Efficient vacuum belt dryer

Abstract

The invention discloses an efficient vacuum belt dryer, and belongs to the field of pharmaceutical equipment. The device is mainly composed of a main machine barrel (1), a crawler belt (2), a PLC control system (3), a feeding and distributing control system (4), a shearing system (5), a discharging system (6), a vacuum system (7), a heating system (8) and the like. A conventional vacuum belt dryer is innovatively designed and functionally expanded, the aim of efficiently drying the traditional Chinese medicine extract is achieved by arranging novel structures such as the filter dryer (13), the reverse blowing device (51) and the moisture filter device (9), and the obtained dry extract is loose in texture, natural in color and luster, high in yield, high in content of medicinal components and qualified in microbial limit and moisture. The quality of the preparation is improved, and the production cost and the energy consumption are reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer and belongs to the field of pharmaceutical equipment. Background Art

[0002] Vacuum belt drying technology is a new technology that has emerged in my country's food, fine chemical, health care product and pharmaceutical industries in recent years. When applied to the traditional Chinese medicine industry, it can solve the long-standing problem of difficulty in drying traditional Chinese medicine extracts. It has the advantages of high degree of automation, low drying temperature, closed operating environment and continuous production.

[0003] When a conventional belt vacuum dryer is used to dry Chinese herbal medicine extracts, when the vacuum degree in the main cylinder reaches the set parameter value through the vacuum system, air will enter through the exhaust valve, reducing the vacuum degree in the tank, and the vacuum system will continue to work. Repeated vacuuming can remove the moisture evaporated from the material. However, if the microbial limit of the air entering the tank through the exhaust valve exceeds the standard, it will cause material contamination; when the humidity of the air entering the tank is high, it will cause the material that has been dried and entering the discharge end to become damp again, and the moisture content of the final material will increase, making it difficult to meet the preparation requirements.

[0004] During the drying process of traditional Chinese medicine extracts in a vacuum dryer, the material is sprayed onto a track under vacuum conditions. The material first enters the heating section and then the cooling section, where it foams and becomes brittle. At the discharge end, a shearing system shears the material, and a crusher breaks it down. When all the material is dried, some material will always remain stuck between the track and the shearing system at the discharge, unable to fall out, resulting in material loss.

[0005] In addition, after manual material collection is completed and the receiving tank is installed, the pre-pumping valve must be opened. When a vacuum pressure difference exists between the main machine and the receiving tank, the receiving valve can be opened, the pre-pumping valve closed, and material collection can continue. Repeated operations like these can cause water to accumulate on the inner walls of the pre-pumping system pipes. When there is no pressure difference between the main machine and the receiving tank, water can enter the material, contaminating the dried material or causing it to become damp, affecting the quality of the Chinese herbal extract and drying efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned deficiencies of the existing vacuum belt dryer, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a high-efficiency vacuum belt drying device.

[0007] The high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer of the present invention is realized by the following technical solutions:

[0008] A high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer mainly consists of a main cylinder 1, a crawler belt 2, a PLC control system 3, a feeding and distributing control system 4, a shearing system 5, a discharging system 6, a vacuum system 7, a heating system 8, etc.

[0009] An exhaust valve 12 is provided on the upper left side of the main cylinder 1, and a filter dryer 13 is provided on the upper end of the exhaust valve 12. The filter dryer 13 is composed of an air filter 131 and a humidity controller 132; a backflush device 51 is provided on the upper part of the shearing system 5; the right side of the discharging system 6 is connected to the moisture filter device 9, and a pre-extraction valve 11 is provided on the right side of the moisture filter device 9.

[0010] In the present invention, a feed port 41 is provided at the upper end of the feeding and distributing system 4 , the feed port 41 is connected to a feed pump 42 through a feed pipe, the lower end of the feed pump 42 is connected to a distributing channel 44 , and a distributing controller 43 is connected to the distributing pipe 44 .

[0011] The shearing system 5 is provided with a backflush device 51 on the upper part, a shearer 52 on the right side, and a screw pump 53 on the lower side. The discharge system 6 is provided with a receiving valve 62 at the upper end and a receiving tank 61 at the lower part. The middle part of the receiving tank 61 is provided with an emptying valve 63.

[0012] The vacuum system 7 is provided with a buffer tank 71 , and the buffer tank 71 is connected to the main body cylinder 1 through a vacuum pipe 72 .

