Pneumatic Dosing of Solid Grains into Milk
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods and devices fail to produce a drinkable mixture of low-viscosity drinking milk with a high proportion of solid dosing materials like rice, oats, or wheat grains, as they become too viscous above 6% rice content, making continuous processing difficult, and struggle with uniform dosing and distribution of pre-cooked rice due to sticking and conglomeration issues.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using air as a mixing, carrier, and discharge medium with a significant speed difference to prevent sticking, combined with a rotational flow in the carrier liquid to ensure uniform distribution, and a dosing device with antechambers and level control to maintain constant flow and prevent conglomeration, allowing for precise dosing and mixing of solid materials into drinking milk.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the proportion of solid dosing material (rice) in the carrier liquid is increased above 6%, then the mixture becomes too viscous for continuous processing, but lower rice content results in insufficient product concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses pneumatic conveying to transport solid rice materials through air streams into the mixing chamber. This allows continuous feeding of high proportions of solid material without mechanical contact that would cause sticking, enabling rice contents above 6% while maintaining continuous processing capability through fluid dynamic principles
Solution Approach 2:
The invention replaces mechanical dosing and mixing systems with fluid dynamic-based systems. Air streams and rotational flows in the mixing chamber replace mechanical conveyors and mixers, preventing solid material sticking and enabling continuous processing of high-concentration mixtures that would otherwise clog mechanical systems
2Quantity of substance
If pre-cooked rice is dosed into the carrier liquid, then the desired product concentration is achieved, but sticking and conglomeration occur making uniform dosing difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs pneumatic conveying systems where air streams transport pre-cooked rice grains individually through controlled velocity profiles. This prevents grain-to-grain contact and sticking, ensuring uniform dosing precision while maintaining high solid material concentration in the final mixture
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from traditional horizontal or vertical gravity-based dosing to a three-dimensional pneumatic conveying system. Rice grains are introduced from above through air streams that control their trajectory and distribution, adding a vertical dimension to the dosing process that prevents conglomeration and ensures uniform spatial distribution
3Reliability
If air is used as carrier medium for solid material, then sticking is prevented through speed difference, but complex mixing and distribution control is required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the mixing chamber where rotational flow automatically generates centrifugal forces that distribute solid material uniformly throughout the carrier liquid. The system uses its own operational dynamics (rotational motion) to achieve self-distribution, reducing the need for additional complex control mechanisms while maintaining reliability in preventing sticking
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 enables the production of a drinkable mixture with a high proportion of solid materials, ensuring uniform distribution and preventing conglomeration, allowing for continuous and trouble-free dosing and mixing, even at lower rice content levels, resulting in a stable and consistent end product.
Implementation Method 1
the volume flow of carrier fluid is introduced into the mixture below the free level in such a way that a rotational flow is generated in the mixture by fluid mechanics
Implementation Method 2
a rotational flow is generated in the mixture by fluid mechanics
Implementation Method 3
using air as a mixing, carrier, and discharge medium with a significant speed difference to prevent sticking
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a method for mixing and metering solid materials (Z, B) to be metered, such as at least one cereal (Z), in particular a solid, particulate, swellable cereal (Z), and/or at least one other small-size addition (B), into a carrier liquid (TF), wherein a mixture (G) of the carrier liquid (TF) and the at least one solid material (Z, B) to be metered is produced using said method. The invention also relates to a device for carrying out the method. According to the proposed method, this is achieved in that each of the at least one solid material (Z, B) to be metered is formed as a constant volumetric flow rate of the at least one solid material (Q*) to be metered, and the volumetric flow rate of air (QL), when seen in the flow direction of the provided volume (V), encounters the constant volumetric flow rate of the at least one solid material (Q*) to be metered such that the volumetric flow rate of air (QL) functions as a mixing, drying, discharging, and carrier medium for the at least one solid material (Z, B) to be metered.