Foldable Fluidizing System for Bulk Cargo Liner-Bags
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current dry bulk cargo fluidizing systems in marine containers face challenges with hard-to-flow products, as existing solutions like perforated air hoses often lose effectiveness during unloading and can damage the liner-bag due to exposure and bending issues, leading to inefficient fluidization and product compaction.
Innovation Solution
A flat, foldable fluidizing system with a second airbed-like floor formed by plastic mesh strips and thermal sealing, which distributes air evenly across the container floor, minimizing pressure loss and preventing air hose damage during folding and unloading, ensuring uniform fluidization and reduced product compaction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a perforated air hose is used for fluidizing hard-to-flow bulk products, then fluidization is achieved, but the hose becomes exposed and bent during unloading, losing effectiveness and potentially damaging the liner-bag
Solution Approach 1:
A fabric layer is introduced as an intermediary between the air hose and the bulk product. The air hose remains protected within the liner-bag structure while air flows through the fabric into the product, preventing direct contact between the hose and product that causes bending and exposure during unloading
Solution Approach 2:
The liner-bag floor is constructed with flexible fabric layers that can accommodate the air hose integration. The fabric acts as a protective shell that allows air permeation while preventing the hose from being bent or exposed during the tilting and unloading process
2Reliability
If air is injected through a hose to fluidize hard-to-flow products, then product flow improves, but pressure loss occurs and fluidization becomes non-uniform
Solution Approach 1:
The fabric layer provides distributed air flow across the entire liner-bag floor surface, creating locally uniform fluidization zones throughout the bulk product. This distributed approach ensures consistent pressure distribution and uniform fluidization without concentrated pressure loss points
Solution Approach 2:
The fabric layer acts as a porous medium that distributes air flow evenly across its surface area. The porosity allows uniform air penetration into the bulk product while minimizing pressure loss through the distributed flow paths, achieving consistent fluidization across the entire product mass
3Productivity
If the container is tilted for gravity unloading, then product discharge is facilitated, but the air hose becomes exposed and bent, reducing fluidization effectiveness
Solution Approach 1:
The air hose is merged with the liner-bag floor structure through fabric integration. This combination ensures that the fluidization system moves as a unified structure with the liner-bag during tilting, preventing hose exposure and bending while maintaining fluidization effectiveness throughout the unloading process
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 provides more powerful and uniform fluidization, reducing the risk of hose damage and improving the flow of hard-to-handle bulk products during unloading by maintaining air pressure and flow across the entire container floor, even when tilted.
Implementation Method 1
formed by plastic mesh strips and thermal sealing
Implementation Method 2
air fluidization is not the solution to all products' flow issues... it is the most prevalent solution for most hard to flow bulk commodities
Data Source
AI summary
A dry bulk commodities cargo fluidizing system which is substantially flat and foldable for use in shipping container liner-bags used for transporting bulk commodities and may be built into or secured to liner-bags. The system is composed of a first floor layer and a second floor layer which covers the first floor layer. The first and second floor layers are thermally joined together about woven plastic mesh to form connected chambers for receiving deliver of fluid evenly throughout the system with the second floor layer having multiple pinholes of various size and number density over its surface in relation to the fluid source to the system. The plastic mesh strips between the first and second floor layers create fluid flow bridges for fluid flow even when bulk commodities cargo is loaded onto the second floor layer and is pressing the second floor layer against the first floor layer.