High water content material conveying system based on biomimicry and active separation

Abstract

The high water content material conveying system based on bionics and active separation belongs to the technical field of bulk material conveying. A self-adaptive super-smooth interface is constructed through a gradient porous ceramic matrix and an electro-wetting regulation. The surface characteristics are dynamically regulated by voltage to adapt to the adhesion characteristics of different materials. Water-solid efficient separation is realized by ultrasonic cavitation and centrifugal force field. Through the active phase separation mechanism of "first dissociation and then separation", the water-solid separation efficiency is improved from less than 70% to 95% by changing the traditional single mechanical extrusion or gravity drainage. Magnetic suspension driving and piezoelectric energy harvesting are used to reduce energy consumption. The system can achieve the breakthrough effect of adhesion tending to zero, direct reuse of separated water and less than 1 kWh of energy consumption per ton, and is suitable for green conveying of industrial sludge, tailings and other scenes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model belongs to the field of bulk material conveying technology, and specifically relates to a high moisture content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional high-moisture-content material conveying equipment has the following technical defects:

[0003] 1. Severe adhesion: The high coefficient of friction (>0.5) between the material and the conveyor belt leads to adhesion and accumulation, requiring frequent shutdowns for cleaning. 2. Low separation efficiency: Gravity drainage can only handle free water, making it difficult to remove bound water; the moisture content of the solid phase after separation is still higher than 20%. 3. Energy consumption bottleneck: The energy consumption of mechanical drives and cleaning components accounts for over 40% of the total energy consumption, with electricity consumption per ton of material generally exceeding 2 kWh.

[0004] Existing technologies, such as belt extrusion dewatering machines, have problems such as rapid wear of extrusion components and inability to handle viscous materials, even though they have added roller dewatering structures. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, the purpose of this invention is to provide a high-moisture-content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation, breaking through the limitations of traditional mechanical structures and achieving near-zero adhesion, efficient water-solid separation, and ultra-low energy consumption operation.

[0006] The technical solution adopted by the utility model is: a high moisture content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation. Its key technical points are: a silicone oil storage tank, a micro gear pump, a gradient porous ceramic matrix, an ITO transparent electrode array, a spiral centrifugal disc, a recovery system and a linear motor stator. The silicone oil storage tank is connected to the micro gear pump, which is rigidly connected to the bottom outlet of the gradient porous ceramic matrix. The ITO transparent electrode array installed on the steel structure support under the conveyor belt is in contact with the gradient porous ceramic matrix located on top of it, and a silicone oil film is filled between the two.

[0007] The spiral centrifugal disc installed on the right side of the conveyor discharge end is connected to the output shaft of the hydraulic motor via a flange coupling. The hydraulic motor is connected to the hydraulic station via a high-pressure hose. The motor base is welded and fixed to the side beam of the conveyor.

[0008] The stator of the magnetic levitation linear motor is bolted to the steel structure support of the conveyor through an aluminum alloy bracket, and the mover base of the mover is locked to the conveyor roller through a quick-change flange. The neodymium iron boron permanent magnet strips embedded on both sides of the conveyor belt are magnetically connected to the magnetic levitation linear motor.

[0009] The sensor is installed above the conveyor, directly facing the center line of the material surface, between the end of the drying section and the beginning of the cooling section, and is bolted to the side wall of the conveyor via a stainless steel bracket.

[0010] In the above scheme, the gradient porous ceramic matrix is ​​silicon nitride porous ceramic, the pore size of the silicon nitride porous ceramic gradually changes from 50μm at the inlet end to 200μm at the outlet end, the porosity is ≥60%, and the thickness is 3-8mm.

[0011] In the above scheme, the ITO transparent electrode array is a grid array with an electrode width of 0.5-2mm, a spacing of 1-3mm, and a contact angle adjustment range of 15°-150°.

[0012] In the above scheme, the sensor is installed 50-80mm above the conveyor.

[0013] In the above scheme, the diameter of the spiral centrifuge disc is 500-1000mm, the rotation speed is 500-2000rpm, and the centrifugal acceleration is 300-1000G.

[0014] In the above scheme, the quick-change flange is sealed by clamping a graphite gasket, and the thickness of the graphite gasket is 1-1.5mm.

[0015] In the above scheme, the remanence of the neodymium iron boron permanent magnet strip is 1.4T, and the cross-sectional size is 8×8mm to 12×12mm.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention discloses a high-moisture-content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation. It constructs an adaptive super-lubricating interface through a gradient porous ceramic matrix and electrowetting control, and dynamically adjusts surface characteristics via voltage to adapt to the adhesion characteristics of different materials. It achieves efficient water-solid separation by combining ultrasonic cavitation and centrifugal force field. Through an active phase separation mechanism of "dissociation before separation," it changes the traditional method of using single mechanical extrusion or gravity drainage, increasing the water-solid separation efficiency from less than 70% to 95%. It also uses magnetic levitation drive and piezoelectric energy harvesting to reduce energy consumption. This system achieves breakthrough effects such as near-zero adhesion, direct reuse of separated water, and power consumption of less than 1 kWh per ton, making it suitable for green conveying of industrial sludge, tailings, and other similar applications.

