Sludge transport equipment

Abstract

To provide a sludge conveyance device that is capable of receiving sludge of different properties simultaneously and discharging the sludge after increasing the mixed degree of these sludge.SOLUTION: A sludge conveyance device 2 includes: a conveyor 70 that transports sludge in the axial direction; a receiving hopper 3 that is provided on the input port of the conveyor 70 and receives and temporarily stores the sludge; a first sludge supply pipe 4 that supplies the first sludge to the receiving hopper 3; and a second sludge supply pipe 5 that supplies the second sludge to the receiving hopper 3. Multiple first sludge receiving ports 68a connected to the first sludge supply tube 4 and multiple second sludge receiving ports 68b connected to the second sludge supply pipe 5 are provided on the upper part of the receiving hopper 3. These first sludge receiving ports 68a and second sludge receiving ports 68b are arranged respectively in a zigzag manner, and the first sludge receiving ports 68a and the second sludge receiving ports 68b are alternately arranged along a predetermined direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sludge transporting device, and more particularly to a sludge transporting device suitable for mixing two types of sludge having different properties and transporting the resulting mixture downstream. [Background technology]

[0002] Wastewater containing organic matter discharged from homes and other facilities is generally treated in sewage treatment facilities, and sewage sludge containing organic matter is generated during this process. When disposing of the sewage sludge, since it contains a large amount of water, it cannot be disposed of as is, and therefore, various treatments are currently being carried out, such as concentration and dehydration to reduce the volume, or further incineration or melting.

[0003] However, although incineration of sewage sludge reduces its volume and makes it harmless, it is difficult to recycle it by utilizing the energy and active ingredients contained in the sludge. Therefore, carbonization is being used as one of the methods for treating sewage sludge, which is expected to enable various effective uses of the products. Since sewage sludge contains approximately 45% by mass of carbon in its matrix, this carbonization process does not consume the carbon in the sludge as in incineration or melting processes, but rather involves thermally decomposing (carbonizing) the sludge in an oxygen-free or low-oxygen environment, leaving the carbon behind and generating a carbonized material (carbonized product) with a new composition.

[0004] Specifically, such charcoal is produced as granulated charcoal into a size of, for example, about several mm, using a carbonization treatment facility such as that shown in Patent Document 1. The charcoal thus obtained has physical properties similar to those of charcoal, and is currently used for applications such as fuel, fertilizer (soil conditioner), and aggregate for cement. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2006-089567 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Incidentally, in carbonization treatment facilities that produce carbonized material from sludge, sludge with different properties may be received and carbonized. Examples of sludge with different properties include "sewage sludge" and "human waste sludge." Furthermore, sewage sludge from different regions may have different properties. When receiving two types of sludge with different properties, the first sludge is first stored continuously in the receiving hopper located at the front of the carbonization treatment equipment, then the sludge type is switched and the second sludge is stored continuously in the receiving hopper. As a result, the two types of sludge with different properties are piled up in alternating layers in the receiving hopper and sent downstream from the receiving hopper without being sufficiently mixed, which causes a deterioration in the quality of the carbonized product generated and the stability of equipment such as dryers located downstream.

[0007] The present invention has been made against the background described above, and has as its object to provide a sludge transport device that can simultaneously receive sludge with different properties and discharge the sludge with an increased degree of mixing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] Thus, the sludge transport device of the present invention is a conveyor that transports sludge in an axial direction based on the rotational motion of a screw that is composed of a rotating shaft and a blade portion provided on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a receiving hopper provided at an inlet of the conveyor for receiving and temporarily storing the sludge; a first sludge supply pipe for supplying a first sludge to the receiving hopper; a second sludge supply pipe for supplying a second sludge to the receiving hopper; Equipped with a plurality of first sludge receiving inlets connected to the first sludge supply pipe and a plurality of second sludge receiving inlets connected to the second sludge supply pipe are provided at an upper portion of the receiving hopper; At least a portion of these first sludge receiving inlets and second sludge receiving inlets are arranged in a staggered pattern, and the first sludge receiving inlets and the second sludge receiving inlets are arranged alternately along a predetermined direction.

