Sorting device and biomass feedstock processing system comprising the same

Abstract

To provide a sorting device which can sort and remove foreign matters from granules with more compact configuration, and a biomass feedstock processing system comprising the sorting device.SOLUTION: A sorting device 1 comprises a sorting machine 3 for sorting and removing foreign matters, and the sorting machine 3 comprises: an external cylinder 8; an internal cylinder 9 erecting from a bottom surface 81 of the external cylinder 8; and an exhaust stack 10 drooping into the internal cylinder 9 from a top face 82 of the external cylinder 8. Air-flow including granules generated by air-flow generating means 2 is introduced into the sorting machine 3, becomes swirl flow and ascending while swirling in an annular space S1, and thereafter, flows into an internal space S2 of the internal cylinder 9, and in the internal space S1, foreign matters having a relatively high specific gravity drop from the swirl flow by centrifugal force, and in the internal space S2 of the internal cylinder 9, the granules are separated from the swirl flow and drop by centrifugal force, and are discharged to the exterior from a take-out port 8d provided in the bottom surface 81 of the sorting machine 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sorting device for sorting and removing foreign matter from powder or granular material, and a biomass raw material processing system equipped with the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, biomass such as rice husks and wood chips have been used as fuel or fertilizer, and in this process, the biomass is crushed or solidified in a specified processing device. However, if foreign objects such as pebbles are mixed into the biomass, this can lead to breakdowns in the processing device. In many cases, biomass is transported in a dump truck and piled up at a collection site for storage. However, sand and gravel blown by the tires during transportation can get mixed into the biomass, and pebbles attached to the soles of workers' shoes can get mixed into the biomass at the collection site, making it difficult to completely prevent the mixing of foreign objects.

[0003] A device called a winnowing machine has long been known to remove such foreign objects. In recent years, an automated stone removal device has become popular as a type of agricultural machinery. A stone removal device is configured to separate powder containing foreign objects by placing the powder on an inclined perforated plate, swinging the plate back and forth while blowing air from below, causing the powder with a light specific gravity to float up and flow down the slope, while foreign objects such as heavy pebbles are collected against the slope and collected at the top (see, for example, Reference 1).

[0004] Also, a method has been proposed in which objects are separated into heavy and light objects using a cyclone-type wind sorter. For example, in the wind sorting system disclosed in Cited Document 2, heavy objects are sorted out from objects using the wind sorter, and light objects are sorted out using a cyclone sorter installed downstream, and the airflow discharged from the cyclone sorter is discharged into the atmosphere after dust is removed using a bag filter. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2002-254036 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2007-111639 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The above-mentioned stone removing device has a problem that the structure for reciprocating the perforated plate is complicated, the number of parts is large, and the cost is high. In addition, there is a concern that the eccentric cam and the bearing part for reciprocating the perforated plate may be damaged during operation.

[0007] Furthermore, the wind sorting system disclosed in the cited document 2 has a problem in that the installation area is large because multiple sorters are arranged in a multi-stage manner, limiting the locations where it can be installed.

[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide a sorting device capable of sorting and removing foreign matter from powder or granular material with a more compact configuration, and a biomass raw material processing system equipped with the same. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] The sorting apparatus of the present invention comprises an airflow generating means for generating an airflow containing powdered or granular material, and a sorting machine for sorting and removing foreign matter from the airflow, and the sorting machine comprises an outer tube, an inner tube standing up from the bottom surface of the outer tube, and an exhaust tube hanging down from the upper surface of the outer tube into the inside of the inner tube, an annular space is defined between the outer tube and the inner tube, and an inlet is provided at the lower part of the side wall of the outer tube, the airflow generated by the airflow generating means flows from the inlet into the outer tube in a tangential direction to the inner peripheral surface of the outer tube, becomes a swirling flow, rises while swirling in the annular space, and then flows into the internal space of the inner tube, in the annular space, foreign matter having a relatively large specific gravity falls from the swirling flow due to centrifugal force, and in the internal space of the inner tube, the powdered or granular material is separated from the swirling flow by centrifugal force and falls, and is discharged to the outside from an outlet provided at the bottom surface of the sorting machine.