[0017] This invention utilizes the synergy of a biomimetic super-slippery interface and electrowetting control, combining bionics (the super-slippery surface of the pitcher plant) with smart materials (electrowetting technology). Through a three-layer structure of porous ceramic matrix + dynamic silicone oil film + electrowetting control layer, it achieves active regulation of surface wettability (traditional conveyor belts rely on physical openings or coatings for passive anti-sticking, while this solution dynamically controls surface characteristics through voltage to adapt to the adhesion characteristics of different materials).

[0018] By combining and enhancing ultrasonic cavitation and centrifugal separation, ultrasonic cavitation and centrifugal separation are carried out simultaneously during the transportation process. Through the active phase separation mechanism of "dissociation before separation", the water-solid separation efficiency is increased to 95% (traditional methods using single mechanical extrusion or gravity drainage have an efficiency of less than 70% and cannot achieve resource recovery).

[0019] Magnetic levitation drive: Neodymium iron boron permanent magnet strips are embedded on both sides of the conveyor belt, forming a contactless drive with an external linear motor (traditional coupling connection drives have large frictional losses). Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Fig. 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall system structure;

[0022] Fig. 2 This is a magnified view of the microstructure of the biomimetic supersmooth interface.

[0023] Fig. 3 This is a flowchart of the ultrasonic-centrifugal combined separation process.

[0024] The numbers in the diagram are as follows: 1. Silicone oil storage tank; 2. Micro gear pump; 3. ITO transparent electrode array; 4. Stainless steel spiral centrifugal disc; 5. Recovery system; 6. Neodymium iron boron permanent magnet strip; 7. External linear motor stator; 8. Hydraulic motor; 9. Hydraulic station; 10. Proportional directional valve hydraulic motor; 11. Baffle plate; 12. Quick-change flange; 13. Conveyor roller; 14. Ceramic substrate; 15. Steel structure support for the conveying system; 16. Sensor; 17. PLC module. Detailed Implementation

[0025] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, the following description is provided in conjunction with the appendix. Figs. 1-3 The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0026] This embodiment presents an intelligent conveying system for high-moisture-content materials based on biomimetic super-lubricating and active phase separation technology. The specific structure is as follows: It includes a silicone oil storage tank 1, a micro gear pump 2, a gradient porous ceramic matrix, an ITO transparent electrode array 3, a spiral centrifugal disc 4, a recovery system 5, a neodymium iron boron permanent magnet strip 6, a magnetic levitation linear motor 7, a hydraulic motor 8, a hydraulic station 9, a proportional reversing valve 10, a guide plate 11, a quick-change flange 12, a conveyor roller 13, a ceramic matrix 14, a steel structure support for the conveying system 15, sensors 16, and a PLC module 17. In this embodiment, the silicone oil storage tank 1 is connected to the micro gear pump 2. The micro gear pump 2 is rigidly connected to the bottom outlet of the gradient porous ceramic matrix 14 via a quick-change flange. A 1mm thick graphite gasket is sandwiched between the flanges. The micro gear pump 2 is vertically installed directly below the gradient porous ceramic matrix, with the pump body axis coinciding with the center line of the matrix. The pump outlet is connected to the gradient porous ceramic matrix via a PTFE hose (8mm inner diameter). The gradient porous ceramic matrix used in this embodiment is composed of silicon nitride porous ceramic with a thickness of 5 mm and a porosity of 65%. Its pore size gradually changes from 50 μm at the inlet end to 200 μm at the outlet end.

