Drying equipment

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of efficiently drying a dry object.SOLUTION: A drying device 100 is a device for drying a chip group 200 (dry object) including a plurality of chips (wooden chips). The drying device 100 includes a supply pipe 10 (supply part) and an induction pipe 20 (induction part). The drying device 100 is used by installing the supply pipe 10 and the induction pipe 20 in a chip storage 300 for storing the chip group 200. The supply pipe 10 is arranged inside the chip group 200 to supply gas thereinto. The induction pipe 20 is arranged inside the chip group 200 to induct gas supplied through the supply pipe 10. The supply pipe 10 and the induction pipe 20 are arranged so as to be extended in a vertical direction inside the chip group 200.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 a fuel for biomass power generation and the like. When using wood chips as a fuel, it is important how to efficiently dry the wood chips, and the drying efficiency of the wood chips affects the establishment of the power generation business. And as a technology for drying wood chips, a drying device for wood chips that blows air from the bottom of a container to dry the chips in the container is 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 the above-mentioned documents, 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 technology 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, comprising: a supply unit disposed inside the object to be dried and supplying gas or heat; and an intake unit disposed inside the object to be dried and drawing in the gas supplied by the supply unit or the gas generated by the heat supplied by the supply unit.

[0008] The drying apparatus of this solution has the following configuration. (1) A drying device for drying objects. (2) It is equipped with a supply unit that is placed inside the object to be dried and supplies gas or heat. (3) It is equipped with an intake unit that is placed inside the object to be dried and draws in gas supplied by the supply unit or gas generated by the heat supplied by the supply unit.

[0009] According to this solution, gas or heat is supplied to the inside of the object to be dried, and gas is drawn in from the inside of the object to be dried. Compared to a method in which the supply unit and intake unit are located outside the object to be dried, the drying time of the object to be dried can be shortened and the drying efficiency can be improved.

[0010] Furthermore, this solution allows the supply and intake units to be installed in the storage facility for the material to be dried, thereby reducing the cost of introducing the 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 and the intake unit are arranged to extend vertically, horizontally, or diagonally inside the object to be dried.

[0012] In this solution, the supply unit and intake unit are arranged extending vertically, horizontally, or diagonally within the object to be dried. The vertical, horizontal, and diagonal directions may be relative to a storage facility where the object to be dried is stored, or relative to a platform (e.g., the ground) on which the object to be dried is placed. The diagonal direction is any inclined direction between the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0013] According to this solution, since the supply unit and intake unit are arranged extending vertically, horizontally, or diagonally inside the object to be dried, the supply unit and intake unit can be extended in various directions, and the supply unit and intake unit can be flexibly positioned to match the shape of the object to be dried and the shape of the storage facility for 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, the supply unit and the intake unit are arranged in a grid pattern inside the object to be dried.

[0015] In this solution, the supply unit and the intake unit are arranged in a grid pattern inside the object to be dried. The grid pattern may be a planar grid or a three-dimensional grid.

[0016] According to this solution, since the supply unit and intake unit are arranged in a grid pattern inside the object to be dried, the supply unit and intake unit can be arranged more densely, thereby further improving drying efficiency.

[0017] Solution 4: The drying apparatus of this solution is characterized in that, in any of the solutions described above, there are multiple supply units and multiple intake units, which are arranged alternately inside the object to be dried.

[0018] In this solution, there are a plurality of supply parts and intake parts, which are alternately arranged inside the object to be dried.

[0019] According to this solution, since the supply parts and the intake parts are alternately arranged, the distance between the supply parts and the intake parts can be reduced, and the drying efficiency can be further improved.

[0020] Solution 5: The drying device of this solution is a drying device characterized in that, in any of the above solutions, it includes a support part that supports the plurality of supply parts and the plurality of intake parts.

[0021] In this solution, it includes a support part that supports the plurality of supply parts and the plurality of intake parts. The support part connects the supply parts and the intake parts.

