Fluidized Bed Transport System for Combustion Waste Cooling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanical systems for transporting and cooling heterogeneous combustion waste or loose materials, such as ash and metal scraps, face reliability issues due to interference with mechanical parts and inefficient heat exchange, leading to downtime and limited cooling efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A transport system with a conveyor belt enclosed in a metal casing, featuring longitudinal partitions and movable side boards to contain the material, and a compartmented region for efficient air cooling, which reduces gas dispersion and maximizes thermal exchange by allowing cooling air to pass through the material bed while preventing interference with combustion processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a metal conveyor belt enclosed in a casing is used for mechanical transport of heterogeneous materials, then the material can be contained and transported, but the system reliability deteriorates due to interference with mechanical parts from incompressible materials like metal scraps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical belt conveyor system with a pneumatic transport system using a fluidized bed. Hot gas flows upward through a distributor plate, fluidizing the particulate material and carrying it through the system. Incompressible materials like metal scraps are separated by density differences in the gas stream, preventing interference with mechanical components and eliminating the reliability issues associated with traditional mechanical conveyors handling heterogeneous materials
2Temperature
If cooling air is passed through the material bed for thermal exchange, then cooling efficiency improves, but the amount of air that can re-enter the boiler is limited to 1.0-1.5% of total combustion air
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the cooling air flow into multiple independent streams. Cooling air is introduced at multiple locations along the fluidized bed transport path, allowing progressive cooling of the material as it moves through the system. This segmented approach enables greater total cooling air quantity to be used without overwhelming the boiler's combustion air requirements, as cooling occurs incrementally rather than requiring all cooling air to enter the boiler at once
3Reliability
If a sealed casing is used to contain the conveyor belt, then material containment improves, but gas dispersion increases when hot gas or treatment gas is used for thermal or chemical treatments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses an inert gas atmosphere (typically air or other suitable gas) that flows continuously through the fluidized bed system. This inert gas environment contains the particulate material while simultaneously carrying away treatment gases and preventing their dispersion into the environment. The gas stream acts as both the transport medium and the containment mechanism, eliminating the need for sealed casings that would trap treatment gases
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 enhances the reliability of transporting heterogeneous materials, increases thermal exchange efficiency, and minimizes unexpected stops, ensuring continuous operation while maintaining combustion efficiency and containing treatment gases within the transport zone.
Implementation Method 1
Cooling air can be recalled into the transport system by the negative pressure present in the boiler, by passing through specially provided openings of the containment casing of the belt conveyor. Air therefore crosses the system and the ash bed in countercurrent to the direction of advancement, thereby operating ash and apparatuses cooling.
Implementation Method 2
a compartmented region (4) for the confinement of cooling air which is adducted into it
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~3A
AI summary
A transport system (1 ) for the transport of combustion waste, comprising: - a belt conveyor (3) for transporting the waste, arranged at the bottom of a combustion chamber (2) and apt to transport the waste onto a transport surface (311) movable along a longitudinal direction of advancement (D); and - side boards for containing the waste in a transport region, arranged above said transport surface, rotably connected to a casing of the conveyor and bearing wearable members apt to establish a sliding seal with lateral fins of the movable transport surface of the conveyor belt, so that the transported material be confined in the transport region defined by said movable transport surface and by the boards bearing the wearable members (Fig. 2).