Fiber Mat Crosslinking Oven with External Hot Air Replacement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing crosslinking ovens for manufacturing insulating fiber mats consume large amounts of energy and emit significant greenhouse gases, posing safety and environmental concerns.
Innovation Solution
A crosslinking system that injects a fraction of hot air from an external source, such as renewable energy, into the combustion chambers of the crosslinking oven to reduce gas consumption and emissions, while maintaining energy efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If conventional crosslinking ovens use burners to supply hot air to heating boxes, then the binder curing function is achieved, but gas consumption and greenhouse gas emissions increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the hot air supply function from the combustion chamber by introducing an external hot air injection system. The injection system draws hot air from outside the oven and delivers it directly to the heating boxes, separating the heating function from the combustion process and eliminating the need for continuous gas consumption during operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection system is configured to draw hot air from the ambient environment or from exhaust streams within the oven itself, allowing the system to reuse available thermal energy. This self-service approach reduces dependence on external gas supplies and minimizes additional greenhouse gas emissions.
2Use of energy by moving object
If hot air is injected from an external source to replace burner-produced hot air, then gas consumption is reduced, but the complexity of the heating system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The injection system is designed to perform multiple functions: it supplies hot air to heating boxes, recycles exhaust heat, and maintains flexible control over temperature distribution. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by delivering multiple benefits from a single integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables dynamic adjustment of hot air temperature, flow rate, and distribution to different heating boxes. These parameter changes allow optimization of energy efficiency and binder curing conditions, compensating for the increased system complexity through enhanced controllability and adaptability.
3Object-generated harmful factors
If the fraction of injected hot air is set between 20% and 100%, then gas consumption is reduced by 50% to 70%, but control over heating uniformity becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The injection system incorporates control mechanisms that monitor temperature distribution and hot air flow, adjusting the fraction of injected air and its distribution across heating boxes. This feedback control maintains heating uniformity even when operating at reduced gas consumption levels (50%-70% reduction).
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables different fractions of injected hot air to be supplied to different heating boxes based on local requirements. This localized control ensures uniform heating across the entire mat while allowing significant overall gas consumption reduction by optimizing air injection at each position.
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
Reduces gas consumption by 50% to 70%, significantly lowering greenhouse gas emissions and enhancing operational safety by reducing flammable substances, with minimal impact on energy efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
an injection system arranged outside the crosslinking oven and configured to inject hot air into at least one combustion chamber of a heating box, the hot air thus injected replacing a given fraction of hot air produced by at least one burner
Implementation Method 2
Each box is supplied with hot air by a combustion chamber to which at least one burner is attached
Implementation Method 3
The procedure used to cause the curing of the binder consists in passing heated air through the entire thickness of the mat in such a way that the binder present throughout the thickness of the mat is itself brought progressively to a temperature above its curing temperature
Implementation Method 4
the mat is simultaneously dried and subjected to a specific heat treatment which causes the polymerization (or 'curing') of the thermosetting resin of the binder present on the surface of the fibers
Data Source
AI summary
A system for crosslinking a continuous mat of mineral and/or plant fibers, includes a crosslinking oven for the mat including at least one heating box, each heating box being connected to a combustion chamber. The crosslinking system further includes an injection system arranged outside the crosslinking oven and configured to inject hot air into at least one combustion chamber of a heating box, the hot air thus injected replacing a given fraction of hot air produced by a burner attached to said at least one combustion chamber, the fraction being between 20% and 100%.