Waste wood disposal equipment

Abstract

To provide a waste wood processing device that can easily and inexpensively process waste wood into a form that can be reused. [Solution] The waste wood processing device 1 includes a steam heating container 2 that stores steam from a steam turbine 6 of a power generation facility P and heats the waste wood T that is brought in with the steam, a crusher 4 that crushes the waste wood T heated in the steam heating container 2, and a conveyor 3 that brings the waste wood T into the steam heating container 2 and transports the waste wood T from the steam heating container 2 to the crusher 4.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a waste wood treatment apparatus that treats waste wood with steam from a steam turbine provided in a power generation facility of a power plant.

Background Art

[0002] For example, there is a thermal power plant as a power plant, and an example of the power generation facility of the thermal power plant is shown in FIG. 5. This power generation facility P1 includes a boiler 5, a steam turbine 6, a power generation device 7, and a condenser 8.

[0003] In the power generation facility P1, the boiler 5 heats the condensate from the condenser 8 with the heat generated by burning fuel (natural gas, coal, oil, etc.), and sends the generated high-pressure steam to the steam turbine 6. The steam turbine 6 is rotationally driven by the high-pressure steam from the boiler 5. Then, the power generation device 7 generates electricity by the rotational drive of the steam turbine 6.

[0004] On the other hand, the steam discharged from the steam turbine 6 is depressurized by an auxiliary machine 9 (for example, an ejector-type air extractor or a vacuum pump) and sent to the condenser 8. The condenser 8 cools the steam discharged from the auxiliary machine 9 to generate condensate. The generated condensate is sent to the boiler 5.

[0005] By the way, the electric power generated in the power generation facility P1 is sent from the power generation facility P1 to a plurality of substations via transmission lines, and then sent from the substations to factories and households via distribution lines. When transmission and distribution lines are constructed in mountainous areas or forest areas, trees may come into contact with the erected transmission and distribution lines, causing power outage accidents. Therefore, the process of felling trees approaching the transmission and distribution lines is regularly performed. The waste wood generated by such felling processes has conventionally been piled up locally or treated as industrial waste, and finally incinerated or landfilled, and the development of an effective recycling method has been demanded.

[0006] One method for reusing waste wood is to turn it into wood chips or wood flour. In this case, in order to extract cellulose, which is the raw material for wood chips and wood flour, from the waste wood, it is necessary to partially decompose and remove the lignin that binds the cellulose together. Conventionally, lignin was removed using large amounts of energy and chemicals under high temperature and high pressure conditions, but such processing methods emit large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is an environmental problem. Therefore, as a milder and more environmentally friendly processing method, a method of breaking down the lignin bonds using steam has been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of reusing trees damaged by natural disasters, etc., by steam explosion (softening treatment) to destroy the wood tissue from the inside. Non-Patent Document 1 discloses a method of modifying woody biomass by eluting lignin through steam treatment using superheated steam, and then reusing it as fuel. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0007] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2014-019636 [Non-patent literature]

[0008] [Non-Patent Document 1] Ryusuke Baba et al., "Study on Strength and Reduction of Crushing Energy of Woody Biomass by Steam Reformation," Tokyo University of Agriculture Journal of Agriculture, 53(1), 27-31 (2008). [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0009] However, the steam-based treatment method mentioned earlier requires generating high-temperature, high-pressure steam in a boiler or similar device, and then using that steam to heat waste wood in a sealed container for a certain period of time. This necessitates large-scale processing facilities for practical use, resulting in high costs and labor. Consequently, practical implementation has not yet progressed.

[0010] The objective of this invention is to solve the aforementioned problems and provide a waste wood processing device that can easily and inexpensively process waste wood into a form that can be reused. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To solve the aforementioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is a waste wood processing device comprising: a steam heating container for storing steam from a steam turbine of a power generation facility and heating the waste wood brought in with the steam; a crusher for crushing the waste wood heated in the steam heating container; and a conveyor for bringing the waste wood into the steam heating container and transporting the waste wood from the steam heating container to the crusher.

[0012] In the invention of claim 1, the waste wood processing device is installed downstream of the steam turbine of an existing power generation facility. The waste wood that is brought in is heated in a steam heating container with steam from the steam turbine. The waste wood is transported by a conveyor.

