A high-efficiency drying device for tea leaf processing

Abstract

The utility model relates to a kind of high-efficiency drying device for tea processing, including box;Multi-layer transmission mesh belt, horizontal setting in the box interior, the front and rear position of adjacent two layers The transmission mesh belt is staggered arrangement and the transportation direction is opposite, so that the feed end of lower layer transmission mesh belt is located in the discharge end of upper layer transmission mesh belt directly below, to accept the material of upper layer falling;Multiple material turning mechanism, respectively being arranged between adjacent two layers The transmission mesh belt;The material turning mechanism includes material turning roller, two groups of opposite rotation's bulk material pole are equipped on the material turning roller, for when material falling it is scattered and dispersed;Hot air circulation system.The utility model passes through the transmission mesh belt of multi-layer staggered arrangement and reverse operation, so that tea is in the box Dynamic delivery and automatic flip fall in zigzag path, effectively scatter falling material in combination with the material turning roller of positive and negative rotation, significantly improve the uniformity of tea heating and drying, solve the quality defect brought by static baking.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Drying is a crucial step in tea processing, decisively affecting the quality, aroma, and shelf life of the tea. Currently, the processing of most tea varieties requires drying, and common drying equipment mainly includes two types: oven-type and drum-type. Among them, oven-type equipment is more widely used. Its basic working method is to spread the tea leaves flat on a tray, place them inside the oven for static drying, and complete the drying process by setting a fixed temperature and time.

[0003] However, this type of equipment has significant drawbacks in practical applications. First, because the tea leaves are stationary during the drying process, the hot air cannot evenly cover all the material, resulting in uneven heating and frequent instances of localized overheating or under-drying. Second, the temperature distribution varies in different areas inside the drying oven, with temperature differences between areas near and far from the heat source. This unevenness in the temperature field further affects the stability of the drying quality, easily leading to inconsistent degrees of drying and impacting the quality and flavor of the finished tea.

[0004] Furthermore, traditional drying ovens mostly operate by continuously inputting cold air for reheating, which suffers from low thermal efficiency and high energy consumption. Given the rising cost of energy, both its economic viability and environmental friendliness need improvement. Utility Model Content

[0005] To address the problems of low thermal efficiency, poor drying uniformity, and high energy consumption in existing tea drying equipment, this invention provides a tea drying device with a reasonable structure, efficient hot air circulation, uniform drying, and energy saving, thereby improving the overall efficiency and economy of tea processing.

[0006] The technical solution is as follows: A high-efficiency drying device for tea processing includes a housing with an inlet and an outlet; it also includes: multiple layers of conveyor belts horizontally arranged inside the housing, with adjacent layers of conveyor belts staggered and transporting in opposite directions, such that the inlet end of the lower conveyor belt is directly below the outlet end of the upper conveyor belt to catch material falling from the upper layer; multiple turning mechanisms respectively arranged between adjacent layers of conveyor belts; each turning mechanism includes a turning roller with two sets of oppositely rotating dispersing rods to break up and disperse the material as it falls; and a hot air circulation system installed on the housing to provide and circulate the hot air required for drying within the housing.

[0007] As a further preferred embodiment, the turning roller includes an inner shaft, an outer sleeve fitted outside the inner shaft, and a gear frame; the gear frame contains a first bevel gear, a second bevel gear, and a third bevel gear that meshes with both of them; the inner shaft is connected to the first bevel gear, and the outer sleeve is connected to the second bevel gear; one set of the two sets of material dispersing rods is disposed on a rectangular frame fixedly connected to the outer sleeve, and the other set is disposed on the outer side wall of the inner shaft; it also includes a driving mechanism, which is connected to the third bevel gear and is used to drive the third bevel gear to rotate, and through the gear meshing relationship, drive the first bevel gear and the second bevel gear, as well as the inner shaft and the outer sleeve connected thereto, to rotate in opposite directions.

[0008] As a further preferred embodiment, the cross-section of the bulk rod is T-shaped.

[0009] As a further preferred embodiment, the third bevel gears of the adjacent turning rollers are connected by a vertical shaft drive.

