Flotation Machine

Abstract

To provide a flotation separator capable of efficiently separating and diffusing materials to be separated. [Solution] The flotation separator 1 is capable of separating materials to be separated that are a mixture of multiple materials, and comprises a water tank that stores water to separate the materials to be separated based on differences in specific gravity, an injection screw 35 that transports the materials to be separated to the water tank, an injection tube 34 that houses the injection screw 35 and has an injection port 36 formed therein for introducing the materials to be separated into the water tank, a mixer 6 that is located near the injection port 36 in an open position and rotates to disperse the materials to be separated that float from the injection port 36 into the water tank, and a nozzle 7 that is located in the water tank and near the injection port 36 in an open position and sprays a water flow to disperse the materials to be separated.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a flotation separator, and more particularly to a flotation separator that separates objects to be separated based on differences in specific gravity using a specific gravity liquid stored in a water tank. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, separation equipment for metal-containing waste plastics that precisely separates types of waste plastics based on differences in specific gravity has been known for processing waste plastics (see Patent Document 1). The waste plastic separation equipment includes a washing and crushing machine that uses rotary blades and a water injection device to wash and crush metal-containing waste plastics; a vortex-type cylindrical separating tank that uses a vortex current in the water to settle and discharge crushed metals, raises floating plastics to the center of the water surface and collects them by suction, and collects plastics with intermediate specific gravity on the inner wall using centrifugal force for discharge; a flow-through floatation separator that further separates medium-specific gravity plastics into light and heavy plastics; and a vibration separator that separates heavy plastics into granular non-defective products and powdery non-defective products. In the flow-through floatation separator, heavy PET, PVC, and metals settle to the bottom and are transported to the next process by a screw conveyor.

[0003] Additionally, a wet separation method and device that can efficiently and continuously separate even substances with high specific gravity is known (Patent Document 2). The wet separation device comprises a separation tank that separates objects in a liquid based on differences in specific gravity, a pulsation means that pulsates the liquid up and down, a means for adjusting the pulsation waveform, and a recovery means that recovers the separated floating and sedimentary materials. Pulsation is generated in the liquid by an air supply device such as an air compressor, and the timing of the pulsation is adjusted by valve control using an air cylinder and a solenoid valve. This enables high-precision separation even of high-specific-gravity materials. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6192084 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-69411 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, in the waste plastic separation equipment described in Patent Document 1, resin and metal clump together in the vortex-type cylindrical separation tank and flow-through floatation separator, making it difficult to fully separate the two. When foreign matter such as air or oil adheres to the surfaces of crushed resin pieces and metal, they tend to stick together due to the surface tension of water. In particular, foamed or film-like plastic resins tend to trap air, and small particles can be adsorbed by larger clumps and float or settle together. This makes it difficult to separate resin and metal in downstream processes. Furthermore, there are concerns that the inclusion of metal in resin could reduce the quality of the resin when used for recycling, etc.

[0006] The wet separation device in Patent Document 2 performs gravity separation by raising and lowering the liquid level in the water tank to generate pulsation, but as mentioned above, separation is difficult when different types of resins adhere. In light of this, there has been a demand for a flotation separator that can efficiently separate materials containing different types of specific gravity.

[0007] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a flotation separator that can efficiently disperse and diffuse materials to be separated. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, a flotation separator for separating a mixture of materials includes a water tank storing a specific gravity liquid having a predetermined specific gravity for separating the materials based on the difference in specific gravity, an injection screw for transporting the materials to the water tank, an injection tube that houses the injection screw and has an injection port for inserting the materials into the specific gravity liquid, and a separator for separating the materials from the water tank. Upwarda mixer that is disposed in an open position and rotates to disperse the material to be separated floating from the inlet into the water tank; and a mixer that is disposed in the water tank and disposed in a position that is open to the surroundings near the inlet, To the mixer By ejecting a stream of water Floating from the inlet and a nozzle for dispersing the material to be separated.

[0009] It is also preferable that the nozzle sprays the water flow toward the mixer in a direction along the axial direction of the feeding screw so that the water flow spreads in a generally fan-shaped shape.

[0010] The inlet is formed at an end of the inlet tube in the specific gravity liquid on the liquid surface side of the specific gravity liquid, and the mixer is located on the liquid surface side of the inlet, and the floating object to be separated is fed from the inlet dispersion It is preferable that the rotary blade has a rotating blade that rotates in a direction perpendicular to the direction from the inlet toward the liquid surface. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] With this configuration, the mixer is located in a position that allows it to disperse the floating materials to be separated from the inlet, thereby applying radial shear to the materials to be separated and efficiently dispersing them within the tank. This increases the accuracy of sorting the materials based on their specific gravity using a specific gravity liquid. Furthermore, since the periphery of the mixer is open, the materials to be separated can be dispersed throughout the tank. Furthermore, since the injection screw is housed within the injection tube and the mixer is located near the inlet of the injection tube, the materials to be separated from the inlet can be efficiently dispersed throughout the tank. Furthermore, since the nozzle is located near the inlet, the materials to be separated from the inlet can be dispersed throughout the tank by the water flow from the nozzle.

