Arrangement for controlling temperature profile of conveying device and method thereof

Abstract

An arrangement (100) comprises a transfer device (101) for receiving material (102) from a material output (104) to an input area (103) of the transfer device and transferring the material in a plurality of lines (105A, 105B, 105C) from the input area (103) to an output area (106) of the transfer device in a first direction (107). The material is heated (108) during transportation to provide drying of the material. The arrangement comprises coolant providing means (109) to provide coolant (119) to at least one first portion (110) of at least one first line (105A) of the conveying means, the one first portion (110) of the one first line (105A) having no material or having less material than at least one second portion (111) of the at least one first line (105A) or a second line (105B), in order to control the temperature profile of the conveying device (110) in a predetermined manner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an arrangement and a method for controlling the temperature profile of a conveying device, such as a belt conveyor, for conveying material between an input and an output. In particular, the present invention relates to controlling the temperature profile of such a conveying device, which is used for both conveying and heating, and advantageously also for drying, the material to be conveyed. Background Art

[0002] Different types of conveyors are used to transport material between two ends (e.g., an input area and an output area). For example, some examples of conveyors include belts, belt conveyors, or rotating drums. In some applications, conveyors are also used to heat and / or dry the material being transported, wherein the conveyor receives wet material at the input area and then dries the wet material during transport and before the output area of ​​the conveyor. For example, the material can be, for example, wet filaments received from multiple outputs (such as from multiple nozzles or groups of nozzles). In addition, in some applications, the material may sometimes be received unevenly on the surface of the conveyor. For example, some nozzles, or even groups of nozzles, or other output devices may be out of use, clogged, or operating insufficiently, resulting in no material or less material being received from these nozzles, or even groups of nozzles, or other output devices, which may have a negative impact on the conveyor.

[0003] Several disadvantages are associated with known conveyor systems, particularly those used to heat and / or dry conveyed material. For example, if some outputs (such as nozzles or even nozzle groups) are out of service, clogged, or inadequately functioning, the conveyor system may receive no or less material from these outputs, nozzles, or nozzle groups, leading to elevated temperatures in those portions of the conveyor system where no or less material is present. These elevated temperatures can have a number of adverse effects on the conveyor system and its structure, such as thermal expansion of the conveyor structure, such as longitudinal thermal expansion of a belt conveyor. For example, when the temperature of a belt increases, the belt length increases at points or areas where no or less material is present. As a result, the moving belt may slip around support rollers or drift away from the belt's centerline or longitudinal axis due to the forces generated by thermal expansion, due to the increased belt length. Often, the forces generated are asymmetric with respect to the belt's longitudinal axis, so drift may occur in the transverse direction, i.e., perpendicular to the belt conveyor's direction of travel. This is particularly true when the areas where no or less material is present are not directly on the belt's longitudinal axis. Also, it is important to note that drift is usually towards the hotter portion or side of the belt.

[0004] Furthermore, unexpected changes in the conveyor's temperature profile can cause structural loads on the conveyor and its supporting structures, such as the rollers that support and drive, for example, a belt conveyor. Typically, when the conveyor's temperature profile changes, some supporting rollers no longer support the conveyor, while other rollers are required to carry additional loads.

[0005] It's important to note that in some applications, the conveyor must be initialized and activated before it can receive material. For example, the conveyor must be preheated to a certain temperature to prepare it for receiving wet material and precisely heat and dry it within a specific timeframe or travel. Heating and drying wet material during transport is a challenging task. When the wet material is initially received on the conveyor's surface, it absorbs thermal energy from the conveyor, resulting in surface cooling. This cooling often causes thermal shock to the conveyor's structure, causing rapid thermal expansion (or contraction) and consequently stressing the structure. Similarly, rapidly raising the temperature back to the desired temperature is also challenging, as the mass of the material and the conveyor can cause delays and further waste energy and material before the desired temperature is reached. Furthermore, as the conveyor's drying efficiency varies, the humidity of the environment surrounding the conveyor also changes with the conveyor's temperature, resulting in a change in moisture evaporating from the material into the environment. Furthermore, during the period of heating the conveyor back to the desired temperature, both the conveyor's drying efficiency and the moisture evaporating from the material into the environment vary. Optimally, both temperature and humidity should be maintained essentially constant. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The object of the present invention is to alleviate and eliminate the problems associated with the known prior art. In particular, the object of the present invention is to provide an arrangement and a method for controlling the temperature profile of a conveyor device, such as a belt conveyor for conveying material between an input and an output. More specifically, the object of the present invention is to provide a solution that allows the desired temperature profile of the conveyor device to be maintained even if the quantity or quality of the material changes during processing on the conveyor device. Furthermore, the object of the present invention is to provide a solution that allows the initialization and start-up of the conveyor device to proceed smoothly and that the receipt of material to be conveyed, heated and / or dried by the conveyor device does not result in any substantial changes in the temperature of the conveyor device and its ability to heat and / or dry the material.

