Fermentation Tank Conveyor with Removable Drive Chamber
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveyor systems for fermentation or digester tanks are complex and labor-intensive, leading to high maintenance costs and production losses due to frequent defects and the need to completely empty the tank for maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A conveyor system with a propeller mixing device that can be variably positioned and easily replaced, featuring a shut-off device at the outlet to prevent unnecessary emptying, and an additional mixing device for circulation and degassing, which reduces maintenance needs and ensures thorough mixing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the conveyor device is firmly connected to the tank wall, then the mixing function is stable, but the device complexity increases and maintenance becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor device is divided into separate modular components including the drive unit, mixing elements, and support structures. This segmentation allows each component to be independently maintained and replaced without affecting the entire system, reducing overall device complexity while maintaining stable mixing function.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor device incorporates adjustable and movable elements that can be repositioned or removed as needed. The drive unit can be detached from the tank wall, transforming the system from a fixed rigid structure to a dynamic configurable one, thereby simplifying maintenance while preserving mixing stability.
2Ease of repair
If the conveyor device is removed for maintenance, then the device can be repaired, but the tank must be completely emptied resulting in production losses
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyor system is divided into modular segments where only the specific component requiring maintenance needs to be accessed. The drive unit can be independently removed through a dedicated access point, allowing repairs without emptying the entire tank and thus maintaining production continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive unit is extracted as a separate removable component from the tank assembly. This extraction allows maintenance personnel to service the conveyor mechanism without disturbing the fermentation process in the tank, eliminating production losses associated with complete emptying.
3Manufacturing precision
If a complex lifting device is used to lower the mixing element, then the mixing element can be positioned accurately, but the device complexity and labor intensity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The complex lifting device is completely removed from the system. Instead, the mixing element is designed to be manually inserted and positioned through a simple opening, achieving adequate positioning accuracy without the need for sophisticated lifting mechanisms, thereby dramatically reducing device complexity and labor intensity.
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 system achieves thorough mixing of fermentation materials while minimizing maintenance costs and production losses by allowing for easy replacement of components and maintaining efficient operation without complete tank emptying.
Implementation Method 1
A conveyor system with a propeller mixing device that can be variably positioned and easily replaced, featuring a shut-off device at the outlet to prevent unnecessary emptying, and an additional mixing device for circulation and degassing
Data Source
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AI summary
The conveying system of a fermentation- and/or decomposition container (1) for biogas plants and/or biological clarification plants, comprises a conveyor (11) having a driving device, a drive shaft (13) and a conveyor element (12), a chamber (15), in which the conveying element is retractable and/or insertable and which is lockable after retracting and/or inserting the conveying element in liquid-tight manner, and a blocking element arranged at the chamber to alternatively open or close the chamber in liquid-tight manner. The chamber has a chamber wall (17), which has a device. The conveying system of a fermentation- and/or decomposition container (1) for biogas plants and/or biological clarification plants, comprises a conveyor (11) having a driving device, a drive shaft (13) and a conveyor element (12), a chamber (15), in which the conveying element is retractable and/or insertable and which is lockable after retracting and/or inserting the conveying element in liquid-tight manner, and a blocking element arranged at the chamber to alternatively open or close the chamber in liquid-tight manner. The chamber has a chamber wall (17), which has a device for fastening the fermentation- and/or decomposition container at a wall. The drive shaft is insertable with the fixed conveyor element by the opened blocking element into the chamber and is withdrawn from the chamber. The chamber is partially formed by the fastening device, which is fastenable at the fermentation- and/or decomposition container. The fastening device has an intermediate element introduced at the conveyor, and a connecting element introduced at the intermediate element and having tube-like element. The intermediate element and the connecting element are to be introduced at the fermentation- and/or composition container. The intermediate element is an intermediate plate having a plastic guiding bush, in which the drive shaft is stored or led to the conveyor. The intermediate element has a simmering, which is arranged on the side of the intermediate element turned away from the conveyor. The conveyor has a threaded spindle or a hydraulic arrangement. An independent claim is included for a fermentation container and/or rotten container for biogas plants and/or biological clarification plants.