Drying equipment

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of efficiently drying a drying object.SOLUTION: A dryer 100 is a device for drying a chip group (drying object) including a plurality of chips (wood chips). The dryer 100 comprises feed pipes 10 (feeder) and electric heaters 12. The feed pipes 10 are disposed inside the chip group, are disposed in a lattice shape (cubic lattice shape, jungle gym shape) inside the chip group and feeds heat. The feed pipe 10 has the electric heater 12 (heater) disposed therein to feed heat to the chip group by using heat fed from the electric heater 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a drying device.

Background Art

[0002] Wood chips are widely used as fuels for biomass power generation and the like. When using wood chips as fuel, it is important to efficiently dry the wood chips, and the drying efficiency of wood chips affects the viability of the power generation business. As a technique for drying wood chips, a drying device for wood chips that blows air from the bottom of a container to dry the chips inside the container has been disclosed (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] As prior art, there are documents as described above, but there is a desire to efficiently dry the object to be dried.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of efficiently drying an object to be dried.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] The present invention employs the following solutions to solve the above problems. Note that the following solutions and the terms in parentheses are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the present invention can include at least one of the inventive features shown in the following solutions. Moreover, each inventive feature shown in the following solutions can be further subdivided by adding elements that limit the inventive feature, or subdivided by removing those elements.

[0007] Solution 1: The drying apparatus of this solution is a drying apparatus for drying an object to be dried, and comprises a supply unit that is arranged inside the object to be dried, arranged in a grid pattern inside the object to be dried, and supplies at least one of gas or heat.

[0008] The drying apparatus of this solution has the following configuration. (1) A drying device for drying objects. (2) The device is equipped with a supply unit that is placed inside the object to be dried and arranged in a grid pattern inside the object to be dried, and which supplies at least one of gas or heat. The supply unit may supply only gas, only heat, or both gas and heat. The grid pattern may be a planar grid pattern or a three-dimensional grid pattern (the same applies hereinafter).

[0009] According to this solution, since the supply units are arranged in a grid pattern inside the object to be dried, the supply units can be arranged more densely, thereby improving the drying efficiency of the object to be dried.

[0010] Furthermore, this solution allows for the installation of a grid-like supply unit in the storage facility (storage container) for the material to be dried, thereby reducing the cost of introducing drying equipment and also reducing the installation space required for the drying equipment.

[0011] Solution 2: The drying apparatus of this solution is characterized in that, in any of the solutions described above, the supply unit has an electric heater arranged inside, and uses the heat supplied from the electric heater to supply heat to the object to be dried.

[0012] In this solution, the supply unit has an electric heater (e.g., a heater) placed inside, and uses the heat supplied from the electric heater to supply heat to the object to be dried.

[0013] According to this solution, the supply unit utilizes the heat supplied from the electric heater to supply heat to the object to be dried, so that the object to be dried can be efficiently dried by the heat generated inside the supply unit located near the object to be dried.

[0014] Solution 3: The drying apparatus of this solution is characterized in that, in any of the solutions described above, it comprises a gas supply unit that supplies gas to the supply unit from outside the supply unit, and the supply unit uses the gas supplied from the gas supply unit to supply gas to the object to be dried.

[0015] This solution includes the following additional features. (1) The system is equipped with a gas supply unit that supplies gas to the supply unit from outside the supply unit. (2) The supply unit supplies gas using the gas supplied from the gas supply unit.

[0016] According to this solution, the supply unit uses the gas supplied from the gas supply unit to supply gas to the object to be dried, so the object to be dried can be efficiently dried by the gas supplied from outside the supply unit.

[0017] Solution 4: The drying apparatus of this solution is characterized in that, in any of the solutions described above, it is equipped with a heat and gas supply unit that supplies heat and gas to the supply unit from outside the supply unit, and the supply unit uses the heat and gas supplied from the heat and gas supply unit to supply heat and gas to the object to be dried.

[0018] In this solution, the following features are added. (1) It includes a hot gas supply unit that supplies heat and gas to the supply unit from outside the supply unit. (2) The supply unit supplies heat and gas to the object to be dried by the heat and gas supplied from the gas supply unit.

[0019] According to this solution, since the supply unit uses the heat and gas supplied from the gas supply unit to supply heat and gas to the object to be dried, the object to be dried can be efficiently dried by the heat and gas supplied from outside the supply unit.