[0009] According to the sludge transporting device defined in this manner, it becomes possible to simultaneously receive the first sludge and the second sludge into the hopper through the first sludge receiving inlet and the second sludge receiving inlet. Furthermore, in the sludge transporting device of the present invention, by providing a plurality of first sludge receiving inlets and a plurality of second sludge receiving inlets, and arranging at least a portion of the first sludge receiving inlets and the second sludge receiving inlets alternately along a predetermined direction, it becomes possible to disperse the first sludge and the second sludge inlets in the receiving hopper, and the degree of mixing of the mixed sludge discharged from the sludge transporting device can be increased.

[0010] In the sludge transport device of the present invention, the first sludge receiving inlet and the second sludge receiving inlet can be arranged in a row along the rotation axis direction of the conveyor. In this way, the first sludge and the second sludge in the receiving hopper can be supplied to the conveyor evenly.

[0011] In the sludge transport device of the present invention, the conveyor may be configured to include four screws arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction, where the two inner screws located in the center transport the sludge toward the discharge outlet, and the two outer screws located on the outside transport the sludge in the opposite direction to the inner screws. The first sludge receiving inlet and the second sludge receiving inlet can be provided at outer positions not overlapping with the inner screw when projected in the up-down direction. This increases the distance the sludge in the hopper is transported by the conveyor until it is discharged, thereby improving the sludge mixing effect of the screw that constitutes the conveyor.

[0012] In the sludge transport apparatus of the present invention, a first sludge transport pump capable of adjusting a sludge supply amount is provided in the first sludge supply pipe, The second sludge supply pipe may be provided with a second sludge transport pump capable of adjusting the amount of sludge supply. In this way, the first sludge and the second sludge can be stably supplied to the receiving hopper in a desired ratio. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a carbonization treatment facility using a sludge transport device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the dryer in FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the carbonization furnace in FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a sludge transport device according to the embodiment, in which (A) is a cross-sectional view taken along the rotation axis direction of a conveyor, and (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of (A). [Diagram 5] FIG. 5(A) is a plan view of the sludge transport device in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5(B) is a diagram showing the arrangement of the sludge receiving inlet formed in the upper part of the hopper. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the sludge transport device taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 4(A). [Figure 7] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an arrangement of a sludge receiving inlet different from that shown in FIG. 5(B). DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 shows the overall configuration of a carbonization treatment facility using a sludge transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a carbonization treatment facility, and 2 is a sludge transport device equipped with a receiving hopper 3. In this example, the sludge transport device 2 has a first sludge supply pipe 4 and a second sludge supply pipe 5 connected to the top of the receiving hopper 3 so that it can simultaneously receive two types of sludge with different properties. In this example, dehydrated sludge (first sludge) that has been dehydrated to a moisture content of about 70 to 85% (usually about 80%) is received in the receiving hopper 3 through the first sludge supply pipe 4. Also, sewage sludge (second sludge) is received in the receiving hopper 3 through the second sludge supply pipe 5.

[0015] Here, a first sludge transport pump 6 is provided in the first sludge supply pipe 4, and a second sludge transport pump 7 is provided in the second sludge supply pipe 5. These sludge transport pumps 6, 7 are rotary positive displacement pumps that push and transport sludge contained in a cavity formed by a cylindrical stator and a rotor (not shown) inserted inside the stator forward as the rotor rotates, and the amount of sludge supplied to the receiving hopper 3 can be adjusted by inverter control.

[0016] The two types of sludge supplied to the receiving hopper 3 are mixed inside the sludge transporting device 2 and discharged from its discharge outlet. The specific configuration of the sludge transporting device 2 will be described in detail later.

