Rectilinear Slurry Conduit for Uniform Gypsum Flow Splitting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing slurry delivery conduits for gypsum board production suffer from uneven distribution and scattering of slurry due to differences in flow rate and specific gravity between discharge ports, leading to potential production line interruptions and quality degradation.
Innovation Solution
A slurry delivery conduit with a rectilinear tube segment and branch tube segments forming a V-letter cross-section, which rectifies the slurry flow and ensures equal flow rates and specific gravity between ports, preventing stagnation and scattering.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional slurry delivery conduit with vertical chute or tubular passage is used, then the slurry can be delivered onto the sheet of paper, but the flow rate and specific gravity become uneven between discharge ports causing scattering and production line interruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The conduit is divided into multiple independent branch tube segments (first branch tube segment, second branch tube segment, etc.) that are connected to a common rectilinear tube segment. Each branch tube segment has its own discharge port, allowing independent flow control and preventing the propagation of flow irregularities between ports, thus ensuring uniform slurry distribution while maintaining production line continuity
Solution Approach 2:
The rectilinear tube segment is designed with a specific length (L1) ranging from 30mm to 200mm to provide sufficient flow rectification before the slurry reaches the branch points. This localized rectification zone ensures that the slurry flow becomes stable and uniform before being distributed to multiple discharge ports, preventing flow rate and specific gravity variations
2Manufacturing precision
If the slurry flow is not rectified before branching, then the conduit structure is simpler, but the slurry flow rate and specific gravity differ between discharge ports causing stagnation and scattering
Solution Approach 1:
The rectilinear tube segment is positioned upstream of the branch points to pre-rectify the slurry flow before it reaches the branching section. This preliminary flow stabilization ensures that when the slurry divides into multiple branch tube segments, the flow rate and specific gravity are already uniform, preventing subsequent flow irregularities without requiring complex flow control mechanisms at each branch point
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
Ensures uniform slurry distribution and reduces the frequency of scattering, maintaining production line continuity and product quality by preventing differences in flow rate and specific gravity between discharge ports.
Implementation Method 1
introducing the slurry into a straight rectilinear fluid passage of a rectilinear tube segment, which is connected to an outer circumferential surface of a lower end portion of the vertical tube into which the slurry is introduced from the vertical tube, thereby rectifying a flow of the slurry so as to be an axial or rectilinear current
Implementation Method 2
the branch part splits an axial or rectilinear current of the slurry flowing out through the rectilinear tube segment and introduces branched streams of the slurry into the branch tube segments respectively
Implementation Method 3
each of the branch tube segments extends from the branch part on a downstream side in a conveying direction of the sheet, while diverging toward the downstream side at an angle in a range from 20 degrees to 150 degrees as seen in a plan view
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2(A)~2(C)
Figure 3
AI summary
An object of the invention is to prevent differences in the flow rate and the specific gravity of a gypsum slurry from being caused between slurry discharge ports, to divide a current of the slurry into streams without a factor of stagnation of the slurry provided at a branch part, and also, to ensure a sufficient distance between the discharge ports. The slurry delivery conduit (10) has a rectilinear tube segment (14), a branch part (15) and branch tube segments (16). A tube-wall joint portion (20) of the branch tube segments configures a counter-flow splitting element (22) in a form of V-letter at the branch part. The slurry is introduced from a mixing area (51) into the rectilinear tube segment, which configures a straight rectilinear fluid passage. The rectilinear tube segment rectifies a flow of the slurry to be an axial or rectilinear current (S), and the axial or rectilinear current is split into branch streams (S1, S2) by the counter-flow splitting element.