Pasta Pre-drying Agitation Device Dust Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pasta drying and mechanical agitation devices, known as 'shakers,' suffer from significant dust separation due to mechanical agitation and air erosion, leading to frequent maintenance needs, downtime, and increased costs due to dust accumulation on internal components and the requirement for complex filtering systems.
Innovation Solution
A pre-drying and mechanical agitation device with a containment structure featuring vibrating shelves, heat exchangers, ventilation means positioned below the agitation and transport means, and accumulation and decantation regions positioned laterally, which use bulkheads to guide air flows and deposit dust, and automatic extraction means to remove dust from these regions, reducing dust circulation and the need for frequent maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If mechanical agitation and air flow are used to dry pasta, then drying efficiency is improved, but dust separation from pasta increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful dust particles from the air flow by introducing accumulation and decantation regions where dust settles out of the circulating air stream, separating the harmful factor from the useful drying process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces bulkheads as intermediary structures that guide air flow patterns to facilitate dust deposition, and extraction means that act as intermediaries to remove dust from the system without interfering with the primary drying function
2Productivity
If dust is circulated within the containment structure, then drying process continues, but maintenance frequency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary dust removal by capturing and extracting dust particles before they can accumulate on critical components, preventing the need for frequent maintenance and enabling continuous operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-maintenance through automatic dust extraction means that continuously remove dust from the containment structure without human intervention, reducing maintenance frequency and enabling uninterrupted operation
3Object-generated harmful factors
If complex filtering systems are used to trap dust, then dust in ejected air is reduced, but device complexity and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts dust from the air flow at the source through accumulation and decantation regions, removing the need for complex filtering systems and reducing device complexity while still effectively reducing dust in ejected air
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful dust-laden air flow into a beneficial process by using bulkheads to redirect air flow patterns that naturally deposit dust, transforming a harmful circulation pattern into a useful dust removal mechanism
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 solution effectively reduces maintenance needs and downtime by automatically removing dust from the device, minimizing dust accumulation on internal components, and decreasing the frequency of filter maintenance and replacement, allowing for continuous operation with reduced operational costs.
Implementation Method 1
vibrating shelves that mechanically agitate the pasta
Implementation Method 2
heat exchangers, typically finned batteries fed by a thermodynamic circuit in which a heat transfer fluid flows, which heat a flow of air
Implementation Method 3
conveying means suitable for conveying dust carried by the one or more air flows into one or more accumulation and decantation regions
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention relates to a predrying and mechanical agitation device (1) for the production of pasta comprising conveying means (12) suitable for conveying dust (13) carried by said one or more air flows (11) which pass through the heating means (8) of such device (1) into one or more accumulation and decantation regions (14) present inside a containment structure (2) of the device (1), and automatic extraction means (15) to automatically remove dust (13) from one or more accumulation and decantation regions (14) and transport it outside the containment structure (2) of such device (1).