Carbonization apparatus

Abstract

To provide a carbonization apparatus with a reduced height.SOLUTION: A carbonization apparatus comprises an outer tube 4, an exhaust tube 5 suspended inside the outer tube 4, and a hollow cylindrical partition wall 6 positioned below the exhaust tube 5. An annular space S1 is defined between the outer tube 4 and the exhaust tube 5, and a carbonization chamber S2 is defined between the partition wall 6 and the outer tube 4. An raw material inlet hole 43 is provided on a peripheral wall 41 of the outer tube 4, and the raw material inlet hole 43 opens in a tangential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 41 at the formation position of the raw material inlet hole 43. An airflow containing a raw material introduced from the raw material inlet hole 43 into the annular space S1 flows in the tangential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 41 to form a swirling flow, and the raw material contained in the swirling flow falls into the carbonization chamber S2 due to centrifugal force. A combustion chamber S4 for burning combustible gas generated by the carbonization process is provided inside the partition wall 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a carbonization device has been proposed that carbonizes (incompletely burns) organic waste such as biomass to produce carbide. The produced carbide can be used as fuel, fertilizer (soil conditioner), water purification agent, etc.

[0003] For example, the carbonization device disclosed in Patent Document 1 carbonizes the raw material continuously supplied to the carbonization chamber and discharges it as carbide, and burns the combustible gas generated with the carbonization of the raw material at the upper part of the carbonization chamber. A primary air supply port is provided at the lower part of the carbonization chamber, and the raw material is promoted to self-ignite by the primary air supplied from the supply port. A secondary air supply port necessary for the combustion of the combustible gas is provided at the upper part of the carbonization chamber.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0008] The carbonization apparatus according to the present invention comprises an outer cylinder having a peripheral wall, an exhaust pipe hanging down into the interior of the outer cylinder, and a hollow cylindrical partition wall located below the exhaust pipe. An annular space is defined between the outer cylinder and the exhaust pipe, and a carbonization chamber for carbonizing raw materials to produce carbonized material is defined between the partition wall and the outer cylinder. The peripheral wall of the outer cylinder is provided with a raw material inlet for introducing a mixed flow of raw materials and air into the annular space. The raw material inlet opens tangentially to the inner surface of the peripheral wall at the location where the raw material inlet is formed. The mixed flow of raw materials and air introduced into the annular space from the raw material inlet flows tangentially to the inner surface of the peripheral wall to form a mixed swirling flow. The raw materials contained in the mixed swirling flow fall into the carbonization chamber by centrifugal force, and a combustion chamber for burning the combustible gas generated by the carbonization process is provided inside the partition wall. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the carbonization apparatus of the present invention, a carbonization chamber is provided on the outside of a hollow cylindrical partition wall, and a combustion chamber is provided on the inside of the partition wall. Therefore, the height of the carbonization apparatus can be reduced compared to a configuration in which the combustion chamber is provided above the carbonization chamber. Furthermore, since the carbonization chamber and combustion chamber are provided inside the outer cylinder, the entire carbonization apparatus can be made smaller compared to a configuration in which the carbonization furnace and combustion furnace are provided separately and placed side by side.

[0010] Furthermore, the airflow containing the raw materials introduced into the annular space flows tangentially to the inner surface of the outer cylinder's peripheral wall, creating a swirling flow. The raw materials contained in the swirling flow fall into the carbonization chamber due to centrifugal force, thus ensuring a uniform supply of raw materials to the carbonization chamber.

[0011] Furthermore, since the raw materials contained in the swirling flow are dried by the radiant energy of the flame from the combustion of the combustible gas, the carbonization process in the carbonization chamber can be carried out efficiently even if the raw materials are supplied in a wet state. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] A schematic diagram of a carbonization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] This figure schematically shows a longitudinal cross-section of the carbonization furnace of the carbonization apparatus shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view along line III-III in Figure 1. [Figure 4] A schematic diagram showing the end face of line IV-IV in Figure 2. [Figure 5] A front perspective view of the partition wall of the carbonization furnace shown in Figure 2. [Figure 6] Figure 2 schematically shows the deformation form of the carbonization furnace. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Hereinafter, a carbonization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. As shown in Figure 1, the carbonization apparatus 1 of this embodiment comprises a carbonization furnace 2 having a furnace chamber, a supply mechanism 3 connected to the carbonization furnace 2, and a support mechanism 7 supporting the carbonization furnace 2.

