smoke hood and the moisture exhaust fan, the sedimentation box includes an inlet connected to the smoke hood and an outlet connected to the moisture exhaust fan, and a mesh plate is provided between the inlet and the outlet.

[0020] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a spraying member for spraying the mesh plate is further provided in the sedimentation box.

[0021] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a debris discharge port is provided at the bottom of the sedimentation box.

[0022] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the conveyor belt includes a driving wheel, a passive wheel and two tensioning chains both of which are sleeved on the driving wheel and the passive wheel, and the two tensioning chains are connected by a number of connecting parts; the connecting parts include a connecting plate and elastic belts arranged at both ends of the connecting plate, one end of the elastic belt is connected to the connecting plate, and the other end is connected to the tensioning chain; the end of the elastic belt connected to the tensioning chain is provided with a baffle, and the baffle is provided with a drain outlet; the inner bottom of the rehumidification box is provided with a telescopic part for pushing the connecting plate.

[0023] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the connecting plate is provided with a groove for the telescopic end of the telescopic member to be inserted into.

[0024] As a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the heating and humidifying system includes a plurality of steam nozzles, and the steam nozzles are arranged on the inner wall of the rehumidification box.

[0025] Beneficial effects of the present invention:

[0026] 1. In this application, a tobacco rehumidification process is provided, which can control the exhaust volume of waste steam by the exhaust gas suction system at both ends of the rehumidification box according to the steam overflow situation, not only ensuring that the temperature of the outlet of the rehumidification box is maintained within the process range, but also maximizing the moisture removal capacity, which can effectively improve the phenomenon that the tunnel-type tobacco rehumidification machine is prone to water stains and wet clumps, thereby ensuring product quality.

[0027] 2. In this application, a corresponding tobacco rehumidification machine is designed in conjunction with the tobacco rehumidification process, and a water receiving tray and a sedimentation box are added to further avoid the impact of condensed water on the tobacco and the dehumidification fan.

[0028] 3. In this application, a conveyor belt is designed, and the connecting plate is pushed to move by a telescopic part. On the one hand, under the action of the elastic belt, the connecting part vibrates, causing the tobacco supported on the connecting part to vibrate and turn over, so that the tobacco can be fully moisturized; on the other hand, after the telescopic part pushes the connecting plate, the connecting part presents a conical structure, so that the condensed water that may exist on the connecting part slides to the two sides of the cone, avoiding the condensed water and tobacco from mixing together and affecting the quality of the tobacco. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of a tobacco rehumidification machine;

[0030] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of another embodiment of a tobacco rehumidification machine;

[0031] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a settling box in a tobacco rehumidification machine;

[0032] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a conveyor belt in a tobacco rehumidification machine;

[0033] In the figure: rehumidification box 1, telescopic part 11, steam nozzle 12, conveyor belt 2, tensioning chain 21, connecting plate 221, elastic belt 222, first exhaust gas suction system 31, second exhaust gas suction system 32, smoke collection hood 33, water receiving tray 331, dehumidification fan 34, sedimentation box 35, mesh plate 351, visual inspection device 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The following are specific embodiments of the present invention, which are combined with the accompanying drawings to further describe the technical solutions of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0035] A tobacco rehumidification device, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the rehumidification chamber 1 includes a heating and humidification system equipped therein, which includes a plurality of steam nozzles 12. It also includes a conveyor belt 2 for conveying tobacco into the rehumidification chamber 1 for rehumidification and conveying the tobacco out of the rehumidification chamber 1 after rehumidification. Since steam naturally rises, the steam nozzles 12 are preferably located at the bottom or inner side of the rehumidification chamber 1. In this case, through holes are required in the conveyor belt 2 to allow steam to pass through. However, through holes in the conveyor belt 2 may cause the tobacco to fall from the conveyor belt 2. Therefore, in this embodiment, the steam nozzles 12 are located on the inner wall of the rehumidification chamber 1, and steam is ejected in a horizontal upward direction.

