A method and system for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco

Abstract

This application relates to the field of heated tobacco technology, specifically a method and system for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco by directional application of an atomizing agent to the cut cross-section of tobacco shreds. The system includes: a shredding device for processing and cutting tobacco sheets into bundled strips; a feeding device for applying an atomizing agent to the cut cross-section of the bundled tobacco shreds to obtain bundled heated cigarette tobacco shreds; and a loosening device for loosening the bundled heated cigarette tobacco shreds to obtain heated cigarette tobacco shreds. The shredding device of this application bundles and cuts tobacco sheets into large bundled tobacco shreds. The feeding device applies an atomizing agent to the cross-section of the bundled tobacco shreds to improve the absorption efficiency and effect of the atomizing agent. The loosening device then loosens the bundled tobacco shreds to obtain individual heated cigarette tobacco shreds.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of heated tobacco technology, and in particular to a method and system for directionally applying an atomizing agent to a cut section of tobacco shreds to manufacture heated tobacco shreds. Background Technology

[0002] With increasingly stringent regulations on cigarettes in various countries and growing public awareness of health, heated tobacco products have become increasingly popular in recent years. These products primarily use vaporization techniques to turn nicotine and other substances in tobacco into vapor for users to inhale.

[0003] During the processing of tobacco raw materials for heated tobacco products, a certain amount of liquid is often added to improve the tobacco flavor and reduce tobacco breakage.

[0004] The main types of materials used for adding tobacco are tobacco sheets and shredded tobacco. Among them, the shredded tobacco adding process is generally considered to have better absorption performance due to the large pores and lack of wax covering in the tobacco tissue structure of the tobacco shred cutting cross section (the cross section formed during the tobacco sheet cutting process). For example, the article "Study on the Absorption Rate and Influencing Factors of Flue-cured Tobacco Sheets" (Anhui Agricultural Sciences, 2012, Issue 25) pointed out that the number of pores in the cross section of shredded tobacco is 17 to 76 times that of the leaf surface, the porosity is 33 to 183 times that of the leaf surface, and the secondary adsorption rate constant of the leaf shreds is 2.2 to 3.1 times that of the tobacco sheet.

[0005] The most common feeding equipment for tobacco sheets or shredded tobacco is the drum feeder, which feeds the tobacco sheets / shredded tobacco by spraying liquid onto them as they tumble inside the drum. During the feeding process, the feed consists of loose tobacco sheets or shredded tobacco, and the tumbling of the material inside the drum ensures the continuous renewal of the receiving surface.

[0006] Currently, during the feeding process, the probability of each outer surface of the tobacco sheet and tobacco shred receiving the liquid injection is basically equal. Even when using tobacco shred as a feed, the proportion of the newly added tobacco shred cross-section to the surface area of ​​the tobacco shred is relatively small, resulting in a limited increase in the absorption rate of the liquid. For the use of adding a high proportion of glycerol atomizing agent (addition ratio ≥10%) to conventional tobacco shreds as a heating cigarette smoke-generating matrix, the high proportion of atomizing agent is difficult to penetrate into the interior of the tobacco shred in a short time. It is still necessary to combine long-term storage or vacuum, pressurization and other means to promote the absorption of atomizing agent, making the process relatively complex. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a method and system for directionally applying an atomizing agent to a cut cross section of tobacco to produce heated cigarette tobacco, so as to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0008] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application adopts the following technical solution:

[0009] In a first aspect, this application provides a method for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco, comprising: step 1: processing tobacco sheets into sheets and cutting them to obtain bundled tobacco; step 2: applying an atomizing agent to the cut cross-section of the bundled tobacco to obtain bundled heated cigarette tobacco; and step 3: loosening the bundled heated cigarette tobacco to obtain the heated cigarette tobacco.

[0010] Further, step 1 specifically includes: step 1-1: loosening and rehydrating the tobacco sheets; step 1-2: applying liquid to the tobacco sheets; step 1-3: adhering and compressing the tobacco sheets with the applied liquid to obtain combined tobacco sheets; step 1-4: cutting the combined tobacco sheets to obtain combined tobacco shreds.

