Rotatable Processing Container for Thermal De-coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current thermal de-coating processes for removing coatings and impurities from materials like aluminum and magnesium are inefficient due to inadequate exposure of all surfaces to hot gases and lack of agitation, leading to incomplete removal and potential safety hazards from uncontrolled temperature increases.
Innovation Solution
A rotatable processing container with a housing that allows for uniform exposure of waste material to hot gases through a system of inlet and outlet pipes and nozzles, ensuring all surfaces are exposed and agitated during the de-coating process, reducing the need for rotating seals and maintaining efficient gas flow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If material is stacked on wire mesh in static oven, then material can be contained and heated, but hot gases do not contact all surfaces of materials and no agitation occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the dynamics principle by replacing the static stacked arrangement with a rotating drum configuration. The drum rotates to dynamically expose all surfaces of the material to hot gases, ensuring comprehensive contact and agitation during the de-coating process, thereby resolving the contradiction between reliability of de-coating and productivity of surface exposure.
2Quantity of substance
If materials are stacked deeply on conveyor belt, then more material can be processed at once, but materials at center do not contact hot gases and conveyor belt life is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating drum configuration dynamically exposes all materials including those at the center to hot gases through continuous rotation and gas flow. This eliminates the contact inequality present in stacked arrangements while maintaining high processing volume, resolving the contradiction between quantity of material and completeness of de-coating.
3Productivity
If temperature and oxygen levels are not carefully controlled, then process can proceed, but autothermic combustion occurs causing uncontrolled temperature increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback control by monitoring temperature and oxygen levels during the de-coating process. This allows real-time adjustment of heating and air supply to prevent autothermic combustion while maintaining efficient processing rates, resolving the contradiction between productivity and safety.
4Device complexity
If material is not agitated during treatment, then process is simpler, but loose coatings are not physically removed and black stain remains on surface
Solution Approach 1:
The rotating drum provides dynamic agitation that physically removes loose coatings and impurities from the material surface while maintaining process simplicity. The rotation creates tumbling motion that ensures comprehensive contact with hot gases and mechanical removal of contaminants, resolving the contradiction between simplicity and surface cleanliness.
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 enhances the efficiency of thermal de-coating by ensuring thorough exposure and agitation of materials, reducing metal loss and safety risks, and is suitable for batch processing of varying volumes, including low-volume and continuously changing products.
Implementation Method 1
Known thermal de-coating processes involve exposing the material to be treated to hot gases in order to oxidise the coatings and/or impurities which are to be removed
Implementation Method 2
Temperatures in excess of 300° C. are required to remove most organic compounds
Implementation Method 3
A rotatable processing container with a housing that allows for uniform exposure of waste material to hot gases through a system of inlet and outlet pipes and nozzles
Data Source
AI summary
A processing container (100) is provided for processing waste material. The processing container has a housing (150) and a processing zone (152) in said housing for containing waste material to be processed. The housing (150) has a portion (154) directed inwardly of said container to form an opening (160) for the charging and discharging of said processing container. The processing container is rotatable about its axis in a first direction to enable charging of said container through said opening and in a second opposite direction to enable discharging of said container through said opening. The processing chamber is used in an apparatus (10) for processing waste material. The apparatus also includes an oven (12) that contains the processing chamber (14); a gas inlet (200) for introducing said hot gasses into the oven; and a gas outlet (202) for extracting gas from said oven. The processing container (100) is mounted for rotation in said oven.