[0010] The biomass raw material processing system of the present invention comprises a biomass raw material processing device for processing biomass raw materials, and a supply device for supplying biomass raw material to the biomass raw material processing device, wherein the biomass raw material processing device has a hopper, and the supply device is the above-mentioned sorting device, wherein the sorter is located above the hopper, the powdered material discharged from the sorter is supplied to the hopper, and the powdered material is a biomass raw material. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the sorting device of the present invention and the biomass raw material processing system equipped with the same, in the annular space of the sorter, foreign matter with a relatively large specific gravity falls from the swirling flow due to centrifugal force, and in the internal space of the inner cylinder, the powder and granular material is separated from the swirling flow by centrifugal force and falls and is discharged to the outside through the outlet. Therefore, the removal of foreign matter and separation of air and powder and granular material can be performed by the sorting device, and the sorting device and biomass raw material processing system can be made smaller than those of multi-stage systems that perform these functions in separate devices. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] Cross-sectional view of line II-II in Figure 1. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a biomass material processing system equipped with the sorting device shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 4] A photo of pebbles mixed into rice husks as foreign objects in a verification experiment. [Diagram 5] A photograph of rice husks taken out from the outlet of the sorting device shown in Figure 1 during a verification experiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] Hereinafter, a sorting device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Referring to Fig. 1, the sorting device 1 according to this embodiment is for removing foreign matter such as pebbles having a relatively high specific gravity from powder or granular material, and includes an airflow generating means 2, a sorting machine 3, and an exhaust pipe 4 connected to the sorting machine 3.

[0014] The airflow generating means 2 generates an airflow containing powdered or granular materials and supplies it to the sorter 3, and includes a blower 5, an inlet pipe 6 connecting the blower 5 and the sorter 3, and an inlet 7 for injecting powdered or granular materials into the inlet pipe 6. Powdered or granular materials include, for example, biomass such as wood chips, rice husks, soybean pulp, and straw, but are not limited to these.

[0015] The blower 5 includes a casing 51 and a fan (not shown) housed in the casing 51, and generates an airflow by the rotation of the fan. The airflow generated by the blower 5 is sent to the sorter 3 via an inlet pipe 6. The inlet pipe 6 includes an ejector nozzle 63 in its middle, and a gate valve 61 for adjusting the pressure loss in the inlet pipe 6 is provided near the downstream end of the inlet pipe 6.

[0016] In addition, a vent line 52 is connected to the blower 5, and a portion of the air blown out from the blower 5 is discharged to the outside through the vent line 52. An adjustment valve 53 is provided in the vent line 52, and by adjusting the adjustment valve 53, the amount of air discharged to the outside through the vent line 52 can be adjusted.

[0017] The feeder 7 stores and holds the powder and granular material, and supplies it to the inflow pipe 6. The above-mentioned ejector nozzle 63 has a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases toward the downstream side in the flow direction of the air current flowing through the inflow pipe 6, and is disposed so that its tip is located below the lower opening of the feeder 7. The powder and granular material stored and held in the feeder 7 is sucked in by the air current ejected from the tip of the ejector nozzle 63 in the inflow pipe 6, introduced into the inflow pipe 6, and transported by the air current to the sorter 3.

[0018] The sorting machine 3 includes an outer cylinder 8, an inner cylinder 9 housed in the outer cylinder 8, and an exhaust cylinder 10 inserted into the inner cylinder 9, and an annular space S1 is defined between the outer cylinder 8 and the inner cylinder 9. An inlet 8a to which the tip of the inlet pipe 6 is connected is provided in the lower part of the side wall of the outer cylinder 8, and as shown in Fig. 2, the inlet 8a opens in the tangential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 8 at the position where the inlet 8a is formed.

