Separation system and measuring method

Abstract

To properly guide a flow of granular material to a probe in a measuring system for measuring characteristics of the granular material separated from gas by a cyclone separator.SOLUTION: A separation system includes: a cyclone that separates granular material from mixed fluid containing a gas and the granular material; a container that has a truncated conical portion whose diameter gradually decreases downward and is connected to a granular material outlet of the cyclone so that the granular material separated by the cyclone falls while swirling; a conical cone disposed in the container; and a measurement probe that has a measurement unit disposed downstream of a flow of the granular material passing between a lower end of the cone and an inner wall of the container and measures a particle diameter of the granular material passing through the measurement unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a technique for in-line measurement of properties of granular materials separated or classified by a cyclone. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, cyclone separators that use a cyclone to separate or classify powder or granular material from a gas are known. Cyclone separators are sometimes installed in process lines, and can contribute to stable production by managing the particle size distribution, particle shape, physical properties, etc. of powder or granular material separated from a gas by such a cyclone separator in real time through in-line measurement. Patent Document 1 discloses a technology for in-line measurement of the particle size of powder or granular material separated from a gas by a cyclone separator.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a measurement system that measures the particle size of powder or granular material in a cyclone separator. The cyclone separator has an outer cylinder with a cylindrical or truncated conical internal space, and the powder or granular material swirls in this internal space together with a swirling flow, thereby separating or classifying the powder or granular material. The measurement system has a measurement probe that penetrates the wall of the outer cylinder of the cyclone and is inserted into the internal space, and measures the particle size of the powder or granular material that passes through the detection part of the measurement probe. The outer cylinder of the cyclone is provided with a guide member that protrudes into the internal space to guide the powder or granular material to the detection part of the measurement probe. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2023-45377 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the measurement system of Patent Document 1, the role of the guide member that guides the swirling powder to the detection unit of the measurement probe is crucial. The guide member is designed for each cyclone, and trial and error is required to achieve an optimal design. In addition, it is difficult to fine-tune the shape of the guide member to match changes in the characteristics of the powder processed in the cyclone.

[0006] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a measurement system that measures the characteristics of powder or granular material separated from a gas in a cyclone separator, capable of appropriately guiding the flow of powder or granular material to a probe. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve the above problems, a separation system according to one embodiment of the present disclosure includes: A cyclone for separating the powder and granular material from a mixed fluid containing the gas and the powder and granular material; a container having a truncated cone-shaped portion whose diameter gradually decreases toward the bottom, the container being connected to a powder / granular material outlet of the cyclone, into which the powder / granular material separated by the cyclone falls while swirling; a cone disposed within the container; and a measurement probe having a measurement section positioned downstream of the flow of the powder or granular material that has passed between the lower end of the cone and the inner wall of the container, for measuring the particle diameter of the powder or granular material passing through the measurement section.

[0008] A measurement method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure includes: Separating the particulate matter from a mixed fluid flow comprising gas and particulate matter in a cyclone; The powder or granular material separated by the cyclone is allowed to flow into a container having a truncated cone-shaped portion whose diameter gradually decreases toward the bottom; Converging the flow of the powder in the vessel with a cone disposed in the vessel; and The method includes disposing a measurement portion of a measurement probe in the converged flow of powder or granular material and measuring the particle size of the powder or granular material passing through the measurement portion. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present disclosure, in a measurement system for measuring the characteristics of powder or granular material separated from a gas in a cyclone separator, the flow of the powder or granular material can be appropriately guided to a probe. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a separation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a modified example of the installation mode of the measurement probe. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the guide. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a separation system 10 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. The separation system 10 shown in Fig. 1 includes a cyclone separator 21 and a recovery device 22. In the cyclone separator 21, powder and granular material are separated or classified from a mixed fluid containing gas and powder and granular material. In the recovery device 22, the powder and granular material separated from the mixed fluid is recovered.

