Organic Waste Processing System with Segmented Cavities
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems for processing organic waste and products are inefficient due to high energy consumption, expensive maintenance, and complex processes, often resulting in unproductive vapor usage and unnecessary energy expenditure, as well as the need for costly draining systems to manage condensation.
Innovation Solution
A system utilizing cylindrical cavities with a dragging spindle and mixing blades, where saturated water vapor is injected to sterilize and transform organic materials, achieving efficient sterilization and morphology change while minimizing energy consumption by maintaining a 96% product fill volume, eliminating unproductive vapor and condensation issues, and using a magnetic spinning system for anti-corrosion and reduced maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If turning-over drums or spinning containers are used to process organic waste, then the product can be sterilized and transformed, but half of the drum volume remains free of load causing excessive consumption of unproductive saturated vapour and high energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The processing system is divided into multiple cylindrical cavities arranged in series, each cavity being completely filled with product. This segmentation eliminates the need for large turning-over drums with empty spaces, ensuring that saturated vapour contacts only product material and not empty air spaces, thereby eliminating unproductive vapour consumption and reducing energy waste.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a single large drum that must be partially empty to allow turning-over motion, the invention inverts the approach by using multiple smaller cavities that are completely filled. The processing occurs through linear progression through cavities rather than rotational turning-over, eliminating the need for empty spaces and the associated energy waste.
2Reliability
If complex processing operations are performed to sterilize organic waste, then the product can be treated as non-contaminating, but the process takes unnecessarily longer time and raises energy consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains continuous processing through multiple cavities operated in sequence, where product moves continuously from one cavity to the next. This continuous action eliminates idle time between operations and ensures that sterilization proceeds without interruption, reducing total process cycle time while maintaining effective sterilization through sustained exposure to saturated vapour.
Solution Approach 2:
The cavities are pre-filled completely with product before processing begins, and the system is designed to maintain this full loading state throughout operation. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for intermediate loading/unloading operations during the sterilization process, reducing cycle time while ensuring continuous effective treatment.
3Reliability
If saturated water vapour is used to sterilize organic waste, then the product can be transformed and sterilized, but expensive draining systems are needed to evacuate condensed masses
Solution Approach 1:
The condensation of saturated vapour, which traditionally requires expensive draining systems to remove, is converted into a beneficial by-product. The condensed water is collected and reused within the processing system, eliminating the need for complex draining infrastructure while maintaining effective sterilization. This transforms a harmful waste product into a valuable resource.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding condensed water through expensive draining systems, the invention recovers and reuses the condensed liquid within the processing system. This recovery approach eliminates the need for complex evacuation infrastructure and reduces operational costs while maintaining sterilization effectiveness.
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 significantly reduces energy consumption, eliminates the need for draining systems, and allows for efficient reutilization of organic materials, enabling direct anaerobic digestion or gasification, while maintaining product quality and reducing maintenance costs.
Implementation Method 1
sterilization and transformation of its morphology with saturated water vapour... destruction or complete elimination of all sorts of contaminating microorganisms
Implementation Method 2
when it becomes water again, it cedes notable amounts of energy... transformation of its morphology with saturated water vapour
Implementation Method 3
it transports relatively important quantities of energy with little volume and, when it becomes water again, it cedes notable amounts of energy
Data Source
AI summary
System for the processing of organic waste and products, which is equipped with, at least, one cylindrical cavity of treatment which is arranged with a loading area and a unloading area of waste and an entrance and exit of vapor. Inside the cylindrical cavity, a dragging spindle with direction of advance from the loading area to the unloading area is installed. The axis of the dragging spindle is equipped with mixing blades which conform a mixing spindle with a direction of advance opposite to that one of the dragging spindle.