[0014] The supply mechanism 3 functions as a raw material supply means for supplying organic raw materials to the carbonization furnace 2, and in this embodiment, the raw materials are supplied to the carbonization furnace 2 by being carried by an airflow. More specifically, the supply mechanism 3 comprises a blower 31, a raw material supply pipe 32 connecting the blower 31 and the carbonization furnace 2, and a feeder 33 for feeding raw materials into the raw material supply pipe 32, with an ejector nozzle 34 provided in the middle of the raw material supply pipe 32. Examples of raw materials include biomass such as wood chips, rice husks, okara (soybean pulp), and straw, but it is not limited to these as long as it is organic.

[0015] The blower 31 comprises a casing 31a and a fan (not shown) housed in the casing 31a, and generates airflow by the rotation of the fan. The airflow generated by the blower 31 is sent to the carbonization furnace 2 via the raw material supply pipe 32.

[0016] The feeder 33 contains and holds the raw materials and supplies them to the raw material supply pipe 32. The ejector nozzle 34 provided in the raw material supply pipe 32 has a tapered shape in which the cross-sectional area gradually decreases as it moves downstream in the direction of the airflow in the raw material supply pipe 32, and its tip is positioned below the lower opening of the feeder 33. The raw materials contained and held in the feeder 33 are drawn into the raw material supply pipe 32 by the Venturi effect caused by the airflow ejected from the tip of the ejector nozzle 34, and are then transported to the carbonization furnace 2 by the airflow.

[0017] The supply mechanism 3 also functions as an air supply means for supplying air to the carbonization furnace 2, and further comprises an assist air supply pipe 35, a heat transfer air supply pipe 36, a primary air supply pipe 37, and a secondary air supply pipe 38. These supply pipes 35-38 are connected to the raw material supply pipe 32 upstream of the feeder 33. As a result, a portion of the air sent from the blower 31 is supplied to the carbonization furnace 2 as assist air, heat transfer air, primary air, and secondary air via the supply pipes 35-38. In addition, these supply pipes 35-38 are each provided with adjustment valves 35a, 36a, 37a, and 38a, respectively, and the amount of air introduced into the carbonization furnace 2 via the supply pipes 35-38 can be adjusted by adjusting the adjustment valves 35a-38a.

[0018] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the carbonization furnace 2 comprises a hollow outer cylinder 4, an exhaust pipe 5 that hangs down into the interior of the outer cylinder 4, and a bottomless, hollow cylindrical partition wall 6 positioned at a distance below the exhaust pipe 5. The outer cylinder 4 has a peripheral wall 41, an annular space S1 is defined between the peripheral wall 41 and the exhaust pipe 5, and an annular carbonization chamber S2 is defined between it and the partition wall 6. A central space S3 is defined between the exhaust pipe 5 and the partition wall 6 in the vertical direction D1, and the internal space of the partition wall 6 functions as a combustion chamber S4. The partition wall 6 is supported at a predetermined position shown in Figure 2 by a support member (not shown).

[0019] The upper part of the outer cylinder 4 constitutes a straight part with a uniform diameter, and the lower part of the outer cylinder 4 constitutes an inverted conical part whose diameter gradually decreases downward. And the above-mentioned annular space S1 and central space S3 are provided in the straight part of the outer cylinder 4, and the carbonization chamber S2 is provided in the inverted conical part.

[0020] On the peripheral wall 41 of the outer cylinder 4, a raw material inlet hole 43 and an assist air inlet hole 44 communicating with the annular space S1 are provided at the height position of the annular space S1. As shown in FIG. 3, the raw material inlet hole 43 opens in the tangential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 41 at the formation position of the raw material inlet hole 43, and the tip of the raw material supply pipe 32 is connected to the raw material inlet hole 43.