[0011] Further, the process parameters for step 1-1 include: controlling the circulating air temperature at 62℃~67℃, 67℃~72℃, or 72℃~77℃; controlling the water flow rate at 2.8~3.6kg(water) / 100kg(smoked sheets), 3.6~4.2kg(water) / 100kg(smoked sheets), or 4.2~5.2kg(water) / 100kg(smoked sheets); the moisture content of the smoked sheets at 14%~16%, 16%~18%, or 18%~20%; and the temperature of the smoked sheets at 49℃~58℃, 58℃~67℃, or 67℃~76℃.

[0012] Further, the feed solution is a mixed aqueous solution of glycerin and sugar flavoring, and the mass concentration of the atomizing agent in the feed solution is 50%–60%, 60%–70%, 70%–80%, or 80%–90%. Step 1-2 includes: Step 1-2-1: heating the feed solution to 43℃–51℃, 51℃–59℃, or 59℃–67℃; Step 1-2-2: applying 2%–3%, 3%–4%, or 4%–5% of the heated feed solution to the tobacco sheet.

[0013] Furthermore, the process parameters for steps 1-4 include: the blade height of the shredder is 48mm-66mm, 66mm-84mm, or 84mm-102mm, and the blade pressure is 2499kg / m³. 2 ~2833kg / m 2 2833kg / m 2 ~3169kg / m 2 Or 3169kg / m 2 ~3501kg / m 2 The density of the tobacco flakes to which the slurry was applied was 798 kg / m³. 3 ~816kg / m 3 816kg / m 3 ~834kg / m 3 Or 834kg / m 3 ~852kg / m 3 .

[0014] Further, step 2 specifically involves: using a double-sided material double-sided injection feeder, where the steam pressure of the nozzles is set to 0.1 bar to 0.3 bar, to apply an atomizing agent to the cut cross-section of the combined tobacco strips, thereby obtaining combined heated cigarette tobacco strips.

[0015] Further, step 3 specifically includes: using an HT heating and humidifying vibrating tank with a steam pressure of 1 Bar to 4 Bar to heat the tobacco strips of the rolled cigarettes to obtain heated cigarette tobacco strips.

[0016] Secondly, this application provides a cigarette that includes the heated tobacco shreds described in the first aspect.

[0017] Thirdly, this application provides a system for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco, comprising: a cutting device for processing and cutting tobacco sheets to obtain bundled tobacco; a feeding device for applying an atomizing agent to the cut cross-section of the bundled tobacco to obtain bundled heated cigarette tobacco; and a loosening device for loosening the bundled heated cigarette tobacco to obtain heated cigarette tobacco.

[0018] Furthermore, the system also includes a conveying device. The shredding device is equipped with a discharge port for unloading the combined tobacco strips. The conveying device includes a feeding section, a discharging section, and an intermediate section between the feeding section and the discharging section. The feeding section is located near the discharge port and is used to convey the combined tobacco strips from the intermediate section and the discharging section to the feeding device. The feeding device includes a frame, spraying components, a discharge mesh belt, and a dehumidification port. The spraying components are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the frame near the discharging section and are used to apply atomizing agent to the combined tobacco strips. The discharge mesh belt is used to receive the combined tobacco strips after the atomizing agent has been applied, and the dehumidification port is used to discharge excess atomizing agent.

[0019] As can be seen from the above technical solution, the advantages and positive effects of the method and system for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco proposed in this application are as follows:

[0020] Firstly, compared to the current conventional tobacco processing technology, this application proposes a method for combining tobacco sheets. By reducing the moisture and temperature of the tobacco sheets before feeding, increasing the concentration of the feed liquid, and using compressed air as a feeding aid to cool the feed liquid, the contact angle of the feed liquid on the surface of the tobacco sheets is increased. This slows down the penetration rate of the atomizing agent and feed liquid into the tobacco sheets, allowing a large amount of viscous feed liquid to adhere to the surface of the tobacco sheets. This improves the adhesion between the tobacco sheets, and after the tobacco sheets are cut into shreds, large sheets of combined tobacco shreds are formed. The various sides of the combined tobacco shreds can fully absorb the atomizing agent and other feed liquids, improving the feeding and processing efficiency and effect of the tobacco shreds, and expanding the processing methods of tobacco sheets.

