Double-tank type tobacco feeding system, control method thereof and tobacco production system

Abstract

The invention provides a double-tank type tobacco feeding system which comprises a movable tank (3) capable of moving between a tobacco feed liquid blending center and a feeding system so as to receive feed liquid from the tobacco feed liquid blending center and transfer the feed liquid to the feeding system; the fixed tank (4) is in fluid communication with the outlet of the movable tank (3) in an on-off manner and can control the temperature or / and pressure of feed liquid in the fixed tank (4); and a nozzle (11) switching between fluid communication with the mobile tank (3) through and not through the stationary tank (4) so as to spray the feed liquid onto the tobacco leaves.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of tobacco equipment, and in particular to a double-tank tobacco feeding system and a control method thereof. Background Art

[0002] Tobacco base is an important means to improve the quality of tobacco products. It is directly related to the sensory quality of cigarette products and is closely related to the smoking experience of consumers. It is very important for the promotion of cigarette brands. High-end cigarettes are increasingly becoming an important engine to drive the high-quality development of the industry. While ensuring the supply of ordinary cigarettes, manufacturers also need to meet the demand for high-end cigarettes. Whether the same production line can adapt to the technical standards and process requirements of applying different base materials for various cigarettes is the main challenge faced in the process of improving the sensory quality of cigarette products.

[0003] In current technology, the method of adding base material to tobacco products is mainly to configure a feeding system and equipment for blade feeding, use an electric pump to provide power for the liquid feed, and use steam to form mist droplets that are evenly applied to the constantly rolling blades to complete the feeding process. However, under the existing process and technical conditions, first, the liquid feed used by the feeder is prepared by the sugar and flavor blending center, and the liquid feed is filled into a mobile tank, and then the mobile tank is transported to the production site through logistics for feeding operations. The current mobile tank does not have the temperature adjustment and constant temperature functions required by biological enzymes, and the long-term use of the electric pump will cause mechanical seal wear, resulting in the generation of metal and graphite debris. A filter with a stainless steel filter mesh is arranged downstream of the electric pump in the feeding system pipeline, which is difficult to intercept metal and graphite debris, and there is a risk of foreign matter intrusion during the feeding process.

[0004] The above problems will lead to at least the following problems in process control and quality risk assurance measures in the process of adding base materials to tobacco products:

[0005] Lack of control measures for some process parameters. Currently, the liquid material is heated in the sugar and flavor blending center before being filled into mobile tanks. Mobile tanks do not have temperature control functions and lack temperature control measures. There are many uncontrollable factors in the logistics and transportation process. It is difficult to keep the liquid material temperature consistent after the mobile tank arrives at the site.

[0006] Poor ability to remove impurities. Since the manufacturing process of the monomer fragrance raw materials used in the liquid preparation includes at least a membrane separation process of microfiltration membrane or above, and the process equipment is also made of stainless steel, the site is only equipped with a stainless steel filter mesh filter that is suitable for the subsequent nozzle aperture and is used to filter undissolved material-based particles. If the pump mechanical seal is worn, it cannot form an effective interception;

[0007] There is a lack of data verification methods for feeding ratios, and batch feeding quantity calculation can only be performed by accumulating the readings of the flowmeter on the feeding pipeline. However, the flowmeter may have zero drift or linear errors, and the pump may also cause abnormal instantaneous flow readings after air intake, resulting in deviations in the cumulative feeding flow and abnormal feeding ratios.

[0008] It should be noted that the information disclosed in the background technology section of this application is only intended to increase the understanding of the overall background of this application, and should not be regarded as an admission or suggestion in any form that the information constitutes prior art already known to those skilled in the art. Summary of the invention

[0009] The present application provides a double-tank tobacco feeding system, comprising:

[0010] A mobile tank capable of moving between the tobacco liquid blending center and the feeding system to receive the liquid from the tobacco liquid blending center and transfer it to the feeding system;

[0011] A fixed tank, which is in fluid communication with the outlet of the mobile tank and can control the temperature and / or pressure of the liquid therein; and

[0012] The nozzle is switched between being in fluid communication with the movable tank through the fixed tank and not through the fixed tank to spray the liquid onto the tobacco leaves.

[0013] In some embodiments, the mobile tank is connected to the nozzle fluid by switching between a first pipeline and a second pipeline in parallel, the first pipeline is used as a conventional feeding pipeline for directly connecting the mobile tank and the nozzle, and the fixed tank is arranged in the second pipeline.