[0022] According to this solution, since it includes a support part that supports the plurality of supply parts and the plurality of intake parts, the distance between the supply parts and the intake parts can be maintained at a constant interval even during use, and a decrease in drying efficiency can be suppressed.

[0023] Solution 6: The drying device of this solution is a drying device characterized in that, in any of the above solutions, it includes one first driving part that drives the supply part, one second driving part that drives the intake part, one first connecting part that connects the first driving part and the plurality of supply parts, and one second connecting part that connects the second driving part and the plurality of intake parts. [[ID=二十三]]

[0024] In this solution, the following features are added. (1) It includes one first driving part that drives the supply part. (2) It includes one second driving part that drives the intake part. (3) It includes one first connecting part that connects the first driving part and the plurality of supply parts. (4) It includes one second connecting part that connects the second driving part and the plurality of intake parts.

[0025] According to this solution, multiple supply units are driven by one first drive unit and one first connection unit, and multiple intake units are driven by one second drive unit and one second connection unit. Therefore, multiple supply units and multiple intake units can be efficiently driven with fewer power sources.

[0026] Solution 7: The drying apparatus of this solution is a drying apparatus characterized in that, in any of the solutions described above, the supply unit is provided with a plurality of supply ports for supplying gas, and the intake unit is provided with a plurality of intake ports for drawing in gas.

[0027] This solution includes the following additional features. (1) The supply unit is equipped with multiple supply ports (openings) for supplying gas. (2) The intake section is equipped with multiple intake ports (openings) for drawing in gas.

[0028] According to this solution, since gas is supplied using multiple supply ports and gas is drawn in using multiple intake ports, the supply and intake of gas can be carried out without bias within the object being dried.

[0029] Solution 8: The drying apparatus of this solution is characterized in that, in any of the solutions described above, the object to be dried is a group of chips including a plurality of chips, and the size of the supply port and the intake port is smaller than the size of the chips.

[0030] This solution includes the following additional features. (1) The material to be dried is a group of chips (wood chips) containing multiple types of chips (wood chips). (2) The size (diameter) of the supply port and intake port is smaller than the size (outer diameter) of the tip.

[0031] According to this solution, since the size of the supply port and intake port is smaller than the size of the chips, the chips will not enter the supply port and intake port, and a decrease in drying efficiency during use of the drying device can be suppressed. [Effects of the Invention]

[0032] According to the present invention, the object to be dried can be dried efficiently. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0033] [Figure 1] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] This figure illustrates the method of using the drying apparatus 100 according to 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 shows the drying apparatus 100A as an example. [Figure 6] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100-2 of the second embodiment. [Figure 7] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100-3 of the third embodiment. [Figure 8] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 9] This figure shows the details of the drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] This diagram shows the function of the drying apparatus 100-4. [Figure 11] This is a diagram showing the drying apparatus 100-5 of the fifth embodiment. [Figure 12] This figure shows the drying apparatus 100-6 of the sixth embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0034] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] Figure 1 shows a drying apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. The drying apparatus 100 is a device for drying a group of chips 200 (object to be dried) which includes multiple chips (wood chips). The drying apparatus 100 is equipped with a supply pipe 10 (supply section) and an intake pipe 20 (intake section).

[0035] The drying apparatus 100 is used by installing the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 in the chip storage chamber 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.).

[0036] The supply pipe 10 is located inside the tip group 200 and is a pipe that supplies gas (air supply pipe). The gas is preferably warm air (hot air), but it may also be room temperature air. The intake pipe 20 is located inside the tip group 200 and is a pipe that draws in the gas supplied by the supply pipe 10. The supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are arranged to extend vertically within the tip group 200.

[0037] There are multiple supply pipes 10 and intake pipes 20, which are arranged alternately within the tip group 200. Specifically, there are four supply pipes 10 and five intake pipes 20. Inside the chip storage chamber 300, the intake pipes 20 and supply pipes 10 are arranged alternately from the left end, with the last one on the right end being an intake pipe 20.