[0021] Secondly, this application uses a high blade pressure in the shredding device to form a dense tobacco cake from the tobacco sheets. By lowering the blade height during shredding, the roller shredder can cut relatively complete sheet-like heated tobacco shreds. During the shredding process, the material state and shredding parameters of the tobacco sheets are adjusted before shredding to compress and cut the cross-section of the tobacco sheets, causing the cut shreds to form bundled tobacco shreds. This exposes more of the cut cross-section of the tobacco shreds, resulting in sheet-like bundled tobacco shreds. An atomizing agent is then sprayed directionally onto the cut cross-section of the bundled tobacco shreds. Utilizing the large pores of the tobacco tissue structure and the absence of wax coverage at the cut cross-section, the absorption rate of the atomizing agent by the tobacco shreds is increased.

[0022] Furthermore, this application applies atomizing agent to both the upper and lower sides of the cut cross-section of the shredded tobacco using the nozzle of the feeding device. The nozzle performs double-sided spraying of the shredded tobacco in a suspended state, thereby improving the absorption effect of the atomizing agent by the shredded tobacco.

[0023] Finally, the tobacco shreds of the combined heated cigarette are heated and loosened by the loosening device, so that the tobacco shreds are loosened by the impact of steam jets, vibration and tumbling in the drum, and gradually separated into individual tobacco shreds. Attached Figure Description

[0024] The above description of this application and the following detailed embodiments will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the drawings are merely examples of the claimed technical solutions.

[0025] Figure 1 This is a system block diagram of the manufacturing of heated cigarette tobacco provided in this application;

[0026] Figure 2 This is the structure of the rolled tobacco provided in this application;

[0027] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the working mechanism of the film-combining device provided in this application;

[0028] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the forming of the rolled tobacco provided in this application;

[0029] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the apparatus for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco provided in this application;

[0030] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the spraying device provided in this application;

[0031] Figure 7 This is a flowchart of the method for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco provided in this application;

[0032] Figure 8This is a schematic diagram showing the relationship between the amount of tobacco shreds and the proportion of the cut section provided in this application.

[0033] The reference numerals in the attached figures are explained as follows:

[0034] Shredding device: 1;

[0035] Copper busbar chain: 11;

[0036] Upper copper busbar chain: 11a;

[0037] Lower copper busbar chain: 11b;

[0038] Upper knife gate: 12a;

[0039] Lower knife gate: 12b;

[0040] Cutter roller: 13;

[0041] Blade count: 14;

[0042] Discharge port: 15;

[0043] First transmission device: 2;

[0044] Feeding section: 21;

[0045] Middle section; 22;

[0046] Discharge section; 23;

[0047] Feeding device: 3;

[0048] Frame 31;

[0049] Upper nozzle: 32a;

[0050] Lower nozzle: 32b;

[0051] Second transmission device: 4;

[0052] Feeding net: 41;

[0053] Drainage outlet: 42;

[0054] Loosening device: 5;

[0055] Compressed tobacco sheets: 6;

[0056] Smoked tobacco sheets: 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, 6e, 6f;

[0057] 7;

[0058] Tobacco shreds: 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d;

[0059] Atomizing agent 8. Detailed Implementation

[0060] The detailed features and advantages of this application are described below in the specific embodiments. The content of this description is sufficient to enable any person skilled in the art to understand the technical content of this application and implement it accordingly. Based on the specification, claims and drawings disclosed in this specification, a person skilled in the art can easily understand the related objectives and advantages of this application.

[0061] It should be noted that in this specification, similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0062] In the description of this embodiment, it should be noted that the terms "upper," "lower," "inner," and "bottom," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship commonly used when the product is in use. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application. It should be noted that "combined tobacco strips" in this application refers to compressed tobacco strips 6 obtained by compressing the original tobacco sheets to form a sticky mixture, and then cutting the compressed tobacco strips 6 to obtain combined tobacco strips 7.

