A traditional Chinese medicine formula granule dry granulator

Abstract

The utility model relates to traditional chinese medicine granule production equipment technical field, concretely relates to a traditional chinese medicine formula granule dry method granulator, including frame, the granulating assembly of setting on the frame, and the granulating assembly includes a pair of counter-rotating press roll, and the press roll is the hollow cooling press roll, and the granulator still includes cooling circulation system and closed loop temperature control system, and the pipeline of cooling circulation system is communicated with the inside cavity of hollow cooling press roll through double -channel swivel joint, and the closed loop temperature control system includes the non -contact temperature sensor and PLC controller of setting at a pair of hollow cooling press roll export place, the utility model discloses can effectively prevent heat accumulation, guarantee the stability of granulating and the homogeneity of granule quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the technical field of Chinese medicine granule production equipment, specifically to a dry granulation machine for Chinese medicine formula granules. Background Technology

[0002] Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) granules, especially those containing heat-sensitive components such as volatile oils and glycosides, generate a large amount of heat instantaneously during dry granulation due to high pressure, intense friction, and mechanical compression. If this heat cannot be effectively controlled, it will continuously accumulate on the core granulation component (the pressure roller), causing the roller's temperature to rise continuously. This not only directly causes the degradation and inactivation of the heat-sensitive components of the TCM, but the high temperature also causes thermal expansion of the pressure roller, altering the precision gap between the rollers, disrupting process stability, and severely affecting the quality and uniformity of the final granules.

[0003] Existing technologies, such as Chinese utility model patent application number 202422162346.3 (publication number CN223069460U), have recognized the importance of temperature control and disclosed a solution: a temperature sensor is installed inside the granulation mechanism, but a cooling chamber is set in the housing of the upstream stirring mechanism. However, stirring is a low-energy, low-friction process, and its heat generation is negligible compared to that of pressing. In other words, the cooling point (stirring mechanism) and the actual core heat source (pressure roller body) are severely misaligned in space. This design cannot effectively and directly remove heat from the real heat source (pressure roller body), and the separation of its "measuring point" and "control point" logic leads to serious control lag, failing to effectively suppress the problem of heat accumulation on the pressure roller. Utility Model Content

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules to solve the problem of heat accumulation in the pressure rollers mentioned in the background art.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides the following technical solution:

[0006] A dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules includes a frame and a granulation assembly mounted on the frame. The granulation assembly includes a pair of counter-rotating pressure rollers, which are hollow cooling pressure rollers. The granulator also includes a cooling circulation system and a closed-loop temperature control system. The pipeline of the cooling circulation system is connected to the internal cavity of the hollow cooling pressure rollers through a dual-channel rotary joint, for conveying a cooling medium to the internal cavity. The closed-loop temperature control system includes a non-contact temperature sensor and a PLC controller located at the outlet of the pair of hollow cooling pressure rollers. The non-contact temperature sensor is used to detect the real-time temperature of the sheet-like material formed after being extruded by the hollow cooling pressure rollers and feeds it back to the PLC controller. The PLC controller regulates the flow rate of the cooling medium in the cooling circulation system to achieve constant temperature control of the hollow cooling pressure rollers.

[0007] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the hollow cooling roller is internally machined with an annular cooling cavity and a discharge channel. One end of the annular cooling cavity is connected to the cooling medium inlet of the dual-channel rotary joint; the other end of the annular cooling cavity is connected to the input end of the discharge channel, and the output end of the discharge channel is connected to the cooling medium outlet of the dual-channel rotary joint.

[0008] As a further embodiment of this invention, a spiral guide rib is provided on the inner wall of the annular cooling cavity to guide the cooling medium to flow in a spiral path within the annular cooling cavity.

[0009] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the cooling circulation system includes a chiller, a variable frequency circulating pump, and an electric flow regulating valve connected in sequence; the output signal of the PLC controller is electrically connected to the variable frequency circulating pump and / or the electric flow regulating valve to regulate the flow rate of the cooling medium.

[0010] As a further improvement of this utility model, the PLC controller uses a PID algorithm to compare the difference between the real-time temperature and the preset temperature value, and automatically adjusts the operating frequency of the variable frequency circulating pump or the opening degree of the electric flow regulating valve according to the difference.

[0011] As a further improvement of this invention, the non-contact temperature sensor is a non-contact infrared temperature sensor.