[0013] The invention of claim 2 is characterized in that, in the waste wood processing apparatus described in claim 1, the conveyor comprises a guide rail extending substantially from the steam heating vessel to the crusher, and a gondola that carries the waste wood and travels along the guide rail, and the steam heating vessel comprises an opening and closing door for inserting and removing the gondola, and a steam pipe for drawing steam from the steam turbine.

[0014] The invention of claim 3 is characterized in that, in the waste wood processing apparatus described in claim 2, the gondola is provided with a bottom plate that can be opened and closed at its lower part, and the heated waste wood is fed into the crusher by opening the bottom plate downward.

[0015] The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that, in the waste wood processing apparatus described in any one of claims 1 to 3, mist is supplied to the steam heating container and the steam is made saturated steam. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the invention of claim 1, the waste wood processing device is added downstream of the steam turbine of an existing power generation facility and heats the waste wood with steam from the steam turbine, eliminating the need to install a new device for supplying high-pressure, high-temperature steam. Furthermore, since the waste wood processing device is equipped with a conveyor that transports the waste wood from the steam heating vessel to the crusher, a series of processing steps can be carried out smoothly. As a result, it becomes possible to process waste wood into a reusable form easily and at low cost. In addition, since the steam heating vessel is provided downstream of the steam turbine in the power generation facility, it becomes possible to omit the auxiliary equipment that is normally required to reduce the steam pressure from the steam turbine.

[0017] According to the invention of claim 2, a guide rail is provided from the steam heating container to the crusher on which a gondola carrying waste wood travels. Therefore, the dangerous and complicated processes of loading and unloading waste wood into the high-temperature, high-pressure steam heating container and transporting the heated waste wood to the crusher can be carried out safely and easily.

[0018] According to the invention of claim 3, the high-temperature waste wood placed on the bottom plate can be fed into the shredder simply by opening the bottom plate provided at the bottom of the gondola downwards. Therefore, it becomes possible to handle heated waste wood safely and easily.

[0019] According to the invention of claim 4, the steam in the steam heating container becomes saturated steam when mist is supplied. Therefore, the temperature and pressure can be easily adjusted, and waste wood can be heated quickly and uniformly at the desired pressure and temperature. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0020] [Figure 1] This figure shows a schematic configuration of a power generation facility including a waste wood processing device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 1 shows an example of a steam heating container used in the waste wood processing device ((A-1) front view, (B-1) side view). [Figure 3]It is a diagram ((A-1) & (A-2) front views, (B-1) & (B-2) side views) showing an example of a gondola of a conveyor used in the waste wood treatment device of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] It is a diagram ((A-1) to (A-3) front views, (B-1) to (B-3) side views) for explaining the flow of the treatment in the waste wood treatment device of FIG. 1. [Figure 5] It is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a power generation facility of a conventional thermal power plant.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Next, embodiments of this invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, components that are the same as or considered the same as those of FIG. 5 described above are given the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

[0022] The waste wood treatment device 1 according to this embodiment is used in the power generation facility P shown in FIG. 1. In this power generation facility P, the waste wood treatment device 1 is installed between the outlet of the steam turbine 6 and the inlet of the condenser 8. That is, the waste wood treatment device 1 is installed downstream of the steam turbine 6. The waste wood treatment device 1 is a device that heats the waste wood T carried in by the steam from the steam turbine 6 and then crushes it and processes it into a form that can be reused. The waste wood treatment device 1 includes a steam heating container 2, a conveyor 3, and a crusher 4.

[0023] The steam heating container 2 is a device that stores the steam from the steam turbine 6 of the power generation facility P and heats the carried-in waste wood T with that steam. The shape of the steam heating container 2 is not particularly limited, but in this embodiment, it is in the shape of a horizontally long tank. As the steam heating container 2, for example, a pressure tank can be used. As shown in FIG. 2, the steam heating container 2 includes opening and closing doors 21a, 21b, a steam pipe 22, an exhaust pipe 23, a drain pipe 24, and a mist supply pipe 25. Note that FIG. 2(A-1) is a front view of the steam heating container 2, and FIG. 2(B-1) is a side view thereof.