[0007] The objects of the invention are achieved by the features of the independent claims.

[0008] The invention relates to an arrangement for controlling a temperature profile of a conveyor device according to claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for controlling a temperature profile of a conveyor device according to claim 16.

[0009] The present invention relates to an arrangement for controlling the temperature profile of a conveyor. The conveyor is configured to receive material from multiple material outputs into an input region on a surface of the conveyor and to convey the material in a first direction from the input region to an output region of the conveyor. By way of example, but not limitation, the conveyor may be, for example, a belt conveyor or a rotating drum. In a typical application, the material is a wet material that must be heated and / or dried during transport through the conveyor. The material may be, for example, wet filaments prepared from a wet suspension. The material output may be achieved, for example, via nozzles configured to feed the wet filaments into a first region of the conveyor. Due to the presence of multiple nozzles or multiple nozzle bundles, the filaments are typically arranged into multiple lines. By way of example, the arrangement may include, for example, five nozzle bundles, with each nozzle bundle comprising approximately 700 nozzles. However, this is merely an example, and the present invention is not limited to these numbers; the number of nozzles and nozzle bundles can naturally vary depending on the requirements and other parameters and configurations of the system.

[0010] According to an example, the material is configured to be heated and dried during transport. The heating can be achieved, for example, by directly heating the material through a heating device positioned above the conveyor. According to another example, the conveyor can be heated by the heating device, so that the conveyor then transfers heat to the material during transport. In this example, the outer surface of the conveyor is heated to a temperature higher than that of the received material so as to achieve a drying effect on the material through the surface of the conveyor. The outer surface is the surface facing the received material. It should be noted that the arrangement can also include two types of heating configurations, namely, the conveyor directly heats the material above, and the conveyor also heats the surface of the conveyor that receives and conveys the material. Furthermore, it should be noted that in both cases, areas of the conveyor that do not have material or have less material than another area will be hotter than other areas that have a full load of material, resulting in the disadvantages discussed elsewhere in this document.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention and to address the issues discussed above, an arrangement for controlling the temperature profile of a conveyor in a predetermined manner is advantageously provided by at least one coolant supply. The arrangement can be configured to maintain the temperature profile at a desired substantially constant level, or alternatively to provide a localized temperature gradient, for example, in a first direction and / or in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. For example, a localized temperature shift may be desired, for example, to induce a dramatic change in the environment of the material on the conveyor, such as rapidly cooling the material at a certain point (e.g., just before the output area) to facilitate separation of the material from the surface of the conveyor.

[0012] The coolant supply device is advantageously configured to supply coolant to a surface of the conveyor device. The surface may be an inner surface and / or an outer surface. The coolant supply device may be, for example, a spray device for spraying coolant, but other suitable types of coolant supply devices may also be used.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a coolant is provided to at least one first portion of at least one first line of a conveyor device, wherein the first portion of the first line has no material or has less material than at least one second portion of the at least one first line or at least one second line. Alternatively or additionally, the temperature of the first portion of the first line may be higher or expected to increase higher than the temperature of at least one second portion of the at least one first line or at least one second line, and a coolant may be provided to the at least one first portion of the at least one first line of the conveyor device in order to control the temperature profile of the conveyor device in a predetermined manner.

[0014] For example, when some nozzles are blocked and little or no material is being fed to the conveyor through these nozzles, coolant is supplied to these areas of the conveyor to achieve heat transfer from the conveyor to the supplied coolant. The heat transfer [J] should be substantially equivalent to that through the full load of material, i.e., from the conveyor to the full load of material on the conveyor. This has the distinct advantage that the temperature of the conveyor can be maintained substantially constant or at a desired level without adverse effects. When the blockage is cleared, the coolant feed can be reduced and then stopped (ideally simultaneously and at the same rate).