[0017] The sludge (mixed sludge) discharged from the sludge conveying device 2 is sent via an intermediate storage tank 12 to a dryer 16 by a constant volume supply device 14 and a conveying device 15, where it is dried to a moisture content of approximately 35 to 45% (usually approximately 40%).

[0018] 2, the dryer 16 has an agitator shaft 20 inside the rotating drum 18. Here, the agitator shaft 20 is provided at a position eccentric to the center of the rotating drum 18, and a plurality of agitator blades 22 extend radially from the agitator shaft 20.

[0019] Meanwhile, a plurality of plate-shaped lifters 24 are provided at predetermined intervals on the inner peripheral surface of the rotating drum 18 in a state of rotating integrally with the rotating drum 18. As a result, the sludge inside the rotating drum 18 is lifted upward from the bottom by the lifters 24 as the rotating drum 18 rotates, and then falls under its own weight near the top. The fallen sludge is finely ground by the high-speed rotation of the agitating blades 22 located below, and falls to the bottom side of the rotating drum 18.

[0020] While being agitated in this way, the sludge inside the rotating drum 18 is exposed to the hot drying air introduced into the interior of the drum, and is dried, gradually reducing its moisture content. In the dryer 16, the sludge is gradually sent axially inside the rotating drum 18 due to the inclination of the rotating drum 18 and the crushing and scattering action caused by the agitating blades 22.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 1, the dried sludge after being dried in the dryer 16 is then transported by a transport device 26 to a carbonization furnace 28, where the sludge is carbonized by a carbonization process.

[0022] This carbonization furnace 28 is a furnace in which dried sludge is dehydrated and pyrolyzed in an oxygen-free or low-oxygen atmosphere, and as shown in Figure 3, a cylindrical rotating drum (retort) 32 serving as a carbonization container is provided inside the furnace body 30, and the dried sludge that has been dried in the previous dryer 16 is loaded into the rotating drum 32.

[0023] The charged dried sludge is first heated by the auxiliary burner (external heat chamber burner) 34 installed inside the furnace body 30, which heats the atmosphere inside the external heat chamber 35. Then, the combustible gas contained in the dried sludge escapes into the atmosphere in the external heat chamber 35 through the ejection pipe 33 installed in the rotating drum 32, and this combustible gas is ignited, and thereafter the sludge inside the rotating drum 32 is heated by the combustion of the combustible gas. At this stage, the combustion of the auxiliary burner 34 is stopped.

[0024] As shown in Fig. 3, an exhaust gas treatment chamber 31 separated from an external heat chamber 35 is provided inside the furnace body 30, and exhaust gas from the external heat chamber 35 is led here. An exhaust gas treatment chamber burner 37 is provided in this exhaust gas treatment chamber, and unburned gas in the exhaust gas led into the exhaust gas treatment chamber 31 is subjected to secondary combustion in this exhaust gas treatment chamber burner 37.

[0025] The sludge inside the rotary drum 32 gradually moves from the left end in the figure to the right as the rotary drum 32 rotates (the rotary drum 32 has a slight gradient), and finally the dry distillation residue (carbonized product) is discharged from the outlet 36 at the right end of the rotary drum 32 in the figure, that is, from the carbonization furnace 28. Through this carbonization process, the dried sludge is transformed into a carbonized product with fine pores that is about 30 to 50% carbon and the remainder inorganic matter.

[0026] In Fig. 1, 40 is a hot air generating furnace, and the hot air generated here is supplied to the dryer 16. The hot air supplied to the dryer 16 passes through this and a dust collector 42, and is further circulated by a circulation fan 44 to the hot air generating furnace 40 via a carbonization furnace exhaust gas heat exchanger 46 and a hot air stove exhaust gas heat exchanger 47.