[0021] Also, the assist air inlet hole 44 is provided at a position below the raw material inlet hole 43 and opposite to the raw material inlet hole 43 in the radial direction of the outer cylinder 4. Similarly to FIG. 3, the assist air inlet hole 44 also opens in the tangential direction of the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 41 at the formation position of the assist air inlet hole 44. An assist air supply pipe 35 is connected to the assist air inlet hole 44, and external air can be introduced into the outer cylinder 4 through the assist air supply pipe 35.

[0022] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 4, the partition wall 6 has a hollow double-pipe structure composed of an inner pipe 61 and an outer pipe 62, and an annular gap G is formed between the inner pipe 61 and the outer pipe 62. Also, both ends of the inner pipe 61 in the vertical direction D1 expand in a tapered shape outward in the radial direction, and both end edges thereof are connected to the outer pipe 62, sealing both ends of the gap G in the vertical direction D1.

[0023] The outer tube 62 is provided with a primary air inlet 63 and a plurality of primary air supply holes 64. A primary air supply pipe 37 is connected to the primary air inlet 63, and air from the blower 31 is supplied as primary air from the primary air supply pipe 37 to the gap G. In this embodiment, the primary air supply pipe 37 penetrates the peripheral wall 41 of the outer cylinder 4 and is connected to the primary air inlet 63. The primary air supplied to the gap G in this manner is then supplied to the carbonization chamber S2 via the plurality of primary air supply holes 64. In other words, the gap G functions as a manifold. Here, it is preferable that these plurality of primary air supply holes 64 are arranged in a staggered pattern in multiple rows (two rows in the example of Figure 5) in the circumferential direction of the outer tube 62, as shown in Figure 5, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0024] Referring to Figure 2, the carbonization furnace 2 further includes a secondary air supply nozzle N for supplying secondary air to the combustion chamber S4, a discharge section 9 located below the outer cylinder 4, and a grate 10 located between the combustion chamber S2 and the discharge section 9, with the carbonization chamber S2 and the combustion chamber S4 communicating via the discharge section 9.

[0025] A secondary air supply pipe 38 is connected to the secondary air supply nozzle N. The tip of the secondary air supply nozzle N is positioned upward in the lower part of the combustion chamber S4, and it ejects the secondary air supplied from the secondary air supply pipe 38 upward into the combustion chamber S4.

[0026] In this embodiment, the discharge section 9 is a two-tiered structure, comprising a bottomless cylindrical member 91 located at the top, a box-shaped member 92 installed below the cylindrical member 91, and an openable / closable damper 93 provided between the cylindrical member 91 and the box-shaped member 92. Closing the damper 93 closes the lower opening of the cylindrical member 91, and opening the damper 93 allows the cylindrical member 91 and the box-shaped member 92 to communicate.

[0027] In this embodiment, the secondary air supply nozzle N has a substantially L-shape and is connected to the secondary air supply pipe 38 by passing through the cylindrical member 91 of the discharge section 9.

[0028] The carbonization furnace 2 is further equipped with a heat exchanger 8, which is located on the outer circumference of the outer cylinder 4 so as to surround the central space S3. More specifically, the heat exchanger 8 defines an annular heat exchange flow path R1 around the outer cylinder 4, and air inlet holes 81 and air outlet holes 82 are provided on the outer circumferential wall of the heat exchanger 8. A heat transfer medium air supply pipe 36 is connected to the air inlet hole 81, and the air that flows into the heat exchange flow path R1 from the air inlet hole 81 flows through the heat exchange flow path R1 and is then discharged to the outside through the air outlet hole 82. It is preferable that these air inlet holes 81 and air outlet holes 82 open in the tangential direction of the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall of the heat exchanger 8 at the location where the air inlet holes 81 and air outlet holes 82 are formed.

[0029] In this configuration, the raw materials contained and held in the feeder 33 are transported to the carbonization furnace 2 by the airflow flowing through the raw material supply pipe 32 generated by the blower 31. That is, the air containing the raw materials introduced from the raw material supply pipe 32 to the carbonization furnace 2 constitutes a mixed flow of raw materials and air (air transport fluid). As described above, the raw material inlet hole 43 provided in the outer cylinder 4 opens tangentially to the inner surface of the peripheral wall 41, so the mixed flow of raw materials and air (air transport fluid) flowing into the outer cylinder 4 flows along the inner surface of the outer cylinder 4, forming a mixed swirling flow that swirls around the annular space S1 and the central space S3 according to the cyclone principle.