[0019] An assist air inlet 8b is provided in the lower part of the outer cylinder 8 at a position facing the inlet 8a in the radial direction of the outer cylinder 8, and an outlet 8d is provided on the bottom surface 81 of the outer cylinder 8. The inlet 8b also opens in the tangential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 8 at the position where the inlet 8b is formed. An assist air inlet pipe 8c is connected to the assist air inlet 8b, and external air can be introduced into the outer cylinder 8 through the assist air inlet pipe 8c. In addition, an adjustment valve 8e is provided on the assist air inlet pipe 8c, and the amount of air introduced through the assist air inlet pipe 8c can be adjusted by adjusting the adjustment valve 8e.

[0020] The outer cylinder 8 and the inner cylinder 9 are of an integral structure, and the inner cylinder 9 stands up from the bottom surface 81 of the outer cylinder 8. The height dimension of the inner cylinder 9 is smaller than that of the outer cylinder 8, and a predetermined gap is provided between the upper end of the inner cylinder 9 and the upper surface 82 of the outer cylinder 8. The inner cylinder 9 has no bottom, and the internal space S2 of the inner cylinder 9 communicates with the outside via the outlet 8d. The lower part of the inner cylinder 9 forms an inverted cone section whose diameter gradually decreases downward, and the upper part of the inner cylinder 9 forms a straight section with a uniform diameter.

[0021] The exhaust cylinder 10 hangs down from the upper surface 82 of the outer cylinder 8, extends into the inside of the inner cylinder 9, and has an exhaust port 10a at its lower end. The outer cylinder 8, the inner cylinder 9 and the exhaust cylinder 10 are all arranged concentrically.

[0022] The exhaust pipe 4 is connected to an exhaust stack 10 and extends to the intake port of the blower 5, and the air discharged from the blower 5 is returned to the blower 5 via the exhaust pipe 4.

[0023] In this configuration, the powder and granular material fed from the feeder 7 into the inlet pipe 6 is transported to the sorter 3 by the airflow flowing through the inlet pipe 6 generated by the blower 5. That is, the airflow containing the powder and granular material introduced from the inlet pipe 6 into the sorter 3 constitutes an air transport fluid. As described above, the inlet 8a provided in the outer cylinder 8 opens in the tangential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 8, so that the air (air transport fluid) containing the powder and granular material that has flowed into the outer cylinder 8 flows along the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 8 and forms a swirling flow that rises while swirling in the annular space S1. At this time, foreign matter such as pebbles with a relatively large bulk density (specific gravity) collides with the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 8 due to a relatively strong centrifugal force, falls from the swirling flow, and accumulates at the bottom of the outer cylinder 8. As a result, foreign matter with a relatively high specific gravity is removed from the swirling flow.

[0024] The swirling flow after removing foreign matter in the annular space S1 flows into the internal space S2 of the inner cylinder 9 from the upper opening of the inner cylinder 9 with the powder and granules still on board, and the powder and granules collide with the inner peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 9 by a relatively weak centrifugal force and drop, separating the powder and granules from the air. The powder and granules separated in this way are discharged to the outside from the outlet 8d, while the air is returned to the suction port of the blower 5 via the exhaust pipe 10 and the exhaust tube 4.

[0025] It is generally known that the smaller the cyclone diameter, the smaller the collection limit particle diameter. That is, the strength of the centrifugal force of the swirling flow is proportional to the outer diameter of the spaces S1 and S2, and the larger the outer diameter, the stronger the centrifugal force, and the smaller the outer diameter, the weaker the centrifugal force. If the centrifugal force is strong, objects with low specific gravity are transported together with the air without being separated from the airflow, and if the centrifugal force is weak, even objects with low specific gravity are separated from the airflow and fall. By utilizing this principle, in the sorting device 1 of this embodiment, a relatively strong centrifugal force is generated in the annular space S1 to separate foreign objects from the swirling flow, and in the internal space S2 of the inner cylinder 9, which has a smaller outer diameter than the annular space S1 and therefore has a relatively small centrifugal force, the powdery objects are separated from the swirling flow.

