Conveyor Tunnel Plenum Airflow Direction for Weld Joint Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor tunnels often fail to efficiently cool or heat critical portions of articles moving through them, leading to longer tunnel lengths and increased energy loss.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor tunnel design featuring plenums with adjustable discharge openings and vanes to direct process air efficiently towards the conveyor path, along with exhaust openings for airflow management, allowing for quicker processing and energy conservation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the conveyor tunnel is made longer to ensure adequate cooling of weld joints, then the cooling effectiveness is improved, but the energy loss and floor space consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by directing cooled air specifically toward the conveyor path where weld joints are located, rather than providing uniform cooling throughout the entire tunnel. The discharge openings with adjustable vanes concentrate the cooling air flow at the critical location (weld joints), improving cooling effectiveness locally while reducing overall energy consumption and allowing for a more compact tunnel design.
2Reliability
If the conveyor tunnel is made longer to ensure adequate cooling of weld joints, then the cooling effectiveness is improved, but the floor space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by directing cooled air specifically toward the conveyor path where weld joints are located, rather than providing uniform cooling throughout the entire tunnel. The discharge openings with adjustable vanes concentrate the cooling air flow at the critical location (weld joints), improving cooling effectiveness locally while reducing overall energy consumption and allowing for a more compact tunnel design.
3Device complexity
If process air is discharged directly without direction control, then the system complexity is reduced, but the processing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by incorporating adjustable vanes at the discharge openings that can be positioned to direct cooled air flow optimally toward the conveyor path. This adjustable mechanism allows the system to adapt to different operating conditions and article positions, maximizing processing efficiency without requiring an overly complex system. The vanes provide dynamic control over air flow direction while maintaining relatively simple system architecture.
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 design enables more efficient processing of articles, reducing energy loss and conserving space by effectively cooling or heating specific portions of articles moving through the tunnel.
Implementation Method 1
The interior of the plenum is fluidly connected to a source of pressurized process air
Implementation Method 2
vanes located in the flow of processed air discharged from the discharge opening and directing the flow of discharged process air in a direction generally towards the conveyor path
Implementation Method 3
The exhaust openings can be set to establish longitudinal flow of the process air in the tunnel prior to the process air being exhausted from the tunnel
Data Source
AI summary
A conveyor tunnel for providing a process environment for articles being conveyed through the tunnel includes a plenum that discharges process air into the tunnel. The flow of the discharged process air is directed to impinge against a portion of the article being conveyed through the tunnel.