[0038] In this embodiment, intake pipes 20 are placed at both ends to facilitate gas intake. Therefore, the number of intake pipes 20 is one more than the number of supply pipes 10. However, the number of supply pipes 10 and the number of intake pipes 20 may be the same, or the number of intake pipes 20 may be less than the number of supply pipes 10.

[0039] Furthermore, the drying apparatus 100 includes one hot air injection pump 30 (first drive unit, blower, blower fan), one exhaust pump 40 (second drive unit, blower, intake fan), one first pipe 50 (first connection part), and one second pipe 60 (second connection part).

[0040] The hot air injection pump 30 is a device that supplies hot air to the supply pipe 10 (drives the supply unit). The hot air may be taken in from a hot air generating device (not shown) located outside the hot air injection pump 30, or it may be generated by the hot air injection pump 30. The exhaust pump 40 is a device that causes the intake pipe 20 to draw in air (drives the intake section).

[0041] The first piping 50 is a piping that connects the hot air injection pump 30 to multiple supply pipes 10. The second piping 60 is a piping that connects the exhaust pump 40 to multiple intake pipes 20.

[0042] The supply pipe 10 is equipped with multiple supply ports 11 (hot air outlets) for supplying gas. The multiple supply ports 11 are arranged at roughly equal proportions from the top end to the bottom end of the supply pipe 10. In addition, the supply ports 11 are located on all four sides of the supply pipe 10: front, back, left, and right.

[0043] The intake pipe 20 is equipped with multiple intake ports 21 (warm air inlets) for drawing in gas. The multiple intake ports 21 are arranged in roughly equal proportions from the top end to the bottom end of the intake pipe 20. In addition, the intake ports 21 are located on all four sides of the intake pipe 20: front, back, left, and right.

[0044] The supply port 11 and the intake port 21 are arranged in the same number and at the same height (same position in the vertical direction) to improve the flow of gas.

[0045] The air intake port 21 draws out the gas inside the chip group 200. By providing the air intake port 21, the gas inside the chip group 200 is actively exhausted, and warm air is distributed throughout the inside of the chip group 200, promoting drying.

[0046] The spacing between the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 can be changed by changing the number of supply pipes 10 and intake pipes 20. Similarly, the spacing between the supply port 11 and the intake port 21 can be changed by changing the number of supply ports 11 and intake ports 21. These changes allow for adjustment of the drying efficiency. Furthermore, by shortening the spacing between the supply port 11 and the intake port 21, the chips 200 packed in between can be dried more quickly.

[0047] The size of the supply port 11 and the intake port 21 is smaller than the size of the individual tips included in the tip group 200. For example, the supply port 11 and the intake port 21 are circular openings with a diameter of about 1 to 10 mm, and the size of the tips (outer dimensions, longest length when viewed in plan) is about 3 to 4 cm.

[0048] If the depth of the chip storage facility 300 is short (for example, less than 1m), only one drying device 100 is needed. On the other hand, if the depth of the chip storage facility 300 is long (for example, 1m or more), multiple drying devices 100 can be installed in the depth direction.

[0049] Furthermore, if the chip storage facility 300 has a long depth, the supply pipe 10 can be made into a plate-shaped (flat) member that extends in both the depth and vertical directions, rather than being tubular, allowing the entire chip storage facility 300 to be dried with just one drying device 100.

[0050] Figures 2 to 4 illustrate the method of using the drying apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment. First, prepare a drying apparatus 100 as shown in Figure 2(A), and prepare an empty chip storage unit 300 as shown in Figure 2(B).

[0051] Next, as shown in Figure 3(A), the undried chips 200 are placed in the empty chip storage container 300, and as shown in Figure 3(B), the supply pipe 10 and intake pipe 20 are directly inserted into the chips 200. Alternatively, the supply pipe 10 and intake pipe 20 may be placed first, and then the undried chips 200 may be placed inside.