[0012] Cyclone separator 21 comprises an outer cylinder 1, an inlet duct 2 connected to the upper side surface of the outer cylinder 1, an exhaust duct 7 connected to the top of the outer cylinder 1, and an inner cylinder 5 disposed inside the outer cylinder 1. The outer cylinder 1 consists of an upper part having a cylindrical shape of a constant diameter and a lower part having a truncated cone shape whose diameter gradually decreases toward the bottom.

[0013] An inlet 14 opens on the side of the upper part of the outer cylinder 1, and an introduction duct 2 is connected to the inlet 14. A blower is connected to the exhaust duct 7. When the blower is operated, the mixed fluid is sucked tangentially into the inside of the outer cylinder 1 through the introduction duct 2. The mixed fluid flows in a spiral shape along the inner surface of the outer cylinder 1.

[0014] A gas outlet 15 opens on the upper surface of the outer cylinder 1, and an exhaust duct 7 is connected to the gas outlet 15. The exhaust duct 7 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the outer cylinder 1. An inner cylinder 5 is connected to the gas outlet 15 inside the outer cylinder 1. The inner cylinder 5 is disposed concentrically with the outer cylinder 1 inside the outer cylinder 1, and protrudes downward from the upper surface of the outer cylinder 1. The inside of the inner cylinder 5 and the inside of the exhaust duct 7 are in communication.

[0015] A powder outlet 16 is opened at the lower end of the outer cylinder 1. A recovery device 22 is connected to the powder outlet 16 of the outer cylinder 1. The recovery device 22 includes a container 31, a damper 32, and a measuring device 3.

[0016] The container 31 has a hopper shape as a whole, consisting of an upper part having a cylindrical shape of a constant diameter and a lower part having an inverted truncated cone shape that gradually decreases in diameter toward the bottom. An inlet 36 opens on the top surface of the container 31, and the inlet 36 is connected to the powder outlet 16 of the outer cylinder 1.

[0017] An outlet 37 opens at the bottom end of the container 31. A damper 32 that opens and closes the outlet 37 of the container 31 is connected to the outlet 37 of the container 31. The damper 32 according to this embodiment is a double damper in which the dampers are arranged in two tiers, one above the other. In the double damper, two valve bodies, one above the other, are alternately opened and closed, thereby discharging the powder or granular material from the container 31 while sealing the inside of the container 31 from the outside.

[0018] The measuring device 3 is an in-line measuring device that measures in real time the particle size of powder or granular material collected in a container 31. The measuring device 3 includes a measuring probe 6, a guide 8, and a monitor device 9.

[0019] The measurement probe 6 is composed of a measurement head 61 and a tube 62 extending linearly from the measurement head 61. The tip of the tube 62 is provided with a hole-shaped measurement section 63 through which the powder or granular material to be measured passes.

[0020] A cylindrical portion 33 through which a tube 62 of the measurement probe 6 passes is provided on the side wall of the lower portion of the container 31. The cylindrical portion 33 forms an opening that penetrates the side wall of the container 31 in the radial direction. The tube 62 of the measurement probe 6 passes through the cylindrical portion 33, and a gap between the tube 62 and the cylindrical portion 33 is sealed and the relative position is fixed by a tube fixing device 34 consisting of a taper ring and a fixing screw. The tube 62 of the measurement probe 6 can be displaced in the insertion / removal direction with respect to the cylindrical portion 33, that is, in the radial direction of the container 31. This allows the position of the measurement part 63 of the measurement probe 6 to be adjusted in the radial direction of the container 31. In addition, the tube 62 of the measurement probe 6 can be rotated and displaced around the axis of the tube 62 with respect to the cylindrical portion 33. This allows the orientation of the measurement part 63 to be adjusted so that the amount of powder passing through the measurement part 63 of the measurement probe 6 is appropriate.

[0021] The measuring part 63 of the measuring probe 6 may be freely displaceable not only in the radial direction of the container 31 but also up, down, left and right. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a modified installation mode of the measuring probe 6. In the description of this modified example, the same or similar members as those in the above-mentioned embodiment are given the same reference numerals in the drawings, and the description is omitted. As shown in FIG. 2, the tube 62 of the measuring probe 6 is supported via the spherical plain bearing 41 on the cylindrical part 33 provided on the side wall of the container 31. The tube 62 is displaceable in the insertion and removal direction relative to the spherical plain bearing 41. In addition, the spherical plain bearing 41 allows the tube 62 to freely change the installation angle around the spherical plain bearing 41. This allows the measuring part 63 provided on the tube 62 to be placed in a position suitable for measurement.