[0063] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0064] Please refer to Figure 1 This application provides a system for directionally applying an atomizing agent to the cut cross-section of tobacco shreds to manufacture heated cigarette tobacco shreds. The system includes a shredding device 1, a first conveying device 2, a feeding device 3, a second conveying device 4, and a loosening device 5. The shredding device cuts compressed tobacco sheets 6 to form bundled tobacco shreds 7. Under the action of the first conveying device 2, the bundled tobacco shreds 7 are conveyed to the feeding device 3, which applies an atomizing agent 8 to the cut cross-section of the bundled tobacco shreds 7. Under the action of the second conveying device 4, the bundled tobacco shreds 7 with the applied atomizing agent 8 are conveyed to the loosening device 5, which heats and loosens the bundled tobacco shreds 7.

[0065] Please refer to Figure 2 The inventors of this application have discovered that in the tobacco sheet cutting process, under certain conditions, tobacco sheets can be made to stick together. After cutting the sticky tobacco sheets into strips, bundled tobacco strips 7 can be obtained. The bundled tobacco strips 7 include tobacco strips 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d, and 7e, and each tobacco strip is tightly stuck together.

[0066] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4The inventors of this application further investigated the cause of the tobacco shreds sticking together phenomenon: under the action of the sticking mechanism of the shredding device 1, the adhesion between tobacco sheets 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d, and 6e is enhanced, forming compressed tobacco sheets 6. Cutting the compressed tobacco sheets 6 then causes non-loose adhesion between the cut tobacco shreds.

[0067] The compression mechanism of the shredding device 1 consists of a copper busbar chain 11, an upper knife gate 12a, and a lower knife gate 12b. The compression mechanism can perform sheet-binding processing on the tobacco sheets. In terms of appearance, the tobacco sheets are stuck together, and sheet-binding processing can be achieved by compression.

[0068] In the traditional tobacco shredding process, factors such as the high sugar content of the tobacco leaves, excessive moisture content, and excessive pressure applied by the cutting gate are key factors that induce the phenomenon of tobacco leaves clumping together.

[0069] Mild "cohesion" manifests as slight adhesion between several tobacco strands, forming a "skewer-like" structure; while severe "cohesion" may involve the tight adhesion of dozens or even hundreds of tobacco strands, resembling "beef slices" in appearance. It is worth noting that although tobacco cohesion is immediately apparent after shredding, further research by the inventors of this application has revealed that it can be gradually loosened in subsequent processing steps—such as vibrating conveyor, rake feeding, tobacco temperature increase, and drying. Therefore, cohesive tobacco strands 7 can be considered an intermediate product that can be corrected through subsequent processes. This application utilizes the characteristics of this intermediate product to improve the absorption efficiency and effect of the tobacco on the atomizing agent.

[0070] Specifically, the shredding device 1 can be a shredding machine. The shredding machine includes a copper busbar chain 11, a cutting roller 13, and a cutting gate. With the cooperation of the copper busbar chain 11 and the cutting gate, the cutting roller 13 cuts the compressed tobacco sheet 6 to obtain a large number of sheet-shaped bundled tobacco shreds 7.

[0071] The copper busbar chain 11 can be divided into an upper copper busbar chain 11a and a lower copper busbar chain 11b. Material (such as tobacco sheets) is fed into the hopper of the shredder and pushed between the upper copper busbar chain 11a and the lower copper busbar chain 11b via a swaying pusher plate or a vibrating chute. The upper and lower copper busbar chains 11a and 11b move forward simultaneously, continuously conveying the tobacco sheets to the positions of the upper and lower cutter gates 12a and 12b. During this conveying process, the upper copper busbar chain 11a compacts the tobacco sheets, forming a solid "tobacco cake," i.e., compressed tobacco sheets 6. Then, the blades 14 on the cutter roller 13 cut the compressed tobacco sheets 6, transforming them into bundled tobacco shreds 7 of a certain width. The cut bundled tobacco shreds 7 are unsupported and, under the action of their own weight and the friction of the blades 14, fall directly through the discharge port 15 to the feed section 21 below.

[0072] Please refer to Figure 5The first transmission device 2 may include a feeding section 21, a discharging section 23, and an intermediate section 22 between the feeding section 21 and the discharging section 23. The feeding section 21 is located near the discharge port 15. The feeding section 21 is used to transmit the combined tobacco shreds 7 from the intermediate section 22 and the discharging section 23 to the feeding device 3.