[0052] Then, as shown in Figure 4(A), the hot air injection pump 30 and the exhaust pump 40 are driven in this state. As a result, gas (hot air) is drawn into the hot air injection pump 30 (arrow A1). The gas drawn into the hot air injection pump 30 is sent from the hot air injection pump 30 through the first pipe 50 to the supply pipe 10. The gas sent to the supply pipe 10 is supplied into the inside of the chip group 200 from the supply port 11 (arrow A2), drying the chip group 200.

[0053] Meanwhile, the intake port 21 of the intake pipe 20 draws in the gas inside the tip group 200 (arrow A3). The drawn-in gas is sent to the second pipe 60, passes through the exhaust pump 40, and is exhausted to the outside of the exhaust pump 40 (arrow A4).

[0054] Finally, as shown in Figure 4(B), when the drying apparatus 100 is removed, the dried chips 200 remain.

[0055] Figure 5 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.

[0056] 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).

[0057] 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.

[0058] In contrast, the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment does not cause uneven drying above and below the chip group 200, resulting in good drying efficiency. Furthermore, the drying apparatus 100 of the first embodiment can be installed simply by directly inserting the supply pipe 10 and intake pipe 20 into 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 also reducing the installation space required for the drying equipment.

[0059] As explained above, the first embodiment has the following effects. (1) According to the first embodiment, gas is supplied into the chip group 200 and gas is drawn in from inside the chip group 200, so the drying time of the chip group 200 can be shortened and the drying efficiency can be improved compared to a method in which the supply pipe 10 and intake pipe 20 are located outside the chip group 200.

[0060] (2) According to the first embodiment, since the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are arranged to extend vertically inside the chip group 200, it is possible to further reduce the occurrence of uneven drying in the vertical direction of the chip group 200 (uneven drying from top to bottom).

[0061] (3) According to the first embodiment, since the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are arranged alternately, the distance between the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 can be reduced, and the drying efficiency can be further improved.

[0062] (4) According to the first embodiment, multiple supply pipes 10 are driven by one hot air injection pump 30 and one first pipe 50, and multiple intake pipes 20 are driven by one exhaust pump 40 and one second pipe 60, so that multiple supply pipes 10 and multiple intake pipes 20 can be driven efficiently with fewer power sources.

[0063] (5) According to the first embodiment, since gas is supplied using multiple supply ports 11 and gas is drawn in using multiple intake ports 21, the supply and intake of gas can be carried out without bias within the chip group 200. In addition, by providing supply ports 11 and intake ports 21 closely spaced, the gas can be distributed to every corner, thereby improving drying efficiency.

[0064] (6) According to the first embodiment, since the size of the supply port 11 and the intake port 21 is smaller than the size of the chips, chips will not enter the supply port 11 and the intake port 21, and a decrease in drying efficiency during use of the drying device 100 can be suppressed.

[0065] (7) 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.

[0066] (8) 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.

[0067] (9) In the case of a drying method like the comparative example, since the structure is such that hot air is blown from below and exits to the top, if the chips are stacked too high, the pressure loss will be large and the top will not dry easily. On the other hand, by drying with the structure of the first embodiment, uneven drying at the upper and lower positions is eliminated, so there is no need to worry about the stacking height of the chips.

[0068] [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 6 shows the drying apparatus 100-2 of the second embodiment. The main difference between the first embodiment and the second embodiment is the orientation in which the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are positioned. Specifically, in the drying apparatus 100-2 of the second embodiment, the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are arranged to extend horizontally within the chip group 200.

[0069] The first pipe 50 and the second pipe 60 are connected to the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 near their horizontal centers. Alternatively, the first pipe 50 and the second pipe 60 may be connected to the left or right horizontal ends of the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20.

[0070] In the drying apparatus 100-2 of the second embodiment, if it is difficult to insert the supply pipe 10 and intake pipe 20 into the chip group 200 before drying, the supply pipe 10 and intake pipe 20 can be placed in the chip storage chamber 300 first, and then the chip group 200 before drying can be placed in the chip storage chamber 300.

