Dry Pulp Comminution for Nanofiber Production
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing microscale and nanoscale fiber materials are energy-intensive, lead to fiber swelling, and result in metal abrasion, which can be detrimental in applications like electrotechnology.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the dispersion of dry, pre-comminuted pulp in a liquid followed by fine comminution, which reduces energy consumption, minimizes fiber swelling, and eliminates metal abrasion by using mineral materials for comminution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If wet pre-comminution is used to produce microscale and nanoscale fiber material, then the fiber structure is broken up and water penetrates into the amorphous regions leading to fiber swelling, but the material becomes comparatively heavy with high water retention requiring additional draining that consumes much time and energy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of the pulp from wet to dry during pre-comminution. By performing comminution on dry pulp instead of wet pulp, the process avoids water penetration into fiber amorphous regions, preventing fiber swelling and the subsequent need for energy-intensive draining operations while still achieving the required fiber structure breakdown
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs pre-comminution of dry pulp as a preliminary action before any water addition. This preliminary dry comminution breaks up the fiber structure in advance, and only after this step is water added for the fine comminution step, thereby avoiding the problem of water-induced fiber swelling during the main comminution process
2Manufacturing precision
If metal blades of the refiner are used for coarse pre-comminution and fine comminution, then the fibers are comminuted to the required size, but metal abrasion occurs resulting in metal particles or grayish discoloration in the final product which is unacceptable in electrotechnology applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces durable metal refiner blades with mineral material comminution means (such as corundum, diamond, or silicon carbide). These mineral materials, while potentially less durable than metal, eliminate the harmful metal abrasion problem entirely. The mineral materials can be replaced when worn without contaminating the product with metal particles, thus solving the electrotechnology application requirement for particle-free material
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical refiner blade system with a mineral material-based comminution system. Instead of using metal blades that generate metal particles through abrasion, the invention employs mineral materials that do not contaminate the fiber material with metal particles or cause grayish discoloration, thereby eliminating the harmful factors while maintaining the comminution function
3Use of energy by stationary object
If dry pre-comminuted pulp is used instead of wet pulp, then energy consumption is reduced and fiber swelling is minimized, but the pulp must be dispersed in liquid before fine comminution which adds a process step
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts water from the pulp processing sequence by performing pre-comminution on completely dry pulp. This separation of the drying and comminution functions allows the energy-intensive water addition and subsequent draining steps to be eliminated, reducing overall energy consumption despite adding a dispersion step later in the process
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 method produces high-quality microscale and nanoscale fiber materials with improved fiber-length distribution, reduced clogging risks, and enhanced storage and transport properties, while avoiding metal contamination.
Implementation Method 1
dispersing dry, pre-comminuted pulp in a liquid
Implementation Method 2
finely comminuting the pulp dispersed in the liquid... by means of a mineral material, in particular corundum, diamond or silicon carbide
Data Source
AI summary
The invention relates to a method for producing microscale and/or nanoscale fiber material. The method has at least the step of dispersing (5) dried pre-comminuted pump in a liquid. The method additionally has a step of finely comminuting (6) the pulp dispersed in the liquid such that a fine comminution mixture is produced which contains the liquid and the fiber material with the microscale and/or nanoscale fibril agglomerates.