[0027] In this circulation system, a portion of the hot air generated in the hot air generating furnace 40 is extracted through a branch passage 48 extending from the hot air generating furnace 40, passes through a hot air stove exhaust gas heat exchanger 47, and is released to the outside through a chimney 50 by a hot air stove exhaust gas fan 49. On the other hand, an exhaust gas passage 52 extends from the exhaust gas treatment chamber 31 of the carbonization furnace 28, and the exhaust gas from the carbonization furnace 28 is passed through the exhaust gas passage 52 by the carbonization furnace exhaust gas fan 54, passes through the carbonization furnace exhaust gas heat exchanger 46, and is released to the outside through the chimney 50.

[0028] Next, the sludge transporting device 2 of this embodiment will be described in detail. Figure 4 shows a schematic configuration of the sludge transporting device 2, with Figure 4(A) being a cross-sectional view along the rotation axis direction of the conveyor, and Figure 4(B) being a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of Figure 4(A). As shown in the figure, the sludge transporting device 2 includes a conveyor 70 for transporting sludge, a receiving hopper 3 provided at an inlet 81 of the conveyor 70 for receiving and temporarily storing the sludge, a first sludge supply pipe 4 for supplying the first sludge, and a second sludge supply pipe 5 for supplying the second sludge.

[0029] The first sludge supply pipe 4 includes a main pipe 61 extending horizontally above the receiving hopper 3, and five branch pipes 62 (specifically 62-1, 62-2, 62-3, 62-4, 62-5) extending downward from different axial positions of the main pipe 61. The five branch pipes 62 extend in alternately different directions, and the branch pipes 62-1, 62-3, 62-5 extend from the main pipe 61 obliquely downward to the right at an angle of approximately 45 degrees as viewed from the side shown in FIG. 4(B), then extend vertically downward and connect to the lid 3a of the receiving hopper 3. On the other hand, the branch pipes 62-2 and 62-4 extend from the main pipe 61 obliquely downward to the left at an angle of approximately 45 degrees, then extend vertically downward and connect to the lid 3a of the receiving hopper 3.

[0030] Like the first sludge supply pipe 4, the second sludge supply pipe 5 also includes a main pipe 65 extending horizontally above the receiving hopper 3 and five branch pipes 66 (specifically 66-1, 66-2, 66-3, 66-4, 66-5) extending downward from different axial positions of the main pipe 65. However, the extending directions of these five branch pipes 66 are opposite to those of the first sludge supply pipe 4. For example, looking at the third branch pipe 66-3 from the end of the main pipe 65, as shown in FIG. 4(B), the branch pipe 62-3 of the first sludge supply pipe 4 extends diagonally downward to the right from the main pipe 61, whereas the branch pipe 66-3 of the second sludge supply pipe 5 extends diagonally downward to the left from the main pipe 65 and then extends vertically downward to be connected to the lid 3a of the receiving hopper 3.

[0031] The lid 3a of the receiving hopper 3 is provided with sludge receiving inlets 68 connected to these branch pipes 62, 66. More specifically, five first sludge receiving inlets 68a connected to the branch pipe 62 of the first sludge supply pipe 4, and five second sludge receiving inlets 68b connected to the branch pipe 66 of the second sludge supply pipe 5 are provided. As shown in Figure 5, these ten sludge receiving inlets 68 are arranged in two rows to the right in the figure (along the direction of the rotation axis of the conveyor 70 described later). 5(B), the first sludge receiving inlets 68a and the second sludge receiving inlets 68b are arranged in a staggered pattern, with the first sludge receiving inlets 68a and the second sludge receiving inlets 68b arranged alternately along the rotational axis direction of the conveyor 70. The first sludge receiving inlets 68a and the second sludge receiving inlets 68b are also arranged alternately in the up-down direction in the figure, which is perpendicular to the rotational axis direction. In this example, by distributing the first sludge receiving inlet 68a and the second sludge receiving inlet 68b as described above, it is possible to prevent the first sludge or the second sludge from being unevenly distributed within the receiving hopper 3.

