Liquid-Cooled Roller Mill Motor Direct Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing roller milling machines for grinding food products, such as cereals, face issues with spatial size, energy efficiency, safety risks due to heat and vibrations, and the potential for explosions, particularly because of the high power consumption and transmission belt systems which can lead to fires and loose parts.
Innovation Solution
A roller milling machine design featuring motors directly mounted on the grinding rollers with liquid-cooled, three-phase synchronous motors and centring bushings, eliminating the need for ceiling-mounted motors and transmission belts, and incorporating a torque arm for floating installation and temperature management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If ceiling-mounted motors and transmission belts are used to drive grinding rollers, then the machine can achieve the required grinding power, but the spatial requirements increase and safety risks arise from heat and vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
The motor is merged with the grinding roller by direct mounting, eliminating the separate ceiling-mounted motor and transmission belt system. This integration reduces the spatial footprint while maintaining the required grinding power, as the motor becomes part of the roller assembly itself rather than a separate component requiring additional space.
Solution Approach 2:
A torque arm serves as an intermediary element that enables the motor to be mounted directly on the roller while accommodating thermal expansion and vibration. The torque arm mediates between the motor and the roller, allowing direct drive without rigid constraints, thus reducing space while managing heat and vibration effects.
2Power
If high power motors are used for grinding, then the required grinding performance is achieved, but energy consumption increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The liquid cooling system replaces part of the mechanical energy conversion with thermal management, allowing the motor to operate more efficiently by actively removing heat. This substitution of thermal management for purely mechanical design enables better energy efficiency while maintaining high grinding performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The motor operating parameters are changed by implementing liquid cooling, which allows the motor to sustain higher power output without overheating. This parameter change in thermal management enables the system to achieve required grinding performance with better energy efficiency by preventing energy loss through overheating.
3Ease of manufacture
If transmission belts and pulleys are used to drive rollers, then the drive system is simple to implement, but safety risks increase due to fire hazards and loose parts
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission belts and pulleys are extracted from the system by eliminating the need for separate drive components. The motor is directly mounted on the roller, removing the intermediate transmission elements that pose fire and safety hazards, while maintaining ease of manufacture through a simplified assembly process.
Solution Approach 2:
The potential harm of complex transmission systems with fire risks is converted into benefit by using direct mounting. The simplification that removes hazardous components also reduces maintenance requirements and improves reliability, turning the potential disadvantage of simplified design into a safety advantage.
4Area of stationary object
If motors are mounted directly on grinding rollers, then spatial requirements are reduced and safety is improved, but the motor must withstand high temperatures and vibrations
Solution Approach 1:
Liquid cooling is used to manage the thermal load on the directly-mounted motor. The liquid cooling system circulates coolant through channels or jackets around the motor, actively removing heat generated during operation, thus enabling the motor to withstand high temperatures while maintaining compact integration with the roller.
Solution Approach 2:
The torque arm acts as an intermediary that isolates the motor from vibration while enabling direct mounting. This intermediate component absorbs and dampens vibrations transmitted from the grinding roller to the motor, allowing the motor to operate reliably despite the high-vibration environment.
5Manufacturing precision
If multiple roller milling machines are used in series to achieve fine granulometry, then the desired flour quality is obtained, but the overall energy consumption and plant complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple grinding functions are merged into a single integrated roller milling machine with directly-mounted motors on each roller. This consolidation reduces the number of separate machines required in series, simplifying the plant layout and reducing overall complexity while maintaining the ability to achieve fine granulometry through optimized roller configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The liquid cooling system enables sustained high-power operation in a single machine, replacing the need for multiple machines working in series. This substitution allows one optimized machine to perform the work of several machines, reducing plant complexity while maintaining manufacturing precision.
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 design reduces spatial requirements, enhances safety by minimizing explosion risks and vibrations, achieves significant energy savings, and increases operational reliability by eliminating transmission belt-related hazards and heat-related issues, while allowing for adaptation of existing machines.
Implementation Method 1
The motor is liquid-cooled
Implementation Method 2
The motor is liquid-cooled
Implementation Method 3
floating-mounted with the aid of a torque arm
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3~4
Figure 5A~5B
AI summary
A machine (8) of the roller milling type is described, for grinding food products, in particular grains, the machine comprising a motor (9) fitted to one of the grinding rollers (10). Said motor (9) is liquid-cooled. Another motor (11) is also provided, directly fitted to the distribution roller. The coolant is water or an aqueous solution, chosen from a solution of water and ethanol or a solution of ethylene glycol. A method is also described, for producing a particular embodiment of the machine (8).