Furnace facility

Abstract

Provided is a furnace facility capable of adjusting the flow rate of combustion air. A furnace body (110) forms a furnace space (S0) inside, and a floor (140) partitions the furnace space (S0) into an upper space (S1) and a lower space (S2) in the vertical direction, and has a communication part (141) communicating the upper space (S1) and the lower space (S2). The upper space (S1) is a space in which to-be-carbonized matter (W) is stored and carbonized, and the lower space (S2) is a space to which combustion exhaust gas generated by the carbonization of the to-be-carbonized matter (W) is guided from the upper space (S1) via the communication part (141). The furnace body (110) has an intake opening (122a) that communicates the upper space (S1) and the outside of the furnace body (110). A chimney (150) forms an exhaust flow path (P1) that communicates the lower space (S2) and the outside of the furnace body (110). A fan (161) is provided in the exhaust flow path (P1) and discharges a gas containing the combustion exhaust gas from the exhaust flow path (P1) to the outside of the furnace body (110).

Description

Furnace equipment

[0001] The present disclosure relates to furnace equipment such as carbonization furnaces and reactors.

[0002] A carbonization furnace is known that obtains carbonized material from a material to be carbonized, such as woody biomass, as a raw material (Patent Document 1).

[0003] Utility Model Registration No. 3230754

[0004] In furnace equipment, the optimum flow rate of combustion air changes depending on the layer thickness that changes as the carbonization of the stored material progresses, the bulk density of the material, the surface moisture of the material, and other factors.

[0005] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the above circumstances, and has an object to provide furnace equipment that can adjust the flow rate of intake combustion air.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, the furnace equipment of the present disclosure employs the following means: The furnace equipment according to one aspect of the present disclosure includes a furnace body, a floor, a chimney, and a fan, the furnace body forming an internal furnace space, the floor dividing the furnace space into an upper space and a lower space in the vertical direction and having a communication part connecting the upper space and the lower space, the upper space being a space where materials to be carbonized are stored and carbonized, the lower space being a space into which combustion exhaust gas generated by the carbonization of the materials to be carbonized is introduced via the communication part, the furnace body having an intake opening connecting the upper space to the outside of the furnace body, the chimney forming an exhaust flow path connecting the lower space to the outside of the furnace body, the fan being provided in the exhaust flow path and configured to discharge gas including the combustion exhaust gas from the exhaust flow path to the outside of the furnace body.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, the flow rate of combustion air taken into the furnace facility can be adjusted.

[0008] FIG. 1 is a side view of a vehicle equipped with a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a side view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a side view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure showing a change in height of the furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (Example 1). FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure showing a change in height of the furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (Example 2). FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure showing a state in which a cover of the furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is opened and closed (Example 3). FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (configuration capable of preheating combustion air). FIG. 10 is a side view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (configuration capable of promoting ignition). FIG. 11 is a side view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (configuration including a basket). FIG. 12 is a side view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (configuration including a partition plate). FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of a furnace system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure (configuration including a partition plate).

[0009] Hereinafter, a furnace facility according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0010] <Basic Structure of Furnace Facility> The furnace facility 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a carbonization furnace that produces biochar using a material W to be carbonized, such as woody biomass, as a raw material, or a reactor that produces biofuel. Hereinafter, the furnace facility 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described using the furnace facility 100 as a carbonization furnace as an example.

[0011] 1, the furnace equipment 100 is a mobile furnace that can be mounted on a vehicle 10 such as a truck. Therefore, the furnace equipment 100 is provided with a connecting part (not shown) that is used to connect and secure the furnace equipment 10 to the vehicle 10.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the furnace equipment 100 includes a furnace body 110 , a floor 140 , a chimney 150 , an induced draft fan 161 , and a control unit 190 .

[0013] The control unit 190 is a device that executes control necessary for the operation of the furnace equipment 100, such as processing information acquired from each device included in the furnace equipment 100 and transmitting and receiving signals to and from each device. The control unit 190 (controller) includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a main memory, and a secondary storage. The control unit 190 may also include a communication unit for transmitting and receiving information to and from other devices. Here, the other devices include, for example, each valve, and a temperature sensor, a flow rate sensor, and the like required for controlling each valve provided at each location. The main memory is, for example, a writable memory such as a cache memory or a RAM (Random Access Memory), and is used as a working area for reading the execution program of the CPU and writing processing data by the execution program. A secondary storage device is a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. Examples of secondary storage devices include magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and semiconductor memories. A series of processes for realizing various functions is stored in the secondary storage device in the form of a program, and the CPU reads this program into the main storage device and executes information processing and arithmetic operations to realize various functions. The program may be pre-installed in the secondary storage device, provided in a state stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or distributed via wired or wireless communication means. Examples of computer-readable storage media include magnetic disks, magneto-optical disks, CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs, and semiconductor memories.