[0073] In this embodiment, the first conveying device 2 can be a high-speed thinning belt conveyor, with its feeding section 21 and discharging section 23 configured for horizontal conveying. The feeding section 21 is lower to match the discharge height of the discharge port 15 of the shredding device 1, and the discharging section 23 is higher to match the height of the feeding device 3. The belt conveying speed matches the shredding and feeding speed, which is used to quickly convey the shredded tobacco, avoid the stacking of the combined tobacco strips 7 formed by shredding on the conveyor belt, achieve the purpose of thinning, and facilitate the subsequent improvement of the effect and efficiency of applying atomizing agent to the combined tobacco strips 7.

[0074] The conveying direction of the belt conveyor is perpendicular to the axis of the cutter roller 13 of the shredder, which can increase the spreading width of the material on the belt and reduce the belt conveying speed requirement.

[0075] Please refer to Figure 6 The feeding device 3 may include a frame 31, a spraying component, a discharge net 41, and a moisture outlet 42. The spraying component may be a spray nozzle. The upper spray nozzle 32a and the lower spray nozzle 32b are respectively disposed on the upper and lower sides of the discharge section 23 of the frame 31 near the first transmission device 2, and are used to apply atomizing agent 8 to the combined tobacco strips 7. The discharge net 41 is used to receive the combined tobacco strips 7 after the atomizing agent 8 has been applied, and the moisture outlet 42 is used to discharge excess atomizing agent 8.

[0076] The feeding device 3 can be a double-sided material spraying feeder, which is a frame structure. The upper frame 32a and lower frame 32b of the feeder are respectively installed to apply atomizing agent to the upper and lower sides of the combined tobacco strips 7. The combined tobacco strips 7, conveyed by the high-speed conveyor belt, pass through the frame 31 of the feeder due to inertia at the end of the belt. The nozzles at both ends spray material onto the suspended combined tobacco strips 7 from both sides, causing the combined tobacco strips 7 to form combined heated cigarette tobacco strips.

[0077] The second conveying device 4 is connected to the discharge net 41 and conveys the heated cigarette tobacco in the discharge net to the loosening device 5. The loosening device 5 can be a heating and humidifying device. The heated cigarette tobacco is loosened by the heating and humidifying device to obtain heated cigarette tobacco.

[0078] Specifically, the loosening device 5 can be in the form of an HT tunnel-type heating and humidifying machine, a SIROX rotary heating and humidifying machine, a leaf super rehumidification cylinder, or a combination thereof. By directly injecting steam into the heated tobacco strips to increase their temperature, the interlayer adhesion between the heated tobacco strips is reduced. Under the impact of the steam injection, vibration, and tumbling action within the drum, the heated tobacco strips are loosened and gradually separated into independent individual heated tobacco strips.

[0079] Please refer to Figure 7 This application also provides a method for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco using the above-described system, specifically including the following steps:

[0080] Step 1: The shredding device processes and cuts the tobacco sheets to obtain bundled tobacco shreds.

[0081] Specifically, step 1 includes:

[0082] Step 1-1: Use a conventional loosening and rehumidifying device to loosen and rehumidify the tobacco sheets. After rehumidification, the moisture content of the tobacco sheets is 15% to 19%, and the temperature of the tobacco sheets is 50℃ to 75℃, in order to control the relatively low moisture content of the loosened tobacco sheets. During rehumidification, the amount of steam used or the temperature of the rehumidification circulating air can be increased to ensure that the tobacco sheets are fully loosened and less broken at low moisture content.

[0083] The circulating air temperature is 65℃~75℃, the water flow rate is 3~5kg (water) / 100kg (smoke sheet), and the moisture content of the smoke sheet is controlled at 15%~19%.

[0084] Preferably, the moisture content of the loose tobacco sheets after rehydration is controlled at 15% to 17%, or the moisture content of the loose tobacco sheets after rehydration is controlled at 16%.

[0085] Steps 1-2: The tobacco sheet is atomized and fed using a binary nozzle with compressed air. The atomized feed solution consists of 70% glycerin (atomizing agent), 20% water, and 10% flavoring. The tobacco sheet is not heated before feeding. The feed solution is heated to 43℃~67℃ in the feed solution storage tank and atomized and fed using a binary nozzle with compressed air, at a feeding ratio of 2%~5%.

