A continuous dehydration device and method for anhydrous ethanol

Abstract

The application discloses a continuous dehydration device and method of anhydrous ethanol, relates to the technical field of ethanol dehydration and purification, and solves the technical problem of non-stop maintenance, and comprises a rectifying tower, a guide plate is communicated and installed at the top of the rectifying tower, a dehydrator for dehydration separation is fixedly installed at the end of the guide plate away from the rectifying tower, a dehydration assembly is arranged on the dehydrator, and the dehydration assembly is used for locally replacing and maintaining the molecular sieve without stopping the machine; the dehydration assembly comprises a dehydration box fixedly installed on the inner wall of the dehydrator on the side close to the guide plate, a mounting frame is fixedly installed in the dehydration box, two separation grooves are formed in the mounting frame, a placing rack is slidably and penetratively installed in the separation groove, and a placing groove for placing the molecular sieve is formed in the top surface of the placing rack; the continuous operation of ethanol dehydration is realized, the problems of traditional device shutdown operation and maintenance and low automation degree are effectively solved, and the working efficiency of device dehydration is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of ethanol dehydration and purification technology, specifically to a continuous dehydration apparatus and method for anhydrous ethanol. Background Technology

[0002] Ethanol and water readily form a binary azeotrope, and conventional distillation processes cannot directly obtain anhydrous ethanol with a purity of over 99.5%. In industry, molecular sieve adsorption dehydration is often used to achieve deep purification.

[0003] However, traditional molecular sieve dewatering devices are mostly intermittent in operation. When the molecular sieve becomes saturated or clogged, it is necessary to stop the machine for disassembly and replacement, which leads to interruption of the production process, reduced capacity, and inconvenience in replacing and maintaining the molecular sieve without stopping the machine, thus affecting the dewatering efficiency of the device.

[0004] To address the above problems, the present invention provides a continuous anhydrous ethanol dehydration device that enables partial, non-stop replacement of molecular sieves. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a continuous dehydration apparatus and method for anhydrous ethanol, and to solve the following technical problems: Traditional molecular sieve dewatering devices are mostly intermittent in operation. When the molecular sieve becomes saturated or clogged, it is necessary to stop the machine for disassembly and replacement, which leads to interruption of the production process, reduced capacity, and inconvenience in replacing and maintaining the molecular sieve without stopping the machine, thus affecting the dewatering efficiency of the device.

[0006] The objective of this invention can be achieved through the following technical solutions: A continuous dehydration device for anhydrous ethanol includes a distillation column, a guide plate is connected to the top of the distillation column, and a dehydrator for dehydration separation is fixedly installed at the end of the guide plate away from the distillation column. The dehydrator is equipped with a dehydration component for local replacement and maintenance of molecular sieves without shutting down the system. The dewatering assembly includes a dewatering box fixedly installed on the inner wall of the dewaterer near the guide plate. An installation frame is fixedly installed inside the dewatering box. Two partition grooves are opened on the installation frame. A placement rack is slidably installed through the partition grooves. The top surface of the placement rack has a placement groove for placing molecular sieves. The inner bottom wall of the placement groove has a rectangular through hole for discharging material. An installation plate is slidably installed on the inner wall of the dewaterer away from the guide plate. A lever plate for actuating the placement rack to discharge material is installed at one end of the installation plate. A vacuum pump is fixedly installed on the side of the dewatering box near the installation plate.

[0007] As a further aspect of the present invention: a groove is provided on the side of the mounting plate near the dehydration tank, a first electric telescopic rod is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the groove away from the actuating plate, a slider is fixedly installed on the end of the first electric telescopic rod near the actuating plate, the end of the actuating plate near the mounting plate is fixedly installed on the slider, and a rotating blade is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the dehydration tank near the guide plate.

[0008] As a further aspect of the present invention: a movable groove is provided on the inner wall of the dehydrator near the mounting plate, a reciprocating screw is rotatably installed in the movable groove, a movable block is threaded through the reciprocating screw, a balance bar is slidably installed at both ends of the movable block, and a motor is fixedly installed on the top of the dehydrator.

