Pressure-balancing feed-in container for high-viscosity fiber production
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Solution Overview
Problem
In continuously-operated processes, particularly in the production of high-viscosity materials like Ioncell technology-based fibers, maintaining uniform pressure and material flow is challenging due to the difficulty in generating sufficient pressure and maintaining precise temperature conditions, which affects the quality of the fibers.
Innovation Solution
A pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement is developed, featuring a container with a movable piston separating a gas side and a material side, connected to a pressure medium source. This arrangement includes feed and discharge passages at opposite edges of the material side, allowing for continuous material replacement and pressure regulation using a piston and pressure medium.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional pressure accumulator with piston/membrane is used, then material can be pressed out in a controlled manner, but the material driven first into the reserve leaves the container last (LIFO principle), which is unsuitable for continuous homogeneous production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the traditional LIFO (Last In First Out) discharge principle by implementing a FIFO (First In First Out) system. The container is designed with multiple discharge openings distributed around the circumference, allowing material to exit in the same sequence it enters, ensuring continuous homogeneous flow without stagnation zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The discharge system is segmented into multiple openings rather than a single discharge point. This segmentation allows material to be discharged uniformly from different locations around the container, preventing dead zones and ensuring all material portions are processed equally.
2Productivity
If a suction pump is used to move high-viscosity material, then the theoretical maximum suction capacity is achieved with complete vacuum, but the pressure difference is only appr. 1 bar, which is insufficient for piping requirements
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using suction to move the material, the system inverts the approach by using pressure accumulation and controlled discharge. The pressure accumulator builds up sufficient pressure to push the high-viscosity material through the piping system, overcoming the limitation of suction pumps.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs pressure accumulation principles similar to hydraulic systems, where pressure is built up in a controlled manner to generate the force needed to move high-viscosity material through the piping infrastructure.
3Reliability
If gear pump is used to maintain uniform pressure, then pressure variation is minimized, but minor fluctuations still affect fiber properties and the pump requires precise temperature control
Solution Approach 1:
The pressure accumulator acts as an intermediary between the gear pump and the discharge system. It absorbs pressure fluctuations and provides a buffer that smooths out minor variations, reducing the impact on fiber properties without requiring complex temperature control systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements prior cushioning by accumulating pressure in advance before material discharge. This pre-accumulated pressure provides a cushion that compensates for fluctuations during the discharge process, maintaining uniform flow without additional control complexity.
4Productivity
If feed-in container is used as intermediate buffer, then production rate can be maintained through different stages, but with high-viscosity materials it is impossible to generate the required pressure of several bar
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies pneumatic principles by using gas pressure to accumulate and regulate pressure in the feed-in container. This allows the generation of several bar of pressure required for high-viscosity material discharge while maintaining the buffer function for continuous production.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the pressure parameter dynamically by accumulating pressure over time in the container before discharge. This time-dependent pressure buildup enables the generation of sufficient pressure for high-viscosity materials while maintaining the intermediate buffer function.
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 maintains constant pressure and uniform material flow, ensuring high-quality fiber production by minimizing residence time and preventing pressure fluctuations, which are critical for continuously-operated high-viscosity material processes.
Implementation Method 1
a piston (4) arranged in a movable manner in the container space (3, 5)... a pressure medium source (7)... whereby the piston is configured to move in the container space (3, 5) according to a difference in the pressures of the gas side (3) and the material side (5)
Data Source
AI summary
A pressure-balancing feed-in container arrangement having a container forming a basic body, which container includes a container space in which a piston is arranged in a movable manner, which container space includes a first space portion, i.e. a gas side, and a second space portion, i.e. a material side, which are separated from each other by the piston, a feed pas-sage for feeding material into the material space, and a discharge passage for conducting the material from the material space, and means for connecting a pressure medium source with the gas side of the container, whereby the piston is provided with a piston rod extending towards the gas side and further through a container wall to the exterior of the container, whereby the material feed passage extends through the piston rod and the piston to the material side.