[0022] Returning to FIG. 1, the measurement probe 6 according to this embodiment measures the moving speed of the powder or granular material passing through the hole of the measurement section 63 based on the spatial filter velocimetry method, and at the same time measures the passing time of a predetermined section. The particle diameter (chord length) of the powder or granular material can be calculated from the measured moving speed of the powder or granular material and the passing time of the predetermined section. Optical components are housed inside the measurement head 61 and the tube 62. The optical components include, for example, a light projector and a light receiver that outputs an electric signal according to the amount of light received. The moving speed and passing time of each particle are measured by utilizing the phenomenon in which a part of the light projected from the light projector to the light receiver is blocked by the powder or granular material. The monitor device 9 is electrically connected to the measurement probe 6 and acquires measurement information from the measurement probe 6. The monitor device 9 is, for example, composed of a computer, and calculates the particle diameter of the powder or granular material from the measurement information acquired from the measurement probe 6, generates a particle size distribution, and outputs the measurement information to a display or the like or stores it in a storage device.

[0023] Guide 8 guides the powder moving in a swirling manner within container 31 to measurement section 63 of measurement probe 6. Fig. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the configuration of guide 8. As shown in Figs. 1 and 3, guide 8 includes a cone 81 disposed within container 31, and an elevator 80 that moves cone 81 up and down.

[0024] Cone 81 has a conical shape that gradually expands in diameter downward. Cone 81 is disposed within container 31 coaxially with container 31. The lower end of cone 81 is the maximum diameter portion of cone 81. The maximum diameter of cone 81 is preferably 1 / 2 to 3 / 4 of the diameter of the upper portion of container 31 (i.e., the maximum diameter of container 31). The vertical position of the lower end of cone 81 is preferably above tube portion 33 and below the boundary between the upper and lower portions of container 31. The vertical position of the lower end of cone 81 disposed within container 31 in this manner is within the vertical range of the lower portion of container 31 that has an inverted cone shape.

[0025] A cross section perpendicular to the vertical direction of the vessel 31 is defined as a flow path cross section. The flow path cross-sectional area of ​​the vessel 31 is narrowed at the vertical position of the lower end of the cone 81. For ease of explanation, the gap between the lower end of the cone 81 and the inner wall of the vessel 31 is referred to as a "throttled portion 70." The area of ​​the throttle portion 70 becomes smaller as the cone 81 descends, and becomes larger as the cone 81 ascends.

[0026] The lifting device 80 includes a lifting shaft 82 connected to a cone 81 and extending in the vertical direction, and a cylinder 85 that houses the lifting shaft 82. A bearing 86 is interposed between the lifting shaft 82 and the cylinder 85, and the lifting shaft 82 can move in the insertion / removal direction, i.e., in the vertical direction, relative to the cylinder 85. A rack gear 83 is provided on the lifting shaft 82. The rack gear 83 is engaged with a pinion gear 88 supported by the cylinder 85. The pinion gear 88 is connected to an operating shaft 87 that penetrates the wall of the container 31. An operating handle 89 is provided on a portion of the operating shaft 87 that extends outward from the container 31. By rotating the operating handle 89, the operating shaft 87 and the pinion gear 88 connected thereto rotate integrally, and the lifting shaft 82 and the cone 81 connected thereto rise or fall. Although the lifting device 80 according to this embodiment is a manual mechanism using a rack and pinion, the form of the lifting device 80 is not limited to this embodiment as long as it can raise and lower the cone 81. The lifting device 80 may include an electric motor or a fluid pressure cylinder as an actuator.

[0027] The operation of the separation system 10 having the above configuration will be described.