[0086] It is understandable that after the heated feed liquid is ejected by compressed air through the binary nozzle, the temperature of the feed liquid decreases. Simultaneously, the temperature of the tobacco sheet gradually cools to near room temperature during steps 1-2. That is, in steps 1-2, when both the feed liquid and tobacco sheet temperatures are low during atomization, the tobacco sheet's absorption capacity for the current feed liquid weakens, thereby increasing the adhesion between the tobacco sheets.

[0087] In other specific embodiments, the application liquid is a mixed aqueous solution of high-concentration glycerol and sugar flavoring, and the mass concentration of the atomizing agent in the liquid is 49% to 91%, preferably 60% to 80%, with the remainder being sugar flavoring and water.

[0088] Steps 1-3: A compression device is used to adhere and compress the tobacco sheets after the slurry is applied, resulting in bundled tobacco sheets. The compression device can be a copper busbar chain 11 and a knife gate. The tobacco sheets have high adhesion after the slurry is applied, and the sheets will stick together. During the process of transporting the tobacco sheets, the copper busbar chain, in conjunction with the knife gate, squeezes the tobacco sheets to form compressed tobacco sheets 6, which facilitates the subsequent cutting of thick tobacco shreds into a bonded and non-loose state. Therefore, the tobacco sheets are not stored after the slurry is applied, but are compressed to further improve the adhesion between the tobacco sheets.

[0089] Steps 1-4: Use a shredder to directly cut the combined tobacco strips into shredded tobacco. Specifically, the shredder can be configured with higher blade pressure, and the density of the tobacco strips at the blade opening before shredding should be ≥800 kg / m³. 3 The shredder can use a lower blade height to reduce the pulling effect on the material caused by the circular running trajectory of the cutter, which would damage the integrity of the sheet-like tobacco shreds 7.

[0090] The blade height of the shredder is 50mm to 100mm, and the blade pressure is 2500kg / m. 2 ~3500kg / m 2 .

[0091] Further preferred options include a knife gate height of 60mm–80mm and a knife gate pressure of 2800kg / m. 2 ~3200kg / m 2 Control the density of tobacco material before shredding to 800 kg / m³ 3 ~850kg / m 3 Alternatively, the slicing blade height is 65mm, and the blade pressure is 3000kg / m. 3 .

[0092] Please refer to Figure 8 The use of bundled tobacco shreds 7 can significantly increase the cross-sectional area ratio in its surface area. Taking a single tobacco shred with a size of 5cm×1cm×0.25cm (L×W×H) as an example, its cross-sectional area accounts for only 23.1% of the surface area of ​​the tobacco shred. When there are 5 bundled tobacco shreds 7, the cross-sectional area ratio increases to 60% of the surface area of ​​the tobacco shred. When there are more than 30 bundled tobacco shreds 7, the cross-sectional area ratio can reach more than 90%.

[0093] Understandably, compared to current methods of tobacco sheet processing, this application increases the contact angle of the liquid on the tobacco sheet surface by reducing the moisture and temperature of the tobacco sheet before feeding, increasing the concentration of the liquid feed, and using compressed air as a feeding aid to cool the liquid feed. This slows down the penetration rate of the atomizing agent and liquid feed into the tobacco sheet, allowing a large amount of viscous liquid feed to adhere to the surface of the tobacco sheet. Furthermore, by setting a higher blade pressure in the shredder, the tobacco sheet is formed into a dense tobacco cake. During the shredding process, by lowering the blade height, the roller shredder can cut relatively complete sheet-like tobacco strips 7.

[0094] It should be noted that the setting of the tobacco sheet making process in this application is the opposite of the goal of "high penetration of liquid and loose tobacco after cutting" in traditional tobacco cutting. This application achieves heavily folded tobacco shreds 7 through the above steps, and applies an atomizing agent to the cutting section of the heavily folded tobacco shreds 7 to improve the efficiency and effect of tobacco shreds absorbing the atomizing agent.

[0095] Step 2: The feeding device applies an atomizing agent to the cut section of the shredded tobacco to obtain heated shredded cigarette tobacco.

