Horizontal Rotary Dryer Heating Tube Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing dryers, such as steam tube dryers and rotary kilns, face challenges in scaling up due to increased installation and transportation complexities, weight, and reduced heat efficiency, making it difficult to improve drying rates and processing amounts per size.

Innovation Solution

A horizontal rotary dryer method is introduced, optimizing rotation speed, hold up ratio, and heating tube arrangement to enhance drying performance, allowing for increased processing amounts per unit size by improving heat transfer efficiency and dispersion of materials.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the size of the dryer is increased to process larger amounts of material, then the processing amount increases, but the installation area requirement increases and the apparatus weight increases making transportation and installation more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing amountVSAvoidinstallation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The dryer is divided into multiple independent heating tubes arranged in parallel within the rotating shell. Each heating tube operates independently, allowing the system to process larger amounts of material without requiring a single large, complex structure. This segmentation enables modular scaling where capacity increases through adding more tubes rather than increasing overall apparatus complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention transitions from increasing dryer length or diameter to increasing the number of heating tubes in a radial arrangement. By utilizing the radial dimension within the rotating shell, the system achieves higher processing capacity without proportionally increasing installation area or structural complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Productivity

If the size of the dryer is increased to process larger amounts of material, then the processing amount increases, but the apparatus weight increases requiring special transportation facilities

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocessing amountVSAvoidapparatus weight
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The heating system is segmented into multiple thin-walled tubes rather than a single large厚重的 structure. This segmentation reduces the weight per unit of processing capacity, allowing standard transportation facilities to be used even when processing amounts increase

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The heating tubes are designed with thin walls that provide sufficient structural integrity while minimizing weight. This allows the apparatus to achieve high processing capacity without the excessive weight that would require special transportation facilities

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

3Speed

If the rotation speed of the drying shell is increased to improve drying rate, then the drying rate improves, but the material may not be properly dispersed and heat transfer efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrying rateVSAvoidheat transfer efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The heating system is divided into multiple tubes distributed radially, creating multiple heat transfer zones. This segmentation allows material to be exposed to heat from different angles and positions, improving dispersion and heat transfer efficiency even at higher rotation speeds where material spends less time in each zone

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The rotating shell creates periodic exposure of material to heating tubes, with material being lifted and dropped in a rhythmic cycle. This periodic action enhances heat transfer by repeatedly bringing material into contact with heated surfaces, maintaining efficiency even at higher rotation speeds

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

4Loss of energy

If indirect heating is used to improve thermal efficiency, then thermal efficiency increases, but the drying rate is slower compared to direct heating methods

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvethermal efficiencyVSAvoiddrying rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple heating tubes are distributed throughout the rotating shell, creating numerous heat transfer interfaces. This segmentation compensates for the slower heat transfer rate of indirect heating by providing many parallel heat transfer pathways, collectively achieving high drying rates while maintaining the thermal efficiency of indirect heating

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The rotating shell creates periodic contact between material and heating tubes, with material being lifted, exposed to heat, and dropped in repeated cycles. This periodic action intensifies the heat transfer process, accelerating drying rates while maintaining the thermal efficiency benefits of indirect heating through the heating tubes

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

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 method significantly improves drying rates and processing capacities while reducing the size and complexity of the dryer apparatus, enabling efficient mass processing of materials like coal and resin-based materials.

Implementation Method 1

a group of heating tubes 11, through which a heating medium passes, provided within the rotating shell 10... drying the processing material W by using the heating tubes 11, 11... in an indirect heating manner

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal conduction: Conduction (thermal)

Implementation Method 2

the processing material W is lifted up in a rotational direction by the group of heating tubes 11 in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shell 10... the processing material W lifted up by the heating tubes 11 starts to fall

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectGravitational force: Gravitation

Data Source

PatentEP3153805B1Method for drying material being processed
Publication Date: 2024.08.07 TSUKISHIMA KIKAI CO LTD
  • EP3153805B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3153805B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3153805B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Problems to Be Solved To provide a drying method for processing material and a horizontal rotary dryer allowing easy performance of mass processing of the processing material and enabling size reduction by improving drying performance of the dryer. Means for Solving the Problems In a drying method for processing material in which a horizontal rotary dryer provided with: a rotating shell having a feed port for processing material on one end side thereof and a discharge port for processing material on the other end side thereof, and capable of freely rotating around an axial center; and a group of heating tubes through which a heating medium passes, provided within the rotating shell, and configured in a manner that the processing material is lifted up in a rotational direction by the group of heating tubes in accordance with the rotation of the rotating shell, is used, and the processing material is dried, through indirect heating, by using the group of heating tubes in a process of feeding the processing material to the one end side of the rotating shell and discharging the processing material from the other end side of the rotating shell, the rotating shell is rotated to make a critical speed ratio α defined by the following expression 1 and expression 2 become 30 to less than 100% to dry the processing material, Vc=2.21D1/2 α=V/Vc⋅100 wherein Vc indicates a critical speed (m/s), D indicates an inside diameter (m) of the rotating shell, α indicates the critical speed ratio (%), and V indicates a rotation speed (m/s).