[0014] In some embodiments, the fixed tank includes a tank body and a heat transfer pipeline coiled around the outer circumference of the tank body, and the heat transfer pipeline has a hot water outlet and a hot water inlet.

[0015] In some embodiments, the fixed tank is provided with a pressurization port for guiding pressurized air or steam into the liquid therein; or the fixed tank is provided with a venting port for releasing the pressure therein.

[0016] In some embodiments, a pressure sensor is installed at the bottom of the fixed tank to detect the weight of the fixed tank.

[0017] In some embodiments, a filter is arranged downstream of the stationary tank in the second line.

[0018] In some embodiments, a pump is arranged in the second pipeline for pumping the liquid from the fixed pump to the nozzle.

[0019] In some embodiments, the dual-tank tobacco charging system includes a flow meter disposed in the second pipeline for measuring the flow rate of the pumped liquid.

[0020] The present application also provides a tobacco production system, comprising the above-mentioned double-tank tobacco feeding system.

[0021] The present application also provides a control method for the double-tank tobacco feeding system, including executing the following conventional feeding mode and at least one other mode of operation:

[0022] Conventional feeding mode: the liquid is provided by a mobile tank and directly transported to the nozzle to inject the liquid onto the blades;

[0023] Constant pressure precise feeding mode: switch the mobile tank to provide liquid feed to the fixed tank, close the feed port and vent port of the fixed tank, open the pressurization port of the fixed tank, and the liquid feed is transferred to the nozzle 11 to inject the liquid feed onto the blades;

[0024] Constant temperature precise feeding mode: switch the mobile tank to provide liquid feed to the fixed tank, open the hot water inlet and outlet on the water bath circulation pipeline, adjust the liquid feed temperature to the predetermined temperature range, and keep it warm continuously. The liquid feed is transferred to the nozzle to inject the liquid feed onto the blades; and

[0025] Constant temperature and pressure precise feeding mode: After the mobile tank provides the liquid feed to the fixed tank, close the feed port of the fixed tank, open the hot water inlet and outlet of the hot bath circulation pipeline, and keep the temperature of the liquid feed within the predetermined temperature range, close the vent of the fixed tank, open the pressurization port of the fixed tank, and the liquid feed is transferred to the nozzle to inject the liquid feed onto the blades.

[0026] In some embodiments, at least one of the constant temperature, constant pressure, and constant temperature and constant pressure modes includes the following steps:

[0027] Measuring weight data of stationary tanks through pressure sensors; and

[0028] Based on the change in the weight data of the fixed tank, the flow meter is checked to measure the accumulated flow of the liquid sprayed from the nozzle.

[0029] In some embodiments, the liquid feed may be sprayed onto the blades by at least one of steam, compressed air, and hot air.

[0030] Other features and advantages of the present application will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The drawings described herein are used to provide a further understanding of the present application and constitute a part of the present application. The illustrative embodiments of the present application and their descriptions are used to explain the present application and do not constitute an improper limitation on the present application. In the drawings:

[0032] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a double-tank tobacco feeding system according to an embodiment of the present application; and

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a fixed tank in a double-tank tobacco feeding system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Figure numerals: 1, material pipeline; 2, sewage outlet; 3, mobile tank; 4, fixed tank; 5, energy pipeline; 6, pneumatic ball valve; 7, pneumatic three-way valve; 8, filter; 9, pump; 10, flow meter; 11, nozzle; 401, stirring motor; 402, pressurizing port; 403, feed port; 404, hot water outlet; 405, tank body; 406, trapezoidal support seat; 407, pressure sensor; 408, leveling component; 409, vent; 410, return port; 411, heat exchange pipeline; 412, hot water inlet; 413 internal space of the tank body; 414, discharge port. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is actually only illustrative and is by no means intended to limit the present application and its application or use. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0036] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​of the parts and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present application. At the same time, it should be understood that, for ease of description, the sizes of the various parts shown in the accompanying drawings are not drawn according to the actual proportional relationship. The technology, method and equipment known to those of ordinary skill in the relevant field may not be discussed in detail, but in appropriate cases, the technology, method and equipment should be considered as a part of the authorization specification. In all examples shown and discussed here, any specific value should be interpreted as being merely exemplary, rather than as a limitation. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters represent similar items in the following drawings, so that once a certain item is defined in an accompanying drawing, it does not need to be further discussed in subsequent drawings.