[0013] In the present invention, a moisture filter device 9 and a dust filter device 10 are provided between the material receiving tank 61 and the buffer tank 71 , and are connected to the buffer tank 71 via a pre-extraction system pipeline 14 .

[0014] The heating system 8 is connected to the main body cylinder 1 through a connecting pipe 16 , and a heating valve 15 is provided at the connection between the connecting pipe 16 and the main body cylinder 1 .

[0015] During the process of improving and optimizing the high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer of the present invention, the inventors noted that when conventional vacuum belt dryers are emptied, air with excessive microbial content or high humidity can enter through exhaust valve 12, causing the dried material to become recontaminated with microorganisms and absorb moisture, resulting in microbial limits exceeding standards and / or substandard moisture content in the traditional Chinese medicine extract. The inventors installed a filter-dryer 13 on the upper left side of exhaust valve 12 to ensure that the air entering main body barrel 1 is dry and sterile.

[0016] Furthermore, after drying, some of the material may become stuck between the end of the crawler belt 2 and the shearing system 5 at the discharge point, preventing it from falling off and causing material loss. The inventors have installed a backflush device 51 on the upper right side of the main body cylinder 1. This device, through high-speed airflow, ensures that all the material enters the receiving tank 61, and is easy to operate.

[0017] Furthermore, during operation, water accumulates on the inner wall of the pre-pumping system pipe 14. When there is no pressure difference between the main body cylinder 1 and the material receiving tank 61, the accumulated water will flow along the pre-pumping system pipe 14 into the material, contaminating the material and causing it to become damp. The inventors have installed a moisture filter device 9 between the material receiving tank 61 and the pre-pumping valve 11 to prevent moisture in the pipe from entering the material receiving tank 61.

[0018] The present invention has a reasonable structure, unique design, easy operation, and significant technical effects. It is suitable for drying materials such as Chinese medicine extracts. Compared with existing conventional vacuum belt drying equipment, the present invention has the following substantial features and improvements:

[0019] 1) The present invention provides a "filter dryer 13". During the drying and emptying process, the air entering the main cylinder 1 through the drain valve 12 passes through the humidity controller 132 inside the filter dryer 13, thereby reducing the humidity of the air entering the pipe. At the same time, microorganisms are filtered through the air filter 131 inside the filter dryer 13, ensuring that the air entering the main cylinder 1 is dry and sterile, thereby avoiding problems such as exceeding the microbial limit of the material, moisture absorption, and unqualified moisture.

[0020] 2) The present invention provides a back-blowing device 51 so that the material that cannot fall between the end of the crawler 2 and the shear 52 is swept by the high-speed airflow of the back-blowing device 51 and smoothly enters the material receiving tank 61, thereby avoiding material loss and saving labor costs.

[0021] 3) The present invention provides a moisture filter 9 to prevent moisture accumulated in the pre-extraction system pipeline from entering the material receiving tank 61, thereby avoiding material contamination.

[0022] 4) The Chinese medicine dry paste powder processed by the vacuum belt drying device of the present invention has a loose texture, natural color, high content of medicinal ingredients, qualified microbial limits and moisture, which improves the quality of the Chinese medicine dry paste, reduces production costs and labor costs, and can achieve the purpose of saving energy consumption. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to facilitate understanding and grasping the technical solution of the present invention, the following is a brief introduction to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the following drawings should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the technical solution.

[0024] Attachment Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of a high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer

[0025] 1 - Main engine cylinder, 2 - Tracks, 3 - PLC control system, 8 - Heating system, 9 - Moisture filter, 10 - Dust filter, 11 - Pre-extraction valve, 12 - Exhaust valve, 14 - Pre-extraction system pipeline, 15 - Heating valve, 16 - Connecting pipe;

[0026] 4-Feeding and material distribution control system

[0027] 41 - feed port, 42 - feed pump, 43 - material distribution controller, 44 - material distribution pipeline;

[0028] 5-Shearing system

[0029] 51 - backflush device, 52 - shear, 53 - screw pump;

[0030] 6-Discharging system

[0031] 61-receiving tank, 62-receiving valve, 63-drain valve;

[0032] 7-Vacuum system

[0033] 71-buffer tank, 72-vacuum pipe;

[0034] 13-Filter dryer

[0035] Air filter—131, humidity controller—132. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The specific embodiments of the present invention are described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] Example 1 High-efficiency vacuum belt dryer structure and operation method

[0038] As attached Figure 1 As shown, the present invention discloses a high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer device, which is primarily composed of a main body cylinder 1, a crawler belt 2, a PLC control system 3, a feed and distribution control system 4, a shearing system 5, a discharge system 6, a vacuum system 7, and a heating system 8. An exhaust valve 12 is provided on the upper left side of the main body cylinder 1, and a filter-dryer 13 is provided above the exhaust valve 12. The filter-dryer 13 comprises an air filter 131 and a humidity controller 132. A backflush device 51 is provided above the shearing system 5. The right side of the discharge system 6 is connected to a moisture filter 9, and a pre-extraction valve 11 is provided to the right side of the moisture filter 9.