[0096] The feeding nozzles of the feeding device 3 are respectively installed on the upper and lower panels of the frame 31. Multiple fan-shaped binary nozzles are arranged along the width of the incoming material. The nozzles use steam to inject the liquid material, and a relatively low steam pressure is recommended, 0.1 bar to 0.3 bar, to avoid excessive liquid injection force and excessive impact on the raw material. The discharge screen 41 receives the sheet-like tobacco strips 7 after feeding. The mesh belt runs at 1 / 5 to 1 / 3 of the speed of the high-speed thinning belt. Through the dehumidification system of the feeding device 3 itself, a negative pressure is formed under the mesh belt, so that the atomized liquid material remaining in the feeding device 3 is filtered by the material layer and enters the dehumidification port 42.

[0097] The atomizing agent is a 90% glycerol aqueous solution, heated to 50°C, and fed by steam injection. The feeding ratio is 15% of the mass flow rate of the shredder output.

[0098] It is understood that the dehumidification system equipped with the feeding device 3 and its implementation principle are well known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, these professionals can adjust the structure and parameter configuration of the dehumidification system according to the needs of actual applications. Therefore, this application will not further elaborate on the specific details and principles of the dehumidification system.

[0099] The feeding device 3 applies a high-concentration (concentration ≥80%) atomizing agent aqueous solution to the cut section of the tobacco strip 7. The feeding ratio is 10% to 20%. A binary nozzle is used to atomize and feed the tobacco strip by using saturated steam injection. By introducing steam, the temperature of the material and atomizing agent is increased, the contact angle between liquid and solid is reduced, and the penetration rate of the atomizing agent into the tobacco strip is increased.

[0100] Step 3: The loosening device loosens the heated tobacco strips to obtain heated tobacco strips.

[0101] Preferably, the loosening device adopts a HT heating and humidifying vibrating trough with a steam pressure of 1 Bar to 4 Bar. More preferably, a tobacco stem heating type HT is selected, with the vibrating trough pointing upward from the feed inlet to the discharge outlet, which can prolong the residence time of the material in the trough and improve the loosening rate of the tobacco shreds of the rolled and heated cigarettes.

[0102] The tobacco material can be further heated by direct steam injection, and the tobacco shreds can be further loosened and bundled by the rotation of the drum and the action of the rake nails inside the drum.

[0103] This application also provides an aerosol-generating article comprising heated cigarette tobacco manufactured in this application.

[0104] Among them, aerosol-generating products are smoking products, including aerosol-forming matrix, which generates aerosols through heating that can be directly inhaled into the lungs of the user through the user's mouth.

[0105] Preferably, the aerosol forming matrix is ​​a solid aerosol forming matrix, such as a cigarette. The aerosol forming matrix may include both solid and liquid components. Preferably, the aerosol forming matrix includes nicotine. In some preferred embodiments, the aerosol forming matrix includes tobacco.

[0106] Understandably, tobacco possesses a unique flavor and aroma, a key characteristic sought after by many aerosol-generating products. By extracting the active ingredients from tobacco and incorporating them as part of the aerosol-generating matrix, the smoking experience of traditional tobacco products can be simulated. Nicotine, the main alkaloid in tobacco, is also a component sought after by many smokers. Adding tobacco extracts to the aerosol-generating matrix ensures that the product contains an appropriate amount of nicotine to meet user needs.

[0107] The terminology and expressions used herein are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as limiting of this application. The use of these terms and expressions does not preclude any illustrative and descriptive equivalents (or parts thereof), and it should be recognized that various modifications that may exist should also be included within the scope of the claims. Other modifications, variations, and substitutions may also exist. Accordingly, the claims should be considered to cover all such equivalents.

[0108] Similarly, it should be noted that although this application has been described with reference to specific embodiments, those skilled in the art should recognize that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate this application, and various equivalent changes or substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, any changes or modifications to the above embodiments within the scope of the essential spirit of this application will fall within the scope of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco, characterized in that, include: Step 1: The tobacco leaves are processed into bundles and then cut to obtain bundled tobacco strips; Step 2: Apply an atomizing agent to the cut cross-section of the combined tobacco strips to obtain combined heated cigarette tobacco strips; Step 3: Loosen the heated tobacco strips to obtain the heated tobacco strips.