[0014] The furnace body 110 is a rectangular parallelepiped container having a furnace space S0 formed therein. The shape of the furnace body 110 is not limited to a rectangular parallelepiped. The furnace body 110 has a container portion 120 and a lid portion 130.

[0015] The container portion 120 is a container with an open top. The container portion 120 has a bottom 121 and a peripheral wall 122. The bottom 121 is a plate-like portion with a substantially rectangular shape that extends in a horizontal plane (in the front-to-back and left-to-right directions in the case of Figures 2 and 3). The bottom 121 is also the bottom of the furnace body 110. The peripheral wall 122 is a wall that rises upward from the entire periphery of the bottom 121. The peripheral wall 122 is also the peripheral wall portion of the furnace body 110. The container portion 120 is formed by integrating the bottom 121 and the peripheral wall 122.

[0016] The lid 130 is a lid for closing the opening on the top surface of the container 120. The lid 130 provided on the top of the container 120 closes the opening on the top surface of the container 120, thereby forming a furnace space S0 inside the furnace body 110.

[0017] This furnace space S0 is divided vertically by a floor 140. The upper space of the furnace space S0 divided by the floor 140 is referred to as the upper space S1, and the lower space is referred to as the lower space S2. The upper space S1 is a space for storing the material to be carbonized W. The lower space S2 is not a space for storing fuel such as kindling and burning the fuel. The floor 140 is a substantially rectangular plate-like portion extending in a horizontal plane inside the container portion 120. The floor 140 is provided, for example, at a height of several tens of centimeters from the bottom 121 of the container portion 120. The floor 140 has a communication portion 141. The communication portion 141 is a portion that communicates between the upper space S1 and the lower space S2. Examples of the communication portion 141 include a number of holes (through holes) formed in the floor 140. The purpose of providing the communication part 141 is to guide gas containing combustion exhaust gas, which will be described later, from the upper space S1 to the lower space S2 without allowing the material to be carbonized W or carbide stored in the upper space S1 to fall into the lower space S2. Therefore, as long as this purpose can be achieved, the specific shape and number of the communication part 141 are not particularly limited.

[0018] The peripheral wall 122 of the container 120 has at least one intake opening 122a and at least one insertion opening 122b. The intake opening 122a is an opening (through-hole) that connects the upper space S1 to the outside of the container 120. The intake opening 122a is an opening for taking in combustion air (air outside the container 120) from the outside of the container 120 into the upper space S1. In the case of FIG. 2, the intake opening 122a is a rectangular opening extending in the front-to-rear direction. In the cases of FIGS. 2 and 3, the intake openings 122a are provided at the top of both left-to-right walls of the peripheral wall 122. The insertion opening 122b is an opening (through-hole) that connects the lower space S2 to the outside of the container 120. The insertion opening 122b is an opening for inserting an ignition burner 183 from the outside of the container 120 into the upper space S1. In the case of FIG. 2, the insertion opening 122b is provided in the lower part of the peripheral wall 122 and is a circular opening.

[0019] A chimney 150 is provided on each side of the vessel part 120 (both side surfaces in the front-rear direction in the case of FIG. 2 ). The chimney 150 is a part in which an exhaust flow path P1 is formed. The chimney 150 extends in the vertical direction along the side of the vessel part 120, and, for example, its uppermost opening (the outlet of the exhaust flow path P1) is located higher than the lid part 130. The exhaust flow path P1 is connected at its lower part to the lower space S2 and at its upper part to the outside of the furnace body 110. In other words, the exhaust flow path P1 is a flow path that communicates between the lower space S2 and the outside of the furnace body 110.

[0020] An induced draft fan 161 is installed in each exhaust flow path P1. The induced draft fan 161 is a device that generates an airflow by inducing surrounding gas. In this embodiment, the induced draft fan 161 is configured to generate an airflow (an airflow from bottom to top in the case of FIG. 2 ) that causes gas to be exhausted from the outlet of the exhaust flow path P1 (the top of the chimney 150). The output of the induced draft fan 161 is controlled by the control unit 190. Details of this control will be described later.

