EQUIPMENT FOR MOISTENING POWDER PRODUCTS

Description

[0001] The invention relates to an equipment that ensures the humidification of flour-type powder products.

[0002] Various devices for humidifying powdered products are known: (GB1453730) which has the disadvantage that the flour already has high humidity, (JP2006061094) which has the disadvantage of the lack of control elements to ensure a controlled humidity and (US10195572) which has as a disadvantage the possibility of using only products that have a particle size higher than wheat flour to which can be mixed and humidified.

[0003] GB 367 090, Improvement in Method and Apparatus for Mixing Powdered Solid Materials with Liquids, particularly in the Production of Dough (D1) already discloses an equipment for the humidification of powdered products (Figure 3), consisting of a base plate, an upper plate and an intermediate plate, and a feeding warehouse 10 from which through a rotary selector 16 located in an upper casing 15 located on the upper plate 17, a powder like flour is capable to be taken so that it will fall freely on a cane 42 mounted with arms 41 in the intermediate casing 40 and then will reach lower casing 43 where it is moistened through spray nozzles provided on a circular pipe 45 and then homogenized by mixing arms 55 after which the moistened flour is capable to be discharged through the gutters 86.

[0004] The technical problem solved by the invention consists in the use of a humidification system for powdered products such as wheat flour which consists of a feed magazine 3 which feeds the rotary selector 2 which performs the dosing of the flour to be humidified. From the rotary selector 2, the flour will enter the dispersion casing 6, which is in vibratory motion and will be directed from the cone 26 to the blades 22 which ensures the controlled passage of a quantity of flour to the sieve 18 which will ensure the flour dispersion to the humidification chamber formed of the bottom casing 17 and the lower cylindrical part of the dispersion casing 6. The brushes 19 rotate under the sieve 18, ensuring an intense dispersion of the flour, which will thus occupy a large volume in the existing atmosphere in the humidification chamber, as well as the removal of any particles that adhere to the surface of the sieve 18. Around the base of the humidification chamber, it is a circular pipe 12 provided with high-pressure water spray nozzles which form a misty atmosphere and the water flow is set to ensure the desired moisture content of the flour. The volume of the humidifier chamber can be changed by moving the dispersion casing 6 vertically. In the unventilated humidification chamber, the water vapor will adhere completely to the falling flour and will be absorbed by it. The moistened flour will fall into the area where the additional homogenization is performed by using the mixing arms 14. After mixing, the moistened flour will be removed through the discharge gutters 13 located at the bottom of the humidification chamber, the bottom casing 17.

[0005] Flour humidifier equipment provides the controllable moisture required for the use of flour in subsequent treatment processes before it is used to make the dough and eliminates the disadvantages of using non-hydrated flour.

[0006] The technical problem solved by the invention consists in the hydration of the flour at a certain humidity content, which subsequently allows the application of heat treatments that modify the characteristics of the starch and the functional-technological properties of the flour and the obtaining of flour products with improved nutritional properties.

[0007] The equipment for humidifying flour-type powder products according to the invention has the following advantages: by humidifying the flour, additional hydration is ensured and the possibility is given to the subsequent application, for the hydrated flour, of a heat treatment that will determine the modification of flour characteristics and the increase of the product's quality; a controlled dispersion of the flour is carried out to ensure the desired humidity; by controlling the amount of flour entering the humidification chamber, the volume of the humidification chamber, and the flow of water under high pressure, controllable humidification of the flour is ensured.

[0008] An embodiment of the invention is given below in connection with Figures 1a and 1b which show: Figure 1a, longitudinal section by equipment; Figure 1b, cross-section through equipment.

[0009] The equipment according to the invention comprises three work areas: the feeding area; dispersion area and humidification, homogenization, and elimination zone, Figure 1a, section A-A.

[0010] The feeding area is formed by the feeding magazine 3 which allows the flour to fall into the rotary selector 2, assembled in feeder casing 5. Provided at the bottom with a cylindrical tube a, the rotary selector 2 has the axis mounted in the upper plate 4, plate that can move in the vertical direction, on columns 1. The flour will fill the quantitative dosing cavity formed by feeder casing 5 and the rotary selector 2 and will fall freely in the dispersion zone through the cylindrical tubing which forms a telescopic connection with dispersion casing 6 through its upper tube b. The tubing formed by cylinders a and b forms a telescopic joint.

