Sanitary Separator Partition Wall Vibration Decoupling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing separator arrangements in medical and food technology struggle to meet high sanitary and hygiene requirements due to contamination risks from drive components, necessitating a structurally simple solution for effective separation and maintenance without compromising cleanliness.

Innovation Solution

A separator arrangement with a vertically rotating drum on a rotatable drive spindle, surrounded by a hood, is designed with a partition wall to separate the sanitary and drive rooms, where the drive device is vibrationally decoupled from the partition, allowing maintenance in the drive room without connecting to the sanitary area, and the drum is decoupled from the machine frame for easy access and cleanliness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If the drive device is integrated with the drum assembly, then the structure is more compact, but maintenance requires disassembly of sanitary components and contamination risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrationVSAvoidmaintenance accessibility
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSEase of repair

Solution Approach 1:

The separator arrangement is divided into two distinct rooms: a sanitary room containing the drum and hood, and a drive room containing the drive device. The partition wall with service opening physically segments the system, allowing independent access to drive components without disturbing sanitary components, thus enabling easy maintenance while preserving structural integration benefits

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If the drive device is located in the same room as the drum, then access is easier, but contamination from drive components can compromise sanitary standards

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveaccessibilityVSAvoidcontamination risk
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The system is segmented into separate sanitary and drive rooms divided by a partition wall. The service opening with coupling device allows operational control and maintenance access to the drive device from the sanitary room without physical entry into the drive room, thus maintaining accessibility while preventing contamination

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The partition wall with service opening and coupling device acts as an intermediary between the sanitary and drive rooms. This intermediary structure enables communication and control between the two spaces while maintaining physical separation, allowing operators to control the drive device from the sanitary room without direct access to the drive room

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Object-affected harmful factors

If vibration isolation measures are added, then sanitary standards improve, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevibration contaminationVSAvoidisolation system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The machine frame is segmented from the building structure through vibration isolation elements. These isolation elements are positioned at the interface between the machine frame and the building, creating a simple yet effective vibration barrier that prevents transmission of vibrations and contaminants to the sanitary room without adding complex isolation systems throughout the entire device

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

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 ensures high sanitary standards by preventing contamination from the drive area into the sanitary area, enabling easy maintenance and operation in sterile conditions, meeting the highest cleanliness requirements in medical and food technology applications.

Implementation Method 1

a separator with a drum 2 which can be rotated with a vertical axis of rotation D, which has a separation speed of more than 1000, preferably more than 2500 rpm

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectCentrifugal separation: Centrifugal Separation

Implementation Method 2

The separator has a machine frame 7 with the hood 11 and the drum 2 and the drive device 22 are vibrationally decoupled as a unit from the partition 16 and possibly a foundation approach

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVibration decoupling: Vibration

Data Source

PatentEP1996335B1Separator arrangement in sanitary design
Publication Date: 2016.05.04 GEA MECHANICAL EQUIP GMBH
  • EP1996335B1 patent drawingFigure 1

AI summary

A separator arrangement comprising a separator having a drum (1) with vertical axis of rotation (1), which is placed onto a rotatable drive spindle (3) and is surrounded by a hood (11), and which is preferably rotatable in operation by a drive device (25) having a speed of more than 1000 rpm and preferably less than 8500 rpm, features a dividing wall (16) which divides the separator arrangement into a sanitary chamber (19) comprising the drum (1) and the hood (11) and into a drive chamber (20) comprising the drive device (25), the separator with the machine mount (7) with the hood (11) and the drum (2) and the drive device (22), as a unit, being decoupled in vibration terms from the dividing wall (16) and optionally a foundation attachment (15).