A tea leaf dryer

Abstract

This utility model provides a tea drying machine, including a housing. Two horizontally arranged heat insulation plates are fixed inside the housing, dividing the housing into a preheating drying unit, a main drying unit, and a final drying unit, distributed from top to bottom and structurally independent. A hot air system is located on one side of the housing. Each hot air branch pipe is connected to one of the preheating drying unit, the main drying unit, and the final drying unit, and each branch pipe is equipped with a regulating valve. Each of the preheating drying unit, the main drying unit, and the final drying unit contains a mesh belt conveyor mechanism. Adjacent mesh belt conveyors run in opposite directions. A through-type discharge hopper is provided on the heat insulation plate, corresponding to the discharge end of the mesh belt conveyor above it and the loading end of the mesh belt conveyor below it. Each discharge hopper is equipped with a control baffle valve. This utility model has a reasonable structure, high drying efficiency, stable quality, and is energy-saving and environmentally friendly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of tea processing equipment, and in particular to a tea drying machine. Background Technology

[0002] Drying is a crucial step in tea processing, directly affecting the quality, aroma, and taste of the tea. Traditional tea dryers typically employ a single-layer or multi-layer series drying structure, with hot air introduced from the bottom or top, passing through each layer of tea leaves. This method has several significant drawbacks:

[0003] Poor temperature control precision: The entire drying chamber is a single unit, making it difficult to precisely adjust the temperature and airflow according to the different requirements of tea at different drying stages. High temperatures can cause the surface of the tea leaves to lose moisture too quickly and form a crust, while the internal moisture is difficult to expel, resulting in a "burnt outside and wet inside" condition. Insufficient temperatures, on the other hand, prolong the drying time, affecting efficiency and potentially causing the tea to lose its aroma.

[0004] Uneven hot air distribution: Traditional air supply methods can easily lead to dead air zones and temperature gradients within the drying chamber, resulting in uneven heating of tea leaves in different locations, inconsistent drying effects, and inconsistent quality of finished products. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this utility model provides a tea drying machine that features precise temperature control in different zones, uniform airflow, and high energy efficiency.

[0006] According to an embodiment of this utility model, a tea drying machine includes a housing. Two horizontally arranged heat insulation plates are fixedly installed inside the housing. The heat insulation plates divide the housing into a preheating drying unit, a main drying unit, and a final drying unit, which are distributed from top to bottom and have independent structures. A hot air system is provided on one side of the housing. The hot air system is connected to a hot air branch pipe corresponding to the preheating drying unit, the main drying unit, and the final drying unit, respectively. Each hot air branch pipe is provided with a regulating valve. Each preheating drying unit, the main drying unit, and the final drying unit is provided with a mesh belt conveyor mechanism. Two adjacent mesh belt conveyors run in opposite directions. A through-hole discharge hopper is provided on the heat insulation plate. The discharge hopper corresponds to the discharge end of the mesh belt conveyor mechanism above it and the loading end of the mesh belt conveyor mechanism below it. Each discharge hopper is provided with a control baffle valve.

[0007] Preferably, a guide trough inclined to the top of the mesh belt conveyor is provided below the hopper.

[0008] More preferably, the top of the preheating drying unit, the main drying unit, and the final drying unit are respectively provided with uniform air supply chambers, the uniform air supply chambers have air outlets facing the mesh belt conveyor mechanism, and the hot air branch pipes are connected to the uniform air supply chambers.

[0009] More preferably, each of the uniform air supply chambers includes a plurality of circular chambers evenly distributed along the length of the mesh belt conveyor mechanism, and the hot air branch pipe is connected to the circular chamber along the tangential direction of the circular chamber.

[0010] More preferably, the bottom of the preheating drying unit, the main drying unit, and the final drying unit is respectively provided with a waste heat collection chamber, and the bottom of the waste heat collection chamber is provided with a water collection plate that is inclined to one side.

[0011] More preferably, the cross-section of the water collection plate is a V-shaped structure.

[0012] More preferably, the waste heat collection chamber is connected to a drain pipe located at the low point of the water collection plate and an exhaust pipe located at the high point of the water collection plate.

