Granulator and granulation system

Abstract

To provide a granulator for granulating an animal compost so as to be a desired particle size.SOLUTION: A granulator (1) includes: a cylindrical container (11) arranged in the lateral direction and including an animal compost entrance slot (12) formed at one end and an exhaust port (13) formed at the other end; a rotation shaft (14) arranged on the same axis in the center of the cylindrical container and rotatably supported; a spiral screw blade (15) arranged in the base end part of the rotation shaft; a plurality of stirring pins (16) spirally arranged in the tip of the rotation shaft; and a rotary motor (17) connected to the rotation shaft. A space (δ2) between the tip of the stirring pin and the inner wall (11a) of the cylindrical container is larger than a space (δ1) between the screw blade and the inner wall of the cylindrical container.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a granulating device and a granulating system for granulating animal compost. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes the following technology: "Multiple rotating shafts 8, 9, each with protruding members 10, 11 erected on its outer periphery, are housed in a granulation unit housing 22, which has an inlet 41 at one end for feeding the material to be granulated and an outlet 42 at the other end for discharging the produced granules, and is equipped with support members (23-29) that position the granulation unit housing 22 at an angle so that the outlet 42 side is higher, the material to be granulated fed from the inlet 41 is mixed by the protruding members 10, 11, the produced granules grow and are transported within the granulation unit housing 22 towards the outlet 42, and granules that have grown to a certain size or larger are preferentially discharged from the outlet 42. In addition, the size of the granules to be discharged is selected by adjusting the inclination angle of the granulation unit housing 22 with a support rod length adjustment device 26." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-189296 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, animal compost, which is made by fermenting livestock manure such as cow manure and chicken droppings, has a higher moisture content than powder, and it has been difficult to granulate it to have particle sizes within the desired size range.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and its object is to provide a granulation device and a granulation system that granulates animal compost to a desired particle size. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The granulation device of the first invention comprises a cylindrical container having an inlet for animal compost at one end and an outlet at the other end, a base that supports the cylindrical container in a horizontal position with the central axis of the cylindrical container extending horizontally, a rotating shaft that is arranged on the same axis as the central axis of the cylindrical container and supported so as to be freely rotatable, a spiral screw blade arranged at the base end of the rotating shaft, a plurality of stirring pins arranged spirally at the tip end of the rotating shaft, and a rotary motor connected to the rotating shaft, and is characterized in that the gap between the tip of the stirring pin and the inner wall is larger than the gap between the screw blade and the inner wall.

[0007] According to the present invention 1, a gap is provided between the tip of the stirring pin and the inner wall, so that a layer of animal compost can be formed on the inner wall of the cylindrical container during the stirring operation of the animal compost, and the particle size of the granular material can be adjusted to the desired size range.

[0008] In the granulation apparatus of the second invention, the base preferably has a configuration that supports the cylindrical container in an inclined position so that one end of the cylindrical container is higher than the other end. According to the second invention, by positioning the other end of the cylindrical container at a higher position than the one end, it is possible to adjust the residence time of the animal compost in the cylindrical container. Therefore, it is possible to increase the proportion of granules having the desired particle size.

[0009] In the granulation apparatus of the present invention 3, the inclination angle of the cylindrical container is preferably in the range of 2° [deg] to 4° [deg]. According to the present invention 3, by setting the inclination angle of the cylindrical container in the range of 2° [deg] to 4° [deg], the proportion of granules having the desired particle size can be increased.

[0010] The granulation system of the present invention 4 is a granulation system including the granulation apparatus of the present invention 1 and a size regulating device that regulates the size of granular material discharged from the granulation apparatus, and the size regulating device has a first size regulating section and a second size regulating section arranged with a step between the top and bottom. The first size regulating section and the second size regulating section each have a short-axis cylindrical body with a central axis extending from top to bottom, and a bottom plate that covers the underside of the body and is rotated counterclockwise in a plan view by a rotary motor, and the rotation directions of the bottom plates are opposite to each other. According to the present invention 4, when granular material is supplied from the first size regulating section to the second size regulating section, it is prevented from colliding with the granular material rotating within the body of the second size regulating section and bouncing up, and the granular material can be smoothly supplied to the second size regulating section.