[0020] Solution 5: The drying device of this solution is a drying device characterized in that, in any of the above solutions, it includes an inclined portion for tilting the supply unit.

[0021] In this solution, it includes an inclined portion for tilting the supply unit. The inclined portion can also tilt the supply unit and the members connected to the supply unit.

[0022] According to this solution, since it includes an inclined portion for tilting the supply unit, the object to be dried after drying can be easily taken out.

[0023] Solution 6: The drying device of this solution is a drying device characterized in that, in any of the above solutions, it includes a moving portion for moving the supply unit.

[0024] In this solution, it includes a moving portion for moving the supply unit. The moving portion can also move the supply unit and the members connected to the supply unit.

[0025] According to this solution, since it includes a moving portion for moving the supply unit, the supply unit can be easily taken out from among the objects to be dried after drying.

Effects of the Invention

[0026] According to the present invention, the object to be dried can be efficiently dried. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0027] [Figure 1] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. [Figure 3] This figure illustrates the method of using the drying apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] This figure illustrates the method of using the drying apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] This figure illustrates the method of using the drying apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100A as an example. [Figure 7] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100-2 of the second embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100-3 of the third embodiment. [Figure 9] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] This figure shows the method of using the drying apparatus 100-4 according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 11] This figure shows a block diagram of the drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 12] This diagram shows the functions of the drying device. [Figure 13] This diagram illustrates other ways to use the drying apparatus. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] Figures 1 and 2 are diagrams (perspective view and cross-sectional view) showing the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 1, the drying apparatus 100 is a device for drying a chip group 200 (object to be dried, see Figure 2) containing multiple chips (wood chips). The drying apparatus 100 comprises a supply pipe 10 (supply section), an electric heater 12, and a drive switch 14. The supply pipe 10 is a grid-like pipe with two compartments in the vertical direction, four compartments in the horizontal direction, and four compartments in the depth direction. The number of compartments can be changed as appropriate (the same applies below).

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, the drying apparatus 100 is used by installing a supply pipe 10 in the chip storage room 300 where the chip group 200 is stored. The chip storage container 300 is a container with a length of several meters in the depth direction (vertical direction), horizontal direction (horizontal direction), and vertical direction (height direction) (for example, depth direction: 3-5m, horizontal direction: 4-6m, vertical direction: 1-3m, etc.).

[0030] The supply pipe 10 is located inside the chip group 200 and is arranged in a grid pattern (cubic grid, jungle gym pattern) inside the chip group 200 to supply heat. The supply pipe 10 has an electric heater 12 inside, and uses the heat supplied from the electric heater 12 to supply heat to the chip group 200. The electric heater 12 is located inside part or all of the supply pipe 10. The drive switch 14 is a switch for driving the electric heater 12, which is located inside the supply pipe 10.

[0031] Figures 3 to 5 illustrate the method of using the drying apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. First, prepare a drying apparatus 100 as shown in Figure 3(A), and an empty chip storage unit 300 as shown in Figure 3(B).

[0032] Next, as shown in Figure 4(A), the drying device 100 is placed in the empty chip storage container 300, and as shown in Figure 4(B), the undried chips 200 are placed in the chip storage container 300. Alternatively, the undried chips 200 may be placed in the chip storage container 300 first, and then the drying device 100 may be placed in.

[0033] Then, as shown in Figure 5(A), the drive switch 14 is turned on in this state to drive the electric heater 14 of the supply pipe 10. As a result, the supply pipe 10 is heated and heat is supplied to the chip group 200, which dries out. Finally, as shown in Figure 5(B), when the drying device 100 is removed, the dried chips 200 remain.

[0034] Figure 6 shows a comparative example drying apparatus 100A. Note that the comparative example drying apparatus 100A is not prior art. The comparative example drying apparatus 100A includes a chip drying container 400, a gas passage 401, a plurality of openings 402, a gas outlet 403, and a hot air injection pump 30. In the comparative example drying apparatus 100A, when the hot air injection pump 30 is driven, gas (hot air) is drawn into the hot air injection pump 30 (arrow B1). The drawn-in gas enters the gas passage 401 and passes through multiple openings 402 (arrow B2). The gas that enters the inside of the chip group 200 in the chip drying container 400 rises inside the chip group 200 while drying the chip group 200 (arrow B3) and is exhausted from the gas outlet 403 (arrow B4).