[0036] The feed port of the rehumidification box 1 is provided with a first exhaust gas suction system 31, and the discharge port of the rehumidification box 1 is provided with a second exhaust gas suction system 32 and a visual detection device 4 for detecting steam. The first exhaust gas suction system 31 and the second exhaust gas suction system 32 both include a smoke hood 33 suspended above the tobacco shreds and a moisture exhaust fan 34 connected to the smoke hood 33; the smoke hood 33 includes an air outlet, a damper provided at the air outlet, and a control component for controlling the opening of the damper; the visual detection device 4 is provided outside the smoke hood 33 located at the discharge port of the rehumidification box 1. The visual detection device 4 is a device that detects whether there is steam nearby through an image acquisition element and sends a corresponding signal. It belongs to the prior art and any commercially available one can be used. Furthermore, the visual detection device 4 is electrically connected to the two control components through a control module. The purpose of this control module is to convert the output signal of the visual detection device 4 into a signal for controlling the control component. This also belongs to the prior art and will not be described in detail in this embodiment.

[0037] The tobacco conditioning process based on the tobacco conditioning equipment includes the following steps:

[0038] S1. The tobacco is conveyed into the rehumidification box 1 via the conveyor belt 2.

[0039] S2. During normal rehumidification operation, the damper of the first exhaust gas suction system 31 is controlled to be closed and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system 32 is controlled to be 90%; when the visual detection device 4 detects steam, the damper opening of the first exhaust gas suction system 31 is controlled to be 70% and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system 32 is controlled to be 30% until the visual detection device 4 no longer detects steam; then the damper of the first exhaust gas suction system 31 is controlled to be closed and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system 32 is controlled to be 90%.

[0040] Based on this, the rehumidification process has only two states: one in which the visual detection device 4 detects steam; the other in which the visual detection device 4 does not detect steam. During the rehumidification of the tobacco, the dampers of the first and second exhaust gas suction systems 31 and 32 can be adjusted based on the detection results of the visual detection device 4.

[0041] S3. After the tobacco is fully moistened, the heating and humidifying system is turned off, and the damper opening of the first exhaust gas suction system 31 and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system 32 are controlled to be 50%.

[0042] The tobacco rehumidification process of the present application can greatly reduce the generation of condensed water. In order to further avoid the influence of condensed water, the present embodiment also makes the following improvements to the tobacco rehumidification machine. These improvements do not affect the rehumidification process steps.

[0043] First, in this embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, a water receiving tray 331 is provided in the smoke hood 33. The water receiving tray 331 is annular and includes an outer ring connected to the inner wall of the smoke hood 33 and an inner ring forming an exhaust gas outlet. The horizontal plane of the outer ring is not higher than the horizontal plane of the inner ring. Preferably, the horizontal plane of the outer ring is lower than the horizontal plane of the inner ring. At this time, if the steam is still condensed after being sucked into the smoke hood 33, it will slide along the inner wall of the smoke hood 33 and fall onto the water receiving tray 331. At the same time, an outlet is provided on the smoke hood 33 for draining the condensed water on the water receiving tray 331 to discharge the condensed water. Considering that the existence of the outlet may affect the exhaust gas suction system's exhaust volume of steam on the tobacco, a one-way door is provided at the outlet. The one-way door can only be opened toward the outside of the smoke hood 33 to allow the condensed water to flow out, but cannot be opened toward the inside of the smoke hood 33 to prevent unnecessary air from the outside from being sucked into the smoke hood 33.