[0037] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to limit components is only for the convenience of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present application.

[0038] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the directions or positional relationships indicated by directional words such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "lateral, vertical, upright, horizontal" and "top, bottom" are usually based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise specified, these directional words do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a specific direction or be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limiting the scope of protection of the present application. The directional words "inside and outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the contours of each component itself.

[0039] See also Figure 1 The present application provides a double-tank tobacco feeding system, which includes a material pipeline 1, a mobile tank 3, a fixed tank 4, a filter 8, a pump 9, a flow meter 10 and a nozzle 11 are arranged in the material pipeline 1. The nozzle 11 can switch between the mode of being in fluid communication with the mobile tank 3 through the fixed tank 4 and not through the fixed tank 4 to spray the liquid material onto the tobacco leaves. There are two pipelines between the nozzle 11 and the mobile tank 3, and the nozzle 11 switches between the two pipelines to be connected with the mobile tank 3. The first pipeline directly connects the nozzle 11 and the mobile tank 3, and the second pipeline connects the nozzle 11 and the mobile tank 3 fluid through the fixed tank 4. As Figure 1 As shown, the three-way valve is used to realize switchable communication with the nozzle 11 through or without passing through the fixed tank 4.

[0040] The mobile tank 3 is used to contain the liquid prepared by the sugar and spice preparation center and serves as an intermediate container to store and transport the liquid.

[0041] The fixed tank 4 is used to contain the liquid material transferred from the mobile tank 3 and serves as a liquid material discharge container of the feeding system to realize the storage and return of the liquid material.

[0042] The fixed tank 4 has at least one of the following functions: outputting the liquid at a constant pressure, outputting the liquid at a constant temperature, and detecting the weight of the liquid contained in real time.

[0043] like Figure 2 As shown, the fixed tank 4 includes a tank body 405 , a stirring motor 401 , a stirring paddle, a water bath temperature adjustment layer, a trapezoidal support seat 406 , a pressure sensor 407 and a pressure sensor 408 .

[0044] The tank body 405 of the fixed tank 4 may be a cylinder, and a plurality of supporting feet are provided at the bottom.

[0045] The tank body 405 of the fixed tank 4 can be provided with multiple ports, 4 of which are arranged at the top of the tank body and communicated with the internal space 413 of the tank body. The 4 ports are evenly distributed on a circumference with a radius of half the radius of the tank body, and are respectively a feed port 403, a pressurizing port 402, a venting port 409 and a return port 410. The discharge port 414 is arranged below the tank body 405 and communicated with the internal space 413 of the tank body and is connected to the nozzle 11; the other 2 ports are arranged on both sides of the tank body and are respectively connected with the inlet and outlet of the tank body 405; the port can be a T-shaped interface and connected with a soft silicone tube, which can be sealed with a silicone gasket and fastened with a quick-connect chuck to realize the in and out transportation of energy and materials.

[0046] The trapezoidal support seat 406 is installed at the bottom of the tank support foot 415 to expand the pressure distribution area and achieve uniform distribution of the tank weight.

[0047] The pressure sensor 407 is installed at the bottom of the trapezoidal support seat 406 to realize real-time detection of the tank weight.

[0048] The leveling component 408 is arranged at the bottom of the pressure sensor 407 to keep the tank body level and achieve detection consistency and accuracy of each pressure sensor 407 .

[0049] The stirring motor 401 can be fixed to the top of the tank body by flanges and bolts to provide power to the stirring paddle for stirring the liquid in the tank body. The stirring motor 401 can be connected to the tank body mechanical seal by a power transmission shaft, and the power output shaft of the stirring motor 401 and the stirring paddle shaft are connected by a coupling to achieve coaxial power transmission.

[0050] The stirring paddle is arranged inside the tank and can be made of food-grade stainless steel or high polyvinyl chloride to achieve homogeneous stirring of the liquid.

[0051] The water bath temperature control layer includes a heat transfer pipeline 411 wound around the tank body. Hot water of a predetermined temperature is input and output to the heat transfer pipeline 411 through a hot water inlet 412 and a hot water outlet 404 to achieve temperature control and insulation of the material liquid in the tank body.