[0011] The granulation system of Invention 5 has a passageway connecting the first sizing unit and the second sizing unit. This passageway has a sidewall that faces the rotation direction of the bottom plate of the first sizing unit, and the sidewall is inclined so as to move along the rotation direction of the bottom plate of the first sizing unit as it moves from the first sizing unit toward the second sizing unit. According to Invention 5, when granular material is discharged from the first sizing unit by the centrifugal force caused by the rotation within the body of the first sizing unit, the angle of collision with the sidewall can be made gentle, allowing the material to be smoothly supplied to the second sizing unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to the present invention, animal compost can be granulated to have particle sizes within a desired size range. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a granulating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 2] 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating gaps between the feeder section and the inner wall of the agitator section. [Figure 3] 10 is a graph showing the relationship between the coverage rate inside the cylinder and the granulation time. [Figure 4] 1 is a graph showing the relationship between the particle size ratio and granulation time depending on the inclination angle. [Figure 5]1 is a table showing the relationship between particle size ratio and granulation time according to the inclination angle. [Figure 6] 1 is a table showing the relationship between the rotation speed and particle size ratio during continuous operation. [Figure 7] 10 is a table showing the relationship between the hourly input amount and the percentage of a predetermined particle size. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the configuration of a granulation system having a granulation device. [Figure 9] FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. 4 is an enlarged view showing the structure of a connecting portion between the first sizing unit and the second sizing unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a diagram conceptually showing the structure of a particle size regulating device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the overall configuration of a granulating device according to this embodiment.

[0015] The granulating device 1 has a base 21 fixed to a floor surface GL and a cylindrical container 11 supported on a plurality of support legs 22 extending upward from the base 21. The device also has one rotating shaft 14 rotatably supported within the cylindrical container 11 and a rotary motor 17 connected to the rotating shaft 14.

[0016] The base 21 supports the cylindrical container 11 in a horizontal position so that the central axis of the cylindrical container 11 extends horizontally along the floor surface GL. The cylindrical container 11 is made of a metal plate member such as iron. The cylindrical container 11 has an inlet 12 for animal compost at one end and an outlet 13 for granular material at the other end. The diameter of the cylindrical container 11 is expanded via a step midway in the axial direction, so that the outlet 13 side has a larger diameter than the inlet 12 side. The cylindrical container 11 is arranged at an incline so that one end of the cylindrical container 11 is higher than the other end. The base 21 is configured to allow the inclination angle of the cylindrical container 11 to be changed between 0° and 4°.

[0017] The rotating shaft 14 is arranged on the same axis as the central axis of the cylindrical container 11. The rotating shaft 14 has a constant outer diameter and extends from one end to the other of the cylindrical container 11, and both ends are rotatably supported by the cylindrical container 11. A spiral screw blade 15 is arranged at the base end of the rotating shaft 14, and a plurality of stirring pins 16 are arranged spirally at the tip end of the rotating shaft 14. The rotating shaft 14 is rotated clockwise by a rotary motor 17.

[0018] The screw blade 15 is arranged at a position opposite the inlet 12, rotates integrally with the rotary shaft 14, and is configured to push the animal compost put into the cylindrical container 11 from the inlet 12 from one end side to the other end side of the cylindrical container 11.

[0019] The multiple stirring pins 16 are provided in a spiral shape to the other end of the cylindrical vessel 11 so as to be continuous with the screw blade 15. The stirring pins 16 are made of round rod members having a constant diameter, and are arranged so that their base ends are fixed to the rotating shaft 14 and their tips extend radially from the rotating shaft 14. The multiple stirring pins 16 are arranged in a spiral shape along the rotating shaft 14. When the length of the stirring pins 16, which is the outer diameter formed by the multiple stirring pins 16, is compared with the outer diameter of the screw blade 15, the length of the stirring pins 16 is greater than the outer diameter of the screw blade 15.

[0020] The interior of the cylindrical container 11 is divided into a feeder section in which a screw blade 15 is arranged and an agitation section in which an agitation pin 16 is arranged.

[0021] Figure 2 is a diagram explaining the gap between the feeder section and the inner wall of the stirring section, where Figure 2(A) is a diagram showing the gap between the screw blade and the inner wall in the feeder section, and Figure 2(B) is a diagram showing the gap between the stirring pin and the inner wall in the stirring section.