[0028] Before using the separation system 10, a trial run is performed to adjust at least one of the vertical position of the cone 81 and the position and orientation of the measurement part 63 of the measurement probe 6. Preferably, the above adjustments are performed so that the particle concentration of the powder or granular material flow passing through the measurement part 63 becomes an appropriate concentration that can be measured by the measurement probe 6.

[0029] In the cyclone separator 21, the mixed fluid that flows into the outer cylinder 1 from the inlet duct 2 moves downward while swirling in a spiral along the inner wall of the outer cylinder 1. Since the inner diameter of the outer cylinder 1 gradually decreases toward the bottom, the diameter of the spiral drawn by the mixed fluid decreases toward the bottom. At or near the bottom end of the outer cylinder 1 where the diameter of the spiral is smallest, the flow of the gas reverses and starts to rise. The gas rises through the center of the swirling flow and is discharged to the outside through the inner cylinder 5 and the exhaust duct 7. On the other hand, the powder and granular material in the mixed fluid, which has a higher specific gravity than the gas, moves downward along the inner wall of the outer cylinder 1 by centrifugal force after being separated from the gas, and flows into the container 31 from the powder and granular material outlet 16 of the outer cylinder 1. The powder and granular material that enters the container 31 eventually falls to the bottom of the container 31 (i.e., above the valve of the damper 32) and settles, but until then, it moves inside the container 31 with high energy. The powder or granular material entering the container 31 from the powder or granular material outlet 16 of the outer cylinder 1 enters the container 31 with the momentum of the spiral flow, so that the powder or granular material gradually loses momentum while swirling in the container 31 and falls to the bottom of the container 31.

[0030] The flow of powder or granular material swirling inside the container 31 gradually converges before reaching the throttle section 70 due to the flow path cross section being gradually narrowed by the cone 81. Because the cone 81 of the guide 8 is conical, the flow of powder or granular material swirling inside the container 31 converges uniformly in the circumferential direction. This makes it easy to position the measuring section 63 in the converged flow of powder or granular material. The powder or granular material flows stably into the measuring section 63, which is positioned in the flow of powder or granular material that converges at the throttle section 70.

[0031] In the measurement device 3, the vertical position of the cone 81, the position of the measurement unit 63 of the measurement probe 6, and the orientation of the measurement unit 63 can be adjusted even during operation. In a separation system 10 that handles a wide variety of products, these can be adjusted for each product type. By adjusting at least one of the vertical position of the cone 81, the position of the measurement unit 63 of the measurement probe 6, and the orientation of the measurement unit 63, the concentration of the powder or granular material passing through the measurement unit 63 (i.e., the number per unit time) can be adjusted to an appropriate concentration that can be measured by the measurement probe 6. For example, the vertical position of the cone 81 is adjusted so that the capture rate of the powder or granular material in the measurement unit 63 is good, and the measurement unit 63 is placed in a position suitable for measurement with respect to the cone 81 after the position adjustment.

[0032] [Summary] The separation system 10 according to the first aspect of the present disclosure comprises: A cyclone separator 21 that separates powder and granular material from a mixed fluid containing gas and powder and granular material; a container 31 having a truncated cone-shaped portion whose diameter gradually decreases toward the bottom, connected to the powder outlet 16 of the cyclone separator 21, into which the powder separated by the cyclone separator 21 falls while rotating; A cone 81 disposed within the container 31; It has a measuring section 63 arranged downstream of the flow of powder or granular material that has passed between the lower end of the cone 81 and the inner wall of the container 31, and is equipped with a measuring probe 6 that measures the particle diameter of the powder or granular material passing through the measuring section 63.

[0033] In the separation system 10 configured as described above, the powder or granular material flow that falls in a spiral inside the container 31 gradually converges as it moves through the space between the container 31 and the cone 81. It is clear that the powder or granular material flow converges at the lower end of the cone 81, and by arranging the measurement part 63 immediately below the lower end of the cone 81, the powder or granular material flow is guided to the measurement part 63 of the measurement probe 6. As a result, the measurement probe 6 can perform stable measurement.

[0034] The separation system 10 according to the second aspect is the separation system 10 according to the first aspect, further comprising a lifting device 80 that lifts and lowers a cone 81.

