Fluid Bed Coffee Roaster with Vertical Heating Zones
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional fluid bed coffee roasting systems are limited in batch size, requiring increased size or operating costs to roast larger quantities, and lack efficiency in producing sample roasts, leading to inconsistencies between sample and production roasting results.
Innovation Solution
A fluid bed coffee roasting system with a roasting unit featuring a series of heating chambers to increase air path length without expanding the system's dimensions, combined with a chaff collection and cooling unit, and a tilt arm mechanism for versatile batch handling, allowing for roasting of varying sizes and efficient sample production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the size of the fluid bed roasting system is increased to roast larger batches, then the batch size capacity is improved, but the system size and operating costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The roasting system is divided into multiple independent heating zones (first heating zone, second heating zone, third heating zone) arranged in series. Each zone has its own heating elements and can be independently controlled, allowing the system to process larger batches by distributing coffee beans across multiple zones rather than requiring a single large chamber.
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a traditional single-zone horizontal arrangement to a multi-zone vertical arrangement with heating zones stacked one above another. Coffee beans are fed at the top and move downward through each heating zone, utilizing vertical space to increase processing capacity without expanding the system's footprint.
2Productivity
If the air temperature is increased to roast larger batches faster, then the roasting speed is improved, but the quality uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The roasting process is segmented into multiple heating zones, each with independent temperature control. This allows different zones to operate at different temperature levels, with earlier zones at higher temperatures for rapid initial heating and later zones at lower temperatures for gentle finishing, maintaining uniformity while increasing overall throughput.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates variable speed blowers that can dynamically adjust air flow rates to each heating zone based on the roasting stage and batch size. This dynamic control allows the system to optimize both roasting speed and uniformity by adjusting air temperature and velocity in real-time during the roasting process.
3Quantity of substance
If the roasting time is increased to accommodate larger batches, then the batch size capacity is improved, but the bean quality deteriorates due to over-roasting
Solution Approach 1:
The roasting process is divided into multiple sequential heating zones that process coffee beans in stages. This segmentation allows large batches to be roasted efficiently by distributing the roasting function across multiple zones rather than requiring extended time in a single zone, preventing over-roasting while maintaining quality.
Solution Approach 2:
Earlier heating zones perform preliminary roasting at higher temperatures to quickly develop the core roast, while later zones perform finishing at lower temperatures. This preliminary action in sequential zones allows large batches to be processed without requiring excessive total roasting time, as the bulk of the roasting transformation occurs in the first zones.
4Use of energy by stationary object
If a separate sample roaster is used to control costs, then the operating cost is reduced, but the correlation between sample and production results deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The fluid bed roasting system is designed to be universally applicable across multiple batch sizes, from small sample batches to large production batches. The same system can be configured for different batch sizes by adjusting air flow rates and utilizing different heating zones, eliminating the need for separate sample and production roasters and ensuring consistent results across all scales.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows for parameter changes in air flow rate, temperature, and batch size without requiring different equipment. By adjusting these parameters, the same fluid bed roaster can accurately replicate roast profiles across different batch sizes, maintaining result correlation while reducing costs compared to using separate dedicated sample and production roasters.
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
Enables roasting of larger batches without increasing system size or costs, while ensuring consistent results by accommodating both production and sample batch sizes, and efficiently managing chaff and cooling processes.
Implementation Method 1
This high velocity hot air is used to levitate and roast green coffee beans in a fluidized bath of hot air
Implementation Method 2
Heat is transferred directly to the mass of green coffee beans via convection through the heated air
Implementation Method 3
electric resistive heating elements, or gas burners fueled by propane or natural gas
Implementation Method 4
Heat is transferred directly to the mass of green coffee beans via convection through the heated air
Implementation Method 5
allowing the cooling blower to draw ambient air down through the cooling tray, thereby cooling the coffee beans
Data Source
AI summary
A fluid bed coffee roasting system is disclosed and configured for roasting batches of coffee beans of varying sizes. In at least one embodiment, the system provides a roasting unit configured for roasting a volume of coffee beans, a chaff collection unit positioned and configured for drawing off and capturing any loose chaff released by the coffee beans within the roasting unit, and a cooling unit positioned and configured for receiving and cooling the coffee beans after they are removed from the roasting unit.