Sand-Manure Liquid Separation Plant with Surface-Tension Breaking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sand-manure liquid separation plants face efficiency issues when processing fine sand due to surface tension delaying the settling process, leading to reduced operational efficiency and increased wear on equipment.
Innovation Solution
The plant incorporates a tank design with fluid outlets above the maximum filling level to break the surface tension, a stirrer to raise organic matter, and a cyclone for pre-separation, along with screw conveyors to process and wash the sand, ensuring minimal organic matter and efficient sand reuse.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If fluid outlets are added to break surface tension, then sand settling efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tank is divided into multiple functional zones: a top portion for mixture inlet and surface breaking, a bottom portion for sand discharge, and intermediate zones for settling. The fluid outlets are strategically positioned at specific heights to break surface tension without interfering with the settling process. This segmentation allows each component to perform its function independently while resolving the contradiction between improving settling efficiency and maintaining simple device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
Fluid outlets introduce a breaking fluid (water or air) as an intermediary substance to disrupt the surface tension of the manure-sand mixture. This intermediary action facilitates sand settling by preventing surface film formation, thereby improving productivity without requiring fundamental changes to the tank structure.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If sand grain size is reduced for animal welfare, then animal comfort is improved, but settling efficiency deteriorates due to surface tension
Solution Approach 1:
Fluid outlets are positioned to introduce breaking fluid before the fine sand particles can accumulate on the surface and form a tensioned film. This preliminary anti-action prevents the harmful surface tension effect from developing, allowing fine sand (100-300 micron) to settle efficiently while maintaining the grain size required for animal welfare.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the physical parameters of the mixture surface by introducing fluid through outlets positioned at specific heights. This alters the surface tension characteristics, enabling fine sand particles (which would normally be affected by surface tension) to settle efficiently while maintaining the small grain size needed for animal comfort.
3Loss of substance
If sand is reused as bedding material, then operational costs are reduced, but equipment wear increases due to sand presence
Solution Approach 1:
The separation plant performs preliminary separation of sand from manure liquid before sand is reused as bedding material. By establishing a sand-manure liquid separation plant with proper settling zones and fluid outlets, sand is recovered in a clean state that reduces equipment wear during subsequent handling while maintaining high reuse rates.
Solution Approach 2:
The plant extracts sand from the manure-sand mixture through gravitational settling in the bottom portion of the tank. The sand discharge at the bottom removes concentrated sand particles that would otherwise cause wear on pumping and handling equipment, enabling sand reuse while minimizing equipment damage.
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 high sand reuse rates, with minimal organic matter, reducing bacterial growth and equipment wear, and maintaining operational efficiency by ensuring rapid sand settling and separation.
Implementation Method 1
sand of the mixture contained in the tank normally will gradually settle under the action of gravity at the bottom of the tank
Implementation Method 2
a ready settling of the fine sand has been found to be restricted by the surface tension at the surface of the mixture already contained in the tank
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 1c~1d
AI summary
The invention concerns sand-manure liquid separation plant (100) comprising a tank (7) for the processing of a mixture of sand and manure liquid, said tank (7) comprising a top portion (50) including a mixture inlet (52) for filling said mixture to be processed into said tank (7), a bottom portion (60) including a sand discharge (62) for discharging sand settled in said tank (7), a maximum level (ML) of filling of said mixture defined within said tank (7), wherein said mixture inlet (52) is arranged at a position (P) at a level (L) above said maximum level (ML) of filling, said plant (100) further including a number of fluid outlet(s) (56) connectable to a source (S) of a fluid and arranged above said maximum level (ML) of filling, said fluid outlets (56) being configured to provide a flow of said fluid directed towards said maximum level (ML), below said position (P) of said mixture inlet (52). The invention also concerns a use of the plant, and a method of operating the plant.