[0012] As a further embodiment of this utility model, the hollow cooling roller includes a roller body and a hollow journal connected end to end; the dual-channel rotary joint is coaxially and rigidly connected to the end of the hollow journal.

[0013] By adopting the above technical solution, this utility model will have the following beneficial effects:

[0014] First, addressing the spatial misalignment between the cooling point (stirring mechanism) and the heating point (granulation mechanism) in existing technologies, this solution introduces the cooling medium directly into the internal cavity of the cooling roller by setting up a hollow cooling roller, a cooling circulation system, and a dual-channel rotary joint, thereby achieving "on-site cooling" of the core heat source and instantly dissipating the large amount of heat generated by friction and compression.

[0015] Secondly, in response to the serious problem of control lag in existing technologies, this solution uses a non-contact temperature sensor to detect the temperature of the sheet material after pressing in real time, and the PLC controller immediately adjusts the flow rate of the cooling system, forming a high-speed, lag-free closed-loop feedback control that can achieve precise constant temperature.

[0016] Compared with existing technologies, this solution can effectively prevent heat accumulation, thus avoiding the degradation of heat-sensitive components of traditional Chinese medicine and preventing changes in process parameters caused by the thermal expansion of the pressure roller, ensuring the stability of granulation and the uniformity of granule quality. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, the accompanying drawings used in the description of 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 based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules described in this embodiment of the invention;

[0019] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A front view of the hollow cooling roller of the dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules described in the embodiment;

[0020] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Sectional view along the AA direction.

[0021] The correspondence between the labels and component names in the attached figures is as follows:

[0022] 10. Frame; 11. Crushing device; 12. Granulating and screening device; 20. Hollow cooling roller; 201. Roller body; 202. Hollow journal; 21. Spiral guide rib; 22. Annular cooling chamber; 23. Discharge channel; 30. Double-channel rotary joint; 31. Rotating body; 311. First flow channel; 312. Second flow channel; 32. Stationary shell; 33. Cooling medium inlet; 34. Cooling medium outlet; 40. Non-contact temperature sensor; 50. PLC controller; 60. Chiller; 61. Variable frequency circulating pump; 62. Electric flow regulating valve. Detailed Implementation

[0023] 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 skilled in the art without creative effort are within the protection scope of the present utility model.

[0024] This invention provides a dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules, which aims to solve the technical problem in the prior art where the cooling point and the heating point are spatially misaligned, resulting in the inability to effectively dissipate the core heat of the pressure roller.

[0025] Please see Figure 1 This embodiment discloses a dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules. The granulator includes a frame 10 and a granulation assembly mounted on the frame. The frame has a feed inlet at the top and a discharge outlet at the bottom. The granulation assembly includes a pair of counter-rotating pressure rollers for pressing the traditional Chinese medicine powder. An upstream stirring mechanism for the pressure rollers is not shown in the diagram. A crushing device 11 is located below the pressure rollers, and two vertically arranged granulation and screening devices 12 are located below the crushing device 11. The above describes the structural design of an existing granulator.

[0026] To solve the problem of heat accumulation in the pressure roller, the core improvement of this utility model lies in:

[0027] The aforementioned pressure roller is designed as a hollow cooling pressure roller 20. Specifically, as follows: Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, each hollow cooling roller 20 includes a roller body 201 connected end to end and a hollow journal 202. The interior of the roller body 201 is hollowed out to form an annular cooling cavity 22 and two discharge channels 23 communicating with the annular cooling cavity 22. The two discharge channels 23 are located on the upper and lower sides of the annular cooling cavity 22, respectively.

[0028] In a preferred embodiment, to greatly improve heat exchange efficiency, a spiral guide rib 21 is integrally formed or welded onto the inner wall of the annular cooling cavity 22. The function of this spiral guide rib 21 is to force the cooling medium entering the annular cooling cavity 22 to flow along the spiral path defined by the spiral guide rib 21, thereby prolonging the residence time and flow path of the medium in the roller body 201, forming strong turbulent heat exchange in the cavity, so as to remove the huge amount of heat generated by friction and compression of the hollow cooling roller 20 to the maximum extent and uniformly.

[0029] The granulation assembly in this embodiment also includes a cooling circulation system for forcibly delivering a cooling medium (such as chilled water or heat transfer oil) to the internal cavity (i.e., the annular cooling cavity 22) of the hollow cooling roller 20.