[0011] The dispersion area consists of dispersion casing 6 which comprises in the upper part a cylindrical tube b into which the tube a enters, a frustoconical part, and a cylindrical lower part. The dispersion casing 6 has on the outside a circular flange 7 which rests on a group of electromagnetic cells 8 which ensures a vibrational movement of the entire assembly in the dispersion casing 6 and that are on an intermediate plate 23. The electromagnetic cells 8 are placed circularly on the intermediate plate 23 which can move vertically on columns 1. Inside dispersion casing 6 it is a cone 26 which is assembled by the casing through the equidistant arms 9. Cone 26 ensures the first dispersion of flour and protection of the gear consisting of the bevel gears 11 and 24, assembled in a cone 26, which receive the rotational movement from the outside and transmit it to the brush 19 through the central axis 25. Inside the dispersion casing 6 is mounted a blade holder disc 27. On the disc there are mounted, through bearings, the blades 22 which receive the rotational movement from the bevel gears 21 in contact with the bevel gear ring 20 mounted on the outside of the dispersion casing 6. By actuating the handwheel 10, one of the bevel gears 21 will rotate which will cause the blade disc 27 to rotate on the central axis 25, causing the slots to open between the blades. By rotating the disc 27 the gears 21 in contact with the toothed ring 20 will cause the blades 22 to rotate, the slots to open, and the flour to pass through the blades to ensure the flour dispersion, Figure 1b section B-B, and sliding it through the sieve 18. Due to the vibrating motion generated by electromagnetic cells 8 and the rotational movement of the brushes 19 an intense dispersion of the flour that will occupy the volume in the humidification chamber is ensured.

[0012] Upper dispersion casing 6, located inside the bottom casing 17, forms a telescopic joint with it, and by simultaneously moving: vertically the upper plate 4 and the intermediate plate 23 together with the dispersion casing 6, on columns 1, the volume of the humidification chamber is changed. The bottom casing 17 is supported through the support 15 on the base plate 16.

[0013] Inside the bottom casing 17 forming the humidification chamber it is the circular pipe 12 provided with high-pressure water spray nozzles and two mixing arms 14, driven in a rotating motion from the outside, used to: further humidified flour homogenization. In the lower part of the bottom casing 17 there are located the gutters 13 for draining the moistened flour.REFERENCES

[0014] 1. Naganobu Hayabusa, Treatment of flour. Patent GB 1453730 2. Tamaki Kinji, Water-adding apparatus. Patent JP 2006061094 3. Brigham Hatch, Bryan Stratton, Mixing chamber. Patent US 10195572 4. AMERICAN MACH & FOUNDRY, Improvement in Method and Apparatus for Mixing Powdered Solid Materials with Liquids, particularly in the Production of Dough. Patent GB 367 090.

Claims

1. Equipment for the humidification of powdered products, comprising three work areas: a feeding area comprising a feeder casing (5) disposed in an upper plate (4), a dispersion area comprising a dispersion casing (6) disposed in an intermediate plate (23) and humidification, homogenization and elimination area comprising a bottom casing (17) supported through a support (15) on a base plate (16), and in the feeding area there is a feeding magazine (3) from which through a rotary selector (2) located in the feeder casing (5), a flour is capable to be taken to fall freely on a cone (26) in the dispersion casing (6) wherein the cone (26) is assembled through arms (9), and wherein the bottom casing (17) comprises a circular pipe provided with spray nozzles to moisture the flour and two mixing arms (14) for a further humidified flour homogenization, after which the moistened flour is capable to be discharged through gutters (13); the equipment being characterized in that it comprises two columns (1) placed on the base plate (16) and both columns (1) are supporting the upper plate (4) and the intermediate plate (23), both upper and intermediate plates (4, 23) being capable to move vertically on the columns, and the upper plate is positioned in the upper part of the columns (1), and the dispersion casing (6) has on the outside a circular flange (7) which rests on a group of electromagnetic cells (8) mounted circularly on the movable intermediate plate (23) and ensuring a vibrational movement of the dispersion casing (6), and inside the dispersion casing (6) is mounted a blade holder disc (27) on which are mounted blades (22), and by rotation of the disc (27) the blades (22) are capable to rotate to form slots allowing the flour to pass a sieve (18) under which are rotating brushes (19) through a central axis (25), the sieve (18) and the brushes (19) being disposed in the dispersion casing (6) before the flour being capable of reaching the lower casing (17).

2. Equipment for humidifying powdered products according to claim characterized in that a handwheel (10) is operated to open the slots between blades (22) which will transmit the rotational movement to bevel gears (21) which engage a gear (20) and to ensure a better dispersion of the flour, rotating brushes (19) are driven in a rotating motion by a central axis (25), by a gear formed by bevel gears (11) and (24) which received the motion from outside and are assembled in a cone (26) under a sieve (18).