[0009] As a further embodiment of the present invention: the two ends of the balance bar are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the moving groove, the output end of the motor rotates through the reciprocating screw and is fixedly installed on the reciprocating screw, and the end of the moving block away from the reciprocating screw is fixedly installed on the mounting plate.

[0010] As a further aspect of the present invention: a detection component is provided on the mounting frame, the detection component including multiple sets of first rotating plates and second rotating plates rotatably mounted on the side of the mounting frame away from the rotating blade, a first connecting rod and a second connecting rod being rotatably mounted at both ends of each set of first rotating plates and second rotating plates, a movable frame being rotatably mounted at the end of the first connecting rod and the second connecting rod away from the mounting frame, multiple flow detectors being fixedly mounted on the movable frame, and a second electric telescopic rod being fixedly mounted on the side of the movable frame away from the mounting frame.

[0011] As a further aspect of the present invention: the end of the second electric telescopic rod away from the moving frame is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the dehydration tank, and the flow detector is installed at the middle position of the first rotating plate and the second rotating plate to detect the degree of blockage of the molecular sieve in the separating tank.

[0012] As a further aspect of the present invention: the mounting plate is provided with a feeding assembly, the feeding assembly including a connecting plate fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the mounting plate away from the actuating plate, the connecting plate having a feeding plate fixedly installed on the end away from the mounting plate, the top of the feeding plate having a sliding groove, two extrusion plates being slidably installed in the sliding groove, and an elastic plate and a multi-stage electric telescopic column being fixedly installed on the side of the two extrusion plates that are far apart from each other.

[0013] As a further embodiment of the present invention: the end of the elastic plate and the multi-stage electric telescopic column away from the extrusion plate is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the chute, the multi-stage electric telescopic column is installed below the elastic plate, and guide rods are slidably installed through both ends of the extrusion plate, and the two ends of the guide rods are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the chute.

[0014] As a further aspect of the present invention: a one-way ethanol valve is fixedly installed on the top of the dehydrator, and an exhaust pipe is fixedly installed on the bottom of the dehydrator, with one end of the exhaust pipe near the dehydration tank connected to a vacuum pump.

[0015] A method for continuous dehydration of anhydrous ethanol, applied to the aforementioned continuous dehydration device for anhydrous ethanol, includes the following steps; S1. First, add the ethanol containing water into the distillation column and heat it for distillation. Then, let the distilled azeotrope pass through the guide plate into the dehydrator for dehydration treatment. S2. Then, the azeotrope is introduced into the dehydration tank. The vacuum pump is used to create a pressure difference on one side of the dehydration tank, which causes water molecules to actively pass through the molecular sieve for separation. The water molecules are discharged through the exhaust pipe and cooled and condensed into water. The ethanol molecules are discharged from the one-way ethanol valve after continuous dehydration and then cooled and condensed into ethanol. S3. First, start the detection component to detect the flow rate of the molecular sieve on the placement rack. When the flow detector detects a decrease in the flow rate of the molecular sieve, start the motor in the dewatering component. The motor drives the moving block to move up and down through the reciprocating screw. The moving block moves to the position of the blocked molecular sieve through the electric actuation plate of the mounting plate. Then, start the first electric telescopic rod to drive the actuation plate to push the placement rack. The placement rack carries a new molecular sieve to replace the blocked molecular sieve without stopping the machine. Then, start the feeding component to feed the replaced molecular sieve.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are: (1) The dehydration unit realizes the continuous operation of ethanol dehydration, effectively solves the problems of shutdown and maintenance, low efficiency and low automation of traditional equipment, and improves the continuity of equipment operation and the convenience of maintenance while ensuring the dehydration effect and ethanol purity, greatly improving the stability and capacity of anhydrous ethanol production, which is conducive to improving the working efficiency of the equipment dehydration. (2) The detection component facilitates online intelligent detection of molecular sieves, providing data for online replacement, minimizing the inability to react in time when molecular sieves fail, thus affecting the dehydration effect of the device and improving the efficiency of device maintenance and replacement reactions. (3) The elastic plate in the feeding assembly passes through the rectangular through hole to facilitate the feeding operation of the molecular sieve, which avoids the situation of manual feeding as much as possible, and facilitates the quick replacement of the new molecular sieve, which is conducive to improving the working efficiency of molecular sieve feeding and improving the working efficiency of device maintenance and replacement. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a continuous dehydration device for anhydrous ethanol according to the present invention. Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of a continuous dehydration device for anhydrous ethanol according to the present invention. Figure 3 This is a top view schematic diagram of the internal structure of a continuous dehydration device for anhydrous ethanol according to the present invention. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the internal side view of a continuous dehydration device for anhydrous ethanol according to the present invention. Figure 5 yes Figure 4 Enlarged structural diagram at point A; Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the mounting frame in a continuous dehydration device for anhydrous ethanol according to the present invention. Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the feeding component and placement rack in a continuous dehydration device for anhydrous ethanol according to the present invention.