[0030] Furthermore, the external air (assist air) introduced from the assist air inlet 44 flows along the inner surface of the peripheral wall 41, similar to the mixed flow introduced from the raw material inlet 43, and merges with the mixed swirling flow that swirls around the annular space S1 and the central space S3, thereby strengthening the swirling motion of the mixed swirling flow. As a result, the raw materials contained in the mixed swirling flow collide with the inner surface of the outer cylinder 4 due to the strong centrifugal force, fall from the mixed swirling flow into the carbonization chamber S2, and the raw materials and air are separated.

[0031] In this way, the raw material that falls from the mixed swirling flow accumulates in the carbonization chamber S2 and is carbonized by the primary air supplied from the primary air supply hole 64, becoming a carbonized material. Meanwhile, the air contained in the mixed flow that flows into the annular space S1 is discharged to the outside through the exhaust pipe 5. The peripheral wall 41 of the outer cylinder 4 is provided with an ignition window (not shown) used to ignite the raw material in the carbonization chamber S2.

[0032] Furthermore, combustible gases are generated during the carbonization process of the raw materials. These generated combustible gases are drawn in by the Venturi effect caused by the secondary air ejection from the secondary air supply nozzle N and flow from the carbonization chamber S2 into the combustion chamber S4 via the grate 10 and the discharge section 9. The combustible gases that flow into the combustion chamber S4 are burned by the secondary air supplied from the secondary air supply nozzle N, and the exhaust gas generated by the combustion of the combustible gases is exhausted to the outside through the exhaust pipe 5.

[0033] Here, the raw material contained in the air-transported fluid is dried by the radiant energy of the flame from the combustion of the combustible gas as it swirls around in the central space S3, and falls into the carbonization chamber S2 while undergoing thermal decomposition. In other words, the central space S3, located between the exhaust pipe 5 and the carbonization chamber S2, functions as a drying chamber for drying the raw material.

[0034] Furthermore, if the temperature of the central space S3 becomes too high, air (heat transfer air) is flowed through the heat exchange channel R1 to adjust the temperature of the central space S3. The air heated in the heat exchange channel R1 (preheated air) is discharged from the air discharge hole 82. The preheated air obtained by the heat exchanger 8 in this way can be used for various purposes and supplied to locations according to the intended use. As mentioned above, the amount of air supplied to the heat exchange channel R1 can be adjusted by the control valve 36a.

[0035] The charred material obtained as described above is discharged through the grate 10 to the box-shaped member 93 of the discharge section 9. When the box-shaped member 92 is full of charred material, the damper 93 is closed to block the lower opening of the cylindrical member 91, the box-shaped member 92 is replaced with an empty box-shaped member 92, and the damper 93 is opened. In this way, the charred material discharged into the box-shaped member 92 can be removed. The reason for temporarily closing the damper 93 here is to prevent excess air from flowing into the outer cylinder 4 when the box-shaped member 92 is replaced.

[0036] Here, a vibrator (not shown) may be provided to vibrate the grate 10 in order to promote the discharge of charred material to the discharge section 9. Alternatively, the discharge of charred material from the carbonization chamber S2 to the discharge section 9 may be promoted by manually vibrating the grate 10.

[0037] Thus, in the carbonization apparatus 1 according to this embodiment, the area outside the partition wall 6 is the carbonization chamber S2, and the area inside the partition wall 6 is the combustion chamber S4. Compared to the case where the combustion chamber is located above the carbonization chamber S2, the height dimension of the carbonization furnace 2 can be reduced. Therefore, for example, the carbonization apparatus 1 can be loaded onto the bed of a truck and transported without violating truck height restrictions, making it easy to move the carbonization apparatus 1.

[0038] Furthermore, since the raw material is supplied to the carbonization chamber S2 by utilizing the swirling motion of the mixed flow, the raw material can be uniformly supplied to the annular carbonization chamber S2. Moreover, even if the raw material is supplied in a wet state, it is dried by the radiant energy of the flame of the combustible gas and falls into the carbonization chamber S2 in a dry state, so the carbonization process in the carbonization chamber S2 can be carried out efficiently.