[0010] As a further preferred embodiment, each layer of the transmission belt has a transmission gear at the end of its drive shaft, and the transmission gears of adjacent transmission belts mesh with each other.

[0011] As a further preferred embodiment, a material spreading mechanism is provided above the feeding end of the uppermost conveyor belt; the material spreading mechanism includes a main shaft, a servo motor driving the main shaft, and multiple material spreading plates disposed on the main shaft; the vertical distance between the lowest point of the material spreading plate and the upper surface of the conveyor belt is adjustable to control the material spreading thickness.

[0012] As a further preferred embodiment, the hot air circulation system includes: a heat source disposed at the bottom of the housing, having an air inlet and an air outlet; a circulation fan, the air inlet of which is connected to a moisture outlet disposed at the top of the housing; and an air supply pipe connecting the air outlet of the circulation fan to the air inlet of the heat source.

[0013] As a further preferred embodiment, there are two heat sources, which are respectively installed on opposite sides of the bottom of the housing, and a baffle for separating airflow is provided between the two heat sources.

[0014] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. This utility model uses a multi-layered, staggered, and counter-rotating conveyor belt to dynamically transport tea leaves in a zigzag path within the box and automatically tumble them. Combined with forward and reverse rotating turning rollers, the falling material is effectively dispersed, significantly improving the uniformity of heating and drying of the tea leaves and solving the quality defects caused by static drying. At the same time, the hot air circulation system recovers and reheats the humid and hot air inside the box, greatly reducing energy consumption and achieving energy-saving goals while improving drying quality and efficiency.

[0015] 2. This utility model uses a bevel gear set to drive the inner shaft and outer sleeve to rotate in opposite directions, thereby driving the two sets of material dispersing rods to rotate in opposite directions. This structure ensures the accuracy and stability of the material turning action, can efficiently break up clumps of tea leaves, and significantly improve the hot air contact area and drying uniformity.

[0016] In addition, the T-section material bar can gently and effectively comb the tea leaves during rotation, which not only avoids mechanical damage to the shape of the tea leaves, but also significantly enhances the effect of scattering and turning, further ensuring the drying quality.

[0017] Furthermore, by synchronously driving the third bevel gear of multiple turning rollers through a vertical shaft, the linkage of multiple turning mechanisms is realized, which simplifies the overall transmission structure and effectively reduces the manufacturing cost and failure risk of the equipment.

[0018] 3. This utility model uses meshing transmission gears to drive adjacent mesh belts to rotate in opposite directions, eliminating the need for a separate drive motor. This makes the motion connection between mesh belts more precise and reliable, ensuring the stability and smoothness of the material transmission path.

[0019] 4. This utility model uses a servo motor-driven material spreading mechanism to precisely control the spacing of the spreading plates, enabling flexible and precise adjustment of the tea spreading thickness, thus ensuring drying efficiency and uniformity from the source.

[0020] 5. This utility model connects the circulating fan to the moisture outlet and the heat source inlet to construct a high-efficiency hot air circulation loop, which can recover and reheat the high-temperature moisture in the box, significantly reducing energy consumption.

[0021] Furthermore, by installing a partition between the two heat sources, two independent rising hot air streams can be formed at the bottom of the chamber, which effectively improves the heat field distribution inside the chamber and enhances the overall drying efficiency. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the housing and hot air circulation system of this utility model.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the housing of this utility model.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the material turning mechanism of this utility model.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the material spreading mechanism of this utility model.

[0027] The meanings of the reference numerals in the attached diagram are as follows: 1. Box body; 11. Feed inlet; 12. Discharge outlet; 13. Moisture exhaust outlet; 14. Gearbox; 2. Conveyor belt; 21. Drive shaft; 22. Drive gear; 23. Baffle; 3. Turning roller; 31. Distributor rod; 32. Inner shaft; 33. Outer sleeve; 34. Gear frame; 35. First bevel gear; 36. Second bevel gear; 37. Third bevel gear; 38. Rectangular frame; 4. Heat source; 41. Air inlet; 42. Air outlet; 5. Circulating fan; 6. Air supply pipe; 7. Vertical shaft; 8. Partition plate; 9. Material spreading mechanism; 91. Main shaft; 92. Servo motor; 93. Material spreading plate. Detailed Implementation

[0028] The technical solutions of the present utility model will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present utility model, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present utility model, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0029] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the high-efficiency drying device for tea processing provided by this utility model includes a box body 1, a multi-layer conveyor belt 2, multiple material turning mechanisms and a hot air circulation system.

