Bottle Drying Telescopic Nozzle Inversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing bottle drying systems face challenges in reducing specific energy requirements and increasing throughput while maintaining a space-saving and cost-effective design.
Innovation Solution
The use of vertically movable telescopic tubes connected to ring nozzles, which generate a lifting movement instead of a lifting movement of the bottles, allows for a straight airflow path, reducing power requirements and enabling a slimmer structure with higher operating speeds, along with a rotating turntable for efficient compressed air supply and adjustable stroke lengths for different bottle sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If bottles are lifted to move them through the ring nozzles, then the bottles can be dried, but the energy consumption increases and the structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of lifting the bottles through the ring nozzles, the invention inverts the approach by moving the ring nozzles upward through the stationary bottles. This eliminates the need for complex bottle lifting mechanisms and reduces energy consumption while achieving the same drying effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The system divides the drying function into multiple ring nozzles that can be independently controlled and positioned at different heights, allowing selective drying of different bottle sections without moving the entire bottle through a complex lifting system.
2Device complexity
If flexible hoses are used to connect ring nozzles to compressed air source, then the structure is simpler, but the airflow path becomes longer and energy loss increases
Solution Approach 1:
A telescopic tube acts as an intermediary between the fixed compressed air source and the moving ring nozzles. This tube maintains a direct, sealed connection that moves with the nozzles, eliminating the need for flexible hoses and ensuring minimal airflow resistance and energy loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The telescopic tube dynamically adjusts its length and position as the ring nozzles move, maintaining optimal connection without the energy losses associated with flexible hoses while allowing full range of motion.
3Device complexity
If the ring nozzles are fixed in position, then the structure is simpler, but the throughput and operating speed are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The ring nozzles are made movable rather than fixed, allowing them to be positioned optimally for each bottle and to move with the bottles during the drying process. This dynamic positioning significantly increases throughput and operating speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable ring nozzle assembly serves multiple functions: it can dry bottles of different sizes, adjust to different bottle positions, and move synchronously with the conveyor system, eliminating the need for separate positioning mechanisms.
4Speed
If the telescopic tubes are made long to accommodate full lifting range, then the structure becomes more complex and space-consuming, but the lifting speed can be higher
Solution Approach 1:
The telescopic tube employs a nested structure where inner sections slide within outer sections, allowing the tube to extend to the full length needed for the lifting range while maintaining a compact retracted profile that minimizes space requirements when not in use.
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 significantly reduces energy consumption, increases drying capacity to over 16,000 bottles per hour, and allows for higher operating speeds with minimal drive energy, achieving efficient and cost-effective bottle drying.
Implementation Method 1
The vertically movable telescopic tubes allow an extremely low-loss flow, because the air always flows in a straight line, namely vertically to the assigned ring nozzle
Implementation Method 2
with the ring nozzles connected to a central compressed air source surrounding the bottles at least partially
Implementation Method 3
liquid wetting the bottle jacket being blown off by means of air jets emerging from ring nozzles
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device for drying the exterior of bottles (6) which are being transported in an upright state on a conveyor track (4). The liquid which wets the bottle jacket is blown off by means of air jets exiting annular nozzles (5), and the annular nozzles (5) which are connected to a central compressed air source at least partly surround the bottles (6), a relative movement being carried out between the two parts (5, 6) in the longitudinal direction of the bottles. It is essential to the invention that each of the annular nozzles (5) is connected to the compressed air source via a sealed vertically extendable telescopic tube (9), and the relative movement between the annular nozzles (5) and the bottles (6) is carried out by a stroke movement of the annular nozzles (5).