[0030] In order to achieve fluid communication between the stationary cooling pipes and the high-speed rotating hollow cooling roller 20, this embodiment also includes a dual-channel rotary joint 30. For example... Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the dual-channel rotary joint 30 is coaxially and rigidly connected to the end of the hollow journal 202 of the hollow cooling roller 20. The dual-channel rotary joint 30 is a commercially available, mature component, comprising a rotating body 31 that rotates with the hollow cooling roller 20, a stationary housing 32 connected to the rotating body 31 via bearings and kept stationary, and a high-pressure, wear-resistant dynamic seal disposed between the rotating body 31 and the stationary housing 32. The stationary housing 32 is provided with a cooling medium inlet 33 and a cooling medium outlet 34. The cooling medium inlet 33 is connected to one end of the annular cooling cavity 22 (specifically, the starting end of the spiral guide rib 21) through a first flow channel 311 inside the rotating body 31; the cooling medium outlet 34 is connected to the output end of the discharge channel 23 through a second flow channel 312 inside the rotating body 31, and the input end of the discharge channel 23 is connected to the other end of the annular cooling cavity 22 (the end of the spiral guide rib 21). During operation, the cooling medium enters from the cooling medium inlet 33 → first flow channel 311 → annular cooling chamber 22 → discharge channel 23 → hollow journal 202 → second flow channel 312 → and finally exits from the cooling medium outlet 34.

[0031] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the cooling circulation system includes a chiller 60 (used as a cold source), a variable frequency circulating pump 61 (used as the circulation power), and an electric flow regulating valve 62 (used for precise flow regulation). The piping connections are as follows: the outlet of the chiller 60 is connected to the inlet of the variable frequency circulating pump 61; the outlet of the variable frequency circulating pump 61 is connected to the inlet of the electric flow regulating valve 62; and the outlet of the electric flow regulating valve 62 is connected via piping to the cooling medium inlet 33 of the dual-channel rotary joint 30. After the cooling medium completes heat exchange by flowing through the annular cooling chamber 22, it flows out from the cooling medium outlet 34 of the dual-channel rotary joint 30 and returns to the inlet of the chiller 60 through the return pipe, forming a complete, high-pressure, forced-circulation cooling loop.

[0032] To achieve precise and real-time temperature control of the hollow cooling roller 20, this embodiment also includes a closed-loop temperature control system. This system comprises a non-contact temperature sensor 40 and a PLC controller 50 (programmable logic controller). In a preferred embodiment, the non-contact temperature sensor 40 is a non-contact infrared temperature sensor due to its fast response speed and lack of contact with the material.

[0033] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the non-contact temperature sensor 40 is mounted on a bracket directly below the outlet of the pair of hollow cooling rollers 20. Its detection focus (i.e., the measuring spot) is aligned with one side surface of the sheet material that has just been extruded by the hollow cooling rollers 20 and is not yet broken. This is the optimal temperature measurement point because it measures the direct result of the process—the actual outlet temperature of the sheet material, which is the most direct indicator of whether the heat-sensitive components are damaged. The PLC controller 50 is the control core of this system. The output signal of the non-contact temperature sensor 40 (e.g., a 4-20mA signal) is electrically connected to the input module of the PLC controller 50. The control output signal of the PLC controller 50 is electrically connected to the frequency setpoint of the variable frequency circulating pump 61 and / or the opening control terminal of the electric flow regulating valve 62, respectively.

[0034] The workflow of this utility model is as follows:

[0035] 1. Setting: The operator first sets a target temperature Tset (e.g., 55°C) on the human-machine interface (HMI, not shown) of the PLC controller 50 according to the heat-sensitive characteristics of the Chinese medicine formula granules to be granulated (e.g., whether it contains volatile oil or other heat-sensitive components).

[0036] 2. Start-up and pressing: Start the granulator. The Chinese medicine powder is fed into the space between a pair of counter-rotating hollow cooling rollers 20 through the feeding assembly and is pressed into flakes under high pressure.

[0037] 3. Heat Generation and Cooling: During the pressing process, intense friction and compression generate a large amount of heat on the hollow cooling roller 20. At the same time, the variable frequency circulating pump 61 and chiller 60 of the cooling circulation system are started, and the cooling medium is pumped in and enters the annular cooling chamber 22 inside the hollow cooling roller 20 through the dual-channel rotary joint 30. It flows at high speed along the path of the spiral guide rib 21, directly and in real time carrying away the heat from the hollow cooling roller 20.