[0071] According to the second embodiment, since the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are arranged to extend horizontally within the chip group 200, it is possible to further reduce the occurrence of uneven drying in the horizontal direction of the chip group 200 (uneven drying from left to right).

[0072] [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 7 shows the drying apparatus 100-3 of the third embodiment. The main difference between the first embodiment and the third embodiment is the orientation in which the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are positioned. Specifically, in the drying apparatus 100-3 of the third embodiment, the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are arranged to extend diagonally (in an inclined direction between the vertical and horizontal directions) inside the chip group 200. Furthermore, the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are arranged to intersect each other when viewed from the front.

[0073] According to the third embodiment, since the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are arranged to extend diagonally within the chip group 200, it is possible to further reduce the occurrence of uneven drying in the diagonal direction of the chip group 200 (uneven drying in the up, down, left, and right directions).

[0074] [Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 8 shows the drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment. The main difference between the first embodiment and the fourth embodiment is the orientation in which the supply pipe 10-4 and the intake pipe 20-4 are positioned. Specifically, in the drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment, the supply pipe 10-4 and the intake pipe 20-4 are arranged in a grid pattern (cubic grid pattern, jungle gym pattern) inside the chip group 200.

[0075] Figure 9 shows the details of the drying apparatus 100-4 of the fourth embodiment. In the figure, the supply pipe 10-4 and intake pipe 20-4 are shown in plan view, but in reality they are three-dimensional pipes with a circular or rectangular cross-section. The drying apparatus 100-4 is equipped with three supply pipes 10-4 and four intake pipes 20-4. Each supply pipe 10-4 and each intake pipe 20-4 is a grid-like pipe with three compartments in the vertical direction and four compartments in the horizontal direction. The number of compartments can be changed as appropriate (the same applies below). In the drying apparatus 100-4, the intake pipe 20-4 and the supply pipe 10-4 are arranged alternately in order from the front end, with the intake pipe 20-4 located at the rear end.

[0076] Furthermore, the drying apparatus 100-4 is equipped with a support section 70 that supports three supply pipes 10-4 and four intake pipes 20-4. When the drying apparatus 100-4 is viewed as a cube, the support section 70 is positioned along the bottom edge of the left side, the center of the left side, the center of the top edge, the top edge of the right side, the center of the right side, and the bottom edge of the right side, extending from the front end to the rear end. The support section 70 may also be positioned along the top edge of the left side. The number of supply pipes 10-4, intake pipes 20-4, and support sections 70 differs from those in Figure 8, but these numbers can be appropriately changed according to the size of the chip group to be dried.

[0077] Figure 10 shows the function of the drying apparatus 100-4. As shown in Figure 10(A), the smallest unit of drying is a single cube. At least one such cube is sufficient to dry a group of chips, and the number of cubes can be increased according to the size of the chip group to be dried. Within a single cube, the supply function can be assigned to one side of an opposing face, and the intake function to the other side, thereby enabling both gas supply and gas intake.

[0078] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10(B), regarding the gas flow, the gas supplied from the supply port 11 of the supply pipe 10-4 is drawn into the intake port 21 of the intake pipe 20-4 (the gas flows in the direction of arrow C1 to arrow C2). Although only the gas flow along the lower edges of the supply pipe 10-4 and intake pipe 20-4 is illustrated in the figure, the gas flow is similar along the upper, left, and right edges.

[0079] According to the fourth embodiment, since the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 are arranged in a grid pattern inside the chip group 200, the supply pipe 10 and the intake pipe 20 can be arranged more densely, further improving the drying efficiency.

[0080] Furthermore, according to the fourth embodiment, since it is equipped with a support section 70 that supports the three supply pipes 10-4 and the four intake pipes 20-4, the distance between the supply pipes 10-4 and the intake pipes 20-4 can be kept constant even during use, thereby suppressing a decrease in drying efficiency.

