An automated production line for processing used refrigerators

Abstract

The utility model discloses an automatic production line for handling waste refrigerator belongs to the technical field of handling waste household electrical appliances, including preprocessing module, is used for the disassembly of waste refrigerator and recycling refrigerant, crushing module is set downstream in preprocessing module along material conveying direction, is used for crushing the refrigerator shell after preprocessing into mixture material, sorting module is set downstream in crushing module along material conveying direction, is used for separating the mixture material into different categories of recycled material. The automatic production line for handling waste refrigerator adopts the combined type crushing module of one -level coarse break and two -level fine break, especially the structure of three layers of hammer head and three layers of hob in two -level crushing unit, not only finely crushes material, and more key is to increase the function of kneading and shaping, can handle the material into the pellet -like particle of uniform size, shape regular.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of waste household appliance processing technology, specifically an automated production line for processing waste refrigerators. Background Technology

[0002] As bulky waste, discarded refrigerators contain a large amount of recyclable resources in their outer shell, insulation layer, compressor, and other components, such as iron, copper, aluminum, plastics, and polyurethane foam. However, improper disposal of their refrigerants (such as Freon) and foaming agents (such as cyclopentane) can cause serious environmental damage. Therefore, the automated, harmless, and resource-efficient treatment of discarded refrigerators is an important issue in the fields of circular economy and environmental protection.

[0003] Currently, the processing of used refrigerators generally adopts a "pre-disassembly-crushing-sorting" process. However, existing automated production lines still have the following problems in practical applications:

[0004] When traditional single-stage hammer crushers crush refrigerator shells, they often result in severe metal deformation, making it difficult to effectively separate plastics and foams from the metal. The crushed materials are uneven in size and irregular in shape, with a large amount of fine foam and plastic fragments trapped in the metal, or the metal being too finely ground and mixed with non-metallic materials. This leads to inefficiencies and poor separation accuracy in subsequent processes such as magnetic separation, air separation, and eddy current separation, resulting in low purity of the various recycled materials and directly affecting their economic value as recycled raw materials.

[0005] Therefore, how to improve the crushing process to obtain crushed materials with uniform size and regular shape, thereby fundamentally improving the sorting efficiency of subsequent processes and the purity of recycled materials, has become a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved in this field. Utility Model Content

[0006] The summary section of this application is intended to provide a brief overview of the concepts, which will be described in detail in the detailed description section below. This summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed technical solutions, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed technical solutions.

[0007] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, this utility model provides an automated production line for processing waste refrigerators.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution: an automated production line for processing waste refrigerators, comprising:

[0009] The pre-processing module is used to dismantle used refrigerators and recover refrigerant.

[0010] The crushing module is located downstream of the pretreatment module along the material conveying direction and is used to crush the pretreated refrigerator shell into a mixture.

[0011] The sorting module is located downstream of the crushing module along the material conveying direction and is used to separate the mixture into different categories of recyclable materials.

[0012] Preferably, the crushing module comprises the following components connected in sequence:

[0013] The primary crushing unit, a twin-shaft shredder, is used for coarse crushing of the refrigerator shell; and

[0014] The secondary crushing unit, which is a vertical crusher, is used to further crush and shape the material after coarse crushing by the primary crushing unit.

[0015] Preferably, the secondary crushing unit has a crushing rotor that rotates vertically inside the crushing chamber; the crushing rotor is provided with three layers of hammers and three layers of roller cutters spaced apart along its axial direction.

[0016] Preferably, the sorting module includes a magnetic separation module, which is used to separate ferrous materials from the mixture.

[0017] Preferably, the sorting module further includes a light material sorting module, which is located downstream of the magnetic separation module and includes a multi-stage air separation unit for separating light materials such as foam and plastic from the remaining materials.

[0018] Preferably, the sorting module further includes a non-ferrous metal sorting module, which is located downstream of the light material sorting module and includes an eddy current separator and a color sorter, for separating the non-ferrous metal material from the non-metallic material in the remaining material, and further separating the non-ferrous metal material into copper material and aluminum material.

[0019] Preferably, it also includes a foam volume reduction module, which is connected to the discharge end of the light material sorting module and is equipped with a circulating cooling water system for reducing the temperature of the foam after compression.

[0020] Preferably, it also includes an environmental protection treatment module, which is connected to the crushing module and the sorting module through a suction pipe, and includes a bag filter and an activated carbon tower.

[0021] Preferably, it also includes an electronic control module, which integrates a security system including a temperature sensor, a cyclopentane concentration sensor and a flame sensor, and the security system is interlocked with the spray device installed in the crushing module.

[0022] Preferably, it also includes a sound insulation and noise reduction system, which includes a soundproof room that encloses the secondary crushing unit.

[0023] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows:

[0024] 1. This utility model discloses an automated production line for processing waste refrigerators. It employs a combined crushing module consisting of a primary coarse crusher and a secondary fine crusher. In particular, the three-layer hammer and three-layer roller cutter structure in the secondary crushing unit not only finely crushes the material but, more importantly, adds kneading and shaping functions, processing the material into uniformly sized and regularly shaped spherical particles. This high-quality crushed material avoids the adhesion and entrainment of metals with foam and plastics at the source, greatly improving the efficiency and precision of downstream processes such as magnetic separation, air separation, and eddy current separation. The resulting recycled materials, including iron, copper, aluminum, plastics, and foam, have higher purity and greater market value.