[0021] <Basic Operation and Behavior of Furnace Equipment> First, the material to be carbonized W is charged into the furnace body 110 from the top thereof with the lid 130 removed. The charged material to be carbonized W is piled up on the floor 140 and stored in the upper space S1. The material to be carbonized W is charged until it reaches a height of several tens of centimeters to several meters from the floor 140 (until the layer thickness reaches several tens of centimeters to several meters), for example.

[0022] Next, the burners 183 are inserted through each insertion opening 122b to ignite the material W to be carbonized near the floor 140. When combustion of the material W to be carbonized begins, the heat from the combustion is transferred to the exhaust passage P1 formed in the chimney 150 via the lower space S2. Then, due to the chimney effect, an airflow is automatically generated in which gas is discharged from the outlet of the exhaust passage P1 (the top of the chimney 150). Furthermore, due to the influence of this airflow, an airflow is automatically generated that flows from the outside of the furnace body 110, the intake opening 122a of the container part 120, the upper space S1, the connecting part 141 of the floor 140, the lower space S2, and the inlet of the exhaust passage P1 in this order. In other words, due to the chimney effect, an airflow is automatically generated that flows from the outside of the furnace body 110, the intake opening 122a, the upper space S1, the connecting part 141, the lower space S2, the inlet of the exhaust passage P1, and the outlet of the exhaust passage P1 in this order. As a result, the material to be carbonized W is combusted and carbonized by the downflow of naturally aspirated combustion air. The combustion exhaust gas generated during carbonization is discharged to the outside of the furnace body 110 via the chimney 150 (exhaust flow path P1). Here, the combustion exhaust gas is a gas generated by the reaction of pyrolysis gas and the like with oxygen (O2), and contains carbon dioxide (CO2).

[0023] However, the optimal flow rate of combustion air for carbonization varies depending on factors such as changes in the layer thickness of the stored carbonized material W as the carbonization progresses, the bulk density of the carbonized material W, and the surface moisture of the carbonized material W. Therefore, in the furnace equipment 100 according to this embodiment, an induced draft fan 161 is installed in the exhaust flow path P1 to adjust the flow rate of combustion air taken into the upper space S1 from the intake opening 122a. For example, when the layer thickness of the carbonized material W is thick or the bulk density of the carbonized material W is high, the pressure loss when the combustion air passes through the carbonized material W is large, so the output of the induced draft fan 161 is increased to take in an appropriate flow rate of combustion air. Furthermore, for example, when the surface moisture content of the carbonized material W is high, the carbonized material W is difficult to dry. Therefore, to promote drying, the output of the induced draft fan 161 is increased to take in an appropriate flow rate of combustion air.

[0024] Whether the flow rate of the taken-in combustion air is optimal or not is determined, for example, based on the flow rate of the gas (gas including combustion exhaust gas) discharged from the chimney 150. In this case, a flow meter 191 capable of measuring the flow rate of the gas including combustion exhaust gas is installed, for example, in the exhaust flow path P1. The flow meter 191 is configured to be able to communicate with the control unit 190, and the control unit 190 controls the output of the induced draft fan 161 so that the value measured by the flow meter 191 approaches a preset target value for the flow rate.

[0025] The opening area of ​​the intake opening 122a of the container 120 may also be changed based on the measurement value of the flow meter 191. Specifically, the opening area of ​​the intake opening 122a may be increased when a large amount of combustion air is taken in, and may be decreased when a small amount of combustion air is taken in. The appropriate opening area of ​​the intake opening 122a is determined by the control unit 190. The opening area of ​​the intake opening 122a is adjusted by sliding a blocking plate 122c provided on the intake opening 122a, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 .

[0026] <<Modifications>> As shown in Fig. 5, the intake openings 122a may be multiple holes (through holes) arranged in the front-to-rear direction. In this case, the opening area of ​​the intake openings 122a is adjusted by changing the number of intake openings 122a that are opened. Furthermore, the opening area of ​​each intake opening 122a may be adjusted individually.

[0027] <Height of Furnace Body> When the furnace equipment 100 is loaded onto the vehicle 10 and moved, the height dimension of the furnace equipment 100 needs to be set within a range that does not violate regulations (e.g., the Road Traffic Act). On the other hand, when operating the furnace equipment 100, it is preferable to store a larger amount of material W to be carbide. For this reason, the furnace equipment 100 is configured so that the height of the furnace body 110 and the height of the chimney 150 can be changed. Below, an example of changing the height will be described.

