Roasting Vessel Hot Air Generator Integration for Coffee Bean Heat Treatment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing devices for heat treatment of pourable vegetable products, such as coffee beans, are often bulky, require long and expensive insulated pipelines, and face challenges in heat recovery and process management, especially when the mass of the product changes, limiting optimization of circulation movement.
Innovation Solution
A compact device design featuring a rotor shell with a stationary hot air generator integrated into the cover device, eliminating the need for long pipelines and allowing for efficient heat recovery, with a recirculation system for exhaust air and a multi-part rotor shell for adaptable treatment of different products.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a separate hot air generator and long pipelines are used to connect to the roasting container, then the heat treatment function is achieved, but the device becomes bulky and expensive due to insulation requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The hot air generator is integrated directly into the cover device, merging two previously separate components (hot air generator and cover) into a single unified structure. This eliminates the need for long connecting pipelines and reduces the overall device volume while maintaining the heat treatment function.
2Use of energy by moving object
If long insulated pipelines are used to connect the hot air generator to the roasting container, then heat transfer is enabled, but the cost increases due to expensive insulation
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the hot air generator into the cover device, the patent eliminates long pipelines and the associated expensive insulation requirements, thereby reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining effective heat transfer to the roasting container.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the mass of the pourable product changes, then different treatment requirements arise, but the circulation movement can only be optimized to a limited extent
Solution Approach 1:
The rotor shell is designed to rotate at variable speeds, allowing the circulation movement to be dynamically adjusted according to the mass of the pourable product. This dynamic control enables optimization of the heat treatment process for different product masses without increasing device complexity.
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 enables a compact, cost-effective, and efficient heat treatment process with improved heat recovery and automated process control, allowing for quick startup and consistent temperature control regardless of product mass, while optimizing circulation movement and reducing technical complexity.
Implementation Method 1
By turning the rotor bowl, centrifugal forces act on the coffee beans, so that they are conveyed in the bowl along the inner wall of the bowl upwards in the direction of a lid inside of a lid of the lid device
Implementation Method 2
The heat treatment of the product is a heat transfer mainly by convection of flowing hot air
Implementation Method 3
The container and the surrounding lid are surrounded by a housing which receives the coffee beans emerging from the gap between the container edge and the lid when the container is emptied
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A device for heat-treating a pourable plant product, in particular for roasting coffee beans, has a roasting vessel (1). The roasting vessel (1) is formed by a rotor shell (2) and a lid device (3). The rotor shell (2) is rotated relative to the lid device (3) about a vertical axis (A) by means of a drive device (M). A hot air generator (5) is connected to the roasting vessel (1) via a feed duct (5a). According to the invention, the hot air generator (5) and the feed duct (5a) are components of the, in particular fixed, lid device (3).