[0012] With this configuration, the water flow from the nozzles is sprayed toward the mixer in a fan-shaped pattern, enhancing the diffusion effect through the rotation of the rotary blade and the water flow, thereby improving the accuracy of sorting the objects based on their specific gravity using a specific gravity liquid.

[0013] With this configuration, the feed port is formed on the liquid surface side of the feed tube, so the mixer can disperse the material to be separated that floats from the feed port toward the liquid surface into the water tank. The mixer is also equipped with a rotary blade, which can finely crush clumped material to be separated, improving the accuracy of gravity separation. Furthermore, the rotary blade is positioned in a direction that intersects the direction from the feed port toward the liquid surface, so the material to be separated can be efficiently dispersed into the water tank by the rotation of the rotary blade.

[0014] This makes it possible to provide a flotation separator that can efficiently disperse and diffuse the materials to be separated within the water tank. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall perspective view of a flotation separator according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] 1 is a partially enlarged top view of a flotation separator according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the vicinity of the inlet of the flotation separator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a side view of the vicinity of an inlet of a flotation separator according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 1 is a perspective view of a mixer of a flotation separator according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a perspective view of a nozzle of a flotation separator according to a first embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the water jetting angle of the nozzle of the flotation separator according to the first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a mixer of a flotation separator according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] A flotation separator 1 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 7. As shown in the figures, front, back, top, bottom, left and right directions are defined.

[0017] The flotation separator 1 is composed of a water tank 2, an input section 3, a transport section 4, and a discharge section 5. The flotation separator 1 uses water filled in the water tank 2 to separate the input objects to be separated, which are resins such as PET, PE, PP, nylon, and metals such as aluminum, based on differences in specific gravity. The liquid filled in the water tank 2 is not limited to water, and a liquid with a specific gravity other than 1 may also be used. This enables even finer separation of resins and metals. Water is an example of a specific gravity liquid of the present invention.

[0018] In the flotation separator 1, the material to be separated is fed into the feed section 3 and transported forward by the transport section 4. Materials with a specific gravity of less than 1 float on the water surface, while materials with a specific gravity of more than 1 settle in the water tank 2, and are then separated and recovered from the discharge section 5.

[0019] Water tank 2 has a roughly triangular cross section and stores approximately 170 tons of water, and is provided with a discharge section 5 at the front, transport sections 4 inside and above, and a feed section 3 at the rear. Feed section 3 has a transport section 31 that transports the materials to be separated to water tank 2, and a feed screw section 32. Feed section 31 has a roughly rectangular inlet 33 that opens upward. As shown in FIG. 1, two feed screw sections 32 are provided side by side in the left-right direction, and each includes a feed tube 34 and a feed screw 35.

[0020] The input tube 34 is provided so as to protrude diagonally upward and rearward from the lower rear surface of the water tank 2, and is connected to the carrier unit 31 at its rear. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the front of the input tube 34 protrudes into the water tank 2, and input ports 36 are formed at the top and bottom. The input port 36 formed at the top is set to have a larger opening area than the input port 36 at the bottom. The input port 36 at the top is formed over substantially the entire area of ​​the part of the input tube 34 that protrudes into the water tank 2 in the axial direction of the input screw 35. The input port 36 is provided over an opening angle of approximately 60° in the circumferential direction with respect to the rotation axis of the input screw 35. Ensuring a wide area for the input port 36 enables efficient input of the materials to be separated, and limiting the opening angle to a constant ensures the rigidity of the input tube 34.

[0021] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a mixer 6 and a nozzle 7 are provided near the upper inlets 36 of the water tank 2. The mixer 6 is provided above each inlet 36 on the water surface side, and is composed of a rotary blade 61, a rod 62, and a motor 63. As shown in Figure 5, the rotary blade 61 has a generally thin disk shape, is fixed to the tip of the rod 62 so as to be generally horizontal, and rotates in a rotation direction R. The installation direction of the rotary blade 61 is not limited to being generally horizontal, and as long as it is in a direction that intersects the vertical direction, it can achieve the effect of diffusing the materials to be separated in the water tank 2.

[0022] The rotary blade 61 includes a main body 64 and a blade portion 65. The main body 64 is generally circular and is provided with blade portions 65 that are arranged on the periphery so as to protrude alternately upward and downward. The blade portion 65 is provided around the entire circumferential direction of the main body 64 and is provided with an inclined portion 65A that is inclined with respect to the rotation direction R indicated by the arrow. The inclined portion 65A comes into contact with the agglomerated material to be separated floating from the inlet 36, thereby finely crushing the agglomerated material. In the mixer 6, the rotation of the main body 64 spreads the agglomerated material to the water tank 2, and at the same time, the blade portion 65 applies a radial shear force to the agglomerated material to crush and disperse the agglomerated material.