[0039] The feed distribution system 4 has a feed port 41 at its top, connected to a feed pump 42 via a feed pipe. The lower end of the feed pump 42 is connected to a distribution channel 44, and a distribution controller 43 is connected to the distribution pipe 44. The shearing system 5 has a backflush device 51 at its top, a shearer 52 on its right side, and a screw pump 53 at its bottom. The discharge system 6 has a receiving valve 62 at its top and a receiving tank 61 at its bottom. A drain valve 63 is located in the middle of the receiving tank 61.

[0040] The vacuum system 7 is equipped with a buffer tank 71, which is connected to the main body cylinder 1 via a vacuum pipe 72. A moisture filter 9 and a dust filter 10 are installed between the material receiving tank 61 and the buffer tank 71, and are connected to the buffer tank 71 via a pre-extraction system pipe 14. The heating system 8 is connected to the main body cylinder 1 via a connecting pipe 16, and a heating valve 15 is installed at the connection between the connecting pipe 16 and the main body cylinder 1.

[0041] Specifically, when the high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer of the present invention performs a drying operation, first, an appropriate amount of material to be dried is added to the feed port 41, the heating valve 15 is opened, and other parts of the device are closed. The crawler belt 2 is tightened through the PLC control system 3, the vacuum system 7 is turned on, the heating system 8 is turned on, the material distribution angle, material distribution speed, crawler belt speed, and the temperature of each section are set, and when the vacuum degree and the temperature of each section reach the set value, the feed pump 42 is turned on through the PLC control system 3 to start loading.

[0042] The material distribution controller 43 is activated. When the material reaches the end of the crawler track 2, the PLC control system 3 activates the backflush device 51, shear 52, and screw pump 53 in the shearing system 5 to crush the material. When manually collecting the material, close the collecting valve 62 and open the drain valve 63 to begin unloading. After unloading is complete, close the drain valve 63 and open the pre-pump valve 11. Once the vacuum difference between the main machine and the collecting tank is within 500 Pa, open the collecting valve 62, close the pre-pump valve 11, and continue collecting the material.

[0043] After all the materials are collected, stop the feeding and distributing control system 3, the heating system 8, and the vacuum system 7, open the drain valve 63 to drain the vacuum of the equipment, and then perform automatic cleaning.

[0044] Example 2 Vacuum belt drying of silver granule extract

[0045] 1 Materials and Instruments

[0046] 1.1 Materials

[0047] The raw materials for Chaiyin Granules include 250g of Bupleurum Root, 187.5g of Honeysuckle Flos, 150g of Scutellaria Baicalensis, 125g of Pueraria Root, 125g of Schizonepeta Tenuifolia, 187.5g of Artemisia Annua, 187.5g of Forsythia suspensa, 125g of Platycodon Grandiflorum, 125g of Bitter Apricot, 187.5g of Mentha Piperita, and 187.5g of Houttuynia Cordata. All 11 raw materials are provided by Lunan Houpu Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and have been tested and found to comply with the requirements of the 2020 edition of the Chinese Pharmacopoeia.

[0048] 1.2 Instruments

[0049] ME / 002 / 02 electronic platform scale (Mettler-Toledo Instruments Shanghai Co., Ltd.), BVD205 laboratory vacuum belt dryer (Wenzhou Jinbang Light Industry Machinery Co., Ltd.).

[0050] 2 Methods

[0051] 2.1 Preparation of Chaiyin Granular Extract

[0052] Weigh 15 times the amount of the above eleven herbs, crush bitter almonds into coarse particles, and soak them in water for 1 hour with seven herbs including bupleurum, honeysuckle, artemisia annua, forsythia, schizonepeta, mint, and houttuynia cordata to extract the volatile oil. Filter out the medicinal liquid and store it in another container; combine the medicinal residue and liquid with three herbs including scutellaria baicalensis, kudzu root, and platycodon, add water and boil them 3 times for 2 hours each time. Combine the decoction with the medicinal liquid after extracting the volatile oil, concentrate it into an extract with a relative density of 1.11 at 50-60°C, filter, concentrate, and precipitate with alcohol. Take the supernatant and recover ethanol under reduced pressure, concentrate it to an extract with a relative density of 1.35, and divide it into 2 parts.