[0024] The opening and closing doors 21a and 21b are doors provided at the front and rear of the steam heating vessel 2 for loading or unloading waste wood T (the gondola 32 on which the waste wood T is placed) into or out of the steam heating vessel 2. The way in which the opening and closing doors 21a and 21b are opened is not particularly limited. As a general rule, the opening and closing doors 21a and 21b are kept closed while heating is being performed inside the steam heating vessel 2, and opened when loading waste wood T into the steam heating vessel 2 and when unloading waste wood T from the steam heating vessel 2. When opening the opening and closing doors 21a and 21b, care must be taken to close the valve of the steam pipe 22 (described later) to stop the intake of steam from the steam turbine 6. This is because the steam from the steam turbine 6 is at high temperature and pressure, and it is dangerous to open the opening and closing doors 21a and 21b while drawing that steam into the steam heating vessel 2.

[0025] In this embodiment, the waste wood T is transported into the steam heating container 2 (with the gondola 32) while placed on a gondola 32 (described later), and then transported out of the steam heating container 2. Therefore, the opening and closing doors 21a and 21b are sized (width and height) to allow the gondola 32 to enter and exit, and the steam heating container 2 has a capacity (width, height, and length) that can accommodate the gondola 32 inside.

[0026] Steam pipe 22 is a pipe for drawing steam from the steam turbine 6 into the steam heating vessel 2. Steam pipe 22 is equipped with a valve (not shown) that allows for adjustment of the steam intake from the steam turbine 6. Specifically, when waste wood T is brought into the steam heating vessel 2 and heated, the valve is opened to draw in steam, and when the heating process is completed, the valve is closed to stop the steam intake.

[0027] The mist supply pipe 25 is a pipe for supplying mist into the steam heating container 2. The mist is supplied along with the steam from the steam turbine 6 when the waste wood T is being heat-treated. As a result, the steam in the steam heating container 2 becomes saturated steam, allowing the waste wood T to be heated quickly and uniformly at the desired pressure and temperature. The mist supply pipe 25 is equipped with a valve (not shown) that allows the supply of mist to be adjusted. Specifically, when the heat treatment is performed (i.e., when steam is drawn in from the steam pipe 22), the valve is opened to supply mist, and when the heat treatment is completed (i.e., when the drawing in steam from the steam pipe 22 is stopped), the valve is closed to stop the supply of mist.

[0028] The exhaust pipe 23 and the drain pipe 24 are pipes for discharging steam and extracts generated when heating waste wood T inside the steam heating container 2 to the outside of the container 2.

[0029] The conveyor 3 is a device for transporting the waste wood T to be processed into the steam heating container 2, and then transporting the heated waste wood T from the steam heating container 2 to the crusher 4, which will be described later. As shown in Figure 4, the conveyor 3 used in this embodiment is equipped with a guide rail 31 and a gondola 32.

[0030] The guide rail 31 is laid so as to extend almost from the steam heating container 2 to the crusher 4 and is a rail that enables the movement of the gondola 32. As shown in Figures 4(B-1) and (B-3), the guide rail 31 used in this embodiment has a recess in the center in the width direction for the movement of the wheels 323 of the gondola 32.

[0031] Here, the statement that the guide rail 31 "extends substantially from the steam heating container 2 to the crusher 4" means that the guide rail 31 is not composed of a single continuous rail extending from the steam heating container 2 to the crusher 4. Specifically, as shown in Figure 4, the guide rail 31 is configured to be separable at the front and rear of the steam heating container 2, and has at least a portion (first part) 31a located in front of the front opening / closing door 21a of the steam heating container 2, a portion (second part) 31b located inside the steam heating container 2, and a portion (third part) 31c extending from the outside of the rear opening / closing door 21b of the steam heating container 2 to the crusher 4. By default, each part of the guide rail 31 (the first to third parts) is separated, and when loading the gondola 32 carrying the waste wood T into or out of the steam heating container 2, the part located inside the steam heating container 2 (the second part) 31b and the parts located outside the steam heating container 2 (the first or third part) 31a, 31c can be connected.

[0032] The gondola 32 is a mobile vehicle that carries waste wood T and travels along the guardrail 31. As shown in Figure 3, the gondola 32 used in this embodiment is a horizontally elongated rectangular box and comprises a gondola body 321, a lever 322, wheels 323, a bottom plate 324, and a hinge 325. Figure 3(A-1) is a front view of the gondola 32 with the bottom plate 324 closed, Figure 3(B-1) is a side view thereof, Figure 3(A-2) is a front view of the gondola 32 with the bottom plate 324 open downwards, and Figure 3(B-2) is a side view thereof.