[0027] This embodiment includes a liquid phase separation module, which comprises an ultrasonic cavitation unit and a centrifugal separation unit. The ultrasonic cavitation unit uses high-frequency ultrasonic energy to disrupt the adhesion between bound water and solid particles within the material. It is located directly below the material carried by the conveyor belt, continuously arranged along the material's direction of travel, covering the entire area from when the material enters the system until it enters the centrifugal separation unit. In this embodiment, the ultrasonic cavitation unit operates at a frequency of 20-40kHz, a power density of 50-200W / m², a transducer array spacing of 100-300mm, and a single transducer size of 50×50mm, operating at a frequency of 20kHz and a power density of 150W / m². The centrifugal separation unit in this embodiment is an actively enhanced separation device that achieves efficient water-solid phase separation through a centrifugal force field. When the detected water content is >30%, the ultrasonic power is automatically increased to ≥150W / m², and the centrifugal speed to ≥1500rpm. When the pH is >10, the electrophoretic protection mode of the centrifugal disc's anti-corrosion layer is activated. The installation method is as follows: located in the middle and rear part of the horizontal section of the conveyor belt, 0.5-1.5m away from the end of the ultrasonic cavitation unit. In this embodiment, the spiral centrifugal disc 4 is installed on the right side of the conveyor discharge end, with the disc surface at a 30° angle to the conveyor belt plane. The vertical height of the disc edge from the conveyor belt surface is 20mm. The main shaft of the spiral centrifugal disc is connected to the output shaft of the hydraulic motor through a flange coupling. The disc bracket is fixed to the steel structure base of the conveyor with anchor bolts. In this embodiment, the steel spiral centrifugal disc 4 is made of 316L stainless steel, with a disc diameter of 800mm, a steplessly adjustable speed of 0-2000rpm, and a centrifugal acceleration of 500-1000G. The hydraulic motor is connected to the hydraulic station through a high-pressure hose. A proportional reversing valve 10 is installed in the oil circuit. The hydraulic motor is located on the left rear of the spiral centrifugal disc 4. The motor base is welded and fixed to the side beam of the conveyor. The hydraulic station 9 is independently arranged 2m behind the conveyor and is connected to the hydraulic motor through a rigid oil pipe cable tray. In this embodiment, the spiral centrifuge disc 4 is coated with a 10-50 μm thick polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) anti-corrosion layer for surface corrosion protection. The spiral centrifuge disc 4 has an angle of 5°-15° with the horizontal plane, and the inclination angle of the separated water outlet pipe is ≥30°. The separated water is discharged to the recovery system 5 through a ring-shaped water collection pipe (200 mm inner diameter), while the solid phase continues to be transported through the guide plate 11. It achieves zero-adhesion operation: the ultra-slippery interface makes the material friction coefficient ≤0.02, and the surface adhesion amount is <0.1 g / m² after 72 hours of continuous operation; high-efficiency water-solid separation: the solid phase moisture content of sludge with a water content of 35% is ≤12% after treatment, and the suspended solids content of the separated water is <50 mg / L; ultra-low energy consumption: the comprehensive power consumption per ton of material is ≤1 kWh, which is 60% lower than that of traditional equipment; long service life design: no mechanical contact wear, and the service life of key components is ≥10 years.

[0028] An ITO transparent electrode array 3 is installed on a steel structure support below the conveyor belt. The ITO transparent electrode array 3 has an electrode width of 1 mm and a spacing of 2 mm. Surface wettability is adjusted by a 0-100V DC voltage, and the contact angle is adjustable from 15° (hydrophilic) to 150° (superhydrophobic). In this embodiment, a micro gear pump 2 continuously injects silicone oil into the surface of the gradient porous ceramic substrate through a 0.5 mm diameter microchannel embedded in the substrate at a flow rate of 0.1-0.5 mL / min. A 0-100V DC voltage is applied with a voltage adjustment accuracy of ±0.5V, forming a silicone oil film with a thickness of 10-50 μm. The top of the ITO transparent electrode array 3 is in contact with the silicone oil film at the bottom of the porous ceramic substrate.

[0029] The stator of the magnetic levitation linear motor 7 is bolted to the steel structure support 15 of the conveyor system via an aluminum alloy bracket. The mover base is locked to the conveyor roller via a flange. The neodymium iron boron permanent magnet strips 6 embedded on both sides of the conveyor belt are magnetically connected to the magnetic levitation linear motor. The N52 grade neodymium iron boron permanent magnet strips 6 used in this embodiment have a remanence of 1.4T and a cross-sectional size of 8×8mm to 12×12mm. In this embodiment, the cross-section is 10×10mm. Three-phase alternating current is applied to the stator winding of the external linear motor to generate a traveling wave magnetic field. The driving speed is continuously adjustable from 0.5-3m / s, and the speed fluctuation rate is <0.5%.

[0030] This embodiment also employs sensor 16, which is installed 50-80mm above the conveyor, directly facing the centerline of the material surface, located between the end of the drying section and the beginning of the cooling section. It is bolted to the side wall of the conveyor via a stainless steel bracket, and a 5mm thick polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) insulation layer is provided between the sensor body and the stainless steel bracket. The sensor in this embodiment can be expandable and has a numerical display function, which can be configured by the user as needed. The sensor in this embodiment includes a millimeter-wave moisture content sensor (operating frequency 24-30GHz), an infrared viscometer (wavelength 3-5μm), and a corrosion-resistant pH electrode. The sensor data sampling frequency is ≥10Hz, and the signal transmission delay is <50ms.