[0015] According to an example, the arrangement is initialized during startup by increasing the temperature of the conveyor to a desired level and adjusting other parameters, such as the speed of the conveyor (e.g., a belt conveyor or a rotating drum). During startup and initialization, there is no material on the conveyor. One of the next steps is to begin feeding material onto the surface of the conveyor through a nozzle or other output device. As the material (typically, for example, wet filaments) is fed onto the surface of the conveyor, it absorbs thermal energy from the conveyor and, as a result, causes the temperature of the conveyor to drop. Simultaneously, the supply of coolant is reduced and then stopped, so that the total heat transfer from the conveyor, first to the coolant, and then to the material being conveyed and dried, remains substantially constant.

[0016] According to the present invention, a coolant is applied to the conveyor surface rather than the material to avoid temperature variations caused by the incoming material. The coolant is applied to the conveyor before or during initialization, or at least before the material is fed. By applying the coolant rather than the material, the temperature can be raised to the desired level and the system maintained in a stable state.

[0017] Now, as material begins to be fed onto the surface of the conveyor, the amount of coolant provided is reduced and ultimately stopped when full feeding of material is achieved. It is important to note that, in the initialization phase with no material, the amount and temperature of the coolant provided should be such that it absorbs substantially the same amount of heat energy from the conveyor as it would have absorbed had a full load of material been fed onto the surface, so that the heat transfer from the conveyor is the same and constant whether there is no material (and then coolant is provided) or a full load of material (no coolant is provided). Furthermore, when material begins to be fed onto the surface of the conveyor, the coolant should be reduced such that the combined or total heat absorption effect of the reduced amount of coolant and the material fed onto the surface of the conveyor is substantially the same as would have been the case with the coolant provided during the initialization phase (and no material) or with a full load of material (and no coolant). The heat transfer from the conveying device must be essentially constant, for example during initialization, due to only coolant (and no material), the heat transfer is, for example, 100 units; during reception of only a full load of material (and no coolant), the heat transfer is also the same 100 units; and in intermediate states, the sum of the heat transfer due to the partial load of material and the partial load of coolant should also be the same 100 units.

[0018] Thus, heat transfer from the conveyor remains substantially constant regardless of whether there is material on the conveyor surface or whether coolant is provided instead of material, or if some intermediate condition exists during startup and both coolant and material are partially present.

[0019] According to the invention, the amount of material fed onto the surface of the conveyor device can be started, stopped or varied without having to adjust the temperature and wait for thermal stabilization of the arrangement.

[0020] The coolant providing device may be, for example, a spraying device for spraying water. It should be noted that many types of coolants may be used, such as water or water-based substances, compressed air, liquid nitrogen, chemically active ingredients or other coolants or fluids with a suitable cooling effect. Furthermore, the coolant may advantageously be easy to evaporate and non-polluting, so that its effect can be easily controlled, for example when the cooling effect should end. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the coolant may include additives as required, such as substances with a friction-varying effect, such as releasing chemicals for varying the friction (e.g. between structural components of the conveyor, such as between a belt conveyor and support rollers or support drums of the belt conveyor or between the surface of the conveyor and the received material), so that the material is more easily detached from the surface.

[0021] According to an embodiment, cooling is achieved via evaporation of a coolant on the surface of the conveyor.Advantageously, controlling the temperature profile of the conveyor is achieved via evaporation of the coolant in a predetermined manner, thereby achieving a desired temperature of the conveyor.

[0022] In addition, the coolant supply device can be arranged at different positions and can also provide coolant to different positions of the conveying device, such as, in the input area, between the input area and the output area, before the input area and / or after the output area in a first direction, to at least one first part of at least one first line of the conveying device.

[0023] The present invention offers advantages over known prior art techniques, such as providing a method for maintaining the desired temperature profile of the conveyor device even if the quantity or quality of material received by the conveyor device changes during the process. Specifically, the present invention also provides a method for initializing the conveyor device so that receipt of the material to be conveyed and heated and / or dried by the conveyor device does not result in any substantial temperature changes or temperature shocks to the conveyor device, and does not substantially result in changes to the ambient humidity of the arrangement. Furthermore, according to the present invention, the conveyor device is already at the desired temperature at the beginning of the heating and / or drying process of the material to be received and conveyed, so that when material is received, there are no time-consuming and challenging adjustments to the conveyor device during startup. Consequently, energy, time, and material can be saved because the conveyor device can operate optimally from the very beginning of the process.

[0024] The exemplary embodiments presented herein should not be interpreted as limiting the applicability of the appended claims. The verb "to comprise" is used herein as an open limitation that does not exclude the presence of features that have not yet been enumerated. Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the features described in the dependent claims may be freely combined with each other.

