Flake-like DOG Production via Continuous Melt-Drying
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing method for producing 2-(5-ethyl-5-hydroxymethyl-1,3-dioxan-2-yl)-2-methylpropan-1-ol (DOG) results in a powder with poor heat conductivity, requiring excessive heating, which leads to deterioration in purity and quality, especially on an industrial scale.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a continuous melt-drying step followed by vacuum-drying or ventilation-drying, maintaining the molten state, to produce flake-like DOG with a liquid content reduced to not more than 0.5% by mass, ensuring high purity and quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If vacuum-drying is performed directly on water-containing DOG in cake form, then drying is achieved, but the DOG becomes a fine powder with poor handling properties and requires excessive heating
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state parameter of DOG from solid powder to molten liquid state during drying. By controlling temperature to maintain DOG in a molten state (above its melting point) during the drying process, the material flows and coalesces into flake-like structures upon cooling, eliminating the fine powder problem while improving handling properties.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes phase transition of DOG between solid, liquid, and flake-like solid states. The process involves melting DOG to a liquid state for drying, then cooling it to form flake-like solid structures. This controlled phase transition prevents fine powder formation and creates easily handleable flake-like product with improved handling properties.
2Shape
If excessive heating is applied to powdered DOG to achieve flake formation, then flake-like product is obtained, but purity and quality of DOG deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the temperature parameter to precisely control the molten state of DOG during drying. By maintaining temperature within a specific range (above melting point but below decomposition temperature), the process achieves flake formation through controlled cooling of molten material without excessive heating that would cause deterioration in purity and quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary melting of DOG before the drying process. By converting DOG to a molten state beforehand, the subsequent drying and flake formation occur under milder conditions, preventing the need for excessive heating during the process and thus preserving purity and quality while achieving the desired flake-like shape.
3Productivity
If conventional drying methods are used on industrial scale, then production volume is achieved, but deterioration in purity and quality becomes noticeable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a continuous drying process where molten DOG is continuously processed through the drying system. This continuous operation, maintaining DOG in a controlled molten state throughout the process, enables industrial-scale production volume while consistently achieving high purity and quality flake-like product, avoiding the deterioration seen in batch conventional methods.
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
This method effectively produces high-quality, flake-like DOG with reduced liquid content, improving handling and maintaining purity and quality without excessive heating, suitable for industrial-scale production.
Implementation Method 1
heat melting the liquid-containing raw material DOG in the range of a temperature which is higher of a melting point of the liquid-containing raw material DOG and a boiling point of the liquid, or higher and not higher than 160°C
Implementation Method 2
to remove the liquid
Implementation Method 3
a vacuum-drying step in which a relation between a temperature X (°C) and a pressure Y [kPa (abs)] is satisfied with the following expression
Implementation Method 4
a ventilation-drying step of not only ventilating a gas at from 10 to 160°C for 0.5 hours or more but regulating the total ventilation amount of the gas relative to the continuously melt-dried DOG charged in the ventilation-drying step to 10 times or more (volume ratio)
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A method for producing flake-like dried DOG by making DOG containing from 10 to 50 % by mass of a liquid go through a continuous melt-drying step of a specified condition and then making it go through, as a next step, a vacuum-drying step of a specified condition or a ventilation-drying step of a specified condition while holding a molten state thereof, to obtain DOG in which the liquid in DOG is reduced to not more than 0.5 % by mass (dried DOG), and flaking the obtained dried DOG in a flake production step.