[0039] Although a carbonization apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the attached drawings, the present invention is not limited to such embodiments, and various modifications and alterations are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0040] For example, in the above embodiment, the supply mechanism 3 functions as a raw material supply means for supplying raw materials to the carbonization furnace 2, and also as an air supply means for supplying air (assist air, heat transfer air, primary air, and secondary air) to the carbonization furnace 2. However, the raw material supply means and the air supply means may be provided separately.

[0041] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the carbonized material is recovered by replacing the box-shaped member 92. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, a rotary valve or the like may be provided in the discharge section 9 to automatically recover the carbonized material discharged to the discharge section 9. In this case, the cylindrical member 91 and the box-shaped member 92 can be integrated, and the damper 93 becomes unnecessary.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the partition wall 6 is made of a hollow double-pipe structure, and a plurality of primary air supply holes 64 are provided in the partition wall 6, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, as shown in Figure 6, a plurality of primary air supply holes 64 may be provided in the peripheral wall 41 of the outer cylinder 4, and a manifold defining member 141 that defines the manifold M may be provided on the outer surface of the peripheral wall 41, and the primary air supply holes 64 and the primary air supply pipe 37 may be connected via the manifold M. In this case, it is preferable that the primary air supply holes 64 be provided at a height position of the carbonization chamber S2 (in other words, below the upper end of the partition wall 6). In this configuration, the primary air supplied from the primary air supply pipe 37 is supplied to the carbonization chamber S2 via the manifold M and the primary air supply holes 64. In this case, it is not necessary for the partition wall 6 to be a hollow double-pipe structure. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0043] 1. Carbonization apparatus 2. Carbonization furnace 3. Supply equipment (raw material supply means, air supply means) 4. Outer cylinder 5 Exhaust stack 6 Partition Wall 41 Peripheral wall 43 Raw material inflow hole S1 Circular Space S2 carbonization chamber S4 Combustion Chamber

Claims

1. An outer cylinder having a peripheral wall, An exhaust pipe hanging down inside the outer cylinder, A hollow cylindrical partition wall located below the aforementioned exhaust pipe, It comprises a discharge section provided below the outer cylinder, An annular space is defined between the outer cylinder and the exhaust pipe. Between the partition wall and the outer cylinder, a carbonization chamber is defined for carbonizing the raw material to produce carbonized material. A grate is provided between the carbonization chamber and the discharge section. The peripheral wall of the outer cylinder is provided with a raw material inlet hole for introducing a mixed flow of raw material and air into the annular space. The raw material inlet opening is located at the position where the raw material inlet opening is formed, and is tangential to the inner surface of the peripheral wall. The mixed flow introduced into the annular space from the raw material inlet flows tangentially to the inner surface of the peripheral wall, becoming a mixed swirling flow. The raw materials contained in the mixed swirling flow fall into the carbonization chamber due to centrifugal force and are discharged to the discharge section via the grate. A carbonization apparatus in which a combustion chamber for burning the combustible gas generated by the carbonization process is provided inside the partition wall.

2. The carbonization apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the carbonization chamber and the combustion chamber are in communication with each other via the discharge section.

3. The partition wall has a hollow double-tube structure consisting of an inner tube and an outer tube. A gap is defined between the inner tube and the outer tube. The outer tube is provided with a plurality of primary air supply holes. The carbonization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the primary air supplied to the gap flows into the carbonization chamber through the plurality of primary air supply holes.

4. The manifold member further comprises a manifold between the outer cylinder and the peripheral wall, The peripheral wall is provided with a plurality of primary air supply holes that communicate with the manifold. The carbonization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the primary air supplied to the manifold flows into the carbonization chamber through the plurality of primary air supply holes.

5. The carbonization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a secondary air supply nozzle for supplying secondary air to the combustion chamber, wherein the secondary air supply nozzle opens upward at a position below the combustion chamber.

6. The carbonization apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a raw material supply means for supplying the mixed flow to the annular space through the raw material inlet hole.

Images