[0030] like Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the high-efficiency drying device for tea processing provided by this utility model includes a housing 1, a multi-layer conveyor belt 2, multiple material turning mechanisms, and a hot air circulation system. The housing 1 is provided with a feed inlet 11, a discharge outlet 12, and a moisture exhaust outlet 13.

[0031] Multi-layer conveyor belts 2 are horizontally arranged inside the housing 1. Adjacent conveyor belts 2 are staggered in position and transport in opposite directions, so that the feed end of the lower conveyor belt 2 is directly below the discharge end of the upper conveyor belt 2, catching the material falling from the upper layer. The multi-layer conveyor belts 2 form a zigzag path for the tea leaves to repeatedly fall and be transported in reverse within the housing. Multiple turning mechanisms are respectively arranged between adjacent conveyor belts 2; each turning mechanism includes a turning roller 3 with two sets of oppositely rotating dispersing rods 31, used to break up and disperse the material as it falls. A hot air circulation system is installed on the housing 1 to provide and circulate the hot air required for drying within the housing 1.

[0032] In one specific embodiment, the feed inlet 11 is located at the top front side of the housing 1, and the discharge outlet 12 is configured according to the parity of the number of layers in the conveyor belt: when the number of layers is even, the discharge outlet 12 and the feed inlet 11 are located on the same side of the housing; when the number of layers is odd, the discharge outlet 12 is located on the opposite side of the feed inlet 11. The openings of the feed inlet 11 and the discharge outlet 12 are designed to be relatively narrow, ensuring smooth passage of tea leaves while providing insulation to prevent excessive heat loss. (Reference) Figure 2 In this embodiment, the conveyor belt 2 has six layers. The feeding end of the uppermost conveyor belt 2 extends out of the box from the feeding port 11 of the box body 1, and the discharging end of the lowermost conveyor belt 2 extends out of the box from the discharging port 12 of the box body 1, forming a continuous production structure with top feeding and bottom discharging.

[0033] Furthermore, it's worth noting that while the falling tea leaves from the upper conveyor belt create some agitation, damp tea leaves tend to clump together. During the drying process, as moisture evaporates and the leaves shrink, they become even more prone to curling up and forming clumps. During the transfer between layers, these clumps may fall off entirely, preventing the inner leaves from being effectively turned over and trapping moisture in the outer leaves. The forward and reverse dispersing rods 31 of the turning mechanism effectively disperse the tea leaves. The tearing action on both sides of the rods 31 peels away the clumps of tea leaves, fully exposing the bottom surface and significantly improving drying uniformity. Simultaneously, the humid, hot gases generated by evaporation are discharged from the moisture outlet 13. These gases carry away moisture and a significant amount of heat. Traditional drying devices directly discharge these humid, hot gases, requiring continuous heating of the cold air, resulting in high energy consumption. This device uses a hot air circulation system to re-involve the discharged high-temperature, humid gases in the drying process. Due to the higher inlet temperature, the energy required for reheating is significantly reduced, improving energy efficiency.

[0034] refer to Figure 4 The turning roller 3 specifically includes an inner shaft 32, an outer sleeve 33 fitted outside the inner shaft 32, and a gear frame 34. The gear frame 34 is equipped with a first bevel gear 35, a second bevel gear 36, and a third bevel gear 37 that meshes with both. The inner shaft 32 is connected to the first bevel gear 35, and the outer sleeve 33 is connected to the second bevel gear 36. One set of the two sets of material dispersing rods 31 is mounted on a rectangular frame 38 fixedly connected to the outer sleeve 33, and the other set is mounted on the outer wall of the inner shaft 32. The drive mechanism is connected to one of the third bevel gears 37 to drive its rotation, and through gear meshing, drives the first bevel gear 35 and the second bevel gear 36, as well as the inner shaft 32 and the outer sleeve 33 connected thereto, to rotate in opposite directions. This transmission mechanism ensures the precision and stability of the turning action, efficiently breaks up clumps of tea leaves, and significantly improves the hot air contact area and drying uniformity.