2. The method for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 1 specifically includes: Step 1-1: Loosen and rehydrate the tobacco sheets; Step 1-2: Apply the liquid material to the tobacco sheet; Steps 1-3: Adhere and compress the tobacco sheets to which the slurry has been applied, and obtain bundled tobacco sheets; Steps 1-4: Cut the combined tobacco strips to obtain the combined tobacco shreds.

3. The method for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco according to claim 2, characterized in that, The process parameters for step 1-1 include: Control the circulating air temperature at 62℃~67℃, 67℃~72℃, or 72℃~77℃; Control the water flow rate to 2.8–3.6 kg (water) / 100 kg (smoked tobacco), 3.6–4.2 kg (water) / 100 kg (smoked tobacco), or 4.2–5.2 kg (water) / 100 kg (smoked tobacco); The moisture content of the tobacco sheets is 14%–16%, 16%–18%, or 18%–20%. The temperature of the tobacco sheet is 49℃~58℃, 58℃~67℃, or 67℃~76℃.

4. The method for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco according to claim 2, characterized in that, The feed solution is a mixed aqueous solution of glycerol and sugar flavoring, and the mass concentration of the atomizing agent in the feed solution is 50%–60%, 60%–70%, 70%–80%, or 80%–90%. Steps 1-2 include: Step 1-2-1: Heat the liquid material to 43℃~51℃, 51℃~59℃ or 59℃~67℃; Step 1-2-2: Apply 2% to 3%, 3% to 4%, or 4% to 5% of heated liquid to the tobacco sheet.

5. The method for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco according to claim 2, characterized in that, The process parameters for steps 1-4 include: The blade height of the shredder is 48mm~66mm, 66mm~84mm, or 84mm~102mm. The pressure at the knife gate is 2499 kg / m 2 ~2833kg / m 2 2833kg / m 2 ~3169kg / m 2 Or 3169kg / m 2 ~3501kg / m 2 , The density of the tobacco sheet to which the liquid is applied is 798 kg / m³. 3 ~816kg / m 3 816kg / m 3 ~834kg / m 3 Or 834kg / m 3 ~852kg / m 3 .

6. The method for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 2 specifically involves using a double-sided material double-sided injection feeder, wherein the steam pressure of the nozzle of the double-sided material double-sided injection feeder is set to 0.1 bar to 0.3 bar, and an atomizing agent is applied to the cut cross section of the combined tobacco strips to obtain combined heated cigarette tobacco strips.

7. The method for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that, Step 3 specifically involves using an HT heating and humidifying vibrating tank, setting a steam pressure of 1 Bar to 4 Bar, to heat the combined heated cigarette tobacco to obtain the heated cigarette tobacco.

8. A cigarette stick, characterized in that, Includes the heated cigarette tobacco as described in any one of claims 1-7.

9. A system for directionally applying an atomizing agent to a cut cross section of tobacco shreds to manufacture heated cigarette tobacco shreds, characterized in that, include: A shredding device is used to process and cut tobacco sheets into bundled tobacco strips; A feeding device is used to apply an atomizing agent to the cut cross-section of the combined tobacco strips to obtain combined heated cigarette tobacco strips; A loosening device is used to loosen the heated cigarette tobacco strips to obtain the heated cigarette tobacco strips.

10. The system for manufacturing heated cigarette tobacco according to claim 9, characterized in that, The system also includes a transmission device. The shredding device is provided with a discharge port, which is used to unload the tobacco strips. The conveying device includes a feeding section, a discharging section, and an intermediate section between the feeding section and the discharging section. The feeding section is located near the discharge port and is used to convey the combined tobacco strips from the intermediate section and the discharging section to the feeding device. The feeding device includes a frame, a spraying component, a discharge mesh belt, and a dehumidification port. The spraying component is respectively disposed on the upper and lower sides of the frame near the discharge section and is used to apply an atomizing agent to the combined tobacco strips. The discharge mesh belt is used to receive the combined tobacco strips after the atomizing agent has been applied, and the dehumidification port is used to discharge excess atomizing agent.

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