[0052] The filter 8 is arranged downstream of the fixed tank 4 to intercept undissolved bulk material base, and the filter 8 may be designed with multiple filter elements arranged in parallel to prevent clogging.

[0053] Pump 9 can be installed downstream of filter 8 to provide power for the circulation of feed liquid. Pump 9 can be a centrifugal pump cooled by sealing water, or other types of pumps.

[0054] The flow meter 10 is installed downstream of the pump 9 to detect the flow rate of the liquid feed. The flow meter 10 may be a mass flow meter detected by a tuning fork to accurately detect the instantaneous flow rate and the cumulative flow rate of the liquid feed.

[0055] The nozzle 11 may be a dual-medium nozzle, and can achieve the liquid application operation by injecting steam, compressed air or hot air.

[0056] Based on the above-mentioned double-tank tobacco feeding system, the present application also provides a control method for the double-tank tobacco feeding system, including:

[0057] Conventional feeding mode: Figure 1 As shown, in the case of conventional feeding, the liquid feed is directly provided to the nozzle 11 through the movable tank 3, and steam or compressed air is used to inject the liquid feed into the dual-medium nozzle 11 according to the process requirements to realize the normal feeding process;

[0058] Constant pressure precision feeding mode: When a high-precision feeding process is required, after switching to supplying liquid to the fixed tank 4 through the mobile tank 3, the feed port 403 and the vent port 409 of the fixed tank 4 are closed, and the pressurization port 402 of the fixed tank 4 is opened. The compressed air pushes the liquid into the feeding circulation pipeline. According to the process requirements, steam or compressed air is used to inject the liquid at the nozzle 11. The accumulated flow of the flow meter 10 is checked through the data change of the pressure sensor 407 to realize the constant pressure feeding process;

[0059] Constant temperature precision feeding mode: When a constant temperature feeding process is required, the mobile tank 3 is switched to provide the feed liquid or bio-enzyme preparation to the fixed tank 4, and the hot water inlet 412 and the hot water outlet 404 on the water bath circulation pipeline are opened. The feed liquid temperature is adjusted to a predetermined temperature range according to the process requirements, and the temperature is kept constant. The fixed tank 4 uses a pump 9 to output the feed liquid or bio-enzyme preparation, and steam or compressed air is used to inject the feed liquid or bio-enzyme preparation at the nozzle 11 according to the process requirements. The data change of the tank weight measured by the pressure sensor 407 is checked against the cumulative flow measured by the flow meter 10 to realize the feeding process;

[0060] Constant temperature and constant pressure precise feeding mode: When a constant temperature and a higher precision feeding process are required, after switching from the mobile tank 3 to providing the feed liquid or the bio-enzyme preparation to the fixed tank 4, the feed port 403 of the fixed tank 4 is closed, and the hot water inlet 412 and the hot water outlet 404 of the heat bath circulation pipeline 411 are opened. According to the process requirements, the feed liquid temperature is adjusted to a predetermined temperature range, and the temperature is kept constant. Then, the venting port 409 of the fixed tank 4 is closed, and the pressurization port 402 of the fixed tank 4 is opened. Compressed air pushes the feed liquid or the bio-enzyme preparation into the feeding circulation pipeline 411. According to the process requirements, steam or compressed air is used to inject the feed liquid or the bio-enzyme preparation at the nozzle 11. The data change of the tank weight measured by the pressure sensor 407 is checked against the cumulative flow measured by the flow meter 10 to realize the constant pressure feeding process.

[0061] Based on the above technical solution, the embodiments of the present application can produce at least one of the following beneficial effects:

[0062] The temperature and related parameters of the production process of high-end brand cigarettes can be precisely controlled by the thermostatic and heat-insulating fixed tank 4;

[0063] The constant pressure discharging method based on the fixed tank 4 improves the stability of the liquid flow rate and the feeding accuracy, and can reduce the quality risks and hidden dangers of high-end brand cigarette products caused by the long-term wear of the centrifugal pump 9;

[0064] Based on the application of the fixed tank 4 weight detection method, the accuracy of the liquid application ratio is improved through the data comparison between weight reduction and flow accumulation, further improving the production process quality of high-end cigarette products;

[0065] The flexible application of multiple feeding modes can realize the flexible regulation and detection of process parameters of different brands according to actual process requirements, thus improving the manufacturing flexibility and process management capabilities of a single product line.