[0032] Next, the conveyor 70 will be described. The conveyor 70 transports sludge in the axial direction based on the rotational motion of the screws, and as shown in Figures 4 and 6, includes four screws 71, 72, 73, and 74 arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction, an outer cylinder member 80 that houses these screws, and a rotating means that applies a rotating force to the four screws.

[0033] The outer tube member 80 has a generally rectangular cylindrical cross section, and houses therein four screws 71, 72, 73, and 74. An inlet 81 that opens upward is formed in the upper wall of the outer tube member 80, and a receiving hopper 3 is attached to the inlet 81. Meanwhile, a discharge outlet 82 that opens downward is formed in one end side of the lower wall of the outer tube member 80 (the end on the right side in FIG. 4(A)). The discharge outlet 82 is provided at a position that overlaps with the inner screws 72 and 73 in a vertical projection view (see FIG. 6).

[0034] Each of the four screws 71, 72, 73, and 74 arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction includes a rotating shaft 75 and a blade portion 76 provided on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 75 in a spiral manner. As shown in FIG. 6, a sprocket 77 is fixed to the left end of the rotating shaft 75 of the outer screws 71 and 74, and a reducer 86 is connected to the sprocket 77 via a chain 85. Furthermore, a gear 78 is fixed to the rotation shaft 75 of the outer screws 71, 74, and a gear 79 that meshes with the gear 78 is provided on the rotation shaft 75 of the adjacent inner screws 72, 73.

[0035] In the conveyor 70 configured as above, the rotational driving force of the reducer 86 is first transmitted to the outer screws 71, 74, causing the outer screws 71, 74 to rotate. The rotational driving force is further transmitted to the inner screws 72, 73 via the gears 78, 79, causing the inner screws 72, 73 to rotate in the opposite direction to the outer screws 71, 74. The rotation direction of each screw is specified so that the two inner screws 72, 73 located at the center transport the sludge to the right in the figure toward the discharge outlet 82, and the two outer screws 71, 74 located on the outside transport the sludge to the left in the figure, away from the discharge outlet 82.

[0036] 6, the above-mentioned sludge receiving inlets 68a, 68b are provided at outer positions that do not overlap with the inner conveyors 72, 73 in a vertical projection view, and the sludge put into the hopper 3 is first transported by the outer screws 71, 74 to the left in the figure, away from the discharge outlet 82, and then transported by the inner conveyors 72, 73 toward the discharge outlet 82. Therefore, in this example, a longer transport distance is ensured compared to when the sludge is transported directly toward the discharge outlet 82, and the sludge is mixed by the screws during this distance, and the mixed sludge with a higher degree of mixing is discharged from the discharge outlet 82.

[0037] As described above, according to the sludge transport device 2 of this embodiment, the first sludge and the second sludge can be simultaneously received into the receiving hopper 3 through the first sludge receiving inlet 68a and the second sludge receiving inlet 68b. Furthermore, in the sludge transport device 2 of this embodiment, the first sludge receiving inlet 68a and the second sludge receiving inlet 68b are provided in plurality, the first sludge receiving inlet 68a and the second sludge receiving inlet 68b are arranged in a staggered pattern, and the first sludge receiving inlet 68a and the second sludge receiving inlet 68b are arranged alternately along a predetermined direction, so that the first sludge and the second sludge in the hopper can be dispersed within the receiving hopper, and the degree of mixing of the mixed sludge discharged from the sludge transport device 2 can be increased.

[0038] In the sludge conveying device 2 of this embodiment, the first sludge receiving inlet 68a and the second sludge receiving inlet 68b are arranged in a row along the rotational axis direction of the conveyor 70, so that the first sludge and second sludge in the receiving hopper 3 can be supplied to the conveyor 70 evenly.