[0028] <<Example 1 (Height of Furnace Body)>> As shown in Figure 6, the vessel 120 has a movable peripheral wall 123 in addition to the peripheral wall 122. The movable peripheral wall 123 is, for example, a wall extending in the vertical direction configured to fit onto the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall 122. In this case, the lid 130 is provided on the upper part of the movable peripheral wall 123 so as to close the opening on the upper surface of the movable peripheral wall 123. The movable peripheral wall 123 is configured to be slidable in the vertical direction relative to the peripheral wall 122. When the movable peripheral wall 123 is positioned downward, the height of the furnace body 110 is low, and the volume of the upper space S1 is small. On the other hand, when the movable peripheral wall 123 is positioned upward, the height of the furnace body 110 is high, and the volume of the upper space S1 is large.

[0029] The movable peripheral wall 123 has at least one intake opening 123a. In the case of FIG. 6, the intake opening 123a is a rectangular opening extending in the front-rear direction and is provided at the top of both left and right walls of the movable peripheral wall 123. When the movable peripheral wall 123 is positioned downward, the position of the intake opening 123a of the movable peripheral wall 123 coincides with the position of the intake opening 122a of the peripheral wall 122. In other words, even when the movable peripheral wall 123 is positioned downward, the upper space S1 can be in a state of communication with the outside of the container part 120 via the intake opening 123a and the intake opening 122a (i.e., the furnace equipment 100 can be operated). On the other hand, when the movable peripheral wall 123 is positioned upward, the intake opening 122a is covered to prevent the material W to be carbide stored in the upper space S1 from spilling out through the intake opening 122a of the peripheral wall 122. In the case of FIG. 6, the lower part of the movable peripheral wall 123 is used as a lid, but the lid may be prepared as a separate part.

[0030] The height of the chimney 150 may be changed in accordance with the sliding of the movable peripheral wall 123 .

[0031] <<Example 2 (Height of Furnace Body)>> As shown in Figure 7, the vessel section 120 has a movable peripheral wall 124 in addition to the peripheral wall 122. The movable peripheral wall 124 is a wall extending in the vertical direction, and one end is connected to the upper end of the peripheral wall 122 by a hinge. When the movable peripheral wall 124 is lowered, the height of the furnace body 110 is low, and the volume of the upper space S1 is small. On the other hand, when the movable peripheral wall 123 is raised, the height of the furnace body 110 is high, and the volume of the upper space S1 is large. Here, "the movable peripheral wall 124 is lowered" means that the end of the movable peripheral wall 124 on the side not provided with a hinge faces downward, and "the movable peripheral wall 124 is raised" means that the end of the movable peripheral wall 124 on the side not provided with a hinge faces upward.

[0032] The movable peripheral wall 124 has at least one intake opening 124a. In the case of FIG. 7, the intake openings 124a are rectangular openings extending in the front-rear direction and are provided on both left and right walls of the movable peripheral wall 124. When the movable peripheral wall 124 is lowered, the position of the intake opening 124a of the movable peripheral wall 124 coincides with the position of the intake opening 122a of the peripheral wall 122. In other words, even when the movable peripheral wall 124 is lowered, the upper space S1 can be in a state of communication with the outside of the container part 120 via the intake openings 123a and 122a (i.e., the furnace equipment 100 can be operated). On the other hand, when the movable peripheral wall 124 is raised, the intake opening 122a is covered to prevent the material W to be carbide stored in the upper space S1 from spilling out through the intake opening 122a of the peripheral wall 122.

[0033] The height of the chimney 150 may also be changed in accordance with the position of the movable peripheral wall 124 .

[0034] <Removal of Lid> For example, when the material to be carbonized W is put into the container 120, it is necessary to remove the lid 130 to open the opening on the top surface of the container 120. Hereinafter, several examples regarding the removal of the lid 130 will be described.

[0035] <<Embodiment 3 (Removal of Lid)>> The lid 130 is removed by a crane 184 as shown in FIG.

[0036] <<Example 4 (Removal of Lid)>> As shown in Figure 9, the ends of each of the first lid portion 131 and the second lid portion 132 as the lid portion 130 may be connected to the upper end of the peripheral wall 122 by a hinge, and the opening on the top surface of the container portion 120 may be opened by rotating the first lid portion 131 and / or the second lid portion 132 around the hinge.

