Glass Sand Production With Heated Pulverizers and Air Classification
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing glass sand from post-consumer waste streams face challenges in efficiently removing non-glass constituents, particularly paper fibers, and require separate drying and water washing steps, leading to ash contamination and high energy consumption.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing flexible impactors and trommel screens with air classification, combined with enclosed pulverizers and trommels heated by hot air, to selectively reduce and separate glass particles from non-glass materials, eliminating the need for fluidized bed dryers and water washing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If fluidized bed dryers are used to remove moisture from glass particles, then drying efficiency is improved, but energy consumption increases and ash contamination occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal drying system (fluidized bed dryer) with a mechanical drying system using vibrating screens and air classification. The vibrating screens physically separate moisture through vibration and airflow, eliminating the need for high-temperature thermal processing while achieving effective drying without ash formation or excessive energy consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pneumatic air classification to separate and dry glass particles. Air streams are used to lift and classify particles by size and density, simultaneously removing moisture through airflow while avoiding the thermal processes that cause ash contamination and high energy consumption in traditional fluidized bed dryers.
2Manufacturing precision
If water washing is used to remove non-glass constituents, then cleaning effectiveness is improved, but water consumption increases and additional drying steps are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes non-glass constituents (paper, plastics, metals) through physical separation methods before the glass particles require washing. Vibrating screens, air classifiers, and density-based separation selectively remove contaminants in their original state, eliminating the need for water washing and subsequent drying steps while maintaining cleaning effectiveness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the chemical/water-based washing system with mechanical separation systems including vibrating screens, air classification, and density separation. These mechanical methods remove non-glass constituents without water consumption, avoiding the need for additional drying steps while achieving equivalent or superior cleaning effectiveness.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple separate processing steps are used to remove non-glass materials, then separation completeness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separation functions (sizing, drying, contaminant removal, classification) into a single integrated processing line. Vibrating screens simultaneously perform sizing and initial contaminant removal, while air classification units combine drying and final separation in one step, reducing device complexity while maintaining separation completeness through the synergistic integration of these functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs multi-functional processing equipment that performs multiple operations simultaneously. For example, vibrating screens both size the glass particles and remove attached contaminants, while air classification systems simultaneously dry the particles and separate remaining non-glass materials, reducing the total number of separate processing steps while achieving complete separation.
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
Produces clean, high-capacity glass sand with low organic content, suitable for construction, by ensuring efficient size-based separation and drying without ash formation, reducing energy usage and operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
The system of claim 1 wherein the streams of hot air reduce the glass to sand-sized particles
Implementation Method 2
A first stream of hot air is directed onto the pulverized glass and other materials to separate the pulverized glass from the other materials
Data Source
AI summary
A system for producing a stream of glass sand from mixed recyclables comprises first and second pulverizing system, each comprising a size-reducing pulverizer and a size-separating trommel. The pulverizers and trommels are heated, so as to also serve as driers.