[0013] In a further preferred embodiment, the exhaust pipe is connected to the heat medium inlet of the heat exchanger via a waste gas pipe, and the air inlet pipe of the hot air system is connected to the cold medium outlet of the heat exchanger.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] The drying process is physically divided into three independent chambers by heat insulation panels. Each chamber has its own independent hot air branch pipe and regulating valve, which can provide hot air of different temperatures and volumes to different units. This perfectly matches the processing requirements of tea at different drying stages and effectively improves drying quality and efficiency.

[0016] The control baffle valve on each hopper can be independently controlled to open and close. Operators can flexibly control the residence time of tea leaves on each layer according to the processing requirements of different teas, so as to achieve more refined process management.

[0017] The independent unit design avoids interference between drying zones with different temperature requirements, reducing heat loss. Combined with the subsequent waste heat recovery structure, it improves the overall thermal efficiency of the machine. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tea drying machine according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This utility model Figure 1 A magnified schematic diagram of part A in the middle.

[0020] In the above attached figures: 1. Box body; 2. Insulation plate; 201. Feed hopper; 202. Control baffle valve; 203. Guide channel; 3. Preheating and drying unit; 4. Main drying unit; 5. Final drying unit; 6. Mesh belt conveyor mechanism; 7. Hot air branch pipe; 701. Regulating valve; 8. Uniform air supply chamber; 801. Air outlet; 802. Circular chamber; 9. Waste heat collection chamber; 901. Water collection plate; 902. Sewage pipe; 903. Exhaust pipe; 10. Hot air system. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The technical solution of this utility model will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0022] This utility model provides an embodiment, such as Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, a tea drying machine includes a box 1, which is a rectangular structure. Two horizontally arranged heat insulation plates 2 are fixed inside the box 1. The heat insulation plates 2 divide the box 1 into three spatially independent units. The tea in the previous unit completes the corresponding drying work and is then transported to the next unit for drying. From top to bottom, they are a preheating drying unit 3, a main drying unit 4, and a final drying unit 5. The heat insulation plates 2 effectively prevent heat transfer between the three units, making them independent temperature control zones.

[0023] A hot air system 10 is provided on one side of the housing 1. The hot air system 10 is connected to a hot air furnace. The hot air system 10 is connected to a hot air branch pipe 7 corresponding to the preheating drying unit 3, the main drying unit 4, and the final drying unit 5. Each hot air branch pipe 7 is provided with a regulating valve 701.

[0024] Each of the preheating and drying unit 3, the main drying unit 4, and the final drying unit 5 is provided with a mesh belt conveyor 6. The mesh belt conveyor 6 is driven by a motor and a reducer and is used to carry and convey tea leaves. The two adjacent mesh belt conveyors 6 run in opposite directions.

[0025] The heat insulation plate 2 is provided with a through-hole hopper 201. The position of the hopper 201 is precisely designed so that the hopper 201 corresponds to the discharge end of the mesh belt conveyor 6 above it and the loading end of the mesh belt conveyor 6 below it, ensuring that the tea can be smoothly transferred from the upper layer to the lower layer. Each hopper 201 is provided with a control baffle valve 202. By opening or closing this valve, the falling of the tea can be controlled, thereby adjusting the drying time of the tea in each layer.

[0026] In order to facilitate the smooth and efficient falling of tea leaves into the next mesh belt conveyor 6, in a further embodiment, a guide trough 203 inclined to the top of the mesh belt conveyor 6 is provided below the hopper 201.

[0027] In order to facilitate the uniform application of hot air to the tea leaves, in a further embodiment, the top of the preheating drying unit 3, the main drying unit 4, and the final drying unit 5 are respectively provided with uniform air delivery chambers 8. The uniform air delivery chambers 8 have air outlets 801 facing the mesh belt conveyor mechanism 6, so that the hot air can be blown evenly and vertically onto the tea leaves on the mesh belt below. The hot air branch pipe 7 is connected to the uniform air delivery chambers 8.

[0028] To ensure the uniformity of the hot air, in a further embodiment, each of the uniform air supply chambers 8 includes multiple circular chambers 802 evenly distributed along the length of the mesh belt conveyor 6. The hot air branch pipe 7 is connected to the circular chamber 802 along the tangential direction of the circular chamber 802. This tangential air inlet design causes the hot air to form a rotating airflow in the circular chamber 802. After being fully mixed and pressure-equalized, the hot air is then sent out through the air outlet 801, ensuring that the height of the air supply is uniform along the width of the entire mesh belt.

