Asymmetric Feed Chute for Uniform Bulk Material Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cooling devices for bulk materials, such as sintered iron ore, often result in uneven cooling, leading to hot spots that can damage conveyor devices and delay processing, as large grains cool more slowly than small ones and segregate within the cooling shaft.
Innovation Solution
A cooling device with a feed chute designed to introduce bulk material in a spatially homogeneous distribution by having walls at different angles of inclination, reducing segregation and ensuring uniform cooling, combined with a rotating feed chute and a countercurrent heat exchanger for efficient thermal energy dissipation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a conventional feed chute with vertical walls is used, then the structure is simple, but the bulk material grains segregate by size leading to uneven cooling
Solution Approach 1:
The feed chute employs asymmetric wall inclinations where the first wall is inclined at a different angle than the second wall. This asymmetric geometry prevents size-based segregation of bulk material grains during introduction into the cooling shaft, ensuring homogeneous distribution of both small and large grains throughout the cooling cross-section, thereby achieving uniform cooling without requiring complex additional mechanisms
2Temperature
If large bulk material grains are present in concentrated areas, then the bulk material structure is heterogeneous, but these areas cool more slowly creating hot spots
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric feed chute performs preliminary action by ensuring homogeneous spatial distribution of bulk material grains of all sizes before they enter the cooling shaft. By preventing segregation at the introduction stage, large and small grains are evenly distributed throughout the cooling cross-section, which pre-establishes conditions for uniform cooling and prevents the formation of hot spots that would otherwise require additional cooling measures
3Reliability
If the feed chute introduces bulk material non-homogeneously, then the feeding process is simple, but downstream equipment may be damaged by hot spots
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric wall configuration in the feed chute (first wall at different inclination than second wall) creates a flow pattern that ensures homogeneous introduction of bulk material grains into the cooling shaft. This geometric asymmetry protects downstream equipment by preventing concentrated areas of large, slowly-cooling grains from reaching conveyors and silos, thereby eliminating the risk of damage while maintaining simple operational procedures
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves uniform cooling of bulk materials, preventing damage to downstream equipment and enabling continuous processing by ensuring all grains cool at a consistent rate, thereby reducing the risk of hot spots and optimizing thermal energy utilization.
Implementation Method 1
the cooling shaft of the respective cooling device is used as a heat exchanger
Implementation Method 2
the first wall is arranged at least in sections at a different angle of inclination with respect to a vertical than the second wall
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a cooling device (2; 50) for cooling bulk material (4), which has a cooling shaft (8) and at least one feed chute (14) for introducing the bulk material (4) into the cooling shaft (8). In order to achieve uniform cooling of the bulk material (4), it is proposed that the feed chute (14) comprises a first wall (30) and a second wall (32) arranged opposite the first wall (30), and that the first wall (30) is arranged at least partially at a different angle of inclination (34) with respect to a vertical (36) than the second wall (32).