[0037] <Preheating of Combustion Air> The combustion air taken in through the intake opening 122a may be preheated in order to improve the drying speed and carbonization speed of the material to be carbonized W. Below, an example of a configuration that can preheat the combustion air will be described.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 10 , the chimney 150 has a vertical section 151 and a horizontal section 152. The vertical section 151 is a section extending in the up-down direction along the side of the vessel section 120 (both front-to-rear side surfaces in the case of FIG. 10 ). The exhaust flow path P1 formed in the vertical section 151 is connected at its lower part to the lower space S2 and at its upper part to the exhaust flow path P1 formed in the horizontal section 152. The horizontal section 152 is a section extending in the horizontal direction (front-to-rear direction in the case of FIG. 10 ). One end of the exhaust flow path P1 formed in the horizontal section 152 is connected to the exhaust flow path P1 formed in one vertical section 151, and the other end is connected to the exhaust flow path P1 formed in the other vertical section 151. The middle portion of the exhaust flow path P1 formed in the horizontal section 152 is connected to the outside of the furnace body 110.

[0039] The furnace equipment 100 further includes an intake duct 170 having an intake passage formed therein. The intake duct 170 has a plurality of branch ducts 171 connected to each intake opening 122a, and is configured so that the intake combustion air is distributed to each branch duct 171. At least a portion of the intake duct 170 is located in the exhaust passage P1 formed in the chimney 150. In the case of Figure 10, the horizontal portion of the intake duct 170 is located in the exhaust passage P1 formed in the horizontal portion 152 of the chimney 150.

[0040] Since gas with a higher temperature than the intake combustion air flows through the exhaust flow path P1, the combustion air flowing through the intake duct 170 is heated (preheated) by heat exchange with the gas flowing through the exhaust flow path P1.

[0041] <Promoting ignition by burner> When the burner 183 inserted through the insertion opening 122b is used to ignite the carbonized material W near the floor 140, the downflow of combustion air caused by the combustion of the already ignited carbonized material W may cause the flame of the burner 183 to face downward, which may hinder ignition of the carbonized material W.

[0042] Therefore, as shown in Figure 11, another induced draft fan 162 may be provided at the intake opening 122a of the vessel section 120. The induced draft fan 162 is configured to generate an airflow that exhausts gas from the intake opening 122a. By operating the induced draft fan 162, an airflow is generated that flows in the following order: outside the furnace body 110, the outlet of the exhaust flow path P1, the inlet of the exhaust flow path P1, the lower space S2, the communication section 141, the upper space S1, and the intake opening 122a. Note that the "outlet" and "inlet" of the exhaust flow path P1 are based on the direction of the airflow due to the chimney effect.

[0043] This causes the flame of the burner 183 to be directed toward the material to be carbonized W piled up on the floor 140 above, facilitating ignition of the material to be carbonized W.

[0044] 12 , the furnace equipment 100 may include a cage 181 for storing the material to be carbonized W. The cage 181 is a container with an open top, and is installed in the upper space S1 of the container section 120. The cage 181 is made of, for example, a wire mesh.

[0045] 13, after carbonization is completed, the carbide can be removed from the furnace body 110 together with the basket 181. The basket 181 is transported by a crane 184, for example.

[0046] <Partition Plate for Upper Space> As shown in Figures 14 and 15, the furnace equipment 100 may include at least one partition plate 182. The partition plate 182 is installed in the upper space S1 of the vessel section 120 and divides the upper space S1 in the horizontal direction. In the case of Figure 14, the partition plate 182 divides the upper space S1 into two spaces in the front-to-rear direction. In the case of Figure 15, the partition plate 182 divides the upper space S1 into two spaces in the left-to-right direction. The number and arrangement of the partition plates 182 can be changed as appropriate.

[0047] As a result, even if the amount of material W to be treated is small, a sufficient layer thickness can be maintained by introducing the material W into the partitioned upper space S1, i.e., the upper space S1 with a reduced volume.

[0048] Furthermore, each partitioned section can be regarded as an independent furnace body 110. This allows different types of material to be carbide W to be charged, the material to be carbide W to be charged at different times for each section, and the carbide to be removed at different times for each section.

[0049] This embodiment provides the following advantages. The induced draft fan 161 is provided in the exhaust flow path P1 and is configured to exhaust gas, including combustion exhaust gas, from the exhaust flow path P1 to the outside of the furnace body 110. This allows the flow rate of the exhausted gas to be changed in accordance with changes in the layer thickness of the stored carbonized material W as the carbonization progresses, the bulk density of the carbonized material W, the surface moisture of the carbonized material W, and the like. Furthermore, changing the flow rate of the exhausted gas also changes the flow rate of the combustion air taken in through the intake opening 122a. In other words, by providing the induced draft fan 161, it becomes possible to adjust the flow rate of the combustion air taken in through the intake opening 122a in accordance with changes in the layer thickness of the stored carbonized material W as the carbonization progresses, the bulk density of the carbonized material W, the surface moisture of the carbonized material W, and the like.