[0031] The piezoelectric energy recovery component in this embodiment includes a PVDF piezoelectric film coated on the surface of the idler roller and an energy recovery circuit. The PVDF piezoelectric film has a thickness of 50-200 μm and an output voltage of 0.5-5V. The energy recovery circuit includes a bridge rectifier (model GBU808), a voltage regulator chip (model TPS7A4700), and a supercapacitor energy storage module (model number missing). When the PVDF piezoelectric film is compressed, it generates 0.5-5V AC current, which is converted into DC current by the bridge rectifier circuit to power the sensor.

[0032] The working process of this embodiment is as follows:

[0033] The initial voltage is set to 50V. Based on the data displayed by the sensor, the moisture content, viscosity, and pH value of the material are obtained. The voltage of the voltage sensor is manually adjusted in real time to change the wetting state of the conveying interface according to the material characteristics. When encountering hydrophilic sludge, the voltage is adjusted to 80-100V to make the surface superhydrophobic and the silicone oil film prevents the material from adhering. When encountering materials containing oil residue, the voltage is switched to hydrophilic state and adjusted to 50-70V to promote oil-water separation.

[0034] The initial values ​​are set as follows: ultrasonic power U=200W, centrifugal speed of spiral centrifuge disc N=2000rpm, and magnetic drive speed of magnetic levitation linear motor V=1.6m / s. The values ​​are adjusted in real time based on the material adhesion observed during equipment operation. If the material adhesion is obvious, the above parameters are increased by U=20W, N=100rpm, and V=0.2m / s each time.

[0035] The ultrasonic cavitation unit uses a transducer to generate cavitation bubbles, causing the bound water inside the material to dissociate from the solid particles. The separated water is discharged to the recovery system 5 through a ring-shaped water collection pipe (200mm inner diameter), while the solid phase continues to be transported via a guide plate. The PVDF piezoelectric film generates 0.5-5V AC current when compressed, which is converted into DC current by a bridge rectifier circuit to power the sensor.

[0036] The system in this embodiment supports extreme operating conditions with pH 2-13 and temperatures ranging from -20°C to 80°C. The lifespan of key components is ≥10 years, and the number of maintenance times per year is ≤2.

[0037] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this utility model, but the protection scope of this utility model is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in this utility model should be included within the protection scope of this utility model. Therefore, the protection scope of this utility model should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A high-moisture-content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation, characterized in that, The system includes a silicone oil storage tank, a micro gear pump, a gradient porous ceramic matrix, an ITO transparent electrode array, a spiral centrifugal disc, a recovery system, and a linear motor stator. The silicone oil storage tank is connected to the micro gear pump, which is rigidly connected to the bottom outlet of the gradient porous ceramic matrix. The ITO transparent electrode array, mounted on a steel structure support under the conveyor belt, is in contact with the gradient porous ceramic matrix located on top of it, with a silicone oil film filling the space between them. The spiral centrifugal disc installed on the right side of the conveyor discharge end is connected to the output shaft of the hydraulic motor via a flange coupling. The hydraulic motor is connected to the hydraulic station via a high-pressure hose. The motor base is welded and fixed to the side beam of the conveyor. The stator of the magnetic levitation linear motor is bolted to the steel structure support of the conveyor through an aluminum alloy bracket, and the mover base of the mover is locked to the conveyor roller through a quick-change flange. The neodymium iron boron permanent magnet strips embedded on both sides of the conveyor belt are magnetically connected to the magnetic levitation linear motor. The sensor is installed above the conveyor, directly facing the center line of the material surface, between the end of the drying section and the beginning of the cooling section, and is bolted to the side wall of the conveyor via a stainless steel bracket.

2. The high-moisture-content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The gradient porous ceramic matrix is ​​silicon nitride porous ceramic, with the pore size gradually changing from 50μm at the inlet end to 200μm at the outlet end, a porosity ≥60%, and a thickness of 3-8mm.

3. The high-moisture-content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ITO transparent electrode array is a grid array with an electrode width of 0.5-2mm, a spacing of 1-3mm, and a contact angle adjustable range of 15°-150°.

4. The high-moisture-content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The sensor is installed 50-80mm above the conveyor.

5. The high-moisture-content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The spiral centrifuge disc has a diameter of 500-1000 mm, a rotation speed of 500-2000 rpm, and a centrifugal acceleration of 300-1000 G.

6. The high-moisture-content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The quick-change flange is sealed by clamping a graphite gasket, and the thickness of the graphite gasket is 1-1.5mm.

7. The high-moisture-content material conveying system based on biomimetic and active separation as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The neodymium iron boron permanent magnet strip has a remanence of 1.4T and a cross-sectional size of 8×8mm to 12×12mm.

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