Gravity-Driven Vacuum Dryer for Resin Pellets
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vacuum dryers for granular plastic resin material are costly and inefficient, with high energy consumption and potential for vacuum leakage and re-moisturization of dried pellets, especially when handling materials like PET.
Innovation Solution
A vacuum dryer using gravity to move granular plastic resin material, with a top heating hopper and a vacuum chamber, employing a slide gate for vacuum tight sealing and periodic dry air purging to prevent moisture re-entry, and utilizing a single pass of heated air for efficient drying.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a powered rotating carousel is used to move granular plastic resin material among heating, drying, and storage stations, then the material can be processed through all stages, but the device complexity and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the powered rotating carousel mechanical system with gravity-driven vertical material flow. Material moves downward through heating, drying, and storage sections under gravity influence, eliminating motors, bearings, and complex mechanical linkages while maintaining continuous material transport capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from horizontal material transport on a rotating carousel to vertical downward flow through stacked processing sections. This dimensional change enables gravity-driven operation and simplifies the mechanical system while maintaining all necessary processing functions
2Reliability
If conventional vacuum dryers are used without periodic purging, then the vacuum chamber can maintain vacuum for drying, but moisture-laden air reenters pellets when vacuum is released causing re-moisturization
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic purging of the vacuum chamber with dry air during the vacuum drying process. This periodic intervention removes accumulated moisture from the chamber atmosphere, preventing re-moisturization when vacuum is released and ensuring reliable drying results
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces dry air into the vacuum chamber before releasing the vacuum to prevent moisture-laden air from contacting the dried pellets. This preliminary action protects the drying成果 from being undone by ambient moisture
3Productivity
If the vacuum chamber is opened to release vacuum, then the drying cycle can complete, but ambient air enters the chamber causing re-moisturization of dried pellets
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dry air into the vacuum chamber before releasing the vacuum. This preliminary action ensures that when the chamber is opened to complete the drying cycle, the air present is dry rather than moisture-laden ambient air, thus maintaining precise moisture content control in the dried pellets
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 approach reduces costs by 40%, increases drying capacity, and ensures effective drying of PET pellets by maintaining a vacuum tight seal and preventing re-moisturization, resulting in a more efficient and cost-effective process with a compact footprint.
Implementation Method 1
heating granular resin material in a heating hopper
Implementation Method 2
As moisture is released from the granular plastic resin material while under vacuum
Implementation Method 3
a vacuum pump preferably continues to pull the resulting air-water vapor mixture from the vacuum chamber
Implementation Method 4
The slide gate preferably closes and seals against an o-ring to provide a vacuum tight seal
Implementation Method 5
This invention uses gravity to move granular plastic resin material in a vacuum dryer
Implementation Method 6
The invention preferably permits very dry purge air to enter the vacuum chamber and then draws the resulting mix of the very dry air and the water vapor-laden air, laden with moisture drawn out of the resin pellets, out of the chamber
Data Source
AI summary
Method and apparatus for drying granular resin material by drawing vacuum over heating resin material in a vessel, while periodically purging the vessel with the material therein with dry air and bathing the vacuum dried material with dry air until furnished to a processing machine.