Desiccant Air-Exchange Drying for Uniform Plant Tissue Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for drying plant material on a large scale face challenges such as mold, uneven drying, susceptibility to temperature fluctuations, and loss of aromatic compounds, while existing desiccators are limited in capacity and require manual intervention, and climate-controlled chambers are not closed systems.
Innovation Solution
A device with a housing containing a desiccant chamber and a ventilation system that dehumidifies external air, allowing plant material to be dried outside the chamber, using a humidity sensor and weight-measuring device to control the drying process without manual intervention, ensuring uniform drying and maintaining quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If desiccators are used for drying plant material, then drying quality is improved, but the device capacity is limited to small volumes only
Solution Approach 1:
The device separates the desiccant chamber from the drying chamber, allowing the drying chamber to be large while the desiccant chamber remains compact. This segmentation enables large-scale drying while maintaining the quality benefits of desiccant-based drying.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary air exchange system that connects the desiccant chamber and drying chamber. Moist air from the large drying chamber is exchanged with dry air from the desiccant chamber, enabling quality drying at large scales without direct contact between plant material and desiccant.
2Volume of stationary object
If climate-controlled chambers with fresh air are used for large-scale drying, then device capacity is improved, but drying uniformity deteriorates due to repeated air entry raising humidity
Solution Approach 1:
The device creates a controlled atmosphere in the drying chamber by continuously exchanging air with the desiccant chamber, maintaining consistently low humidity levels. This prevents the humidity fluctuations that occur when fresh air repeatedly enters the chamber, ensuring uniform drying.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates a humidity sensor that continuously monitors the humidity level in the drying chamber and provides feedback to the control unit. The control unit adjusts the air exchange rate accordingly, maintaining optimal drying conditions and uniformity throughout the process.
3Productivity
If condensation dryers are used for drying, then drying speed is improved, but complexity increases due to waste heat requiring cooling systems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the heat generation function from the drying system by using passive desiccant-based drying instead of active condensation drying. This eliminates the waste heat problem and the need for complex cooling systems while maintaining effective drying through the desiccant air exchange mechanism.
4Productivity
If high temperatures are used during drying, then drying speed is improved, but aromatic compounds and medicinally active substances are lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the drying parameter from temperature-driven to humidity-driven drying. By controlling humidity levels through desiccant air exchange rather than using high temperatures, the system achieves effective drying speed while preserving heat-sensitive aromatic compounds and medicinally active substances.
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 device achieves rapid, uniform, and high-quality drying with reduced mold risk, preserving aromatic compounds, and eliminates the need for cooling systems, while allowing large-scale drying without manual handling.
Implementation Method 1
the desiccant stored inside also extracts moisture from the external air through the air exchange
Implementation Method 2
A ventilation unit with an airflow-generating element, wherein at least the airflow-generating element is arranged in the receiving chamber
Implementation Method 3
A humidity sensor for detecting the humidity in the device's external environment
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a device (10) for drying plant tissue, comprising a housing (12) with a receiving chamber (14) for storing a chemical or physical desiccant (40), and an air outlet opening (16). The air outlet opening (16) connects an interior space of the receiving chamber (14) with an external environment (18). The device (10) includes a humidity sensor (20) for detecting the humidity of the external environment (18) of the device (10), as well as a ventilation device (30) with an airflow generating element (32). The device (10) also has at least one air inlet opening (34) arranged on the ventilation device (30) such that an airflow passage is formed in the housing (12) from the air inlet opening (34) to the airflow generating element (32) for guiding air from the external environment (18) into the receiving chamber (14).The invention also relates to an arrangement (52) with a device (10) and a lockable drying chamber (54), and a method for controlling a drying process for drying plant tissue by means of a control device (44), as well as a control device.