[0035] Thus, in the comparative example drying apparatus 100A, when drying the chip group 200, hot air is pumped from the bottom of the chip drying container 400 in which the chip group 200 is stacked. However, due to the height of the stacked chip group 200 (upper and lower parts of the chips), uneven drying occurs, and hot air must be pumped over the entire stack until the upper part is dry, which is inefficient. In other words, the higher the stacked height of the chip group, the weaker the flow rate of the hot air pumped from below becomes, hindering the circulation of the hot air and prolonging the drying time. Furthermore, in the comparative example drying apparatus 100A, a dedicated device (chip drying container 400, etc.) must be prepared separately from the chip storage unit 300, resulting in high equipment introduction costs.

[0036] In contrast, the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment employs a grid-shaped supply pipe 10, which prevents uneven drying of the chip group 200, resulting in high drying efficiency. Furthermore, the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment can be installed simply by placing the grid-shaped supply pipe 10 in the chip storage chamber 300, eliminating the need to prepare dedicated equipment (such as a chip drying container 400), thus reducing the cost of introducing the drying equipment and the installation space required for the drying equipment.

[0037] As explained above, the first embodiment has the following effects. (1) According to the first embodiment, since the supply pipe 10 is arranged in a grid pattern inside the chip group 200, the arrangement of the chip group 200 can be made denser, and the drying efficiency of the chip group 200 can be improved.

[0038] (2) According to the first embodiment, the supply pipe 10 uses the heat supplied from the electric heater 12 to supply heat to the chip group 200, so that the chip group 200 can be efficiently dried by the heat generated inside the supply pipe 10 near the chip group 200.

[0039] (3) According to the first embodiment, the drying time of the wood chips is shortened, which can greatly contribute to the profitability of the biomass power generation project.

[0040] (4) According to the first embodiment, since it can accommodate various chip storage locations, it can contribute to cost reduction by reusing existing chip storage facilities.

[0041] (5) In the case of a drying method like the comparative example, the structure is such that hot air is blown from below and exits to the top, so if too many chips are stacked, the pressure loss increases and the top does not dry easily. On the other hand, drying with the structure of the first embodiment eliminates uneven drying at the upper and lower positions, so there is no need to worry about the height of the stacked chips.

[0042] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, parts that perform the same function as in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted as appropriate. Figure 7 shows the drying apparatus 100-2 of the second embodiment. In the first embodiment, the chip group 200 was dried using an electric heater 12, but in the second embodiment, the chip group 200 is dried using gas (airflow (at room temperature)). Specifically, the drying apparatus 100-2 of the second embodiment is equipped with a blower 30-2 (gas supply unit) that supplies gas to the supply pipe 10-2 from outside the supply pipe 10-2. In the illustrated example, there is only one blower 30-2, but multiple blowers may be provided. Unlike the first embodiment, the electric heater 12 is not placed inside the supply pipe 10-2, and the inside of the supply pipe 10-2 is hollow (the same applies to the supply pipes in the following embodiments).

[0043] The supply pipe 10-2 then supplies gas to the chip group 200 (see Figure 2) using the gas supplied from the blower 30-2. The supply pipe 10-2 is provided with multiple supply ports (openings with a diameter of several millimeters: not shown) for supplying gas, and the gas supplied from the blower 30-2 is released from these multiple supply ports to dry the chip group 200.

[0044] According to the second embodiment, the supply pipe 10-2 supplies gas to the chip group 200 using the gas supplied from the blower 30-2, so that the chip group 200 can be efficiently dried by the gas supplied from outside the supply pipe 10-2. The second embodiment is useful when you do not want to directly heat the chip group 200, as in the first embodiment.

[0045] [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 8 shows the drying apparatus 100-3 of the third embodiment. In the second embodiment, the chip group 200 was dried using gas (airflow (at room temperature)), but in the third embodiment, the chip group 200 is dried using heat and gas (airflow (hot air)). Specifically, the drying apparatus 100-3 of the third embodiment includes a blower 30-3 (hot gas supply unit) that supplies heat and gas to the supply pipe 10-2 from outside the supply pipe 10-3. In the illustrated example, there is only one blower 30-3, but multiple blowers may be provided.