[0025] The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific exemplary embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In the following, the invention will be described in more detail with reference to exemplary embodiments according to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0027] Figure 1-2 shows a side view of an exemplary arrangement for controlling the temperature profile of a conveyor device according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention,

[0028] Figure 3-6 shows a top view of an exemplary arrangement for controlling the temperature profile of a conveyor device according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention,

[0029] Figure 7-10 An example diagram of an initialization and startup process of an exemplary transmission device according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is shown, and

[0030] Figure 11 The principle of another exemplary arrangement for controlling the temperature profile of a conveying device according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention is presented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Figure 1-2 shows a side view of an exemplary arrangement 100 for controlling a temperature profile of a conveyor device 101 according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 3-6 A top view of the arrangement is shown, wherein a conveyor 101 is specifically configured to receive wet filaments 102 (as material) from a plurality of nozzles 104 to an input region 103 on a surface of the conveyor. Furthermore, the conveyor 101 conveys the filaments from the input region 103 to an output region 106 of the conveyor in a first direction 107. The conveyor 101 in these examples is a belt conveyor 101 supported by support rollers 118 and end rollers, or supported by a drive roller 121 and a tensioning roller 122, wherein the drive roller 121 is used to drive the belt conveyor 101, and the tensioning roller 122 is used to adjust the tension of the belt conveyor 101.

[0032] The arrangement 100 further comprises a heating device 108 for heating and thus drying the filaments during transport. The heating device 108 may be arranged above the belt conveyor 101 (e.g. Figure 1 ), directly heat the filaments on the conveyor, and / or the heating device 108 can be arranged so that it first heats the conveyor 101 (e.g. Figure 2 ), and the conveyor device 101 then transfers the heat to the filaments. In any case, it should be noted that even with the use of the heating device 108 above the belt conveyor 101, if there are no filaments or the number of filaments is less than required or less than in other areas of the belt conveyor, the temperature of the surface and structure of the belt conveyor will increase.

[0033] The arrangement further comprises at least one coolant supply device 109 for supplying a coolant 119 on the surface of the belt conveyor 101, thereby controlling the temperature profile of the belt conveyor 101 in a predetermined manner. Figure 1 、 2 As can be seen in Figures 7 and 7 , the coolant providing device 109 may be arranged to provide coolant to an outer surface of the belt conveyor 101 and / or an inner surface of the belt conveyor 101 .

[0034] For example Figure 3-6 As can be seen in FIG, filaments are received from a plurality of nozzles 104 and the filaments then form a plurality of lines 105A, 105B, 105C on the surface of the belt conveyor 101. Figure 4 An example is shown in which the nozzle (or nozzle bundle) 104B is not feeding filament, and the coolant supply device 104B is activated to supply coolant 119. The coolant 119 is advantageously supplied to the area of ​​the belt conveyor 101 that receives and conveys the filament fed by the nozzle (or nozzle bundle) 104B. As can be seen, the other nozzles (or nozzle bundles) are operating normally, and therefore there is no need to supply coolant to these areas.

[0035] As an example Figure 5 As can be seen in FIG, a pair of nozzles 104B does not provide filaments, so the coolant 119 is only provided to the corresponding area or line. Figure 6As can be seen in the figure, the filament thread 105A stops feeding and, therefore, no filament is present in the first portion 110 of the first thread 105A of the belt conveyor 101. The remaining portion of the filament thread 105A can still be seen in the second portion 111 of the first thread 105A on the belt conveyor 101, which portion is conveyed in the first direction 107. Therefore, according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, a coolant 119 is provided to at least one first portion 110 of at least one first thread 105A of the belt conveyor 101, wherein the first portion 110 of the one first thread 105A has no material or has less material than the at least one second portion 111 of the at least one first thread 105A or one second thread 105B.

[0036] Again, as an example Figure 6 As can be seen in FIG, the feeding of filaments to the third strand 105C has begun, and the first portion 110 of the third strand 105C of the belt conveyor 101 already includes filaments. Therefore, according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, the supply of coolant 119 is stopped, so that the first portion 110 of the third strand 105C of the belt conveyor 101 does not have coolant 119, but only has filaments 105C. However, coolant has been supplied, so that the second portion 111 of the third strand 105C on the belt conveyor 101 still has coolant, but does not yet have filaments.