[0033] The lever 322 is provided on the first longitudinal side edge 321a at the bottom of the gondola body 321 and is for connecting the bottom plate 324 to the gondola body 321. Multiple levers 322 may be provided at predetermined intervals depending on the longitudinal length of the gondola 32.

[0034] The wheels 323 are provided on the underside of the first and second longitudinal side edges 321a and 321b at the bottom of the gondola body 321, and engage with a recess provided in the center of the width direction of the guide rail 31, enabling the gondola 32 to travel along the guide rail 31. Multiple wheels 323 may be provided at predetermined intervals depending on the longitudinal length of the gondola 32.

[0035] The base plate 324 is a roughly rectangular plate approximately the same size as the top surface of the gondola body 321. The base plate 324 is provided at the bottom of the gondola 32 so as to be openable and closable. More specifically, the first longitudinal end (long side) 324a of the base plate 324 is attached to the first longitudinal edge 321a at the bottom of the gondola body 321 via a lever 322 so as to be connectable (openable and closable), and the second longitudinal end (long side) 324b of the base plate 324 is attached to the second longitudinal edge 321b at the bottom of the gondola body 321 via a hinge 325 or the like. When the lever 322 is operated to release the connection between the first longitudinal end 324a and the first longitudinal edge 321a at the bottom of the gondola body 321, the base plate 324 opens downward.

[0036] The opening and closing of the bottom plate 324 is as follows: First, with the bottom plate 324 closed, the waste wood T is placed on the gondola 32. Next, with the bottom plate 324 still closed, the gondola 32 is moved into the steam heating container 2 and heated (in other words, the waste wood T, while still on the gondola 32, is moved into the steam heating container 2 and heated by steam). Next, with the bottom plate 324 still closed, the gondola 32 is moved out of the steam heating container 2 (in other words, the heated waste wood T, while still on the gondola 32, is moved out of the steam heating container 2) and transported to the crusher 4. Then, the bottom plate 324 is opened downwards, and the heated waste wood T is fed from the gondola 32 into the crusher 4. In other words, the bottom plate 324 is designed to open downwards to feed the heated waste wood T inside the gondola 32 into the crusher 4, and is closed at other times.

[0037] The crusher 4 is a device for crushing (grinding) heated waste wood T into chips (small pieces) or powder, and a known crusher such as a cutter mill can be used.

[0038] The wood chips and wood powder produced by the crusher 4 can be reused as fuel or as industrial raw materials to create new products. For example, the wood powder can be mixed with plastics such as polypropylene to create new composite materials.

[0039] The above describes the configuration of the waste wood processing device 1. Next, the operation of the waste wood processing device 1 will be explained using Figure 4. Figure 4(A-1) is a front view showing the process of placing waste wood T on the gondola 32, and Figure 4(B-1) is a side view thereof. Figure 4(A-2) is a front view showing the process of moving the gondola 32 into the steam heating container 2 and heating it with steam, and Figure 4(B-2) is a side view thereof. Figure 4(A-3) is a front view showing the process of feeding waste wood T from the gondola 32 into the crusher 4, and Figure 4(B-3) is a side view thereof.

[0040] The waste wood T, such as felled trees, is placed on the bottom plate 324 of the gondola 32 of the conveyor 3 (see Figures 4(A-1) and (B-1)). The valve of the steam pipe 22 of the steam heating vessel 2 is closed to stop the intake of steam from the steam turbine 6, and then the front opening / closing door 21a of the steam heating vessel 2 is opened. The first part 31a and the second part 31b of the guide rail 31 are connected, the gondola 32 is moved into the steam heating vessel 2, the connected first part 31a and second part 31b are disconnected again, and the front opening / closing door 21a of the steam heating vessel 2 is closed (see Figures 4(A-2) and (B-2)).

[0041] The valve of the steam pipe 22 of the steam heating vessel 2 is opened to draw in steam from the steam turbine 6, and the valve of the mist supply pipe 25 is opened to supply mist. The waste wood T placed on the gondola 32 is then heated with the steam saturated by the mist (saturated steam). In other words, the waste wood T is heated while it is placed on the gondola 32 (the gondola 32 as a whole). This eliminates the need to unload the waste wood T from the gondola 32 or load the heated waste wood T onto the gondola 32. The heating time is not particularly limited, but for example, it can be heated for about 20 minutes. The steam generated by the heating process is discharged from the exhaust pipe 23, and the extract produced by the heating process is discharged from the drain pipe 24 (see Figures 4 (A-2) and (B-2)).