[0035] By raising and lowering the cone 81 with the lifting device 80, the particle concentration of the powder or granular material flow passing through the measurement section 63 can be adjusted to an appropriate concentration that can be measured by the measurement probe 6.

[0036] The separation system 10 according to the third item is the separation system 10 according to the first or second item, in which the measurement probe 6 is supported by the container 31 so that the measurement portion 63 of the measurement probe 6 is displaceable.

[0037] This makes it possible to adjust the position of the measurement part 63 so that the particle concentration of the powder or granular material flowing through the measurement part 63 becomes an appropriate concentration that can be measured by the measurement probe 6.

[0038] The measurement method according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure includes: Separating the powder particles from the mixed fluid flow containing gas and powder particles in a cyclone separator 21; The powder and granular material separated in the cyclone separator 21 is introduced into a container 31 having a truncated cone-shaped portion whose diameter gradually decreases toward the bottom. A cone 81 is disposed in the container 31 to converge the flow of powder and granular material in the container 31; and This involves disposing a measuring portion 63 of a measuring probe 6 in the convergent powder or granular flow and measuring the particle diameter of the powder or granular material passing through the measuring portion 63.

[0039] According to the measuring method configured as above, the flow of powder or granular material falling in a spiral inside the container 31 gradually converges as it moves through the space between the container 31 and the cone 81. It is clear that the flow of powder or granular material converges at the lower end of the cone 81, and by arranging the measuring part 63 immediately below the lower end of the cone 81, the flow of powder or granular material is guided to the measuring part 63 of the measuring probe 6. As a result, the measuring part 63 can perform stable measurement.

[0040] The functions performed by the monitor device 9 described herein may be implemented in circuitry or processing circuitry, including general purpose processors, application specific processors, integrated circuits, ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), CPUs (Central Processing Units), conventional circuits, and / or combinations thereof, programmed to perform the described functions. Processors include transistors and other circuits and are considered to be circuitry or processing circuitry. A processor may be a programmed processor that executes a program stored in a memory. In this specification, a circuitry, unit, or means is hardware that is programmed to perform or executes the described functions. The hardware may be any hardware disclosed in this specification or any hardware that is programmed to perform or is known to perform the described functions. If the hardware is a processor, which is considered to be a type of circuitry, the circuitry, means, or unit is a combination of hardware and software used to configure the hardware and / or processor.

[0041] The above discussion of the present disclosure has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the form disclosed herein. For example, in the above detailed description, various features of the present disclosure are grouped together in one embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the present disclosure, but some of the features may be combined. In addition, the features included in the present disclosure may be combined into alternative embodiments, configurations, or aspects other than those discussed above. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 6: Measurement probe 10: Separation system 16: Powder outlet 21: Cyclone separator 22: Recovery device 31: Container 63: Measuring part 80: Lifting device 81: Corn

Claims

1. A cyclone for separating the powder and granular material from a mixed fluid containing the gas and the powder and granular material; a container having a truncated cone-shaped portion whose diameter gradually decreases toward the bottom, the container being connected to a powder / granular material outlet of the cyclone, into which the powder / granular material separated by the cyclone falls while swirling; a cone disposed within the container; a measuring probe having a measuring section arranged downstream of the flow of the powder or granular material that has passed between the lower end of the cone and the inner wall of the container, and for measuring the particle diameter of the powder or granular material passing through the measuring section; Separation system.

2. A lifting device for lifting and lowering the cone is provided. The separation system of claim 1 .

3. The measurement probe is supported on the container so that the measurement portion of the measurement probe is displaceable. A separation system according to claim 1 or 2.

4. Separating the particulate matter from a mixed fluid flow comprising gas and particulate matter in a cyclone; The powder or granular material separated by the cyclone is allowed to flow into a container having a truncated cone-shaped portion whose diameter gradually decreases toward the bottom; Converging the flow of the powder in the vessel with a cone disposed in the vessel; and and disposing a measurement portion of a measurement probe in the converged flow of powder or granular material to measure the particle diameter of the powder or granular material passing through the measurement portion. Measurement method.

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