[0026] As described above, in the annular space S1, foreign matter such as pebbles with a high bulk density is deposited at the bottom of the outer cylinder 8 by centrifugal force, and at this time, a small amount of powder and granular material also accumulates as a drift at the bottom of the outer cylinder 8. The powder and granular material thus deposited functions as a cushion to prevent the foreign matter from bouncing back. The powder and granular material including the foreign matter that has accumulated at the bottom of the outer cylinder 8 is removed at the end of work from a cleaning port (not shown) provided in the outer cylinder 8.

[0027] Furthermore, the air and the powdered material are separated in the internal space S2 of the inner cylinder 9, and the air is discharged from the sorting machine 3 through the exhaust pipe 10, but this air also contains fine dust. The air containing such dust is returned to the blower 5 through the exhaust pipe 4 and circulates within the sorting device 1. Therefore, a dust collector for removing dust contained in the air discharged from the sorting machine 3 is not required, which also simplifies the configuration of the sorting device 1.

[0028] On the other hand, when air is circulated in the sorting device 1 in this manner, frictional heat of the impeller (not shown) of the blower 5 is accumulated, which may cause the blower 5 to overheat. To solve this problem, in this embodiment, a part of the air (about 10% of the amount of air blown by the blower 5) is discharged into the atmosphere from the vent line 52 connected to the blower 5, and an amount of external air corresponding to the air thus discharged (vent air) is allowed to flow into the sorting machine 3 from the above-mentioned assist air inlet 8b as assist air, thereby adjusting the amount of air circulating in the sorting device 1.

[0029] Similarly to the air transport fluid introduced through the inlet 8a, the external air introduced through the assist air inlet 8b flows along the inner circumferential surface of the external cylinder 8 and merges with the swirling flow of the air transport fluid rising while swirling in the annular space S1. At this time, a part of the powder and granules accumulated as a drift on the bottom of the external cylinder 8 is lifted up by the external air from the assist air inlet 8b and transported to the internal space S2 of the internal cylinder 9 through the annular space S1. This prevents the powder and granules from excessively accumulating on the bottom of the external cylinder 8.

[0030] Here, the ratio (H / D) of the inner diameter D to the height H of the outer cylinder 8 is preferably 2 to 3 (the height H of the outer cylinder 9 is 2 to 3 times the inner diameter D of the outer cylinder 9). By setting such a ratio, it is possible to ensure the swirling of the airflow and the appropriate residence time required to remove foreign matter from the swirling flow in the annular space S1. In addition, the airflow speed flowing through the annular space S1 is preferably 0.5 to 1.0 m / s.

[0031] In this way, according to this embodiment, the removal of foreign matter from powder and granular material containing foreign matter and the removal of the powder and granular material can be performed by the sorting machine 3, and the whole device can be made smaller than the conventional multi-stage device, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, since a dust collector is not required, the whole device can be made even smaller.

[0032] Next, a biomass raw material processing system using such a sorting device 1 will be described. The biomass raw material processing system 100 shown in Fig. 3 includes a biomass raw material processing device A that performs a predetermined process on a powdered biomass raw material, and the above-mentioned sorting device 1, and the sorting device 1 functions as a supply device for supplying a biomass raw material such as rice husks to the biomass raw material processing device A. Examples of the biomass raw material processing device A include, but are not limited to, a crushing device for crushing biomass raw material and a biomass fuel rod production device that produces biomass fuel rods by crushing and solidifying biomass raw material.

[0033] The biomass raw material processing device A includes a hopper A1 for storing biomass raw material, a main body A2 for processing the biomass raw material, and a constant-volume feeder A3 for feeding the biomass raw material fed from the hopper A1 at a constant amount to the main body A2. The sorting machine 3 included in the sorting device 1 is installed on top of the hopper A1, and the biomass raw material discharged from the outlet 8d of the sorting machine 3 is fed directly into the hopper A1.