[0042] After the heating process is complete, the valves on the steam pipe 22 and mist supply pipe 25 of the steam heating vessel 2 are closed to stop the intake of steam from the steam turbine 6 and the supply of mist, and then the rear door 21b of the steam heating vessel 2 is opened. The second part 31b and the third part 31c of the guide rail are connected, the gondola 32 on which the heated waste wood T is placed is removed from the steam heating vessel 2, the connected second part 31b and the third part 31c are disconnected again, and the rear door 21b of the steam heating vessel 2 is closed (see Figures 4 (A-3) and (B-3)).

[0043] The heated waste wood T is placed on a gondola 32 which is transported along the third part 31c of the guide rail 31 to the crusher 4. A lever 322 provided on the first longitudinal edge 321a at the bottom of the gondola body 321 is activated (opened) to release the connection between the first longitudinal end 324a of the bottom plate 324 and the gondola body 321, opening the first longitudinal end 324a of the bottom plate 324 downwards and feeding the heated waste wood T into the crusher 4 (see Figures 4(A-3), (B-3)). The crusher 4 crushes (grinds) the heated waste wood T into chips or powder.

[0044] As described above, according to this embodiment, the waste wood processing device 1 is added downstream of the steam turbine 6 of the existing power generation equipment P, and since the waste wood T is heated by steam from the steam turbine 6, there is no need to install a new device for supplying high-pressure, high-temperature steam. Furthermore, since the waste wood processing device 1 is equipped with a conveyor 3 (specifically, a guide rail 31 and a gondola 32) that transports the waste wood T from the steam heating container 2 to the crusher 4, a series of processing operations can be carried out smoothly. As a result, it becomes possible to process the waste wood T into a form that can be reused easily and at low cost. In addition, since the steam heating container 2 is provided downstream of the steam turbine 6 in the power generation equipment P, it becomes possible to omit the auxiliary equipment 9 that is normally required to reduce the steam pressure from the steam turbine 6.

[0045] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, a guide rail 31 is provided from the steam heating container 2 to the crusher 4 on which the gondola 32 carrying the waste wood T travels. Therefore, the dangerous and complicated processes of loading and unloading waste wood T into the high-temperature, high-pressure steam heating container 2 and transporting the heated waste wood T to the crusher 4 can be carried out safely and easily.

[0046] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the high-temperature waste wood T placed on the bottom plate 324 can be fed into the shredder 4 simply by opening the bottom plate 324 located at the bottom of the gondola 32 downwards. Therefore, the heated waste wood T can be handled safely and easily.

[0047] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the steam in the steam heating container 2 becomes saturated steam when mist is supplied. Therefore, temperature and pressure can be easily adjusted, and the waste wood T can be heated quickly and uniformly at the desired pressure and temperature.

[0048] Although embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments, and any design changes, etc., that do not depart from the gist of this invention are also included. For example, a guide rail 31 and a gondola 32 were used as the conveying machine 3, but other conveying machines such as a belt conveyor may also be used. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0049] 1. Waste wood disposal system 2. Steam heating vessel 21 Opening and closing doors 22 Steam pipes 3. Conveyor 31 Guide rails 32 Gondolas 324 Bottom plate 4. Crusher 6. Steam Turbine P Power Generation Facility T Waste wood

Claims

1. A steam heating vessel that stores steam from the steam turbine of the power generation equipment and heats the waste wood brought in with the steam, A crusher for crushing waste wood heated in the aforementioned steam heating container, A conveying machine that transports the waste wood into the steam heating container and transports the waste wood from the steam heating container to the crusher, A waste wood processing device characterized by comprising the following:

2. The conveying machine comprises a guide rail that extends substantially from the steam heating container to the crusher, and a gondola that carries the waste wood and travels along the guide rail. The steam heating vessel comprises an opening and closing door for inserting and removing the gondola, and a steam pipe for drawing steam from the steam turbine. The waste wood processing device according to feature 1.

3. The aforementioned gondola is equipped with a bottom plate that can be opened and closed at the bottom, By opening the bottom plate downwards, the heated waste wood is fed into the shredder. The waste wood processing device according to feature 2.

4. Mist is supplied to the steam heating container to make the steam saturated steam. A waste wood processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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