Blender Unit with In-Line Additive Dosing Chamber
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional blender units face inefficiencies in accurately dosing small amounts of additives, which reduces their capacity and makes mixing time dependent on the recipe used, limiting their effectiveness and flexibility.
Innovation Solution
A hybrid blender unit that separates recipes into base material and additive segments, using batch-wise mixing for base materials and continuous in-line dosing for additives, allowing for flexible and efficient mixing with modular components and integrated control, enabling independent mixing time from the recipe.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional blender units use gravity fed mixing with weighing bin and operated valves, then the system structure is simple, but the capacity is reduced and mixing time becomes dependent on the recipe
Solution Approach 1:
The blending process is segmented into two distinct stages: batch-wise mixing of base materials in the mixing chamber, followed by continuous in-line dosing of additives. This segmentation allows each stage to be optimized independently - batch mixing for thorough blending of bulk materials and continuous dosing for precise additive incorporation, thereby increasing overall capacity while reducing total mixing time dependency on recipe composition
Solution Approach 2:
Base materials are pre-mixed in the mixing chamber before the additive dosing stage. This preliminary action creates a prepared base mixture that receives additives in a controlled manner, allowing the system to maintain high capacity while ensuring proper mixing time is allocated to each material type based on its specific requirements
2Measurement precision
If small amounts of additives are dosed using conventional gravity fed mixing, then the dosing mechanism is simple, but the dosing accuracy is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
A weigh feeder is introduced as an intermediary device between the additive storage and the mixing stream. This intermediary component provides precise metering and dosing control for additives, ensuring accurate measurement even at small quantities. The weigh feeder acts as a mediator that translates simple gravity-fed material flow into precisely controlled dosing, achieving high measurement precision with manageable device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The conventional operated valve mechanism is replaced with a weigh feeder that uses weighing technology and controlled dispensing mechanisms. This substitution replaces simple mechanical valve operation with a more sophisticated but accurate dosing system that can precisely measure and deliver small amounts of additives, achieving superior dosing accuracy
3Ease of operation
If additives are dosed in conventional blender units, then the dosing process is integrated, but the cleaning effort and time required is excessive
Solution Approach 1:
The dosing system is segmented into a separate in-line dosing chamber that is distinct from the main mixing chamber. This segmentation allows the additive dosing components to be isolated and independently maintained. When additive changes are required, only the dosing chamber needs to be accessed and cleaned, not the entire blender unit, significantly reducing cleaning time and improving ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The additive dosing function is extracted as a separate in-line dosing chamber that can be independently removed, cleaned, and maintained. This extraction of the dosing subsystem from the main mixing unit allows for rapid changeover between different additives without requiring cleaning of the entire blender, thereby easing operation and reducing cleaning time
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
This approach allows for accurate and efficient mixing of base materials and additives, reducing waste and cleaning efforts, while maintaining high capacity and flexibility, with mixing time becoming independent of the specific recipe, and enabling quick changes without full unit cleaning.
Implementation Method 1
a weighing bin that controls the ratio between the different base materials according to the recipe
Implementation Method 2
The mixing chamber receives the mixture from the weighing bin and thoroughly mixes the base materials using a mixing element, preferably a mixer
Implementation Method 3
a number of additives can be provided using respective dosing elements that are configured for dosing an additive into the stream or flow of mixture of base materials in a (semi)-continuous process
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
AI summary
The present application relates to a blender unit (2) and method for blending materials. The blender unit (2) comprises: - a number of material hoppers (4, 6) for individual base materials of a base segment of the recipe, the hoppers (4, 6) having an inlet and an outlet; - a weighing bin (10) that is connected to the outlets of the material hoppers (4, 6) and is configured for weighing the base materials of the base recipe segment; - a mixing chamber (14) having an outlet and a mixing element configured for mixing the base materials received from the weighing bin (10) into a mixture of base materials; - an in-line dosing chamber (28) that is directly connected to the outlet of the mixing chamber (14) and is provided with a number of dosing elements configured for dosing a number of additives of an additive segment of the recipe into the mixture of base materials received from the mixing chamber (14), and the in-line dosing chamber (28) having a blender outlet (18); - a number of weight feeders (20, 22) configured for providing the one of more additives of the additive recipe segment to the in-line dosing chamber (28); and - a controller configured for controlling the outlet of the material hoppers (4, 6), weighing bin (10), mixing element, and dosing elements such that a mixture according to the recipe can be provided at the blender unit (2).