[0035] In a preferred embodiment, the cross-section of the dispersing rod 31 is T-shaped, and it can gently and effectively comb the tea leaves during rotation, avoiding mechanical damage to the shape of the tea leaves and significantly enhancing the dispersing and turning effect. It should be noted that all edges of the T-shaped dispersing rod 31 are rounded to prevent scratching the tea leaves. The two sets of dispersing rods 31 are staggered and do not interfere with each other. To further improve the compactness of the equipment and save on drive equipment, the third bevel gears 37 of adjacent turning rollers 3 are connected by a vertical shaft 7, realizing the linkage of multiple turning mechanisms, simplifying the overall transmission structure, and effectively reducing the manufacturing cost and failure risk of the equipment.

[0036] refer to Figure 2 To optimize the compactness of the equipment structure and save on drive equipment, each layer of the conveyor belt 2 has a drive gear 22 at the end of its drive shaft 21, and the drive gears 22 of adjacent layers of the conveyor belt 2 mesh with each other. This design ensures that adjacent layers of the conveyor belt run in opposite directions, eliminating the need for independent drive motors, making the motion connection between the belts more precise and reliable, and ensuring the stability and smoothness of the material conveying path. A protective gearbox 14 is provided outside the drive gear 22, and baffles 23 are provided on both sides of the conveyor belt 2 to effectively prevent tea leaves from falling during transmission.

[0037] refer to Figure 5 To ensure drying efficiency, the thickness of the tea leaves laid out needs to be controlled to maintain uniformity and ensure consistent drying results with minimal variation. A spreading mechanism 9 is located above the feed end of the uppermost conveyor belt 2, comprising a main shaft 91, a servo motor 92, and spreading plates 93. The main shaft 91 is installed between baffles 23 on both sides of the uppermost conveyor belt 2. The servo motor 92 drives the main shaft 91 to rotate, and multiple spreading plates 93 are mounted on the main shaft 91. The vertical distance between the lowest point of each spreading plate 93 and the upper surface of the conveyor belt 2 is adjustable to control the spreading thickness. Soft rubber fins are installed on the outer edges of the spreading plates for gently agitating the tea leaves. The spreading mechanism, driven by the servo motor, allows for precise control of the spacing between the spreading plates, enabling flexible and accurate adjustment of the tea leaf spreading thickness, thus ensuring drying efficiency and uniformity from the outset.

[0038] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3The hot air circulation system includes a heat source 4, a circulating fan 5, and an air supply duct 6. The heat source 4, electrically heated, is located at the bottom of the chamber 1 and has an air inlet 41 and an air outlet 42. The air inlet of the circulating fan 5 is connected to a moisture outlet 13 located at the top of the chamber 1; the air supply duct 6 connects the air outlet of the circulating fan 5 to the air inlet 41 of the heat source 4. By connecting the circulating fan to the moisture outlet and the heat source inlet, a highly efficient hot air circulation loop is constructed, which can recover and reheat the high-temperature moisture inside the chamber, significantly reducing energy consumption. There are two heat sources 4, installed on opposite sides of the bottom of the chamber 1. A baffle 8 separates the airflow between the two heat sources 4, effectively preventing hot air from blowing against each other and forming two independent rising hot air streams at the bottom of the chamber, improving the heat field distribution inside the chamber and enhancing the overall drying efficiency.