[0019] The diagram shows the following markings: 1. Distillation column; 2. Baffle plate; 3. Dehydrator; 4. Dehydration assembly; 41. Dehydration tank; 42. Mounting plate; 43. Actuating plate; 44. Mounting frame; 45. Separating groove; 46. Slider; 47. Placement rack; 48. Placement slot; 49. Rectangular through hole; 410. Rotating blade; 411. Vacuum pump; 412. First electric telescopic rod; 413. Groove; 414. Moving slot; 415. Balance bar; 416. Motor; 417. 418. Reciprocating screw; 5. Moving block; 6. Feeding assembly; 7. Connecting plate; 8. Feeding plate; 9. Slide groove; 10. Guide rod; 11. Multi-stage electric telescopic column; 12. Extrusion plate; 13. Elastic plate; 24. Detection assembly; 35. First rotating plate; 46. Second rotating plate; 57. First connecting rod; 68. Second connecting rod; 79. Flow detector; 80. Moving frame; 91. Second electric telescopic rod; 10. One-way ethanol valve; 11. Exhaust pipe. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] Example Please see Figure 1 - Figure 7As shown, this invention is a continuous dehydration device for anhydrous ethanol, including a distillation column 1. The distillation column 1 heats and distills ethanol containing water until the temperature is just high enough to evaporate both ethanol and water. A guide plate 2 is installed at the top of the distillation column 1. The guide plate 2 is hollow and facilitates the flow of the distilled ethanol-water azeotrope into the dehydration tank 41. A device for ethanol is fixedly installed at the end of the guide plate 2 away from the distillation column 1. The dehydrator 3 is a water-gas phase dehydration separator. A one-way ethanol valve 7 is fixedly installed on the top of the dehydrator 3 to control the one-way output of high-purity ethanol gas phase after dehydration and prevent gas flow backflow interference. An exhaust pipe 8 is fixedly installed at the bottom of the dehydrator 3. The end of the exhaust pipe 8 near the dehydration tank 41 is connected to the vacuum pump 411 to discharge the separated water vapor. The vacuum pump 411 relatively evacuates the dehydration tank 41 to accelerate the passage of water molecules through the molecular sieve. The dehydrator 3 is equipped with a dehydration component 4 for local non-stop replacement and maintenance of the molecular sieve to avoid the whole machine from shutting down due to the failure of a single molecular sieve. Dehydration assembly 4 includes a dehydration tank 41 fixedly installed on the inner wall of the dehydrator 3 near the guide plate 2, the dehydration tank 41 being for ethanol. The water separation core cavity forms a sealed adsorption and separation space. The guide plate 2 and the dehydration tank 41 are interconnected. An installation frame 44 is fixedly installed inside the dehydration tank 41. Two partition grooves 45 are opened on the installation frame 44. The partition grooves 45 are arranged in layers along the vertical direction to realize independent installation of molecular sieves in different zones. A placement rack 47 is slidably installed through the partition grooves 45. The top surface of the placement rack 47 has a placement groove 48 for placing molecular sieves. The molecular sieve is a high-strength strip block of 3A molecular sieve with an effective pore size of about 0.3 nm, which has extremely strong pore size selectivity. Since the dynamic diameter of water molecules is about 0.28 nm and the dynamic diameter of ethanol molecules is about 0.44 nm, water molecules can smoothly enter the interior of the molecular sieve channels and be adsorbed, while ethanol molecules are trapped by the pore size, thereby realizing the separation of ethanol molecules. The water system achieves highly efficient and selective separation, with the ethanol purity after dehydration consistently reaching over 99.5%. The inner bottom wall of the placement tank 48 has rectangular through-holes 49 for discharging the exhausted molecular sieves. An mounting plate 42 is slidably installed on the inner wall of the dehydrator 3 on the side away from the guide plate 2. One end of the mounting plate 42 is equipped with a lever plate 43 for horizontally pushing the placement frame 47 to exchange the old and new molecular sieves. A vacuum pump 411 is fixedly installed on the side of the dehydration tank 41 near the mounting plate 42. The suction end of the vacuum pump 411 penetrates the side wall of the dehydration tank 41, creating a negative pressure difference inside the dehydration tank 41 to enhance the rate at which water molecules selectively permeate the molecular sieves, thus improving the efficiency of water separation. To improve the dehydration efficiency of the device, a groove 413 is provided on the side of the mounting plate 42 near the dehydration tank 41. A first electric telescopic rod 412 is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the groove 413 away from the actuating plate 43. A slider 46 is fixedly installed on the end of the first electric telescopic rod 412 near the actuating plate 43. The end of the actuating plate 43 near the mounting plate 42 is fixedly installed on the slider 46, realizing the horizontal telescopic movement of the actuating plate 43 and accurately pushing the placement rack 47 of the corresponding zone. A rotating blade 410 is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the dehydration tank 41 near the guide plate 2. Ethanol After the water azeotropic gas phase enters the dehydration tank 41, it impacts the rotating blade 410, which disperses the airflow. A moving groove 414 is provided on the inner wall of the dehydrator 3 near the mounting plate 42. A reciprocating screw 417 is rotatably installed in the moving groove 414. A moving block 418 is threaded through the reciprocating screw 417. Balance bars 415 are slidably installed at both ends of the moving block 418. A motor 416 is fixedly installed on the top of the dehydrator 3. Driven by the motor 416, the actuating plate 43 is precisely positioned vertically to the target molecular sieve partition. The balance bars 415... Both ends of 5 are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the moving trough 414. The balance bar 415 plays the role of balancing and stabilizing the moving block 418. The output end of the motor 416 rotates through the reciprocating screw 417 and is fixedly installed on the reciprocating screw 417. The end of the moving block 418 away from the reciprocating screw 417 is fixedly installed on the mounting plate 42. This realizes the continuous operation of ethanol dehydration, effectively solves the problems of shutdown and maintenance, low efficiency and low automation of traditional equipment, greatly improves the stability and capacity of anhydrous ethanol production, and helps to improve the working efficiency of the equipment dehydration.