[0023] The rod 62 has a rotary blade 61 attached to its lower end and a driving motor 63 attached to its upper end. The motor 63 is located at the top of the water tank 2, in a position exposed from the water. The motor 63 is controlled to drive in conjunction with the driving of the feeding screw 35. The rod 62 can rotate both clockwise and counterclockwise, and the direction of rotation is controlled depending on the type of material to be separated, etc. The rotation speed of the rotary blade 61 can be set as desired depending on the shape of the water tank 2, the type and amount of material to be separated fed in, the size of the feeding screw 35, etc.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, 6, and 7, the nozzle 7 is disposed near and above the feed opening 36 and sprays a water stream W to disperse the material to be separated within the water tank 2. Dispersion here refers to breaking down clumps of material to be separated into smaller pieces. The nozzle 7 has a head 71 that sprays the water stream W and an arm 72 that protrudes forward and bends diagonally downward and forward at an angle of approximately 45°. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the head 71 sprays the water stream W in a substantially fan-shaped shape from a spray outlet 73. In this embodiment, the angle of the water stream W sprayed from the spray outlet 73 is set to 115°, but this angle can be set arbitrarily depending on the material to be separated, the shape of the feed screw 35, and the like.

[0025] The water flow W from the nozzle 7 is jetted toward the mixer 6 as shown by the dashed line L in FIG. 4. Specifically, the water flow W from the nozzle 7 is jetted toward the gap between the blades 65 to maximize the dispersion effect. Specifically, the central portion of the rotating flow caused by the rotation of the mixer 6 is in a laminar state, while the outer portion is in a turbulent state. Therefore, by causing the water flow W from the nozzle 7 to collide with the turbulent flow in an opposing manner, a synergistic dispersion effect is obtained. The nozzle 7 is controlled to drive in conjunction with the drive of the feeding screw 35, similar to the mixer 6. The jet shape of the nozzle 7 and the tilt angle of the head portion 71 can be set as desired depending on the shape of the water tank 2, the type and amount of material to be separated, the size of the feeding screw 35, etc.

[0026] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the transport unit 4 is composed of upper layer rollers 41, middle layer screws 42, and lower layer screws 43. As shown in Figure 1, five upper layer rollers 41 are provided at the top of the water tank 2 and transport floating objects to be separated forward. As shown in Figure 2, three middle layer screws 42 are lined up in the left-right direction and arranged in the middle of the water tank 2 and transport objects to be separated floating in the middle layer forward. The lower layer screw 43 is provided at the bottom of the water tank 2 and transports objects to be separated that settle forward.

[0027] The discharge unit 5 is provided in front of the water tank 2, and separates the separation target material transported forward by the transport unit 4 into upper, middle and lower layers, recovers them and transports them to the next process.

[0028] Next, we will explain the flow of the materials to be separated introduced into the feed section 3. Materials to be separated, transported from an upstream process, are introduced into the flotation separator 1 through the inlet 33 and transported to the water tank 2 by the feed screw section 32. The materials to be separated are introduced into the water tank 2 through the feed port 36 and float within the water tank 2. During this process, most of the materials are pushed out of the wider upper feed port 36 by the rotation of the feed screw section 32 and float upward. The floating materials are finely pulverized upon contact with the blades 65 of the mixer 6, dispersed widely throughout the water tank 2 by the rotational flow of the mixer 6, and dispersed by the water flow W from the nozzle 7. Specifically, as shown in Figure 7, the materials to be separated, driven in the rotation direction R by the rotation of the mixer 6, collide with the water flow W sprayed from the opposite direction in region A, allowing the water flow W from the nozzle 7 to efficiently disperse the materials. As a result, PE and PP, which have low specific gravity, float to the top layer and are transported forward by the upper layer roller 41 and collected in the discharge section 5. PET, polycarbonate and metals, which have a high specific gravity, settle and are transported forward by the lower layer screw 43 and collected in the discharge section 5.

[0029] With this configuration, the mixer 6 is located in a position where it can diffuse the floating materials to be separated from the inlet 36, thereby applying radial shear to the materials to be separated, thereby achieving a diffusion effect. This improves the accuracy of sorting based on differences in specific gravity using water. In addition, the periphery of the mixer 6 is open, allowing the materials to be dispersed throughout the water tank 2. Furthermore, the injection screw 35 is housed in the injection tube 34, and the mixer 6 is disposed near the injection port 36 of the injection tube 34, allowing the materials to be dispersed from the injection port 36 efficiently throughout the water tank 2. Furthermore, the nozzle 7 is disposed near the injection port 36, allowing the water flow W from the nozzle 7 to disperse the materials to be separated from the injection port 36 throughout the water tank 2.