[0022] In the feeder section, a gap δ1 is formed between the inner wall 11a of the cylindrical container 11 and the tip of the screw blade 15, and in the stirring section, a gap δ2 is formed between the inner wall 11a of the cylindrical container 11 and the tip of the stirring pin 16.

[0023] The gap δ1 is set to a distance that allows the screw blades 15 to rotate smoothly within the cylindrical container 11 without contacting the inner wall 11a, so that the animal compost in the feeder section can be pushed out to the stirring section without any leakage.

[0024] Gap δ2 is set to a value larger than gap δ1 so that the animal compost can be deposited to form a layer of a predetermined thickness on the inner wall 11a of the cylindrical container 11. Because animal compost has a higher moisture content than ordinary powders, providing gap δ2 in the stirring section allows a layer of animal compost to be formed on the inner wall 11a of the cylindrical container 11 during stirring.

[0025] 3 is a graph showing the relationship between the coverage rate inside the cylinder and the granulation time, with the vertical axis representing the coverage rate inside the cylinder (%) and the horizontal axis representing the granulation time (minutes). The coverage rate inside the cylinder is the proportion of the area of ​​the inner wall of the cylindrical container 11 that is covered by animal compost; for example, if the entire inner wall is covered, it is 100%, and if there is no coverage at all, it is 0%. The coverage rate inside the cylinder is determined by visually observing the inside through a window (not shown) provided in the cylindrical container 11 to determine the state of coverage on the inner wall.

[0026] For example, if the amount of animal compost with a moisture content of 66% added per hour is 1 ton, and the rotation speed of the rotating shaft 14 is set to 170 rpm, 210 rpm, and 230 rpm, and the coverage rate is measured, as shown in Figure 3, the lower the rotation speed, the higher the coverage rate of the animal compost on the inner wall 11a, and the proportion of granular material with a desired particle size of 2 mm to 4 mm increases.

[0027] The moisture content was measured in accordance with the Compost Organic Matter Analysis Method (2010 edition) published by the Japan Soil Association. 1. Based on the moisture content, weigh 10g of compost into a 200ml beaker and dry at 105°C for 5 hours. Place the 200ml beaker in a desiccator and allow it to cool before weighing the bottle. Calculate the moisture content using the following formula (1). Moisture content (%) = (W1-W2) / (W1-W0)×100 (1) W0: Weight of weighing container W1: Weight of weighing container + sample W2: Weight of weighing container + dry sample

[0028] In the example shown in FIG. 3, a layer of animal compost is formed on the inner wall 11a of the cylindrical container 11 to a thickness of 6 mm to 12 mm, providing a high coverage rate.

[0029] The film thickness is thinner in the portion where the tip of the stirring pin 16 hits than in the portion where the tip of the pin does not hit, and thin and thick portions are alternately arranged in the axial direction of the cylindrical container 11. In this embodiment, the thin portion where the tip of the stirring pin 16 hits is measured. The film thickness is approximately the same as the gap (10 mm in this embodiment) between the tip of the stirring pin 16 and the inner wall 11a of the cylindrical container 11, and falls within the range of 7 mm to 12 mm. Furthermore, if the gap is 6 mm, the film thickness will be in the range of 6 mm to 10 mm.

[0030] The coverage rate of the animal compost on the inner wall 11a varies depending on the surface roughness of the inner wall 11a. For example, the coverage rate can be reduced by painting the inner wall 11a to reduce the surface roughness, while the coverage rate can be increased by leaving the inner wall 11a unpainted.

[0031] FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the ratio of a predetermined particle size and the granulation time according to the tilt angle, and FIG. 5 is a table showing the relationship between the ratio of a particle size and the granulation time according to the tilt angle. By changing the inclination angle of the cylindrical container 11, it is possible to adjust the residence time of the animal compost in the cylindrical container 11 and thereby adjust the particle size of the granules. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, when the inclination angle of the cylindrical container 11 is adjusted to 2° and 4° and the discharge outlet 13 side of the cylindrical container 11 is positioned higher than the input inlet 12 side, it is possible to increase the proportion of granules having a desired particle size of 2 mm to 4 mm compared to when the cylindrical container 11 is positioned horizontally. In particular, by increasing the inclination angle and extending the granulation time, it is possible to increase the proportion of granules having a particle size of 2 mm to 4 mm.