[0050] Furthermore, the control unit 190 controls the output of the induced draft fan 161 based on the measurement value of the flow meter 191, and therefore can manage the output of the induced draft fan 161 based on the flow rate of the exhaust combustion gas being discharged.

[0051] Furthermore, the control unit 190 controls the opening area of ​​the intake opening 122a based on the measurement value of the flow meter 191, so that the flow rate of the combustion air taken in through the intake opening 122a can be adjusted more efficiently.

[0052] Furthermore, since the furnace body 110 is configured so that its height dimension is variable, for example, when the furnace equipment 100 is loaded onto the vehicle 10 and moved, the height dimension of the furnace body 110 can be set to a dimension that does not violate regulations (the furnace body 110 can be lowered). On the other hand, when the furnace equipment 100 is operated, the furnace body 110 can be raised to increase the volume of the upper space S1 where the material to be carbonized W is stored and carbonized.

[0053] Furthermore, the chimney 150 is configured so that its height dimension is variable, so that the height dimension of the chimney 150 can be set to match the changing height dimension of the furnace body 110.

[0054] Furthermore, the lid 130 is configured to be able to be opened and closed, so that the material to be carbonized W can be easily supplied to the upper space S1.

[0055] Furthermore, the chimney 150 and the intake duct 170 are configured to enable heat exchange between the gas flowing through the exhaust flow path P1 and the gas flowing through the intake flow path, so that the combustion air (combustion air taken in from outside) flowing through the intake flow path and led to the intake opening 122a can be heated by the high-temperature gas flowing through the exhaust flow path P1. This improves the drying speed and carbonization speed of the material to be carbonized W and also leads to a reduction in energy loss.

[0056] Furthermore, the induced draft fan 162 is provided in the intake opening 122a and configured to exhaust gas from the upper space S1 to the outside of the furnace body 110, so that a flow of gas can be generated that is exhausted from the intake opening 122a from the lower space S2 via the communication part 141 and the upper space S1. This makes it easier for the flame of the ignition burner 183 inserted into the lower space S2 from the insertion opening 122b to transfer to the material to be carbide W stored in the upper space S1.

[0057] Furthermore, the basket 181 is installed in the upper space S1 and stores the material to be carbonized W, so that after carbonization is completed, the material to be carbonized can be removed from the furnace body 110 together with the basket 181.

[0058] Furthermore, because the partition plate 182 divides the upper space S1 horizontally into multiple spaces, even when the amount of material W to be treated is small, a sufficient layer thickness can be maintained by feeding the material W into the partitioned portion of the upper space S1, i.e., the portion of the upper space S1 with a smaller volume. Furthermore, each partitioned portion can be regarded as an independent furnace body 110. This makes it possible to feed different types of material W to be treated, to feed the material W to each portion at different times, and to remove the material W from each portion at different times.

[0059] Furthermore, since the furnace equipment 100 is provided with a connection portion that is used to connect to the vehicle 10 when the furnace equipment 100 is mounted on the vehicle 10 .

[0060] The furnace equipment according to the present embodiment described above can be understood, for example, as follows: The furnace equipment according to the first aspect of the present disclosure comprises a furnace body (110), a floor (140), a chimney (150), and a fan (161), the furnace body forming a furnace space (S0) therein, the floor dividing the furnace space into an upper space (S1) and a lower space (S2) in the vertical direction, and having a communication part (141) connecting the upper space and the lower space, the upper space being a space where a material to be carbonized (W) is stored and carbonized, and the lower space being a space where a material to be carbonized (W) is carbonized. The combustion exhaust gas generated by the combustion process is guided from the upper space through the communication part (excluding the space where kindling is placed and burned), the furnace body has an intake opening (122a) that connects the upper space to the outside of the furnace body, the chimney forms an exhaust flow path (P1) that connects the lower space to the outside of the furnace body, and the fan is provided in the exhaust flow path and is configured to discharge gas including the combustion exhaust gas from the exhaust flow path to the outside of the furnace body.

[0061] The furnace equipment according to this embodiment includes a chimney and a fan. The chimney forms an exhaust passage connecting the lower space with the outside of the furnace body. The fan is provided in the exhaust passage and is configured to exhaust gas, including combustion exhaust gas, from the exhaust passage to the outside of the furnace body. Therefore, the flow rate of the exhausted gas can be changed depending on the change in layer thickness associated with the progress of carbonization of the stored carbonized material, the bulk density of the carbonized material, the surface moisture of the carbonized material, etc. Furthermore, changing the flow rate of the exhausted gas also changes the flow rate of the combustion air taken in through the intake opening. In other words, by providing the fan, it becomes possible to adjust the flow rate of the combustion air taken in through the intake opening depending on the change in layer thickness associated with the progress of carbonization of the stored carbonized material, the bulk density of the carbonized material, the surface moisture of the carbonized material, etc.