[0038] 4. Detection and feedback: At the moment when the sheet material leaves the hollow cooling press roller 20, its surface temperature is detected in real time by the non-contact temperature sensor 40 below, and the actual temperature Tactual is obtained. The non-contact temperature sensor 40 sends this Tactual signal (for example, updated several times per second) to the PLC controller 50.

[0039] 5. Closed-loop adjustment: A PID (Proportional-Integral-Differential) control algorithm runs inside the PLC controller 50. The PLC controller 50 calculates the error E = Tactual - Tset in real time.

[0040] Case 1: Tactual > Tset (that is, the material is overheated). The PID algorithm outputs an increase signal, and the PLC controller 50 immediately increases the operating frequency of the variable-frequency circulation pump 61 and / or increases the opening of the electric flow control valve 62.

[0041] Result: More and colder cooling medium is pumped into the annular cooling cavity 22 of the hollow cooling press roller 20, the temperature of the hollow cooling press roller 20 drops rapidly, more frictional heat is taken away, so that the temperature Tactual of the subsequently extruded sheet material drops accordingly.

[0042] Case 2: Tactual < Tset (that is, the material is overcooled). The PID algorithm outputs a decrease signal, and the PLC controller 50 reduces the rotating speed of the variable-frequency circulation pump 61 or the opening of the electric flow control valve 62 to reduce the cooling capacity, so that Tactual rises back.

[0043] Through this high-speed and dynamic closed-loop feedback control, the present utility model can always precisely keep the temperature of the sheet material constant near Tset, completely solve the problem of out-of-control caused by heat accumulation in the background art, and ensure the activity of heat-sensitive components of traditional Chinese medicine and the process stability of granulation.

[0044] What is described above is only the preferred specific embodiment of the present utility model, but the protection scope of the present utility model is not limited thereto. Any equivalent replacement or modification made by any person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed by the present utility model according to the technical solution of the present utility model and its utility model concept shall be covered within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules, comprising a frame (10) and a granulation assembly disposed on the frame, the granulation assembly comprising a pair of counter-rotating pressure rollers, characterized in that: The pressure roller is a hollow cooling pressure roller (20); The pellet mill also includes a cooling circulation system and a closed-loop temperature control system; The pipeline of the cooling circulation system is connected to the internal cavity of the hollow cooling roller (20) through a dual-channel rotary joint (30) for conveying cooling medium to the internal cavity; The closed-loop temperature control system includes a non-contact temperature sensor (40) and a PLC controller (50) installed at the outlet of a pair of hollow cooling rollers (20). The non-contact temperature sensor (40) is used to detect the real-time temperature of the sheet material formed after being extruded by the hollow cooling rollers (20) and feed it back to the PLC controller (50). The PLC controller (50) regulates the flow rate of the cooling medium in the cooling circulation system to achieve constant temperature control of the hollow cooling rollers (20).

2. The dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hollow cooling roller (20) has an annular cooling cavity (22) and a discharge channel (23) inside. One end of the annular cooling cavity (22) is connected to the cooling medium inlet (33) of the dual-channel rotary joint (30); the other end of the annular cooling cavity (22) is connected to the input end of the discharge channel (23), and the output end of the discharge channel (23) is connected to the cooling medium outlet (34) of the dual-channel rotary joint (30).

3. The dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inner wall of the annular cooling cavity (22) is provided with a spiral guide rib (21) to guide the cooling medium to flow in a spiral path within the annular cooling cavity (22).

4. The dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cooling circulation system includes a chiller (60), a variable frequency circulating pump (61), and an electric flow regulating valve (62) connected in sequence; the output signal of the PLC controller (50) is electrically connected to the variable frequency circulating pump (61) and / or the electric flow regulating valve (62) to regulate the flow rate of the cooling medium.

5. The dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules according to claim 4, characterized in that: The PLC controller (50) uses a PID algorithm to compare the difference between the real-time temperature and the preset temperature value, and automatically adjusts the operating frequency of the variable frequency circulating pump (61) or the opening degree of the electric flow regulating valve (62) according to the difference.

6. The dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The non-contact temperature sensor (40) is a non-contact infrared temperature sensor.

7. The dry granulation machine for traditional Chinese medicine formula granules according to claim 1, characterized in that: The hollow cooling roller (20) includes a roller body (201) connected end to end and a hollow journal (202); the dual-channel rotary joint (30) is coaxially rigidly connected to the end of the hollow journal (202).

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