[0022] Based on the above, please refer to Figure 6As shown, a detection component 6 is installed on the mounting frame 44 for real-time online monitoring of the molecular sieve gas flow rate, accurately determining blockage and failure status, and providing data for online replacement. The detection component 6 includes multiple sets of first rotating plates 61 and second rotating plates 62 rotatably mounted on the side of the mounting frame 44 away from the rotating blade 410. A first connecting rod 63 and a second connecting rod 64 are rotatably mounted at both ends of each set of first rotating plates 61 and second rotating plates 62. Each set of first rotating plates 61 and second rotating plates 62 is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the outlet of the partition groove 45. A movable frame 66 is rotatably mounted at the end of the first connecting rod 63 and second connecting rod 64 away from the mounting frame 44. Multiple flow detectors 65 are fixedly mounted on the movable frame 66. The flow detectors 65 are micro-flow gas sensors, integrating a flow sensing chip, a temperature compensation unit, and a signal amplification module. They can operate stably for a long time in an atmosphere of ethanol gas phase and trace water vapor mixture, and possess the characteristics of resistance to alcohol gas corrosion and water vapor condensation interference. It can output an electrical signal proportional to the gas flow rate in real time. A second electric telescopic rod 67 is fixedly installed on the side of the moving frame 66 away from the mounting frame 44. The end of the second electric telescopic rod 67 away from the moving frame 66 is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the dehydration tank 41. The flow detector 65 is installed in the middle airflow channel between the first rotating plate 61 and the second rotating plate 62. It is used to detect the gas flow rate through the molecular sieve in real time, accurately determine the degree of molecular sieve blockage and adsorption saturation. The second electric telescopic rod 67 drives the moving frame 66 to move, thereby causing the first connecting rod 63 and the second connecting rod 64 to open and close the first rotating plate 61 and the second rotating plate 62 in conjunction. This does not affect the normal airflow, and can be closed to form a concentrated airflow channel during detection, improving the accuracy of flow detection. It facilitates online intelligent detection of the molecular sieve, provides data basis for online replacement, and avoids the inability to react in time when the molecular sieve fails, which affects the dehydration effect of the device. It is beneficial to improve the efficiency of device maintenance and replacement.