[0025] 2. This utility model discloses an automated production line for processing waste refrigerators. In terms of clean production, its unique two-stage crushing unit structure reduces dust generation by more than 30% at the source. Simultaneously, the environmental protection module uses negative pressure ventilation at all dust-generating points and utilizes bag filters and activated carbon towers for secondary purification, effectively controlling the fugitive emissions of dust and organic waste gas. Regarding proactive safety, the integrated security system uses temperature, cyclopentane concentration, and flame sensors to monitor key areas in real time and from multiple dimensions. Once an anomaly is detected, it can achieve millisecond-level interlocking response and automatic handling with the sprinkler system, transforming traditional passive firefighting into proactive prevention, greatly ensuring the safety of equipment and personnel.

[0026] 3. This utility model discloses an automated production line for processing waste refrigerators. Through an integrated electrical control module, the entire production line is centrally controlled and managed, enabling electrical linkage between units, one-button start / stop, and self-diagnosis of faults. This not only significantly reduces the intensity of manual operation and reliance on operator skills but also ensures that the production line can operate stably under optimal conditions for a long period. Compared to traditional production lines, processing efficiency and capacity are significantly improved, while labor and maintenance costs are reduced. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the automated production line for processing waste refrigerators according to this utility model.

[0028] In the diagram: 10. Pre-treatment module; 20. Crushing module; 21. Primary crushing unit; 22. Secondary crushing unit; 30. Sorting module; 31. Magnetic separation module; 32. Light material sorting module; 33. Non-ferrous metal sorting module; 331. Eddy current separator; 332. Color sorter; 40. Foam volume reduction module; 50. Environmental protection module; 51. Suction duct; 52. Bag filter; 53. Activated carbon tower; 60. Electrical control module; 611. Temperature sensor; 612. Cyclopentane concentration sensor; 613. Flame sensor; 80. Sound insulation and noise reduction system. Detailed Implementation

[0029] 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.

[0030] Please see Figure 1 This embodiment provides the following technical solution:

[0031] An automated production line for processing waste refrigerators includes, in sequence, a pretreatment module 10, a crushing module 20, and a sorting module 30 along the material conveying direction.

[0032] Specifically, the used refrigerators are first transported to pre-processing module 10. In this module, operators manually disassemble the refrigerators, removing large non-crushable parts such as compressors, glass shelves, and wires, and use specialized refrigerant recovery equipment to environmentally recycle the refrigerant in the refrigerator's refrigeration system.

[0033] The pre-processed refrigerator shell is conveyed by a conveyor belt to the downstream crushing module 20. This crushing module 20 employs a two-stage crushing structure, specifically including a primary crushing unit 21 and a secondary crushing unit 22. The refrigerator shell first enters the twin-shaft shredder, which serves as the primary crushing unit 21, where it is coarsely crushed into larger pieces through low-speed, high-torque shearing and tearing. These pieces then enter the vertical crusher, which serves as the secondary crushing unit 22.

[0034] In this embodiment, the crushing chamber of the secondary crushing unit 22 is equipped with a crushing rotor that rotates at high speed in the vertical direction. The crushing rotor is provided with three layers of hammers and three layers of roller cutters spaced apart along its axial direction, realizing the step-by-step processing of materials by first crushing and then shaping.

[0035] Specifically, the material enters the upper part of the crushing chamber and is impacted and hammered by the first layer of high-speed rotating hammers, achieving initial crushing, breaking down large pieces of material, and loosening the attached metal and non-metal materials. Subsequently, the material interacts with the first layer of roller cutters, which, through rolling and kneading, curl the irregular metal pieces after crushing inward, completing the initial agglomeration and shaping.

[0036] The material, after being processed in the first stage, continues to fall into the second processing stage. The second layer of hammers strikes the reduced-size material again at a higher linear velocity, achieving further fine crushing. The second layer of rollers that follows applies stronger extrusion force, further compacting and deforming the initially curled material clumps, evolving them into the ideal spherical shape, and in the process, further extruding the non-metallic materials mixed inside.

[0037] The material then enters the third processing stage. The third layer of hammers mainly serves to control the size and perform final crushing, ensuring that all material particles reach the preset range. The third layer of roller cutters then performs final kneading and shaping on the basically formed material particles, making their surface smoother and their shape more regular.

[0038] The mixture discharged from the crushing module 20 enters the downstream sorting module 30. The sorting module 30 consists of multiple units working together to achieve fine separation of materials. First, the mixture enters the magnetic separation module 31, where permanent magnet drums or electromagnetic separators separate and collect the magnetic ferrous materials.

[0039] The remaining material after the ferrous materials are separated continues to enter the light material sorting module 32. This module uses multi-stage air separation units such as Z-type air separators and airflow separators to control the flow rate and direction of the airflow, thereby sucking or blowing away lightweight materials such as foam and plastics with lower density from the material flow, thus separating them from non-ferrous metals and non-metallic impurities with higher density.

