Centrifugal Pellet Dryer Screen Support Vibration Damping

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Solution Overview

Problem

Centrifugal pellet dryers face issues with noise emissions due to screen vibrations and the risk of contact between lifting elements and the screen, leading to inefficient operation and bulky designs to mitigate these problems.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a screen support system with radial support arms incorporating rubber-like elastic dampers to absorb vibrations and maintain a small gap between the rotor and screen, reducing noise and preventing contact.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If noise-dampening material such as plastic foam is used to fill the space between interior and exterior walls of the housing, then noise emissions are reduced, but the housing becomes bulky and space-consuming

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenoise emissionsVSAvoidhousing volume
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSVolume of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The noise-dampening function is extracted from the housing structure itself and relocated to the screen support system. The dampers are attached to the screen support arms rather than requiring the housing walls to contain noise-dampening material, thus reducing housing volume while maintaining noise reduction effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The dampers act as intermediary elements between the screen and the housing. They absorb and dampen vibrations from the screen before these vibrations can be transmitted to the housing, thereby reducing noise emissions without requiring the housing itself to be enlarged with noise-dampening material.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the gap between lifting elements and the screen is increased, then contact between lifting elements and screen is avoided, but conveying efficiency is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontact avoidanceVSAvoidconveying efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The screen support arms with dampers provide dynamic vibration isolation, allowing the screen to maintain a small gap position relative to the lifting elements while compensating for vibrations and movements during operation. This dynamic compensation prevents contact between the screen and lifting elements even when the static gap is minimized for optimal conveying efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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 solution effectively reduces noise emissions and maintains operational efficiency by dissipating kinetic energy from screen vibrations, allowing for a compact design without compromising conveying efficiency.

Implementation Method 1

The support arms (21) include dampers (24) for dampening vibrations of the screen (5) and isolating screen vibrations from the housing (2)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVibration damping: Damping

Implementation Method 2

The dampers (24) may include rubber-like elastic damping members (25) which may form bearing and/or connector parts

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic damping: Elasticity

Implementation Method 3

a rotor rotating about an upright axis of rotation may include conveying or lifting arms or elements causing the pellets to ricochet between the lifting elements and the screen surrounding the rotor while being conveyed by centrifugal action up the drying rotor in a helical path

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCentrifugal force: Centrifugal Force

Data Source

PatentEP3385651B1Centrifugal pellet dryer
Publication Date: 2022.12.28 MAAG GALA INC
  • EP3385651B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3385651B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3385651B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The present invention relates to a centrifugal pellet dryer comprising a housing accommodating a rotor surrounded by a screen, wherein said screen includes at least one porous screen member and is supported by a screen support holding the screen relative to the housing. To avoid vibrations and noise, the centrifugal pellet dryer has the screen supported against the housing by a screen support which includes at least one damper for dampening vibrations of the screen and/or isolating screen vibrations from the housing.