[0044] Secondly, if the steam temperature in the smoke hood 33 is still high and has not condensed yet, but condenses when it reaches the dehumidification fan 34, the condensed water will also affect the dehumidification fan 34. Figure 3As shown, a settling box 35 is provided between the smoke hood 33 and the dehumidification fan 34. The settling box 35 includes an inlet connected to the smoke hood 33 and an outlet connected to the dehumidification fan 34. A mesh plate 351 is provided between the inlet and the outlet. When steam condenses upon contact with the mesh plate 351, the condensed water adheres to the mesh plate 351. The mesh plate 351 also traps debris such as dust and fine tobacco shreds in the steam, preventing these debris from adhering to the dehumidification fan 34 and disrupting the dynamic balance of the impeller, thereby maintaining the normal operation of the dehumidification fan 34. Preferably, multiple mesh plates 351 are provided to enhance the interception effect. Furthermore, because the mesh plates 351 intercept both condensed water and debris, the mixture of condensed water and debris adheres strongly to the mesh plates 351 and is not easily removed. After prolonged interception, the mesh holes of the mesh plates 351 may close, thereby affecting the suction efficiency of the dehumidification fan 34. Therefore, the mesh plates 351 need to be frequently disassembled and cleaned. In order to reduce the frequency of disassembly of the mesh plate 351, this embodiment also provides a spraying part at the top of the sedimentation box 35 for spraying the mesh plate 351. At the same time, a discharge port is provided at the bottom of the sedimentation box 35 for discharging condensed water condensed on the mesh plate 351 and debris flushed down by the spraying part.

[0045] Finally, if the steam volume is too large, any condensed water will fall onto the tobacco on the conveyor belt 2. In order to avoid the formation of water-stained tobacco, the conveyor belt 2 is also improved. Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, the conveyor belt 2 includes a driving pulley, a driven pulley, and a connecting belt that is sleeved around the driving and driven pulleys. The connecting belt includes an inlet portion located within the rehumidification chamber 1 and an outlet portion located outside the rehumidification chamber 1. During use, tobacco enters the conveyor belt from the feed end, is heated and humidified on the inlet portion within the rehumidification chamber 1, and is discharged from the outlet end. The connecting belt comprises two tensioning chains 21 sleeved around the driving and driven pulleys, and a number of connectors disposed between the two tensioning chains 21. The connectors include a connecting plate 221, the opposite ends of which are connected to the two tensioning chains 21 via elastic belts 222. The connecting plate 221 is made of a rigid material, while the elastic belts 222 are made of a soft, elastic material. If the connecting plate 221 is heavy, it will normally form a concave structure. Therefore, the connecting plate 221 can be made of a lower-density material and made hollow to reduce its mass. At the same time, a telescopic member 11 is provided on the inner bottom of the rehumidification box 1 for pushing the connecting plate 221 of the incoming part.

[0046] Initially, the tobacco is spread across the connector, and the upper surface of the tobacco is steam-sprayed, but its lower surface is less so. Therefore, when the connector reaches the location of the telescopic member 11, the telescopic member 1 pushes the connecting plate 221 upward, causing the elastic belt 222 to elastically expand, giving the connector a conical structure, causing the tobacco and condensed water to tumble and slide toward the sides of the cone. At this point, a baffle is provided at the end where the elastic belt 222 connects to the tensioning chain 21. The baffle has a drain port for the condensed water to pass through, but it prevents the tobacco from sliding down, thus separating the tobacco and condensed water. The telescopic member 11 then retracts its push on the connecting plate 221, which, under its own weight and the tension of the elastic belt 222, moves downward, causing the tobacco to tumble toward the center of the connector. Simultaneously, the elastic belt 222 vibrates the entire connector, causing the tobacco to spread and its lower surface to flip upward. When the tobacco is conveyed to the position of the next steam nozzle 12, the original lower surface of the tobacco can be moistened.

[0047] To prevent tobacco from falling from the connecting member during vibration, elastic stop plates are also provided at both ends of the connecting member's non-connecting tensioning chain 21. To prevent slippage between the telescopic member 11 and the connecting plate 221, which would prevent the telescopic member 11 from accurately pushing the connecting plate 221 to move, a groove is provided on the side of the connecting plate 221 near the bottom of the rehumidification box 1 for the telescopic end of the telescopic member 11 to be inserted.

