Bulk Material Packaging Device Oxygen Displacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing packaging methods for bulk materials, particularly perishable products like milk powder, fail to maintain a low-oxygen environment effectively, leading to product degradation and clumping due to residual oxygen.
Innovation Solution
A device and method that introduce a gas, such as CO2 or nitrogen, into the bulk material during packaging, using a cone-shaped diffuser with gas-emitting openings to ensure thorough mixing and displacement of oxygen, while the dispensing unit is designed to emit gas before and during bulk material dispensing, maintaining an oxygen-free environment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If gas is added to bulk material before packaging, then oxygen is removed from the product, but oxygen can re-enter during transfer and packaging
Solution Approach 1:
The gas is introduced into the bulk material immediately before dispensing into the package, ensuring the material is oxygen-free at the moment of packaging. This preliminary action prevents oxygen re-entry during transfer by maintaining the oxygen-free state throughout the entire packaging process, not just before initial treatment.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas introduction continues throughout the dispensing process, maintaining continuous oxygen displacement. The gas flow is synchronized with the bulk material flow, ensuring that the material remains protected from oxygen exposure from start to finish of the packaging operation.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If gas is blown into bulk material to displace oxygen, then oxygen is removed, but sufficient oxygen removal is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
Gas is introduced through the bulk material using pneumatic principles, allowing the gas to permeate through and displace oxygen effectively. The gas flow is directed counter to the bulk material flow, creating thorough mixing and displacement that achieves the required 1% oxygen level in the final package.
Solution Approach 2:
The gas introduction occurs in multiple dimensions - both before and during the dispensing process. Gas is fed into the bulk material stream and also directly into the package, creating a multi-dimensional approach to oxygen removal that ensures thorough protection.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If large quantities of gas are used to fill packages, then oxygen displacement is improved, but gas efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Gas is introduced into the bulk material before dispensing, so the oxygen-free material is then transferred to the package. This preliminary gas treatment reduces the amount of gas needed in the final package since the material itself is already oxygen-free, improving gas efficiency while maintaining effective oxygen displacement.
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 achieves an oxygen percentage of 1% or lower in packages, reducing gas usage and preventing clumping, with the device self-cleaning and ensuring minimal oxygen exposure during packaging.
Implementation Method 1
The introduction of the gas into the bulk material, whether this takes place during the packaging or beforehand, preferably takes place particularly counter to the flow of the bulk material. A particularly high degree of mixing of the gas and the bulk material is hereby achieved.
Implementation Method 2
The dispensing unit comprises a diffuser, wherein the means for emitting a gas are adapted to emit the gas to a surface of the diffuser. Such diffusers are based on the principle that the bulk material is placed on a moving (translating or rotating) surface, for instance by being poured thereon, and is dispersed by the movement of the diffuser.
Implementation Method 3
The diffuser has a cone shape, wherein the means for emitting the gas comprise openings on the envelope of the cone. A cone shape has the advantage that it distributes the bulk material evenly in the directions on the periphery thereof
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a device for packaging bulk material such as milk powder, comprising a dispensing unit for dispensing the bulk material into a package, means for supplying the bulk material to the dispensing unit and means for emitting a gas, such as CO2 or a gas mixture of nitrogen and CO2, during the packaging. The device is further provided with means for emitting a gas for driving oxygen out of the package before dispensing of the bulk material. The invention further relates to a method for packaging a bulk material.