[0066] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present application and not to limit it. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments, ordinary technicians in the relevant field should understand that the specific implementation methods of the present application can still be modified or some technical features can be replaced by equivalents, which should all be included in the scope of the technical solution requested for protection in this application.

Claims

1. A double-tank tobacco feeding system, comprising: A mobile tank (3) capable of moving between the tobacco liquid preparation center and the feeding system to receive the liquid from the tobacco liquid preparation center and transfer it to the feeding system; A fixed tank (4) is in fluid communication with the outlet of the mobile tank (3) and can control the temperature and / or pressure of the liquid therein; and The nozzle (11) is switched between being in fluid communication with the movable tank (3) through the fixed tank (4) and not through the fixed tank (4) to spray the liquid onto the tobacco leaves.

2. The double-tank tobacco feeding system according to claim 1, wherein the movable tank (3) is fluidically connected to the nozzle (11) by being switchable between a first pipeline and a second pipeline in parallel, the first pipeline being used as a conventional feeding pipeline for directly connecting the movable tank (3) and the nozzle (11), and the fixed tank (4) being arranged in the second pipeline.

3. The double-tank tobacco feeding system according to claim 2, wherein the fixed tank (4) comprises a tank body and a heat transfer pipeline (411) coiled around the outer periphery of the tank body, and the heat transfer pipeline (411) has a hot water outlet (404) and a hot water inlet (412).

4. The double-tank tobacco feeding system according to claim 2, wherein the fixed tank (4) is provided with a pressurizing port (402) for guiding pressurized air or steam into the liquid therein; or the fixed tank (4) is provided with a venting port (409) for releasing the pressure therein.

5. The double-tank tobacco feeding system according to claim 2, wherein a pressure sensor (407) is installed at the bottom of the fixed tank (4) for detecting the weight of the fixed tank (4).

6. The double-tank tobacco charging system according to claim 2, wherein in the second pipeline, a filter (8) is arranged downstream of the fixed tank (4).

7. The double-tank tobacco feeding system according to claim 2, wherein a pump (9) is arranged in the second pipeline for pumping the feed liquid from the fixed pump (4) to the nozzle (11).

8. The double-tank tobacco feeding system according to claim 7, comprising a flow meter (10) arranged in the second pipeline for measuring the flow rate of the pumped liquid.

9. A tobacco production system, comprising the double-tank tobacco feeding system according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. A control method for a double-tank tobacco feeding system according to any one of claims 1 to 8, comprising executing the following conventional feeding mode and at least one other mode of operation: Conventional feeding mode: the liquid feed is provided through the mobile tank (3), and the liquid feed is directly transported to the nozzle (11) to inject the liquid feed onto the blades; Constant pressure precise feeding mode: switch the mobile tank (3) to provide liquid feed to the fixed tank (4), close the feed port (403) and the vent port (409) of the fixed tank (4), open the pressurizing port (402) of the fixed tank (4), and the liquid feed is transferred to the nozzle 11 to inject the liquid feed onto the blades; Constant temperature precise feeding mode: switching the mobile tank (3) to provide liquid feed to the fixed tank (4), opening the hot water inlet (412) and the hot water outlet (404) on the water bath circulation pipeline, adjusting the liquid feed temperature to within a predetermined temperature range, and continuously maintaining the temperature, the liquid feed is transferred to the nozzle (11) to inject the liquid feed onto the blades; and Constant temperature and constant pressure precise feeding mode: After the mobile tank (3) provides the feed liquid to the fixed tank (4), the feed port (403) of the fixed tank (4) is closed, the hot water inlet (412) and the hot water outlet (404) of the hot bath circulation pipeline (411) are opened, and the temperature of the feed liquid is maintained within a predetermined temperature range, the vent (409) of the fixed tank (4) is closed, and the pressurization port (402) of the fixed tank (4) is opened, and the feed liquid is transferred to the nozzle (11) to inject the feed liquid onto the blades.

11. The control method according to claim 10, wherein at least one of the constant temperature, constant pressure and constant temperature and constant pressure modes comprises the following steps: Measuring weight data of the stationary tank (4) by means of a pressure sensor (407); as well as Based on the change in weight data of the fixed tank (4), the flow meter (10) is checked to measure the cumulative flow rate of the liquid material sprayed from the nozzle (11).

12. The control method according to claim 10, wherein the slurry can be sprayed onto the blades by at least one of steam, compressed air and hot air.

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