[0048] The specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the spirit of the present invention. Persons skilled in the art may make various modifications, additions, or substitutions to the described specific embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention or exceeding the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A tobacco shred moisture conditioning process, characterized by: The tobacco rehumidification machine is used, and the tobacco rehumidification machine includes a rehumidification box (1) with a heating and humidification system inside, a conveyor belt (2), a first exhaust gas suction system (31), a second exhaust gas suction system (32) and a visual detection device (4); the first exhaust gas suction system (31) and the second exhaust gas suction system (32) both include a smoke collecting hood (33) suspended above the conveyor belt (2) and a moisture exhaust fan (34) connected to the smoke collecting hood (33); the smoke collecting hood (33) includes an air outlet, an air door arranged at the air outlet, and a ventilation fan (34) connected to the ventilation fan (34) , and a control member for controlling the opening of the damper; the visual inspection device (4) is arranged outside the smoke collecting hood (33) located at the discharge port of the rehumidification box (1); a sedimentation box (35) is provided between the smoke collecting hood (33) and the dehumidification fan (34), the sedimentation box (35) comprising an inlet communicated with the smoke collecting hood (33) and an outlet communicated with the dehumidification fan (34), a mesh plate (351) is provided between the inlet and the outlet; a spraying member for spraying the mesh plate (351) is further provided in the sedimentation box (35); The tobacco shred moisture conditioning process comprises the following steps: S1. The tobacco is conveyed via a conveyor belt (2) into a rehumidification box (1) having a heating and humidification system therein, wherein the inlet of the rehumidification box (1) is provided with a first exhaust gas suction system (31), and the outlet of the rehumidification box (1) is provided with a second exhaust gas suction system (32) and a visual detection device (4) for detecting steam; S2. During normal rehumidification operation, the damper of the first exhaust gas suction system (31) is controlled to be closed and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system (32) is controlled to be 85% to 95%; When the visual detection device (4) detects steam, the damper opening of the first exhaust gas suction system (31) is controlled to be 60% to 80%, and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system (32) is controlled to be 20% to 40%, and the exhaust volume of the discharge port is reduced and the exhaust volume of the feed port is increased, so that excess steam moves from the discharge port to the feed port until the visual detection device (4) no longer detects steam; Then, the damper of the first exhaust gas suction system (31) is controlled to be closed, and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system (32) is controlled to be 85% to 95%; S3. After the tobacco is fully moistened, the heating and humidifying system is turned off, and the damper opening of the first exhaust gas suction system (31) and the damper opening of the second exhaust gas suction system (32) are controlled to be 45% to 55%.

2. The tobacco conditioning process according to claim 1, characterized in that: A water receiving tray (331) is provided in the smoke collecting hood (33). The water receiving tray (331) is annular and includes an outer ring and an inner ring. The horizontal plane of the outer ring is not higher than the horizontal plane of the inner ring. The outer ring is connected to the inner wall of the smoke collecting hood (33). The smoke collecting hood (33) is also provided with an outlet for discharging condensed water on the water receiving tray (331).

3. The tobacco conditioning process according to claim 2, characterized in that: The discharge outlet is provided with a one-way door.

4. The tobacco conditioning process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the sedimentation box (35) is provided with a debris discharge port.

5. The tobacco conditioning process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The conveyor belt (2) comprises a driving wheel, a driven wheel, and two tensioning chains (21) both of which are sleeved on the driving wheel and the driven wheel, and the two tensioning chains (21) are connected by a plurality of connecting members; the connecting members comprise a connecting plate (221) and elastic belts (222) arranged at both ends of the connecting plate, one end of the elastic belt (222) is connected to the connecting plate (221), and the other end is connected to the tensioning chain (21); a baffle is provided at the end of the elastic belt (222) connected to the tensioning chain (21), and the baffle is provided with a drainage port; the inner bottom of the rehumidification box (1) is provided with a telescopic member (11) for pushing the connecting plate (221).

6. The tobacco conditioning process according to claim 5, characterized in that: The connecting plate (221) is provided with a groove into which the telescopic end of the telescopic member (11) can be inserted.

7. The tobacco conditioning process according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating and humidifying system comprises a plurality of steam nozzles (12), wherein the steam nozzles (12) are arranged on the inner side wall of the rehumidification box (1).

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