[0037] The second or third line 105C can be immediately adjacent to the first line 105A, or the second line 105B can be located opposite the longitudinal centerline 113, for example, symmetrically opposite the longitudinal centerline 113. According to an example, the second line 105B can be used as a reference line for which a heat transfer to the material corresponding to a fully received amount of material is determined, and this calculation is used to determine the amount and temperature of coolant to be provided to the first line so that the cooling effect of the provided coolant substantially corresponds to the cooling effect of 100% material feed on the reference line, and the arrangement is therefore in equilibrium with respect to the longitudinal centerline 113.

[0038] According to an embodiment, the arrangement may comprise several coolant providing devices 109. The coolant providing devices 109 may be, for example Figure 5 The situations in the above are arranged in parallel, or as in e.g. Figure 1 、 2 and 6 are arranged sequentially in the first direction 107. Therefore, by appropriately controlling the coolant supply devices 109 arranged in parallel and / or sequentially, the temperature profile of the conveying device 101 in the first direction 107 and / or the second direction 112 perpendicular to the first direction 107 can be controlled.

[0039] According to an example, the arrangement 100 advantageously includes a control unit 114 for controlling the various devices of the arrangement advantageously based on the read parameters and / or pre-determined, input or set parameters. The control unit 114 is, for example, configured to control the operation of the coolant supply device 109, and in particular to determine and control the mass flow rate and / or temperature of the coolant 119 provided by the coolant supply device 109. The control unit 114 can also determine the amount and / or temperature of the mass flow rate of the coolant 119 required to compensate for insufficient heat transfer due to insufficient filaments in a certain area or a certain length of the belt conveyor 101. The control unit can, for example, determine the amount of thermal energy [J] transferred from a certain part of the belt conveyor 101 (if the part has received filaments), and based on this (the amount of thermal energy [J]) determine the amount and / or temperature of the coolant to be provided to the area, and based on this control the operation of the coolant supply device 109, such as adjusting the temperature and / or mass flow rate of the coolant. In addition, the control unit can also determine the portion of the belt conveyor 101 that requires coolant and control the appropriate coolant supply device 109 accordingly. Furthermore, the control unit 114 can also be provided with a certain desired temperature profile for the belt conveyor 101, so that the control unit 114 can determine the amount and / or temperature of one or more coolant supply devices 109 (coolant 119) so that the coolant 119 provided by them can transfer heat from the belt conveyor 101 to achieve the desired temperature profile. It should be noted that the temperature profile can be controlled in both the first direction 107 and the second direction 112, especially when the arrangement can provide coolant in both the first and second directions 107, 112. In addition, it should be noted that the temperature of the belt conveyor 101 can be reduced from its initial temperature by the coolant.

[0040] According to an embodiment, the arrangement may include a first detection device 115 for detecting the presence or amount of filaments in the plurality of threads 105A, 105B, 105C on the belt conveyor 101, whereupon the control unit 114 may then determine the amount and / or temperature of the coolant and, accordingly, control the operation of the coolant supply device 109. It should be noted that, for example, the amount may be varied between 0% and 100% to respond to the absence of only a portion of the filaments on the belt conveyor 101. Furthermore, according to an embodiment, the coolant supply device 109 may include more than one input and thus be capable of receiving more than one type of coolant. The control unit may then control the inputs so that the coolant supply device 109, or a single coolant supply device 109, can receive and provide different coolants or mixtures of different coolants to achieve a wider range of cooling effects, such as providing pure water to some sections and more evaporated water to another section, or providing two different coolants to different sections, where the two coolants have different heat capacities and, therefore, different cooling effects. The first detection device 115 may be, for example, a camera, a capacitive sensor, or the like adapted to determine the presence or amount of material (such as a filament) on the belt conveyor 101 .

[0041] Furthermore, the arrangement may further include a second detection device 116 for detecting the presence of a nozzle bundle when a nozzle is positioned within the nozzle bundle. Thus, the second detection device can simply determine whether the nozzle bundle is in its position and output data regarding the presence of the nozzle bundle to the control unit 114. Based on this data, the control unit 114 can then control the coolant supply device 109 to supply coolant to the portion of the belt conveyor 101 corresponding to the nozzle bundle. When the nozzle bundle is positioned, the second detection device detects this and outputs a signal to the control unit, which then controls the coolant supply device 109 to stop supplying coolant to the portion of the belt conveyor 101 corresponding to the nozzle bundle. Thus, when there are no nozzle bundles and no filament is being fed to the belt conveyor, an appropriate amount of coolant is supplied to the portion corresponding to the nozzle bundle so that heat transfer from the belt conveyor 101 to the coolant remains substantially at the same level as if the filament from the nozzle bundle were fully loaded. Again, when the nozzle beam is set and the coolant supply is stopped, the filaments from the beam group will absorb an amount of heat equal to the coolant from the belt conveyor 101, thereby keeping the system in equilibrium and the temperature of the belt conveyor 101 substantially constant. The second detection device 116 may include, for example, an inductive sensor that detects the presence of the nozzle beam, a limit switch, etc.