[0032] FIG. 6 is a table showing the relationship between the rotation speed in continuous operation and the ratio of a predetermined particle size. Figure 6 shows the measurement results of a sample taken after 20 minutes of continuous operation at the set rotation speed, with the moisture content of the animal compost at 57% and the input rate at 1 ton / hour. As shown in Figure 6, increasing the rotation speed of the rotating shaft can increase the proportion of granular material with a particle size of 2 mm to 4 mm.

[0033] FIG. 7 is a table showing the relationship between the hourly input amount and the percentage of a predetermined particle size. The measurement results shown in Figure 7 were obtained by setting the rotation speed of the rotating shaft 14 to 170 rpm and changing the amount of animal compost with a moisture content of 63% added per hour. As shown in Figure 7, it was found that the proportion of granular material with particle sizes of 2 mm to 4 mm increased as the amount added per hour decreased.

[0034] In the above-described granulation device 1, a gap δ2 is provided between the tip of the stirring pin 16 and the inner wall 11a, allowing a layer of animal compost to form on the inner wall 11a of the cylindrical container 11 during stirring of the animal compost, thereby increasing the proportion of granules having the desired particle size. In the granulation device 1, the base 21 is configured to support the cylindrical container 11 in an inclined position so that one end of the cylindrical container 11 is higher than the other end. This makes it possible to adjust the residence time within the cylindrical container, thereby increasing the proportion of granules having the desired particle size. In the granulation device 1, the inclination angle of the cylindrical container is set to a range of 2° to 4°, thereby increasing the proportion of granules having the desired particle size.

[0035] FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the configuration of a granulation system having the granulation device 1. As shown in FIG. The granulation system 100 has a hopper 2 into which animal compost is fed, a belt conveyor 3 that transports a fixed amount of animal compost discharged from the hopper 2 to the granulation device 1, the above-mentioned granulation device 1, a belt conveyor 4 that carries out the granular material discharged from the granulation device 1, and a sizing device 5 that sizes the granular material carried out by the belt conveyor 4. As shown in Fig. 8, the granulation system 100 has each component arranged so that the entire system is roughly U-shaped.

[0036] FIG. 9 is a side view of the particle size regulating device, and FIG. 10 is a plan view of the particle size regulating device. The sizing device 5 is a device that adjusts the shape of the granules granulated by the granulating device 1 to a shape closer to sphere. As shown in Fig. 9, the sizing device 5 has a two-stage structure in which two sizing units, a first sizing unit 52 and a second sizing unit 53, are connected in series. The first sizing unit 52 and the second sizing unit 53 are arranged with a step between them, with the first sizing unit 52 located at the top of the housing 51 and the second sizing unit 53 located below the first sizing unit 52.

[0037] The first granulation unit 52 has a short-axis cylindrical body with a central axis extending vertically, a bottom plate that closes the underside of the body, and a ring-shaped cover plate that is attached to the top of the body. As shown in FIG. 10, the bottom plate is driven to rotate counterclockwise in a plan view by a rotary motor. The rotation of the bottom plate causes the granular material introduced into the body to rotate along the inner circumferential surface of the body, and the shape is adjusted to a spherical shape. The cover plate is intended to prevent the granular material from flying out as it rotates within the body, and an inlet (not shown) is provided in the body for introducing the granular material.

[0038] 10, the second sizing unit 53 has the same structure as the first sizing unit 52, but differs in that it is driven to rotate clockwise in a plan view so that the rotation direction of the bottom plate is opposite to the rotation direction of the first sizing unit 52. By making the rotation directions of the bottom plates in the first sizing unit 52 and the second sizing unit 53 opposite to each other, when granular material is supplied from the first sizing unit 52 to the second sizing unit 53, it is possible to prevent the granular material from colliding with the granular material rotating within the body of the second sizing unit 53 and bouncing up, and to smoothly supply the granular material to the second sizing unit 53.

[0039] The body of the first sizing unit 52 is provided with a discharge port 55 for discharging the granular material. The discharge port 55 is formed in a position that opens toward the second sizing unit 53. The discharge port 56 of the second sizing unit 53 is formed in a position opposite to the first sizing unit 52, so that the sized granular material can be discharged from the discharge device 6.

[0040] FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing the structure of a passage portion connecting the first size regulating portion and the second size regulating portion. A passage 54 for supplying granular material from the first granulation section 52 to the second granulation section 53 is attached between the first granulation section 52 and the second granulation section 53 .