[0046] The supply pipe 10-3 then uses the heat and gas supplied from the blower 30-3 to supply heat and gas to the chip group 200 (see Figure 2). The supply pipe 10-3 is provided with multiple supply ports (openings with a diameter of several millimeters: not shown) for supplying heat and gas, and the heat and gas supplied from the blower 30-3 are released from these multiple supply ports to dry the chip group 200.

[0047] According to the third embodiment, the supply pipe 10-3 utilizes the heat and gas supplied from the blower 30-3 to supply heat and gas to the chip group 200, so that the chip group 200 can be efficiently dried by the heat and gas supplied from outside the supply pipe 10-3. The third embodiment is effective when you do not want to directly heat the chip group 200 as in the first embodiment, but you want to heat the chip group 200 more than in the second embodiment.

[0048] [Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 9 shows the drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment. The drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment includes a chip storage container 500. The chip storage container 500 comprises a container 501, an inclined section 502, and a base section 503.

[0049] Container 501 is a cubic container. Container 501 has a bottom surface 501a, a front side surface 501b, a left side surface 501c, a rear side surface 501d, and a right side surface 501e, and is open at the top. The right side surface 501e is removable. A drying device according to one of the embodiments described above is installed in container 501. The inclined section 502 is a device (a dump-up movable device) that tilts the container 501 (the supply pipe of the drying device housed in the container 501). The base portion 503 is a component that serves as the base for the container 501 and the inclined portion 502.

[0050] Furthermore, the drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment is equipped with a movable section 510 (see Figure 10). The movable section 510 is a device for moving (raising and lowering) the supply pipe 10. The movable section 510 includes a lifting device such as a crane.

[0051] As shown in Figure 9(A), when the inclined part 502 is not driven, the container 501 is not tilted, and as shown in Figure 9(B), when the inclined part 502 is driven, the container 501 is tilted.

[0052] Figure 10 shows the method of using the drying apparatus 100-4 according to the fourth embodiment. First, as shown in Figure 10(A), the drying device 100 is installed inside the container 501, the chips are added, and the drying device 100 is driven to dry the chips. In the illustrated example, the drying device 100 of the first embodiment is installed in the container 501, but drying devices of other embodiments can also be installed. The drying device 100 is equipped with a grid-shaped supply pipe.

[0053] When the drying of the chips is complete, as shown in Figure 10(B), the right side panel 501e is removed, and then the inclined section 502 is driven to tilt the container 501. This causes the chips to escape through the gaps in the grid, allowing the chips to be discharged while the drying device 100 remains in place. To prevent the drying device 100 from falling due to the container 501, it is preferable to fix the container 501 and the drying device 100-4 (supply pipe, etc.) with a fixing mechanism (not shown).

[0054] When the removal of the chips is complete, as shown in Figure 10(C), the movable unit 510 can be driven to lift the drying device 100 used in the drying device 100-4 upwards, allowing the drying device 100 to be removed from the container 501. In addition, because the drying device 100 is lattice-shaped, even if the chips are packed in, the drying device 100 can be lifted upwards and removed, separate from this method of use.

[0055] Figure 11 is a block diagram of the drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment. The drying apparatus 100-4 includes a control unit 600, a drive switch 14, a tilt switch 601, a movement switch 602, a supply pipe 10, a tilt section 502, and a movement section 510.

[0056] The control unit 600 is a device that includes electronic components (circuits, circuit boards, CPU, memory, etc.) that control the entire drying apparatus. The drive switch 14, tilt switch 601, and movement switch 602 are connected to the control unit 600 and are switches that can be turned on or off. The supply pipe 10, the inclined section 502, and the movable section 510 are connected to the control unit 600 and perform the functions described above. Note that if a drying apparatus other than that of the first embodiment is installed in the container 501, the supply pipe 10 and the drive switch 14 will be changed to the supply pipe and drive switch (switches for driving the blower and each pump) corresponding to each embodiment.

[0057] When an ON signal is input from the drive switch 14, the control unit 600 drives the supply pipe 10 (causing the electric heater 12 to generate heat). When an OFF signal is input from the drive switch 14, the control unit 600 terminates the operation of the supply pipe 10 (causing the electric heater 12 to stop generating heat). If a drying device other than that of the first embodiment is installed in the container 501, the control unit 600 controls the supply via the supply pipe, etc.

[0058] When an ON signal is received from the tilt switch 601, the control unit 600 tilts the tilt section 502. When an OFF signal is received from the tilt switch 601, the control unit 600 returns the tilt of the tilt section 502 to its original position.

