Double-Pipe Melting Structure for Small-Valve Tank Discharge
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing heat exchangers for melting solidified fats and oils in flexible tanks require enlarging the tank's valve to accommodate additional pipes, leading to costly and labor-intensive installation processes.
Innovation Solution
A melting device with a suction and discharge pipe attached to the tank, a circulation flow path, and a pump, allowing for the circulation and discharge of melted substance without enlarging the pipe diameter, utilizing a double pipe configuration with a small inner pipe and outer pipe for efficient melt discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a third pipe and fourth pipe are disposed inside the second pipe to exchange heat between substance and hot water, then heat exchange function is improved, but the diameter of the second pipe must be enlarged, making it impossible to insert into the standard valve hole of the flexible tank
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies nested doll principle by placing the third pipe inside the second pipe, and the fourth pipe inside the third pipe, creating a multi-layer nested structure. This allows multiple heat exchange pathways to be contained within a smaller outer diameter, enabling the heat exchanger to fit through the standard valve hole of the flexible tank while maintaining adequate heat exchange capability between the substance and hot water
2Productivity
If the diameter of the second pipe is enlarged to discharge the desired amount of melt, then the discharge capacity is improved, but the heat exchanger cannot be inserted into the hole of the valve attached to the flexible tank
Solution Approach 1:
The nested pipe structure allows the discharge capacity to be achieved through optimized flow paths within the nested configuration, rather than simply increasing the outer diameter. The multiple pipes can be arranged to maximize the effective discharge area while keeping the outer diameter small enough to fit through the standard valve hole
3Adaptability or versatility
If a custom-made valve with a large hole is attached to the tank to accommodate the heat exchanger, then the heat exchanger installation is enabled, but the installation process requires removing the existing valve and requires great deal of effort and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The heat exchanger is designed with a compact nested structure that can be inserted through the standard valve hole of conventional flexible tanks, making it universally compatible with existing tank designs. This eliminates the need for custom valve modifications and allows the heat exchanger to be installed using the original valve infrastructure
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts the essential heat exchange function from a complex multi-pipe structure and implements it in a compact nested configuration. This allows the heat exchanger to achieve the required functionality while fitting through the existing valve opening, removing the need to extract or modify the original valve
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
Enables efficient melting of substances within the tank by using the entire discharge pipe as a flow path, maintaining a small diameter and facilitating easy installation by avoiding the need to modify existing tank valves.
Implementation Method 1
a pump disposed at a midway position of the circulation flow path; by driving the pump, the melt of the substance that is present in the tank is suctioned into the suction pipe, circulated through the circulation flow path
Implementation Method 2
the heated substance Ma circulates in the tank T and is heat-exchanged with an unmelted substance M, thereby causing the substance M in the tank T to melt
Implementation Method 3
causing the substance M in the tank T to melt
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a melting device for discharging a melt of a substance to the inside of a tank to melt the substance stored in the tank, the melting device being capable of discharging a desired amount of the melt into the tank, while reducing the diameter of a discharge pipe that discharges the melt of the substance. The melting device 1 of the present invention comprises a suction pipe 2 and a discharge pipe 3 that are attached to the wall T of a tank; and a circulation flow path 4 that is disposed outside the tank T. The inside of the tank T and the inside of one end 4a of the circulation flow path 4 communicate with each other through the inside of the suction pipe 2. The inside of the tank T and the inside of the other end 4b of the circulation flow path 4 communicate with each other through the inside of the discharge pipe 3. A pump 5 is provided at a midway position of the circulation flow path 4. By driving the pump 5, a melt Ma of substance M that is present inside the tank T can be suctioned into the suction pipe 2, circulated through the circulation flow path 4, and discharged from the inside of the discharge pipe 3 to the inside of the tank T; and the entirety of the inside of the discharge pipe 3 is used as a flow path for the melt Ma.