[0053] 2.2 Drying effect study

[0054] Two portions of Chaiyin granular extract were dried using a BVD205 laboratory vacuum belt dryer and a high-efficiency vacuum dryer according to the present invention, respectively. The drying process was carried out at a 15° feeding angle, a 3.0 L / h feeding rate, a 100 mm / min crawler speed, and four temperature stages: 95°C, 90°C, 85°C, and 25°C. After drying, the materials were collected and weighed, and the moisture content, microbial limit, and forsythin content of the dry extract were determined.

[0055] 3 Results

[0056] As shown in Table 1, when the granulation temperature was kept constant, the total amount of the two groups of dry extracts obtained was 6685 g and 6837 g, respectively, the moisture content was 8.24% and 3.82%, and the forsythin content was 8.403 and 8.572 mg / g, respectively. The microbial limit of the BVD205 laboratory vacuum belt dryer failed, while the microbial limit of the vacuum dryer of the present invention passed.

[0057] Drying the extract of Chaiyin granules with a BVD205 laboratory vacuum belt dryer resulted in a dry extract with a loss in total weight, high moisture content, and substandard microbial limits. The high-efficiency vacuum dryer apparatus of the present invention dried the extract of Chaiyin granules, resulting in a high yield of dry extract with qualified moisture content, qualified microbial limits, and a high content of active ingredients.

[0058] Table 1 Comparison of granulation effects of two drying equipment

[0059]

[0060] Test results indicate that, when the material distribution angle, loading speed, crawler speed, and four-stage temperature are maintained consistent during the drying process, the high-efficiency vacuum dryer of the present invention can dry Chaiyin granular extract, achieving a higher yield and higher content of the active ingredient, forsythin, than the unmodified BVD205 laboratory vacuum belt dryer. Furthermore, the moisture content is significantly reduced, and the microbial limit is qualified. The resulting dry extract has a loose, uniform texture and excellent quality. The improved vacuum belt dryer possesses the characteristics of high quality, high efficiency, non-destructiveness, and energy saving, and has a promising prospect for promotion and application.

Claims

1. A high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer mainly consists of a main body cylinder (1), a crawler belt (2), a PLC control system (3), a feeding and distributing control system (4), a shearing system (5), a discharging system (6), a vacuum system (7), a heating system (8), etc., and is characterized by: An exhaust valve (12) is provided on the upper left side of the main cylinder (1), and a filter dryer (13) is provided on the upper end of the exhaust valve (12), and the filter dryer (13) is composed of an air filter (131) and a humidity controller (132); a backflush device (51) is provided on the upper part of the shearing system (5); and the right side of the discharging system (6) is connected to the moisture filter device (9), and a pre-extraction valve (11) is provided on the right side of the moisture filter device (9).

2. The high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding and distributing system (4) is provided with a feeding port (41) at the upper end thereof, the feeding port (41) is connected to a feeding pump (42) via a feeding pipe, the lower end of the feeding pump (42) is connected to a distributing channel (44), and a distributing controller (43) is connected to the distributing pipe (44).

3. The high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shearing system (5) is provided with a back-blowing device (51) on the upper part, a shearing device (52) on the right side, and a screw pump (53) on the lower side.

4. The high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper end of the discharge system (6) is provided with a receiving valve (62), and the lower part is connected to a receiving tank (61), and the middle part of the receiving tank (61) is provided with an emptying valve (63).

5. The high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The vacuum system (7) is provided with a buffer tank (71), and the buffer tank (71) is connected to the main engine cylinder (1) via a vacuum pipe (72).

6. The high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer according to any one of claims 4 to 5, characterized in that: A moisture filter device (9) and a dust filter device (10) are provided between the material receiving tank (61) and the buffer tank (71), and are connected to the buffer tank (71) via a pre-extraction system pipeline (14).

7. The high-efficiency vacuum belt dryer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The heating system (8) is connected to the main engine cylinder (1) via a connecting pipe (16), and a heating valve (15) is provided at the connection between the connecting pipe (16) and the main engine cylinder (1).

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