Low-Temperature Drying Apparatus with External Infrared Heater
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drying apparatuses with infrared heaters inside the furnace body absorb unnecessary wavelengths, leading to increased furnace wall temperatures, which can exceed the allowable upper temperature limit of objects being dried, especially when that limit is low.
Innovation Solution
A low-temperature drying apparatus with an infrared light transmitting plate and an infrared heater positioned outside the furnace body, utilizing a cooling flow between the object and the plate, and metal surfaces on the furnace body to prevent excessive heating and maintain low temperatures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the infrared heater is disposed inside the furnace body, then the drying efficiency is improved, but the furnace wall temperature increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The infrared heater is extracted from the interior space of the furnace body and disposed outside, facing the infrared light transmitting plate. This separation prevents the heater from directly heating the furnace walls while maintaining drying effectiveness through the transmitting plate.
Solution Approach 2:
The infrared light transmitting plate serves as an intermediary between the infrared heater and the object to be dried. It allows infrared radiation to pass through while blocking other wavelengths, preventing unnecessary heating of furnace walls and enabling efficient drying at lower temperatures.
2Speed
If the infrared heater is disposed inside the furnace body, then the drying speed is increased, but the allowable upper temperature limit of the object is exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The infrared light transmitting plate acts as a selective mediator that transmits only the necessary infrared wavelengths for drying while blocking other wavelengths. This enables rapid drying through targeted infrared heating without exposing the object to excessive temperatures that could cause damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The infrared light transmitting plate provides localized quality control by being transparent to specific infrared wavelengths needed for drying while being opaque to other wavelengths. This selective transmission ensures that only the necessary radiation reaches the object, maintaining drying speed while preventing temperature damage.
3Loss of energy
If the furnace capacity is reduced for low-temperature drying, then the energy consumption is decreased, but the drying time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional thermal convection heating with infrared radiation heating. The infrared heater emits radiation that passes through the transmitting plate to directly heat the object, eliminating the need for large furnace capacity and long heating times while consuming less energy.
Solution Approach 2:
The infrared heating process operates in a controlled periodic manner through the cooling flow system, which periodically cools the infrared light transmitting plate. This allows sustained high-intensity infrared heating without causing overheating, maintaining short drying times with low energy consumption.
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 configuration prevents excessive furnace atmosphere temperature, efficiently dries objects without exceeding their upper temperature limit, and allows for reduced furnace capacity and shorter drying times.
Implementation Method 1
an infrared heater disposed to face the infrared light transmitting plate in an open space outside the furnace body
Implementation Method 2
a cooling flow generating device that generates a cooling flow in a space between the object to be dried that is held by the object holder and the infrared light transmitting plate
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A low-temperature drying apparatus 10 includes a furnace body 12, a sheet 20, an infrared light transmitting plate 30, a supply device 40, a discharge device 45, and infrared heaters 50. The sheet 20 holds a coating film 22, which is an object to be dried, so that the coating film 22 is placed in the furnace body 12. The infrared light transmitting plate 30 is provided on a surface of the furnace body 12 that faces the sheet 20. The supply device 40 and the discharge device 45 generate a cooling flow in a space between the coating film 22 and the infrared light transmitting plate 30. The infrared heaters 50 are disposed to face the infrared light transmitting plate 30 in the open space OP outside the furnace body 12.