[0039] The working process of this utility model is as follows: The equipment is opened, and the tea leaves are lifted to the top layer of the conveyor belt 2 using a lifting conveyor belt. The spreading mechanism 9 evenly spreads the accumulated tea leaves on the surface of the conveyor belt 2, controlling the spreading thickness to be uniform. The top layer of the conveyor belt 2 transports the tea leaves from the inlet 11 on the box 1 into the box. Subsequently, the tea leaves fall from the top layer of the conveyor belt 2, are dispersed by the turning mechanism, and then fall onto the second layer of the conveyor belt 2. This process is repeated multiple times until the bottom layer of the conveyor belt 2 sends the tea leaves out from the outlet 12 on the box 1 for collection. By adjusting the overall running speed of the conveyor belts, the tea leaves are kept in the box for at least 20 minutes (taking green tea as an example, the drying time is between 20-30 minutes), ensuring that all tea leaves pass through the complete top-to-bottom path and receive a basically consistent drying temperature, thereby ensuring stable and consistent drying quality.

[0040] The above embodiments only illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and their descriptions are relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art can make various modifications, improvements, and substitutions without departing from the concept of the present invention, and these all fall within the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A high-efficiency drying device for tea processing, comprising a housing (1), wherein the housing (1) is provided with a feed inlet (11) and a discharge outlet (12); characterized in that, Also includes: Multi-layer conveyor belts (2) are horizontally arranged inside the box (1). The front and rear positions of two adjacent layers of conveyor belts (2) are staggered and the transport directions are opposite, so that the feed end of the lower layer conveyor belt (2) is located directly below the discharge end of the upper layer conveyor belt (2) to receive the material falling from the upper layer. Multiple material turning mechanisms are respectively set between two adjacent layers of the conveyor belt (2); each material turning mechanism includes a material turning roller (3), and the material turning roller (3) is provided with two sets of material dispersing rods (31) with opposite rotation directions, which are used to break up and disperse the material when it falls; A hot air circulation system, installed on the housing (1), is used to provide and circulate the hot air required for drying within the housing (1).

2. The high-efficiency drying device for tea processing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The turning roller (3) includes an inner shaft (32), an outer sleeve (33) sleeved outside the inner shaft (32), and a gear frame (34); the gear frame (34) is provided with a first bevel gear (35), a second bevel gear (36), and a third bevel gear (37) that meshes with both of them; the inner shaft (32) is connected to the first bevel gear (35), and the outer sleeve (33) is connected to the second bevel gear (36); one set of the two sets of material dispersing rods (31) is set on a rectangular frame (38) fixedly connected to the outer sleeve (33), and the other set is set on the outer side wall of the inner shaft (32); It also includes a drive mechanism, which is connected to the third bevel gear (37) and is used to drive the third bevel gear (37) to rotate, and drive the first bevel gear (35) and the second bevel gear (36) and the inner shaft (32) and outer sleeve (33) connected thereto to rotate in opposite directions via gear meshing.

3. The high-efficiency drying device for tea processing according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cross-section of the bulk rod (31) is T-shaped.

4. The high-efficiency drying device for tea processing according to claim 2, characterized in that, The third bevel gear (37) of the adjacent turning roller (3) is connected by a vertical shaft (7).

5. The high-efficiency drying device for tea processing according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each layer of the transmission belt (2) has a transmission gear (22) at the end of the drive shaft (21), and the transmission gears (22) of the two adjacent transmission belts (2) mesh with each other.

6. The high-efficiency drying device for tea processing according to claim 1, characterized in that, A material spreading mechanism (9) is provided above the feeding end of the uppermost conveyor belt (2); the material spreading mechanism (9) includes a main shaft (91), a servo motor (92) that drives the main shaft (91), and multiple material spreading plates (93) arranged on the main shaft (91); the vertical distance between the lowest point of the material spreading plate (93) and the upper surface of the conveyor belt (2) is adjustable to control the material spreading thickness.

7. The high-efficiency drying device for tea processing according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hot air circulation system includes: A heat source (4) is located at the bottom of the box (1) and has an air inlet (41) and an air outlet (42). The air inlet of the circulating fan (5) is connected to the moisture outlet (13) located at the top of the box (1); The air supply duct (6) connects the air outlet of the circulating fan (5) to the air inlet (41) of the heat source (4).

8. The high-efficiency drying device for tea processing according to claim 7, characterized in that, There are two heat sources (4), which are installed on opposite sides of the bottom of the box (1), and a partition (8) for separating airflow is provided between the two heat sources (4).

Images