[0029] To facilitate waste heat recovery, in a further embodiment, the bottom of the preheating drying unit 3, the main drying unit 4, and the final drying unit 5 is respectively provided with a waste heat collection chamber 9. The bottom of the waste heat collection chamber 9 is provided with a water collection plate 901 that is inclined to one side. Using gravity, the condensate and tea leaves are automatically collected to the lowest point of the drain pipe 902 for centralized discharge, which greatly facilitates equipment cleaning and prevents waste accumulation from breeding bacteria or clogging pipes. The exhaust pipe 903 is connected to the heat medium inlet of the heat exchanger through the waste gas pipe, and the air inlet pipe of the hot air system 10 is connected to the cold medium outlet of the heat exchanger. The discharged waste heat will preheat the fresh cold air, and the preheated air will then enter the hot air system 10 for heating, which greatly reduces the energy required to heat the air to the target temperature and achieves a significant energy saving effect.

[0030] To improve the flow effect, in a further embodiment, the cross-section of the water collection plate 901 is a V-shaped structure to improve drainage efficiency.

[0031] Specifically, the waste heat collection chamber 9 is connected to a drain pipe 902 located at the low point of the water collection plate 901 and an exhaust pipe 903 located at the high point of the water collection plate 901.

[0032] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model and are not intended to limit it. Although this utility model has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications or equivalent substitutions can be made to the technical solutions of this utility model without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of this utility model, and all such modifications or substitutions should be covered within the scope of the claims of this utility model.

Claims

1. A tea leaf drier comprising a cabinet (1), characterized in that, The box (1) is fixedly equipped with two horizontally arranged heat insulation plates (2). The heat insulation plates (2) divide the box (1) into a preheating and drying unit (3), a main drying unit (4), and a final drying unit (5) that are distributed from top to bottom and have independent structures. A hot air system (10) is provided on one side of the box (1). The hot air system (10) is connected to a hot air branch pipe (7) corresponding to the preheating and drying unit (3), the main drying unit (4), and the final drying unit (5), respectively. Each hot air branch pipe (7) is equipped with a... There is a regulating valve (701). Each of the preheating drying unit (3), the main drying unit (4), and the final drying unit (5) is provided with a mesh belt conveyor (6). The two adjacent mesh belt conveyors (6) run in opposite directions. The heat insulation plate (2) is provided with a through-hole hopper (201). The hopper (201) corresponds to the discharge end of the mesh belt conveyor (6) above it and the loading end of the mesh belt conveyor (6) below it. Each hopper (201) is provided with a control baffle valve (202).

2. A tea dryer as claimed in claim 1, wherein Below the hopper (201) is a guide trough (203) that slopes upwards toward the mesh belt conveyor (6).

3. The tea dryer as claimed in claim 1, wherein The top of the preheating drying unit (3), the main drying unit (4), and the final drying unit (5) are respectively provided with a uniform air supply cavity (8). The uniform air supply cavity (8) has an air outlet (801) facing the mesh belt conveyor (6). The hot air branch pipe (7) is connected to the uniform air supply cavity (8).

4. A tea dryer as claimed in claim 3, wherein Each of the uniform flow air supply chambers (8) includes a plurality of circular chambers (802) evenly distributed along the length of the mesh belt conveyor (6), and the hot air branch pipe (7) is connected to the circular chamber (802) along the tangential direction of the circular chamber (802).

5. A tea dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The preheating and drying unit (3), the main drying unit (4), and the final drying unit (5) are each provided with a waste heat collection chamber (9) at the bottom, and the bottom of the waste heat collection chamber (9) is provided with a water collection plate (901) that is inclined to one side.

6. A tea dryer as claimed in claim 5 wherein, The cross-section of the water collection plate (901) is a V-shaped structure.

7. A tea dryer as claimed in claim 5 wherein, The waste heat collection chamber (9) is connected to a drain pipe (902) located at the low point of the water collection plate (901) and an exhaust pipe (903) located at the high point of the water collection plate (901).

8. A tea dryer as claimed in claim 7, wherein The exhaust pipe (903) is connected to the heat medium inlet of the heat exchanger through the waste gas pipe, and the air inlet pipe of the hot air system (10) is connected to the cold medium outlet of the heat exchanger.

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