[0081] [Fifth Embodiment] Next, a fifth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 11 shows the drying apparatus 100-5 of the fifth embodiment. The drying apparatus 100-5 of the fifth embodiment is a drying apparatus of a similar type to that of the fourth embodiment, but differs mainly in the number of supply pipes and intake pipes, the number of compartments, etc. The drying apparatus 100-5 of the fifth embodiment is equipped with a blower 30-5 (gas supply unit) that supplies gas (air (room temperature)) to the supply pipe 10-5 from outside the supply pipe 10-5. In other words, the drying apparatus 100-5 of the fifth embodiment dries the chip group by gas (airflow (at room temperature)).

[0082] Furthermore, the drying apparatus 100-5 of the fifth embodiment is located inside the chip group 200 (see Figure 2) and is equipped with an intake pipe 20-5 (intake section) that is arranged in a grid pattern inside the chip group 200 and draws in the gas supplied by the supply pipe 10-5. The intake pipe 20-5 is connected to the exhaust pump 40-5 (blower, intake fan). The exhaust pump 40-5 is a device that causes the intake pipe 20-5 to draw in air (drives the intake section).

[0083] The drying apparatus 100-5 is equipped with three supply pipes 10-5 and two intake pipes 20-5. Each supply pipe 10-5 and each intake pipe 20-5 is a grid-like pipe having two compartments in the vertical direction and four compartments in the horizontal direction. In the drying apparatus 100-5, the supply pipe 10-5 and intake pipe 20-5 are arranged alternately in order from the front end, with the last supply pipe 10-5 located at the rear end.

[0084] Each supply pipe 10-5 is provided with multiple supply ports (openings with a diameter of several millimeters: not shown) for supplying gas, and each intake pipe 20-5 is provided with multiple intake ports (openings with a diameter of several millimeters: not shown) for drawing in gas.

[0085] Furthermore, the drying apparatus 100-5 is equipped with a support section 70-5 that supports three supply pipes 10-5 and two intake pipes 20-5. When the drying apparatus 100-5 is viewed as a cube, the support portion 70-5 is positioned along the left, center, and right edges of the top surface, and the left, center, and right edges of the bottom surface, extending from the front end to the rear end.

[0086] According to the fifth embodiment, the grid-shaped supply pipe 10-5 and the grid-shaped intake pipe 20-5 can promote the flow of gas inside the drying apparatus 100-5, thereby improving drying efficiency. Furthermore, according to the fifth embodiment, the chip group can be dried by gas (airflow (at room temperature)), which is effective when it is desired to dry the chip group without heating it.

[0087] [Sixth Embodiment] Next, the sixth embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 12 shows the drying apparatus 100-6 of the sixth embodiment. The drying apparatus 100-6 of the sixth embodiment is a drying apparatus of a similar type to that of the fourth embodiment, but differs mainly in the number of supply pipes and intake pipes, the number of compartments, etc. The drying apparatus 100-6 of the sixth embodiment is equipped with a hot air injection pump 30-6 (hot gas supply unit) that supplies heat and gas (airflow (hot air)) to the supply pipe 10-6 from outside the supply pipe 10-6. In other words, the drying apparatus 100-6 of the sixth embodiment dries the chips by heat and gas (airflow (hot air)).

[0088] Furthermore, the drying apparatus 100-6 of the sixth embodiment is located inside the chip group 200 (see Figure 2) and includes an intake pipe 20-6 (intake section) which is arranged in a grid pattern inside the chip group 200 and takes in gas supplied by the supply pipe 10-6 and gas (e.g., water vapor) generated by the heat supplied by the supply pipe 10-6. The intake pipe 20-6 is connected to the exhaust pump 40-6 (blower, intake fan). The exhaust pump 40-6 is a device that causes the intake pipe 20-6 to draw in air (drives the intake section).