[0059] When an ON signal is input from the movement switch 602, the control unit 600 causes the movement unit 510 to move upward. When an OFF signal is input from the movement switch 602, the control unit 600 causes the movement unit 510 to move downward.

[0060] According to the fourth embodiment, since the supply pipe (drying device) is equipped with an inclined section 502 that tilts, the dried chips can be easily removed.

[0061] Furthermore, according to the fourth embodiment, since a movable part 510 for moving the supply pipe (drying device) is provided, the supply pipe can be easily removed from the chip storage container 500, or the supply pipe can be easily removed from the group of dried chips.

[0062] The fourth embodiment is effective when it is desired to efficiently move dried chips, supply pipes, etc.

[0063] Figure 12 shows the function of the drying apparatus. As shown in Figure 12, the smallest unit of drying is a single cube. As long as at least one such cube exists, the chips can be dried, and the number of cubes can be increased according to the size of the chips to be dried.

[0064] Figure 13 illustrates other ways to use the drying apparatus. The drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment can also be used when the chips are stored in an open pile. Although the illustrated example uses the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, other drying apparatuses of other embodiments can be used in the same way. For example, when using the drying device 100 for a large batch of wood chips (200L), first, the drying device 100 is placed on the ground, and then the 200L of wood chips is placed directly into the drying device 100 on the ground.

[0065] On the other hand, when using the drying device 100 for a small group of chips 200S, it can be used by placing the drying device 100 over the stacked chips 200S. Furthermore, when using the drying apparatus 100 for a group of 200M chips of intermediate size, it can be used in any of the above methods.

[0066] Furthermore, regardless of the method of use, when the drying device 100 is operated with the chip groups 200L, 200M, and 200S placed inside the drying device 100, the chip groups 200L, 200M, and 200S can be dried efficiently.

[0067] [Transformed form] The present invention can be implemented in various ways without being limited to the embodiments described above. (1) The material to be dried was explained using wood chips as an example, but other types of chips may also be used. In addition, the material to be dried may be incinerated ash, sand, compost, etc. In this case, a filter that allows gas to pass through but does not allow solids (sand, particles, etc.) to pass through can be installed at the supply port.

[0068] (2) The embodiments described above can also be used in combination. (3) The number of supply units can be changed as appropriate depending on the size of the chips to be dried.

[0069] (4) The supply section may be a pipe with a circular cross-section or a pipe with a rectangular cross-section. (5) The moving part was described using the example of raising and lowering the supply unit, but the supply unit may also be moved in a horizontal direction. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0070] 10, 10-2, 10-3 supply pipe 12 Electric heater 14 Drive switch 30 Hot air injection pump 30-2, 30-3 Blower 100, 100-2~100-4 Drying apparatus (embodiment) 100A drying apparatus (comparative example) 200, 200L, 200M, 200S chipset group 300 chip storage 400 chip drying container 401 Gas passage 402 Aperture 403 Gas outlet 500 chip storage container 501 Container 502 Slope 503 Base 510 Mobile Unit 600 Control Unit 601 Tilt switch 602 Mobile Switch

Claims

1. A drying apparatus for drying objects, A drying apparatus comprising a supply unit that is placed inside the object to be dried and is arranged in a cubic grid pattern that is grid-like in the vertical, horizontal, and depth directions inside the object to be dried, and which supplies at least one of gas or heat.

2. In the drying apparatus according to claim 1, The drying apparatus is characterized in that the supply unit has an electric heater located inside, and uses the heat supplied from the electric heater to supply heat to the object to be dried.

3. In the drying apparatus according to claim 1, The system includes a gas supply unit that supplies gas to the supply unit from outside the supply unit, The drying apparatus is characterized in that the supply unit supplies gas to the object to be dried using the gas supplied from the gas supply unit.

4. In the drying apparatus according to claim 1, The system includes a heat and gas supply unit that supplies heat and gas to the supply unit from outside the supply unit, The drying apparatus is characterized in that the supply unit supplies heat and gas to the object to be dried using the heat and gas supplied from the hot gas supply unit.

5. In the drying apparatus according to claim 1, A drying apparatus characterized by having an inclined section for tilting the supply section.

6. In the drying apparatus according to claim 1, The supply unit is installed inside a container for storing the object to be dried, A drying apparatus characterized by comprising a moving unit for moving the supply unit without moving the container.

Images