[0041] One end of the passage section 54 is connected to the discharge port 55 of the first sizing section 52, and the other end is connected to the inlet of the second sizing section 53. Of the pair of side walls of the passage section 54, the side wall 54a facing the rotation direction (counterclockwise) of the bottom plate of the first sizing section 52 is inclined so as to move along the rotation direction of the bottom plate of the first sizing section 52 as it moves from the first sizing section 52 toward the second sizing section 53.

[0042] If the side wall 54a were shaped to extend parallel to the line connecting the centers of the bodies of the first sizing unit 52 and the second sizing unit 53, there is a risk that the granular material would collide with the corner of the connection between the body of the first sizing unit 52 and the side wall 54a and become trapped. In contrast, in this embodiment, the side wall 54a is inclined and extends in a direction intersecting the line connecting the centers of the body of the first sizing unit 52 and the second sizing unit 53. Therefore, when the granular material is discharged from the first sizing unit 52 by the centrifugal force of the rotation within the body of the first sizing unit 52, the angle at which it collides with the side wall 54a is gentle, allowing it to be smoothly supplied to the second sizing unit 53.

[0043] FIG. 12 is a diagram conceptually showing the structure of the particle size regulating device. Partition plates 57 are detachably attached to the discharge outlet 55 of the first sizing unit 52 and the discharge outlet 56 of the second sizing unit 53, allowing the height position of the opening from the bottom plate to be adjusted. In the first sizing unit 52, the discharge outlet 55 is partially blocked by sequentially inserting multiple partition plates 57 into brackets 55a (see FIG. 11) from above the first sizing unit 52. The partition plates 57 block the lower part of the discharge outlet 55, leaving only the upper part of the discharge outlet 55 open. Similarly, in the second sizing unit 53, the discharge outlet 56 can be partially blocked by inserting a partition plate 57.

[0044] The granulation device 5 can adjust the residence time in the first granulation section 52 and the second granulation section 53 by changing the number of partition plates 57. Increasing the number of partition plates 57 can lengthen the residence time, and decreasing the number of partition plates 57 can shorten the residence time. When adjusting the shape of the granules discharged from the granulation device 1 to be closer to a spherical shape, the number of partition plates 57 is increased to lengthen the residence time.

[0045] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design modifications can be made within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0046] 1... granulation device, 5... sizing device, 11... cylindrical container, 12... inlet, 13... outlet, 14... rotating shaft, 15... screw blade, 16... stirring pin, 17... rotating motor, 21... base, δ1... gap between screw blade and inner wall, δ2... gap between stirring pin and inner wall

Claims

1. a cylindrical container having an animal compost inlet at one end and an outlet at the other end; a base that supports the cylindrical container in a horizontally inclined position so that the central axis of the cylindrical container extends horizontally; a rotating shaft that is rotatably supported and arranged on the same axis as the central axis of the cylindrical container; a spiral screw blade disposed at a base end of the rotary shaft; A plurality of stirring pins arranged in a spiral shape at the tip of the rotating shaft; a rotary motor connected to the rotary shaft, A granulating apparatus characterized in that the gap between the tip of the stirring pin and the inner wall of the cylindrical container is larger than the gap between the screw blade and the inner wall.

2. 2. The granulating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical container is disposed at an angle such that the other end is higher than the one end.

3. 3. The granulating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inclination angle of the cylindrical container is in the range of 2° to 4°.

4. A granulation system comprising the granulation apparatus according to claim 1 and a granulation apparatus for sizing granular material discharged from the granulation apparatus, The sizing device has a first sizing unit and a second sizing unit arranged with a step between them, The first sizing unit and the second sizing unit each have a short-axis cylindrical body with a central axis extending vertically, and a bottom plate that covers the underside of the body and is driven to rotate by a rotary motor, and the rotation directions of the respective bottom plates are opposite to each other so that they are clockwise and counterclockwise when viewed in a plane.

5. A passage portion connecting the first sizing unit and the second sizing unit is provided, The passage portion faces the rotation direction of the bottom plate of the first sizing unit, and has a side wall that is inclined so as to move along the rotation direction of the bottom plate of the first sizing unit as it moves from the first sizing unit toward the second sizing unit. The granulation system described in claim 4.

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