[0023] Based on the above, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 7As shown, the mounting plate 42 is equipped with a feeding assembly 5 for automatically unloading and discharging failed or clogged molecular sieves. The feeding assembly 5 includes a connecting plate 51 fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the mounting plate 42 at the end away from the actuating plate 43. A feeding plate 52 is fixedly installed on the end of the connecting plate 51 away from the mounting plate 42. The feeding plate 52 rises and falls synchronously with the mounting plate 42, precisely corresponding to the placement rack 47 to be unloaded. The top of the feeding plate 52 has a groove 53, in which two extrusion plates 56 are slidably installed. On the opposite sides of the two extrusion plates 56, an elastic plate 57 and a multi-stage electric telescopic column 55 are fixedly installed. Driven by the multi-stage electric telescopic column 55, the extrusion plates 56 extrude the elastic plate 57, causing the elastic plate 57 to pass through the rectangular through-hole 49 and lift the molecular sieve in the placement groove 48, facilitating rapid feeding. The ends of the elastic plate 57 and the multi-stage electric telescopic column 55 away from the extrusion plates 56 are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the groove 53. The multi-stage electric telescopic column 55 is installed below the elastic plate 57. Guide rods 54 are slidably installed through both ends of the extrusion plates 56, and both ends of the guide rods 54 are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the groove 53. The guide rods 54 guide and stabilize the extrusion plates 56. Driven by the extension and retraction of the multi-stage electric telescopic column 55, the extrusion plates 56 slide along the guide rods 54, causing the elastic plate 57 to deform under pressure and pass upward through the placement groove 48. The bottom rectangular through hole 49 pushes the failed molecular sieve out of the placement groove 48 to complete the automatic unloading, which facilitates the unloading operation, minimizes the need for manual unloading, and makes it easier to quickly replace with a new molecular sieve. This helps to improve the efficiency of molecular sieve unloading and the efficiency of equipment maintenance and replacement.

[0024] A method for continuous dehydration of anhydrous ethanol, applied to the aforementioned continuous dehydration device for anhydrous ethanol, includes the following steps; S1 Ethanol Azeotropic Distillation Pretreatment First, the aqueous ethanol feedstock is fed into distillation column 1, where heating and distillation cause the ethanol to react with water to form ethanol. The azeotropic gas phase produced at the top of the column is stably guided by the guide plate 2 and continuously enters the dehydration tank 41 inside the dehydrator 3 for subsequent deep dehydration treatment.

[0025] S2 negative pressure molecular sieve continuous dewatering After the azeotropic gas phase enters the dehydration tank 41, the airflow impacts the rotating blade 410 to form a uniformly dispersed airflow. At the same time, the vacuum pump 411 is started to evacuate one side of the dehydration tank 41, so that a stable gas pressure difference is formed inside the dehydration tank 41. Driven by the pressure difference, water molecules can selectively penetrate the molecular sieve because of their smaller molecular diameter, while ethanol molecules are trapped, thus achieving efficient separation of ethanol and water.