[0042] The arrangement may further include a temperature measuring device 117 for measuring the temperature of different parts of the belt conveyor and inputting the measured data into the control unit so that the control unit can control the coolant supply device 109 to supply coolant 119 to parts where the temperature is rising, expected to rise or already higher than the expected temperature. Figure 6 In the embodiment of the present invention, the temperature measuring device 117 can measure the temperature of the wires 105A, 105B, 105C in different parts 110, 111 of the belt conveyor 101. If the temperature measuring device 117 determines that the temperature in a first part 110 of a first wire 105A increases by more than a predetermined limit, or is higher than the temperature in at least one second part 111 of a first wire 105A, or is higher than the temperature of a second wire 105B (e.g., a reference line, immediately adjacent to the first wire, or relatively symmetrical with the longitudinal axis 113) in the first part 110, or the temperature of at least one first part 110 of a first wire 105A deviates (is higher than) a predetermined value, the control unit 114 is configured to control at least one coolant supply device 109B based on the temperature data to supply and / or regulate the coolant 119 to at least one first part 110 of at least one first wire 105A of the belt conveyor 101, thereby controlling the temperature profile of the belt conveyor 101 in a predetermined manner. It is noteworthy that the nozzle (or nozzle bundle) 104A is operating well and feeding 100% loaded filaments onto the belt conveyor 101, so there is no need to activate the coolant supply device 109A to provide coolant 119 to the portion of the belt conveyor 101 corresponding to the feed of the nozzle (or nozzle bundle) 104A.

[0043] The arrangement may also comprise a further processing device 120, such as a winding device 120 for winding the dried filaments.

[0044] Figure 7-10 An exemplary diagram of the initialization and startup process of an exemplary conveying device 101 according to an advantageous embodiment of the present invention is shown, wherein the conveying device is a belt conveyor 101 and nozzles providing material (such as filaments) are arranged in nozzle clusters 104A, 104B, 104C, 104D. Figure 7 In the process, the arrangement is initialized, for example, the temperature of the belt conveyor has been set to the desired level, which temperature is also used for the process of conveying, heating and / or drying the filaments. Figure 7 In the embodiment, the nozzle beams 104A, 104B, 104C, 104D are not yet provided and there is no material or filament on the belt conveyor 101. In addition, all coolant supply devices 109A, 109B, 109C, 109D supply coolant 119 to all wires 105A, 105B, 105C, 105D.

[0045] exist Figure 8, one of the nozzle bundles 104C is provided and supplies filaments to the wire 105C of the belt conveyor 101. When the filaments start to be received from the nozzle bundle 104C to the surface of the belt conveyor 101, the coolant supply device 109C is simultaneously stopped, or in other words, the supply of the coolant 119 to the wire 105C that is receiving the filaments from the nozzle bundle 104C is stopped.

[0046] In addition, Figure 9 , the next nozzle bundle 104B is set, and it starts to supply filaments to the wire 105B of the belt conveyor 101. When the filaments start to be received from the nozzle bundle 104B to the surface of the belt conveyor 101, the coolant supply device 109B is simultaneously stopped, or in other words, the supply of coolant 119 to the wire 105B that is receiving the filaments from the nozzle bundle 104B is stopped.

[0047] The same operation is continued until all nozzle bundles 104A, 104B, 104C, 104D are set, at which time all coolant supply devices 109A, 109B, 109C, 109D are also stopped. Figure 10 The situation in .

[0048] Figure 11 The principle of another exemplary arrangement 100 for controlling the temperature profile of a conveying device according to an advantageous embodiment of the invention is shown, wherein the conveying device is a rotating drum 101 which receives material 102 onto its outer surface and conveys the material from an input area 103 to an output area 106 via a rotational movement and can again be conveyed to another process, such as conveying dried filaments to a winding device 120. It should be noted that the rotating drum 101 is such an example of a conveying device and that all other embodiments and devices shown and discussed with respect to the belt conveyor 101 (such as the control unit 114, the coolant supply device 109 and the device 117 for measuring the temperature of the conveying device or of the received / transported material or the devices 115, 116 for determining the amount or presence of material or nozzles or nozzle beams) can also be used with a rotating drum.