[0062] The furnace equipment according to the second aspect of the present disclosure is the first aspect, and includes a flow meter (191) and a control unit (190), wherein the flow meter measures the flow rate of gas including combustion exhaust gas discharged to the outside of the furnace body through the exhaust flow path, and the control unit controls the output of the fan based on the measurement value of the flow meter.

[0063] The furnace equipment of this embodiment is equipped with a flow meter and a control unit. The flow meter measures the flow rate of gas containing combustion exhaust gas discharged to the outside of the furnace body through the exhaust flow path, and the control unit controls the output of the fan based on the measurement value of the flow meter, so that the output of the fan can be managed based on the flow rate of the discharged combustion exhaust gas.

[0064] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides the furnace equipment of the second aspect, wherein the control unit controls the opening area of ​​the intake opening based on a measurement value of the flow meter.

[0065] The control unit of the furnace equipment according to this embodiment controls the opening area of ​​the intake opening based on the measurement value of the flow meter, thereby enabling more efficient adjustment of the flow rate of the combustion air taken in through the intake opening.

[0066] A furnace facility according to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure is any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the furnace body is configured so that the dimension in the height direction is variable.

[0067] The furnace body of the furnace equipment according to this embodiment is configured so that its height dimension is variable, so that when the furnace equipment is loaded onto a vehicle and moved, for example, the height dimension of the furnace body can be set to a dimension that does not violate regulations (the furnace body can be lowered). On the other hand, when the furnace equipment is in operation, the furnace body can be raised to increase the volume of the upper space where the material to be carbonized is stored and carbonized.

[0068] A furnace facility according to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure is the fourth aspect, wherein the chimney is configured so that the dimension in the height direction is variable.

[0069] The chimney of the furnace equipment according to this embodiment is configured so that its height dimension is variable, so that the height dimension of the chimney can be set to match the changing height dimension of the furnace body.

[0070] The furnace equipment according to the sixth aspect of the present disclosure is any of the first to fifth aspects, in which the furnace body has a lid portion (130, 131, 132) that defines the upper space, and the lid portion is configured to be opened and closed relative to the furnace body.

[0071] The furnace body of the furnace equipment according to this embodiment has a lid portion that defines the upper space, and the lid portion is configured to be opened and closed relative to the furnace body, so that the material to be carbonized can be easily supplied to the upper space.

[0072] The furnace equipment according to the seventh aspect of the present disclosure is any one of the first to sixth aspects, and is provided with an intake duct (170), which forms an intake flow path connecting the intake opening to the outside of the furnace body, and the chimney and the intake duct are configured to enable heat exchange between the gas flowing through the exhaust flow path and the gas flowing through the intake flow path.

[0073] The furnace equipment according to this aspect is equipped with an intake duct, and the furnace body has an intake duct that forms an intake passage connecting the intake opening to the outside of the furnace body, and the chimney and intake duct are configured to enable heat exchange between the gas flowing through the exhaust passage and the gas flowing through the intake passage, so that the combustion air (combustion air taken in from the outside) flowing through the intake passage and led to the intake opening can be heated by the high-temperature gas flowing through the exhaust passage. This improves the drying rate and carbonization rate of the material to be carbonized and also leads to a reduction in energy loss.

[0074] The furnace equipment according to the eighth aspect of the present disclosure is any one of the first to seventh aspects, and is provided with a second fan (162), the furnace body having an insertion opening (112b), which connects the lower space with the outside of the furnace body and is an opening through which an ignition burner (183) is inserted from the outside of the furnace body, and the second fan is provided at the intake opening and is configured to exhaust gas including combustion exhaust gas from the upper space to the outside of the furnace body.

[0075] The furnace equipment according to this aspect includes a second fan, which is provided in the intake opening and configured to exhaust gas, including combustion exhaust gas, from the upper space to the outside of the furnace body, thereby generating a gas flow that passes from the lower space through the communication part and the upper space and is exhausted from the intake opening, which makes it easier for the flame of the ignition burner inserted into the lower space through the insertion opening to transfer to the material to be carbonized stored in the upper space.