[0026] The water vapor generated during separation is discharged through exhaust pipe 8. An external condensing device cools and condenses the water vapor into liquid water for collection. The dehydrated high-purity ethanol gas phase is discharged under pressure by opening the one-way ethanol valve 7. It is then cooled and condensed by the external condensing device into high-purity anhydrous ethanol product, achieving continuous production.

[0027] S3 Molecular Sieve Blockage Online Detection During device operation, the detection component 6 is activated periodically to perform online monitoring: the second electric telescopic rod 67 is extended, pushing the moving frame 66 to move towards the mounting frame 44. The moving frame 66 drives the first connecting rod 63 and the second connecting rod 64 to move, causing the first rotating plate 61 and the second rotating plate 62 to rotate and close together, forming a concentrated airflow channel.

[0028] At this time, the flow detector 65 detects the gas phase flow rate through the molecular sieve of the corresponding zone in real time and transmits the flow data synchronously to the terminal monitoring system. When the value detected by the flow detector 65 of a certain zone is lower than the preset normal threshold, it is determined that the molecular sieve in that zone is blocked or saturated with adsorption and needs to be replaced.

[0029] After the test is completed, the second electric telescopic rod 67 is retracted and reset, which drives the moving frame 66 to retract, and the first rotating plate 61 and the second rotating plate 62 are unfolded and reset, restoring the normal ventilation and dehydration state.

[0030] S4 molecular sieve online replacement without shutdown Based on the detection and positioning results, the terminal system starts the dewatering component 4 to perform positioning and replacement: the motor 416 is started, the motor 416 drives the reciprocating screw 417 to rotate, which drives the moving block 418 to rise and fall vertically along the balance bar 415, so that the mounting plate 42 and the toggle plate 43 are precisely moved to the height of the corresponding partition of the blocked molecular sieve.

[0031] Then, the first electric telescopic rod 412 is extended, pushing the slider 46 and the actuating plate 43 to move horizontally. The actuating plate 43 squeezes the placement rack 47 filled with the blockage molecular sieve, causing the placement rack 47 to slide horizontally along the partition groove 45, pushing the fresh molecular sieve on the placement rack 47 to the working area, completing the online replacement of the old and new molecular sieves. The entire process does not require stopping the machine to interrupt the dehydration operation.

[0032] Automatic unloading of S5 failed molecular sieves After the molecular sieve replacement is completed, the feeding assembly 5 is started to perform automatic unloading: the multi-stage electric telescopic column 55 is controlled to retract, driving the extrusion plate 56 to slide along the guide rod 54 to the inside of the slide groove 53. The extrusion plate 56 presses the elastic plate 57 to produce upward deformation. The top of the elastic plate 57 passes through the rectangular through hole 49 at the bottom of the placement groove 48, pushing the failed and blocked molecular sieve in the placement groove 48 upward to complete the entire process of single molecular sieve replacement and unloading. The device resumes continuous and efficient dewatering operation.