[0040] The sorted lightweight materials, such as foam, can be conveyed to the foam volume reduction module 40. This module compresses the fluffy foam through a spiral extrusion process. To prevent the foam from catching fire due to frictional heat, it is specially equipped with a circulating cooling water system to effectively cool the foam during the compression process and ensure production safety.

[0041] Finally, the heavy materials discharged from the light material sorting module 32, mainly non-ferrous metals such as copper and aluminum, and a small amount of residual non-metallic materials, enter the non-ferrous metal sorting module 33. The materials first pass through the eddy current separator 331, which uses the principle that different materials generate different eddy current effects in an alternating magnetic field to separate non-ferrous metals from non-metallic materials. The separated copper-aluminum mixture is then sent to the color sorter 332, where optical sensors identify the color differences of the materials, ultimately obtaining high-purity copper and aluminum materials.

[0042] To ensure the environmental protection and safety of the entire production line, this utility model also includes the following auxiliary systems:

[0043] Environmental treatment module 50: All dust-generating points, including the crushing module 20 and the sorting module 30, are connected to this module via suction duct 51. The collected dust-laden exhaust gas is filtered to remove dust particles in the bag filter 52, and then enters the activated carbon tower 53 to adsorb organic waste gases such as cyclopentane, achieving emission standards.

[0044] Electrical control module 60: As the control center of the production line, it integrates a safety system. This system places temperature sensors 611, cyclopentane concentration sensors 612, and flame sensors 613 at key locations such as the crushing module 20. If any sensor detects an abnormal signal, the electrical control module 60 will immediately stop and activate the sprinkler system interlocked with the safety system for automatic fire extinguishing and cooling, achieving a highly intelligent safety protection system.

[0045] Sound insulation and noise reduction system 80: In order to improve the working environment, this utility model also includes a soundproof room, which completely encloses the secondary crushing unit 22 that generates the main noise, effectively reducing the noise level in the workshop.

[0046] The above description is merely a selection of preferred embodiments of this disclosure and an explanation of the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the utility model involved in the embodiments of this disclosure is not limited to the technical solutions formed by specific combinations of the above-described technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by arbitrary combinations of the above-described technical features or their equivalents without departing from the above-described inventive concept. For example, technical solutions formed by substituting the above features with (but not limited to) technical features with similar functions disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An automated production line for processing used refrigerators, characterized in that, include: The pretreatment module (10) is used to dismantle and recycle the refrigerant from the waste refrigerator; The crushing module (20) is located downstream of the pretreatment module (10) along the material conveying direction and is used to crush the pretreated refrigerator shell into a mixture. The sorting module (30) is located downstream of the crushing module (20) along the material conveying direction and is used to separate the mixture into different types of recyclable materials.

2. The automated production line for processing waste refrigerators according to claim 1, characterized in that, The crushing module (20) comprises the following components connected in sequence: The primary crushing unit (21) is a twin-shaft shredder used to coarsely crush the refrigerator shell; as well as The secondary crushing unit (22) is a vertical crusher used to fine crush and knead and shape the material after coarse crushing by the primary crushing unit (21).

3. An automated production line for processing waste refrigerators according to claim 2, characterized in that, The secondary crushing unit (22) has a crushing rotor that rotates vertically inside its crushing chamber; the crushing rotor is provided with three layers of hammers and three layers of roller cutters spaced apart along its axial direction.

4. An automated production line for processing waste refrigerators according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sorting module (30) includes a magnetic separation module (31) for separating ferrous materials from the mixture.

5. An automated production line for processing waste refrigerators according to claim 4, characterized in that, The sorting module (30) also includes a light material sorting module (32), which is located downstream of the magnetic separation module (31) and includes a multi-stage air separation unit for separating light materials such as foam and plastic from the remaining materials.

6. An automated production line for processing waste refrigerators according to claim 5, characterized in that, The sorting module (30) also includes a non-ferrous metal sorting module (33), which is located downstream of the light material sorting module (32) and includes an eddy current separator (331) and a color sorter (332) for separating non-ferrous metal materials from non-metallic materials in the remaining materials, and further separating the non-ferrous metal materials into copper materials and aluminum materials.

7. An automated production line for processing waste refrigerators according to claim 5, characterized in that, It also includes a foam volume reduction module (40), which is connected to the discharge end of the light material sorting module (32) and is equipped with a circulating cooling water system for reducing the temperature of the foam after compression.

8. An automated production line for processing waste refrigerators according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an environmental protection treatment module (50), which is connected to the crushing module (20) and the sorting module (30) through a suction pipe (51), and includes a bag filter (52) and an activated carbon tower (53).

9. An automated production line for processing waste refrigerators according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes an electronic control module (60) that integrates a security system including a temperature sensor (611), a cyclopentane concentration sensor (612) and a flame sensor (613), and the security system is interlocked with the spray device installed in the crushing module (20).

10. An automated production line for processing waste refrigerators according to claim 2, characterized in that, It also includes a sound insulation and noise reduction system (80), which includes a soundproof room that encloses the secondary crushing unit (22).

Images