[0076] The furnace equipment according to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure is any one of the first to eighth aspects, and includes a cage (181), which is installed in the upper space and stores the material to be carbonized.

[0077] The furnace equipment according to this embodiment is equipped with a basket, which is installed in the upper space and stores the material to be carbonized, so that after carbonization is completed, the material can be removed from the furnace body along with the basket.

[0078] The furnace equipment according to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure is any one of the first to ninth aspects, and further includes at least one partition plate (182), which divides the upper space horizontally into a plurality of spaces.

[0079] The furnace equipment according to this embodiment includes at least one partition plate that divides the upper space horizontally into multiple spaces. Therefore, even when the amount of material to be treated is small, a sufficient layer thickness can be maintained by feeding the material into the partitioned upper space, i.e., the portion of the upper space with a smaller volume. Furthermore, each partitioned section can be considered an independent furnace body. This allows different types of material to be fed, the material to be fed into each section at different times, and the material to be removed from each section at different times.

[0080] The furnace equipment according to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure is any one of the first to tenth aspects, and further includes a connection portion used for connecting to a vehicle (10) when mounted on the vehicle.

[0081] The furnace equipment according to this embodiment is provided with a connection portion that is used to connect to a vehicle when the furnace equipment is mounted on the vehicle, and therefore the furnace equipment can be mounted on the vehicle.

[0082] DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Vehicle 100 Furnace equipment 110 Furnace body 120 Container part 121 Bottom 122 Peripheral wall 122a Intake opening 122b Insertion opening 122c Closure plate 123 Movable peripheral wall 123a Intake opening 124 Movable peripheral wall 124a Intake opening 130 Lid part 131 First lid part 132 Second lid part 140 Floor 141 Communication part 150 Chimney 151 Vertical part 152 Horizontal part 161 Induced draft fan 162 Induced draft fan (second fan) 170 Intake duct 171 Branch duct 181 Cage 182 Partition plate 183 Burner 184 Crane 190 Control part 191 Flow meter P1 Exhaust flow path S0 Furnace space S1 Upper space S2 Lower space W Carburized material

Claims

1. Furnace equipment comprising: a furnace body, a floor, a chimney, and a fan; the furnace body forms a furnace space therein; the floor divides the furnace space into an upper space and a lower space in the vertical direction and has a communication part connecting the upper space and the lower space; the upper space is a space where material to be carbonized is stored and carbonized; the lower space is a space into which combustion exhaust gas generated by the carbonization of the material to be carbonized is guided from the upper space through the communication part (excluding a space where kindling is placed and burned); the furnace body has an intake opening connecting the upper space with the outside of the furnace body; the chimney forms an exhaust flow path connecting the lower space with the outside of the furnace body; and the fan is provided in the exhaust flow path and configured to exhaust gas including combustion exhaust gas from the exhaust flow path to the outside of the furnace body.

2. The furnace equipment according to claim 1, comprising: a flow meter; and a control unit, wherein the flow meter measures the flow rate of gas including combustion exhaust gas discharged to the outside of the furnace body through the exhaust flow path; and the control unit controls the output of the fan based on the measurement value of the flow meter.

3. The furnace facility according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls the opening area of ​​the intake opening based on the measurement value of the flow meter.

4. The furnace equipment according to claim 1, wherein the furnace body is configured so that the dimension in the height direction is variable.

5. The furnace facility according to claim 4, wherein the chimney is configured so that the dimension in the height direction is variable.

6. The furnace equipment according to claim 1, wherein the furnace body has a lid portion that defines the upper space, and the lid portion is configured to be opened and closed.

7. The furnace equipment as described in claim 1, further comprising an intake duct, the intake duct forming an intake passage connecting the intake opening with the outside of the furnace body, and the chimney and the intake duct configured to enable heat exchange between gas flowing through the exhaust passage and gas flowing through the intake passage.

8. The furnace equipment as described in claim 1, further comprising a second fan, the furnace body having an insertion opening which connects the lower space with the outside of the furnace body and through which an ignition burner is inserted from the outside of the furnace body, and the second fan is provided at the intake opening and configured to exhaust gas including combustion exhaust gas from the upper space to the outside of the furnace body.

9. The furnace equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a cage, the cage being installed in the upper space and storing the material to be carbonized.

10. The furnace equipment according to claim 1, further comprising at least one partition plate, said partition plate dividing said upper space horizontally into a plurality of spaces.

11. The furnace equipment according to claim 1, further comprising a connection portion for use in connecting the furnace equipment to a vehicle when the furnace equipment is mounted on the vehicle.

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