[0033] The working principle of this invention is as follows: First, ethanol containing water is added to the distillation column 1 and heated for distillation. The distilled azeotrope enters the dehydrator 3 through the guide plate 2 for dehydration treatment. Then, the azeotrope enters the dehydration tank 41. The vacuum pump 411 creates a pressure difference by drawing a vacuum on one side of the dehydration tank 41, causing water molecules to actively pass through the molecular sieve for separation. The water molecules are discharged through the exhaust pipe 8 and then cooled and condensed into water. After continuous dehydration, the ethanol molecules are discharged from the one-way ethanol valve 7 and cooled and condensed into ethanol. When the molecular sieve is periodically tested, the second electric telescopic rod 67 is first activated, causing it to press against the moving frame 66. The moving frame 66 then presses against the first connecting rod 63 and the second connecting rod 64. Simultaneously, the first connecting rod 63 and the second connecting rod 64 cause the first rotating plate 61 and the second rotating plate 62 to rotate and close together. At the same time, the moving frame 66 moves the flow detector 65 closer to the outlet where the first rotating plate 61 and the second rotating plate 62 are closed, allowing the flow detector 65 to detect the flow rate through each molecular sieve. The data detected by the flow detector 65 is fed back to the terminal monitor. If the data detected by one of the flow detectors 65 is lower than the normal level, it indicates that the molecular sieve is blocked. Then, the second electric telescopic rod 67 is retracted, causing it to pull and unfold the first rotating plate 61 and the second rotating plate 62 via the moving frame 66 and the first connecting rod 63 and the second connecting rod 64. When the second rotating plate 62 and the second connecting rod 64 are in a near-linear state, the monitor starts the motor 416, causing the output end of the motor 416 to drive the reciprocating screw 417 to rotate in the moving groove 414. The reciprocating screw 417 drives the moving block 418 to slide on the balance bar 415, causing the moving block 418 to drive the actuating plate 43 to move to the horizontal position of the blocked molecular sieve through the mounting plate 42. Then, the first electric telescopic rod 412 is started, causing the first electric telescopic rod 412 to drive the slider 46 to slide in the groove 413. The slider 46 drives the actuating plate 43 to squeeze the placement rack 47 with the blocked molecular sieve, causing the placement rack 47 to slide in the partition groove 45, allowing the spare new molecular sieve on the placement rack 47 to replace the blocked molecular sieve. Then, the multi-stage electric telescopic column 55 is contracted, causing the multi-stage electric telescopic column 55 to drive the extrusion plate 56 to slide on the guide rod 54 to squeeze the elastic plate 57, causing the elastic plate 57 to bend and pass through the rectangular through hole 49 to push out the blocked molecular sieve in the placement groove 48.

[0034] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of one embodiment of the present invention, but this description is merely a preferred embodiment and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. All equivalent variations and modifications made within the scope of the claims of this invention should still fall within the patent coverage of this invention.

Claims

1. A continuous dehydration apparatus for anhydrous ethanol, comprising a distillation column (1), characterized in that: A guide plate (2) is connected to the top of the distillation column (1). A dehydrator (3) for dehydration separation is fixedly installed at the end of the guide plate (2) away from the distillation column (1). A dehydration component (4) is provided on the dehydrator (3) for local replacement and maintenance of the molecular sieve without shutting down the machine. The dehydration assembly (4) includes a dehydration tank (41) fixedly installed on the inner wall of the dehydrator (3) near the guide plate (2). An installation frame (44) is fixedly installed inside the dehydration tank (41). Two partition grooves (45) are opened on the installation frame (44). A placement rack (47) is slidably installed through the partition grooves (45). A placement groove (48) for placing molecular sieves is opened on the top surface of the placement rack (47). A rectangular through hole (49) for feeding is opened on the inner bottom wall of the placement groove (48). An installation plate (42) is slidably installed on the inner wall of the dehydrator (3) away from the guide plate (2). A actuating plate (43) for actuating the placement rack (47) for feeding is installed at one end of the installation plate (42). A vacuum pump (411) is fixedly installed on the side of the dehydration tank (41) near the installation plate (42).

2. The continuous dehydration apparatus for anhydrous ethanol according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting plate (42) has a groove (413) on the side near the dehydration tank (41). A first electric telescopic rod (412) is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the groove (413) away from the actuating plate (43). A slider (46) is fixedly installed on the end of the first electric telescopic rod (412) near the actuating plate (43). The end of the actuating plate (43) near the mounting plate (42) is fixedly installed on the slider (46). A rotating blade (410) is rotatably installed on the inner wall of the dehydration tank (41) near the guide plate (2).

3. The continuous dehydration apparatus for anhydrous ethanol according to claim 2, characterized in that: The dehydrator (3) has a moving groove (414) on the inner wall near the mounting plate (42). A reciprocating screw (417) is rotatably installed in the moving groove (414). A moving block (418) is threaded through the reciprocating screw (417). A balance bar (415) is slidably installed at both ends of the moving block (418). A motor (416) is fixedly installed on the top of the dehydrator (3).

4. The continuous dehydration apparatus for anhydrous ethanol according to claim 3, characterized in that: The two ends of the balance bar (415) are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the moving groove (414), the output end of the motor (416) rotates through the reciprocating screw (417) and is fixedly installed on the reciprocating screw (417), and the end of the moving block (418) away from the reciprocating screw (417) is fixedly installed on the mounting plate (42).