[0049] It should be noted that although belt conveyors and rotating drums are presently shown as examples of conveying devices, the present invention may also be implemented using other types of conveying devices, such as devices having a moving or rotating surface that is configured to receive material (e.g., filaments) and transport, heat, and / or dry it.

[0050] The present invention has been explained above with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, and several advantages of the present invention have been demonstrated. It should be understood that the structures, devices, components, and arrangements described above are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these specific embodiments. For example, even though filaments, nozzles, and belt conveyors are shown in the accompanying drawings, these are merely examples of materials, output devices, and conveying devices.

[0051] Typically, the temperature profile is maintained constant or unchanged, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and other temperature profiles can be implemented and maintained. For example, the temperature profile can be controlled so that a certain portion (such as the edge of the belt conveyor) is cooler than other portions of the belt conveyor. The edge of the belt conveyor will then shrink due to thermal contraction, and the belt conveyor can drift in a controlled manner toward the higher temperature side of the belt conveyor.

[0052] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, the features recited in the dependent claims are mutually freely combinable.

Claims

1. An arrangement (100) for controlling the temperature profile of a conveying device (101), wherein the conveyor (101) is configured to receive material (102) from a material output (104) to an input area (103) of the conveyor and to convey the material in a plurality of lines (105A, 105B, 105C) in a first direction (107) from the input area (103) to an output area (106) of the conveyor, in: - the material is configured to be heated (108) during transport to provide drying of the material, - the arrangement comprises at least one coolant supply device (109) for supplying a coolant (119) on a surface of the conveying device (101), and in - the arrangement is configured to provide the coolant to at least one first portion (110) of at least one first line (105A) of the conveying device, the first portion (110) of the first line (105A) At least one second portion (111) of said at least one first line (105A) or one second line (105B) has no material or has less material, or the temperature of said one first portion is higher or is expected to increase higher than the temperature of at least one second portion of said at least one first line or one second line, so as to control said temperature profile of said conveying device in a predetermined manner.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the coolant providing devices (109) is configured to provide the coolant to the at least one first portion (110) of the at least one first line (105A) of the conveying device at the input area (103), between the input area and the output area (103, 106), before the input area (103) and / or after the output area (106) in the first direction (107).

3. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the arrangement is configured to control the temperature profile of the conveyor device in the first direction (107) of the conveyor device and / or in a second direction (112) of the conveyor device, the second direction (112) being perpendicular to the first direction (107) of the conveyor device.

4. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the at least one second line (105C) is adjacent to the one first line (105A) or a line (105B) positioned relative to a longitudinal center line (113) between the input area and the output area (103, 106) of the conveying device or a reference line for which the heat transfer to the material corresponding to the complete receipt of the material amount is determined.

5. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the conveying device (101) comprises a belt conveyor, such as a metal-coated belt conveyor or a rotating drum, the outer surface of the belt conveyor being configured to face the material (102) to be received in the input area (103) of the conveying device, so that the first portion (110) of the first line or the second line (105A, 105B) of the conveying device is a certain length of the endless loop of the conveying device or the entire loop of the conveying device.

6. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the material is configured to be heated by a heating device (108) from above the conveyor (101) or via an outer surface of the conveyor, the conveyor being configured to be heated to a temperature higher than the temperature of the material to be received so as to achieve a drying effect on the material by the surface of the conveyor.

7. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the arrangement is configured to control the mass flow and / or temperature of the coolant (119) provided by the coolant providing means (109) to the surface of the conveying means (101) to cause a desired heat transfer from the conveying means (101) to the coolant (119) so as to control the temperature profile of the conveying means in a predetermined manner.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein the arrangement is configured to control the amount and / or temperature of the coolant (119) provided by the coolant supply device (109) to the first portion (110) of the first line (105A) of the conveying device (101) without the material or with less than a full load of the material, so that the total heat transfer from the first portion (110) of the first line (105A) is substantially equal to the heat transfer from the first portion (110) of the first line (105A) of the conveying device (101) when it is exactly fully loaded with material.

9. An arrangement according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the arrangement is configured to control the amount and / or temperature of the coolant (119) provided by the coolant providing device (109) to the first portion (110) of the first line (105A) of the conveying device (101) without the material or with less than a full load of the material, so that the total heat transfer from the first portion (110) of the first line (105A) is substantially equal to the heat transfer of the at least one second portion (111) of the first line (105A) or the second line (105B).

10. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein at least one of the coolant providing means (109) is configured to provide the coolant (119) to an outer surface of the conveying device (101) and / or an inner surface of the conveying device (101), the inner surface being located on an opposite side of the conveying device relative to the outer side.

11. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the material output (104) comprises a nozzle configured to output the material (102) onto the conveying device, and wherein the nozzles are arranged in a number of nozzle bundles, whereby the one nozzle bundle comprising the number of nozzles is configured to provide material to the input area of ​​the conveying device.

12. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the arrangement comprises a control unit (114) and a first detection device (115), the first detection device being adapted to detect the presence or amount of the material in the plurality of lines (105a, 105b, 105c) on the conveying device and, based on the detection, outputting data relating to the detected presence or amount of the material in the plurality of lines to the control unit (114), whereupon the control unit (114) is configured based on the data to control at least one of the coolant supply devices (109) to supply and / or regulate the coolant to the at least one first part (110) of the at least one first line (105A) of the conveying device when a lack of material is detected on the at least one first part (110) of the at least one first line (105A) of the conveying device.

13. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the arrangement comprises a control unit (114) and a second detection device (116), the second detection device being for detecting the presence of a nozzle beam according to claim 11 and outputting data relating to the presence of the nozzle beam to the control unit (114), whereupon the control unit (114) is configured based on the data to control at least one of the coolant providing devices (109) to provide and / or regulate the coolant to the at least one first portion (110) of the at least one first line (105A) of the conveying device in the absence of detection of the nozzle beam, wherein the at least one first line (105A) corresponds to a line provided by the nozzle beam.

14. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the arrangement comprises a control unit (114) and a temperature measuring device (117) for measuring the temperature of at least one first portion (110) of the at least one first wire (105A) of the conveyor device (101), and if the temperature measuring device determines that the temperature in the at least one first portion (111) of the at least one first wire is increasing above a predetermined limit value or is higher than the temperature in at least one second portion (111) of the at least one first wire (105A) or second wire (105B), or that the temperature of the at least one first portion (110) of the at least one first wire (105A) deviates from a predetermined value, the control unit (114) is configured based on the temperature data to control at least one of the coolant providing devices (109) to provide and / or regulate the coolant to the at least one first portion (110) of the at least one first wire (105A) of the conveyor device, thereby controlling the temperature profile of the conveyor device in the predetermined manner.

15. An arrangement according to any preceding claim, wherein the coolant providing device (109) is a spraying device for spraying water, water-based substances, chemically active ingredients, air, liquid nitrogen or other coolants or fluids having a cooling effect and / or releasing chemicals having a friction changing effect on structural parts of the conveying device or between the conveying device and the material being conveyed.

16. A method for controlling the temperature profile of a conveyor device (101), The method comprises the following steps: - receiving material (102) from a material output (104) into an input area (103) of a conveyor (101), and conveying said material in a plurality of lines (105A, 105B, 105C) in a first direction (107) from said input area to an output area (106) of said conveyor, - heating and drying of the material during transport, - providing a coolant (119) on the surface of the conveying device (101) by means of at least one coolant providing device (109), and - supplying the coolant (119) to at least one first portion (110) of at least one first line (105A) of the conveyor (101), wherein the first portion (110) of the first line (105A) At least one second portion (111) has no material or has less material than at least one first wire (105A) or one second wire (105B), or the temperature of at least one first wire (105A) of at least one first portion (110) is higher or expected to be higher than the temperature of at least one first wire (105A) or one second wire (105B) of at least one second portion (111), so as to control the temperature profile of the conveying device in a predetermined manner.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the temperature profile is controlled in the first direction (107) of the conveying device (101) and / or in a second direction (112) of the conveying device (101), the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction and along the surface of the conveying device.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, wherein the temperature profile is controlled to be substantially constant, such that the gradient of the temperature profile is substantially zero, or is controlled to vary in the first direction and / or the second direction (107, 112) according to the predetermined manner.

19. A method according to claim 18, wherein the gradient of the temperature curve is controlled to deviate from zero in the second direction (112) so as to guide the belt conveyor toward the higher temperature side of the belt; or wherein the gradient of the temperature curve is controlled to deviate from zero locally in the first direction so as to cause the belt of the belt conveyor to locally shrink, thereby making it easier to loosen the material from the surface of the belt of the belt conveyor.

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