[0089] The drying apparatus 100-6 is equipped with two supply pipes 10-6 and three intake pipes 20-6. Each supply pipe 10-6 and each intake pipe 20-6 is a grid-like pipe having two compartments in the vertical direction and four compartments in the horizontal direction. In the drying apparatus 100-6, the intake pipe 20-6 and the supply pipe 10-6 are arranged alternately from the front end, with the intake pipe 20-6 located at the rear end.

[0090] Each supply pipe 10-6 is provided with multiple supply ports (openings with a diameter of several millimeters: not shown) for supplying heat and gas, and each intake pipe 20-6 is provided with multiple intake ports (openings with a diameter of several millimeters: not shown) for drawing in gas (including gas generated by heat).

[0091] Furthermore, the drying apparatus 100-6 is equipped with a support section 70-6 that supports two supply pipes 10-6 and three intake pipes 20-6. When the drying apparatus 100-6 is viewed as a cube, the support portion 70-6 is positioned along the left, center, and right edges of the top surface, and the left, center, and right edges of the bottom surface, extending from the front end to the rear end.

[0092] According to the sixth embodiment, the grid-shaped supply pipe 10-6 and the grid-shaped intake pipe 20-6 can promote the flow of gas inside the drying apparatus 100-6, thereby improving drying efficiency. Furthermore, according to the sixth embodiment, the chip group can be dried by heat and gas (airflow (hot air)), so the chip group can be warmed and the drying time can be shortened.

[0093] [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, filters that allow gas to pass through but not solids (sand, particles, etc.) can be installed in the supply port 11 and the intake port 21.

[0094] (2) The supply unit may supply heat instead of gas (for example, a heater). In this case, the intake unit may draw in gas (for example, water vapor) generated by the heat supplied by the supply unit.

[0095] (3) The embodiments described above can also be used in combination. (4) The first to third embodiments may be provided with support parts such as those of the fourth embodiment.

[0096] (5) The number of supply units, intake units, and support units can be changed as appropriate depending on the size of the chips to be dried. (6) The supply section and intake section may be pipes with a circular cross-section or pipes with a rectangular cross-section. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 10, 10-4~10-6 supply pipe 11 supply ports 20, 20-4~20-6 Intake pipe 21 Air intake 30, 30-6 Hot air injection pump 30-5 Blower 40, 40-5, 40-6 Exhaust pumps 50 First Piping 60 Second Piping 70, 70-5, 70-6 Support part 100, 100-2~100-6 Drying apparatus (embodiment) 100A drying apparatus (comparative example) 200 chip group 300 chip storage 400 chip drying container 401 Gas passage 402 Aperture 403 Gas outlet

Claims

1. A drying apparatus for drying objects, A supply unit is placed inside the object to be dried and supplies gas or heat, An intake unit is placed inside the object to be dried and draws in gas supplied by the supply unit or gas generated by the heat supplied by the supply unit, The system comprises a support portion that supports the supply portion and the intake portion, The supply unit and the intake unit have compartments in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the distance between them is kept constant by the support unit. A drying apparatus characterized in that the supply unit, the intake unit, and the support unit are arranged in a cubic grid pattern within the object to be dried as a whole.

2. In the drying apparatus according to claim 1, The drying apparatus is characterized in that there are multiple supply units and multiple intake units, which are arranged alternately inside the object to be dried.

3. In the drying apparatus according to claim 2, A first drive unit that drives the supply unit, A second drive unit that drives the intake unit, A first connection unit that connects the first drive unit and the plurality of supply units, A second connection part that connects the second drive unit and the plurality of intake units, A drying apparatus characterized by being equipped with the following features.

4. In the drying apparatus according to claim 1, The supply unit is equipped with a plurality of supply ports for supplying gas, The drying apparatus is characterized in that the intake section is provided with a plurality of intake ports for drawing in gas.

5. In the drying apparatus according to claim 4, The object to be dried is a group of chips, A drying apparatus characterized in that the size of the supply port and the intake port are smaller than the size of the chip.

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