[0030] With this configuration, the water flow W from the nozzle 7 is sprayed toward the mixer 6, and the diffusion effect can be enhanced by the rotation of the rotary blade 61 and the water flow W. This can improve the accuracy of sorting the objects to be separated based on their specific gravity using a specific gravity liquid.

[0031] With this configuration, because the inlet 36 is formed on the upper side of the input tube 34, the mixer 6 can disperse the material to be separated that floats upward from the inlet 36 into the water tank 2. In addition, because the mixer 6 is provided with a rotary blade 61, it is possible to finely crush the clumped material to be separated, improving the accuracy of the specific gravity separation. Furthermore, because the rotary blade 61 is arranged in a direction perpendicular to the direction going upward from the input port 36, the material to be separated can be efficiently dispersed into the water tank 2 by the rotation of the rotary blade 61.

[0032] According to this configuration, the mixer 6 is provided with the blades 65 that protrude upward and downward from the periphery, so that the material to be separated can be efficiently crushed and dispersed in the water tank 2.

[0033] Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 8. The same components as those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0034] In the first embodiment, the mixer 6 is provided with a single rotary blade 61, but the mixer 206 of the second embodiment is provided with two rotary blades 61. This increases the diffusion effect of the materials to be separated into the water tank 2 and enables them to be pulverized more finely. When the mixer 6 is provided with two rotary blades 61, it is desirable to spray the water flow W from the nozzle 7 toward the space between the two rotary blades 61. Because the space between the two rotary blades 61 is in a turbulent state, spraying the water flow W at this location allows the materials to be dispersed efficiently.

[0035] The flotation separator according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the gist of the invention described in the claims.

[0036] In the above-described embodiment, the nozzle 7 is provided near the upper inlet 36, but this is not limiting. For example, the nozzle 7 may be provided near the lower inlet 36. This allows the separation object input from the lower inlet 36 to be dispersed efficiently.

[0037] In the above-described embodiment, the mixer 6 has one or two rotary blades 61. However, this is not limited to this, and three or more rotary blades may be provided. The vertical distance between the rotary blades 61 is preferably equal to ensure efficient diffusion. Furthermore, the mixer 6 and the nozzle 7 can be installed at any position upstream (rear) of the water tank 2. Furthermore, the main body 64 of the mixer 6 may have a different diameter. For example, if the upper rotary blade 61 is larger than the lower rotary blade 61, the material to be separated from below will pass through the lower rotary blade 61 and reach the upper rotary blade 61, resulting in stronger radial outward spread and more efficient diffusion.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, the shape of the mixer 6 is such that the blades 65 are provided on the periphery of the substantially circular main body 64, but this is not limiting. For example, the mixer 6 may have a substantially propeller shape like a stirring blade, and the number of propeller blades can be set as desired. The blades may also be paddle-shaped or inclined paddle-shaped. Furthermore, any shape can be selected depending on the diffusion application, such as a turbine blade shape, an inclined turbine blade shape, a dispersion blade shape, a ribbon blade shape, or an anchor blade shape.

[0039] In the above-described embodiment, the water flow W is ejected from the nozzle 7, but this is not limiting. For example, micro-fine bubbles may be generated within the nozzle 7, and a water flow containing fine bubbles may be ejected. This allows the objects to be separated to be efficiently dispersed by the impact of the bubbles bursting. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1. Flotation separator 2. Aquarium 3 Input section 4. Conveyor 6, 206 Mixer 7 nozzles 61 Rotary blade 62 Rod 65 Blade

Claims

1. A flotation separator for separating a mixture of materials, a water tank containing a specific gravity liquid having a predetermined specific gravity and for separating the objects to be separated based on their specific gravity differences; an input screw that transports the material to be separated into the water tank; an input tube in which the input screw is housed and which has an input port for inputting the object to be separated into the specific gravity liquid; a mixer that is provided in a position near the inlet and has an open periphery, and that rotates to disperse the material to be separated floating from the inlet into the water tank; a nozzle that is disposed within the water tank, located above the inlet in an open position, and that sprays a water flow toward the mixer to disperse the materials to be separated that float up from the inlet.

2. The flotation separator according to claim 1 , wherein the nozzle causes the water flow to spread in a generally fan-shaped direction along the axial direction of the injection screw, thereby dispersing the objects to be separated.

3. The inlet is formed at an end of the inlet tube in the specific gravity liquid on the liquid surface side of the specific gravity liquid, the mixer is located on the liquid surface side of the inlet and has a rotary blade that disperses the material to be separated floating from the inlet, 3. The floatation separator according to claim 1, wherein the rotary blades are arranged so as to intersect with a direction from the inlet toward the liquid surface.

Images