5. The continuous dehydration apparatus for anhydrous ethanol according to claim 1, characterized in that: A detection component (6) is provided on the mounting frame (44). The detection component (6) includes multiple sets of first rotating plates (61) and second rotating plates (62) rotatably mounted on the side of the mounting frame (44) away from the rotating blade (410). A first connecting rod (63) and a second connecting rod (64) are rotatably mounted on both ends of the first rotating plate (61) and the second rotating plate (62). A movable frame (66) is rotatably mounted on the end of the first connecting rod (63) and the second connecting rod (64) away from the mounting frame (44). Multiple flow detectors (65) are fixedly mounted on the movable frame (66). A second electric telescopic rod (67) is fixedly mounted on the side of the movable frame (66) away from the mounting frame (44).

6. The continuous dehydration apparatus for anhydrous ethanol according to claim 5, characterized in that: The second electric telescopic rod (67) is fixedly installed on the inner wall of the dewatering tank (41) at one end away from the moving frame (66). The flow detector (65) is installed at the middle position between the first rotating plate (61) and the second rotating plate (62) to detect the degree of blockage of the molecular sieve in the partition groove (45).

7. The continuous dehydration apparatus for anhydrous ethanol according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting plate (42) is provided with a feeding assembly (5). The feeding assembly (5) includes a connecting plate (51) fixedly installed on the bottom surface of the mounting plate (42) away from the actuating plate (43). The feeding plate (52) is fixedly installed on the end of the connecting plate (51) away from the mounting plate (42). A groove (53) is opened on the top of the feeding plate (52). Two extrusion plates (56) are slidably installed in the groove (53). An elastic plate (57) and a multi-stage electric telescopic column (55) are fixedly installed on the side of the two extrusion plates (56) that are far away from each other.

8. The continuous dehydration apparatus for anhydrous ethanol according to claim 7, characterized in that: The elastic plate (57) and the multi-stage electric telescopic column (55) are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the slide groove (53) at the end away from the extrusion plate (56). The multi-stage electric telescopic column (55) is installed below the elastic plate (57). Guide rods (54) are slidably installed through both ends of the extrusion plate (56). The two ends of the guide rods (54) are fixedly installed on the inner wall of the slide groove (53).

9. The continuous dehydration apparatus for anhydrous ethanol according to claim 1, characterized in that: A one-way ethanol valve (7) is fixedly installed on the top of the dehydrator (3), and an exhaust pipe (8) is fixedly installed on the bottom of the dehydrator (3). The end of the exhaust pipe (8) near the dehydration tank (41) is connected to the vacuum pump (411).

10. A method for continuous dehydration of anhydrous ethanol, applied to a continuous dehydration apparatus for anhydrous ethanol according to claims 4, 6, 8, and 9, characterized in that: Includes the following steps; S1. First, add ethanol containing water into the distillation column (1) and heat it for distillation. Then, the distilled azeotrope passes through the guide plate (2) and enters the dehydrator (3) for dehydration. S2. Then, the azeotrope is brought into the dehydration tank (41), and the vacuum pump (411) is used to create a pressure difference by drawing a vacuum on one side of the dehydration tank (41). Water molecules are actively separated by passing through the molecular sieve and discharged through the exhaust pipe (8) and then cooled and condensed into water. Ethanol molecules are discharged from the one-way ethanol valve (7) after continuous dehydration and then cooled and condensed into ethanol. S3. First, start the detection component (6) to detect the flow rate of the molecular sieve on the placement rack (47). When the flow detector (65) detects that the flow rate of the molecular sieve has decreased, start the motor (416) in the dewatering component (4) to drive the moving block (418) to move up and down through the reciprocating screw (417). Move the moving block (418) to the position of the blocked molecular sieve through the electric actuation plate (43) of the mounting plate (42). Then start the first electric telescopic rod (412) to drive the actuation plate (43) to push the placement rack (47). The placement rack (47) will replace the blocked molecular sieve with a new one without stopping the machine. Then start the feeding component (5) to feed the replaced molecular sieve.

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