Fermenter Agitator Alignment Guide for Maintenance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fermenters with rotatable agitators face challenges in maintaining continuous operation due to agitator failures, which require costly shutdowns for repair or replacement, and result in reduced fermentation efficiency and energy output.
Innovation Solution
A container design with a rotatable agitator that includes a shaft with an inclined longitudinal axis, supported by both an upper and lower bearing, and a support device on the container's top side for easy alignment and insertion of the agitator, allowing for maintenance without emptying the fermenter.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of repair
If the fermenter is shut down for agitator repair or replacement, then the agitator can be maintained or replaced, but the fermentation process is interrupted and economic viability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The agitator system is segmented into removable components (agitator shaft, paddles, bearings) that can be independently replaced. The upper bearing is made accessible through a removable cover at the top of the fermenter, allowing the agitator to be disassembled and replaced in sections without complete fermenter shutdown or emptying.
Solution Approach 2:
The upper bearing is pre-positioned in an accessible location at the top of the fermenter through which the agitator shaft can be inserted and aligned. This preliminary positioning arrangement allows for quick insertion and alignment of the agitator shaft before final assembly, reducing maintenance time.
2Reliability
If the upper bearing is positioned low in the fermenter wall, then the agitator is supported, but the fermenter cannot be filled to maximum capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The upper bearing is repositioned from a lateral position in the fermenter wall to a vertical position at the top of the fermenter through a removable cover. This dimensional change in bearing location allows the agitator to be supported while maintaining maximum fermenter filling volume, as the bearing no longer occupies lateral space that would reduce usable volume.
3Productivity
If the agitator shaft is inclined, then substrate mixing is improved, but alignment and installation become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
A guide structure serves as an intermediary element between the vertical insertion path and the final inclined operating position of the agitator shaft. The guide structure includes guide surfaces that automatically redirect the shaft from vertical insertion to the required inclined angle, simplifying alignment during installation while maintaining the beneficial inclined mixing configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide structure is designed to automatically align and position the agitator shaft at the correct inclined angle during insertion, without requiring external alignment tools or complex adjustment mechanisms. The guide surfaces self-adjust to guide the shaft into the proper position based on the geometry of the insertion path and bearing location.
Data Source
AI summary
A container for fermenting bio-degradable substances, the container comprising: a base and a wall, wherein an interior of the container is enclosed by the base and the wall; a rotatable agitator that protrudes into the interior and is supported in an upper bearing and a lower bearing in an installed position of the rotatable agitator in the container, wherein the rotatable agitator includes a shaft that is drivable by a drive, wherein at least one stirring paddle is arranged at the shaft and configured to co-rotate with the shaft so that substances arranged in the container are stirrable, wherein the lower bearing is arranged at the at least one base of the container and a bearing device located at a lower end of the shaft is supported in the lower bearing in the installed position of the rotatable agitator.