[0039] In the sludge transport device 2 of this embodiment, the conveyor 70 is configured to include four screws arranged side by side in the horizontal direction, and the two inner screws 72, 73 located on the central side transport the sludge toward the discharge outlet 82, and the two outer screws 71, 74 located on the outside transport the sludge in the opposite direction to the inner screws 72, 73. The first sludge receiving port 68a and the second sludge receiving port 68b are provided in outer positions that do not overlap with the inner screws 72, 73 when projected in the vertical direction. By doing this, the sludge placed into the receiving hopper 3 is first transported away from the discharge outlet 82 by the outer screws 71, 74, and then transported toward the discharge outlet 82 by the inner screws 72, 73.This increases the distance the sludge is transported by the conveyor 70 until it is discharged from the discharge outlet 82, thereby improving the sludge mixing effect of the screws 71, 72, 73, and 74 that make up the conveyor 70.

[0040] In addition, in the sludge transport device 2 of this embodiment, a first sludge transport pump 6 capable of adjusting the sludge supply amount is provided in the first sludge supply pipe 4, and a second sludge transport pump 7 capable of adjusting the sludge supply amount is provided in the second sludge supply pipe 5, so that the first sludge and second sludge can be stably supplied to the receiving hopper 3 in the desired ratio.

[0041] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, these are merely examples. For example, in the above embodiment, five first sludge receiving inlets and five second sludge receiving inlets are provided, but the number of each sludge receiving inlet can be appropriately changed as shown in Fig. 7. In addition, in the above embodiment, all of the first sludge receiving inlets and all of the second sludge receiving inlets are arranged in a staggered pattern, but in some cases, it is also possible to adopt a configuration in which some of the first sludge receiving inlets and some of the second sludge receiving inlets are arranged in a staggered pattern. In addition, the present invention can be configured with a screw that transports sludge in the axial direction having multiple shafts other than one or four shafts, and it is also possible to adopt a screw with paddle-shaped blades.The present invention can be configured in various modified forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0042] 2 Sludge transport equipment 3 Receiving hopper 4. First sludge supply pipe 5 Second sludge supply pipe 6. First sludge transport pump 7 Second sludge transport pump 68a First sludge receiving inlet 68b Second sludge receiving inlet 70 Conveyor 71,74 External screw 72,73 Internal screw 75 Rotational Axis 76 Wing 81 Inlet 82 Outlet

Claims

1. a conveyor that transports sludge in an axial direction based on the rotational motion of a screw that is composed of a rotating shaft and a blade portion provided on the outer circumferential surface of the rotating shaft; a receiving hopper provided at an inlet of the conveyor for receiving and temporarily storing the sludge; a first sludge supply pipe for supplying a first sludge to the receiving hopper; a second sludge supply pipe for supplying a second sludge to the receiving hopper; Equipped with a plurality of first sludge receiving inlets connected to the first sludge supply pipe and a plurality of second sludge receiving inlets connected to the second sludge supply pipe are provided at an upper portion of the receiving hopper; A sludge transport device in which at least a portion of the first sludge receiving inlets and the second sludge receiving inlets are arranged in a staggered pattern, and the first sludge receiving inlets and the second sludge receiving inlets are arranged alternately along a predetermined direction.

2. The sludge transport device according to claim 1 , wherein the first sludge receiving inlet and the second sludge receiving inlet are arranged in a row along a rotation axis direction of the conveyor.

3. the conveyor is configured to include four screws arranged side by side in a horizontal direction, the two inner screws located in the center transport the sludge toward the discharge outlet, and the two outer screws located on the outside transport the sludge in a direction opposite to that of the inner screws, 3. The sludge transport device according to claim 2, wherein the first sludge receiving inlet and the second sludge receiving inlet are provided at outer positions not overlapping with the inner screw when projected in the up-down direction.

4. a first sludge transport pump capable of adjusting a sludge supply amount is provided in the first sludge supply pipe; 4. The sludge transport device according to claim 1, wherein the second sludge supply pipe is provided with a second sludge transport pump capable of adjusting the amount of sludge supplied.

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