[0034] In this configuration, the powder containing foreign matter contained in the input device 7 is transported to the sorter 3 through the inlet pipe 6, and is supplied to the hopper A1 with the foreign matter removed in the sorter 3, and is subjected to a predetermined process (crushing process or solidification process) in the main body A2. This makes it possible to prevent parts (not shown) of the main body A2, such as the crushing roller, from being damaged by the foreign matter. [Example]

[0035] In order to verify the performance of the sorting device 1 according to the above embodiment, an experiment was conducted in which pebbles having a diameter of 3 mm to 10 mm were mixed as foreign matter into rice husks as powdered material, and the mixture was sorted by the sorting device 1. The inner diameter D of the outer tube 8 was 397 mm, the height H of the outer tube 8 was 796 mm, the outer diameter (outer diameter of the straight part of the inner tube 9) of the inner tube 9 was 155 mm, the height of the inner tube 9 was 720 mm, and the wind speed from the blower 5 was 17.6 m / s. As a result, the rice husks taken out from the outlet 8d of the sorting machine 3 did not contain pebbles, and the pebbles and rice husks could be sorted out. FIG. 4 is a photograph of the pebbles used as foreign matter in the experiment, and FIG. 5 is a photograph of the rice husks taken out from the outlet 8d.

[0036] The above describes the sorting device and the biomass raw material processing system equipped with the same according to the embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment, and various modifications and alterations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1. Sorting device 2. Airflow Generation Means 3. Sorting machine 4. Exhaust pipe 5. Blower 6 Inflow pipe 7 Inserter 8 Outer cylinder 8d outlet 9 Inner cylinder 10 Exhaust stack A1 Biomass raw material processing system A2 Hopper

Claims

1. An airflow generating means for generating an airflow containing powder or granular material; A separator for separating and removing foreign matter from the airflow, The sorting machine includes an outer cylinder, an inner cylinder standing from a bottom surface of the outer cylinder, and an exhaust cylinder hanging down from an upper surface of the outer cylinder into the inner cylinder, and an annular space is defined between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder; An inlet is provided at the lower part of the side wall of the outer cylinder, the airflow generated by the airflow generating means flows from the inlet into the outer cylinder in a tangential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the outer cylinder, becomes a swirling flow, rises while swirling in the annular space, and then flows into the internal space of the inner cylinder; In the annular space, foreign matter having a relatively large specific gravity falls from the swirling flow due to centrifugal force, A sorting apparatus in which, in the internal space of the inner cylinder, the powder or granular material is separated from the swirling flow by centrifugal force and falls, and is discharged to the outside through an outlet provided on the bottom surface of the sorting machine.

2. Further comprising an exhaust pipe connected to the exhaust stack, the airflow generating means includes a blower that generates an airflow, an inflow pipe extending from the blower and connected to the inflow port, and a charger for charging powder or granular material into the inflow pipe; 2. The sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein air exhausted from the exhaust stack of the sorter is returned to the blower through the exhaust pipe.

3. A vent line is connected to the blower, and an assist air inlet pipe is connected to the outer cylinder, A portion of the air blown out from the blower is discharged to the outside through the vent line, 3. The sorting apparatus according to claim 2, wherein outside air is introduced into the outer cylinder through the assist air inlet pipe.

4. 2. The sorting apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the height of the outer cylinder is 2 to 3 times the inner diameter of the outer cylinder.

5. A biomass feedstock processing device for processing a biomass feedstock; A supply device for supplying a biomass material to the biomass material processing device, The biomass feedstock processing device includes a hopper, The supply device is a sorting device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The sorting machine of the sorting device is located above the hopper, and the powder or granular material discharged from the sorting machine is supplied to the hopper, The biomass raw material processing system, wherein the powder or granular material is a biomass raw material.

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