Seasoning Fluidization System for Dust-Free Pneumatic Conveyance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional pneumatic conveying systems for bulk seasonings in food processing plants suffer from high dust generation, segregation, and equipment wear due to low phase density and high conveyance velocity, leading to inefficient seasoning distribution and increased maintenance costs.
Innovation Solution
A portable replenishment system that uses pressurized air to fluidize seasonings, allowing them to flow like a liquid, reducing dust generation and segregation, and includes a bridging conduit and riser conduit with strategically placed apertures to maintain fluidization and prevent settling, thereby enhancing seasoning distribution and reducing equipment wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pneumatic conveying systems are used to convey bulk seasonings, then the seasoning can be transported to the bin, but high dust generation and segregation occur due to low phase density and high conveyance velocity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical state of the seasoning from dry particulate matter to a fluidized state by introducing pressurized air through apertures in the pan. This parameter change transforms the conveying mechanism from high-velocity pneumatic transport to controlled fluidization, thereby reducing dust generation while maintaining conveyance efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pressurized air in a controlled manner to fluidize the seasoning in the pan and sustain fluidization during conveyance through the bridging and riser conduits. This pneumatic approach differs from conventional high-velocity pneumatic conveying by using low-velocity pressurized air to maintain a fluidized state, reducing dust while enabling effective conveyance
2Productivity
If conventional pneumatic conveying systems are used, then seasoning can be conveyed, but equipment wear increases due to high conveyance velocity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the conveying parameter from high velocity to controlled fluidization velocity. By maintaining the seasoning in a fluidized state through pressurized air injection, the system achieves effective conveyance at lower velocities, significantly reducing equipment wear and improving reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical high-velocity pneumatic conveying system with a fluidization-based conveyance system. Instead of relying on high-velocity air streams that cause wear, the system uses pressurized air to create a fluidized state that enables gentle yet effective conveyance through the conduits
3Ease of operation
If seasoning is stored in bins elevated above the plant floor to accommodate descending process lines, then gravity can move product uniformly, but the replenishment container must also be elevated requiring complex conveying equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses pressurized air to fluidize and convey seasoning vertically through the riser conduit to the elevated bin, replacing the need for mechanical elevating equipment such as screw conveyors, drag conveyors, or bucket elevators. This pneumatic fluidization approach simplifies the system while maintaining the ability to deliver seasoning to elevated locations
Solution Approach 2:
The fluidized seasoning in the pan is self-conveying through the bridging conduit and riser conduit when pressurized air is applied. The system leverages the fluidized state to enable automatic conveyance to the elevated bin without requiring additional mechanical elevating devices, reducing overall equipment complexity
4Productivity
If conventional equipment for elevating and conveying bulk seasonings is used, then seasoning can be transported to elevated bins, but the equipment is difficult to clean and requires large footprints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical conveying equipment with a streamlined pneumatic fluidization system consisting of a pan, bridging conduit, and riser conduit. This simplified pneumatic system is easier to clean and requires a smaller footprint while maintaining the capability to transport seasoning to elevated bins
Solution Approach 2:
The patent divides the conveying system into distinct functional segments: the pan for fluidization, the bridging conduit for horizontal transport, and the riser conduit for vertical conveyance. This segmentation creates a modular system that is easier to assemble, disassemble, clean, and maintain compared to integrated mechanical conveying equipment
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 system achieves high phase density, reducing energy costs, minimizing dust generation, and preventing clumping, while ensuring consistent seasoning distribution without manual agitation, thus improving consumer satisfaction and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of gas streams flowing from the bottom portion through the apertures into the top portion fluidizes at least a portion of the particulate matter (seasoning) received onto the pan and proximal to the apertures in the pan
Implementation Method 2
a plurality of apertures through which gas from the gas passage enters the conveyor tube of the bridging conduit. Gas flows from the gas passage through the apertures into the conveyor tube of the bridging conduit... to 'unsettle' particulate matter that would otherwise settle out of the fluidized stream
Implementation Method 3
a plurality of apertures along the conveyor tube of the riser conduit... Gas flows from the gas passage through the apertures into the conveyor tube of the riser conduit... sustain the fluidized flow of particulate matter
Data Source
AI summary
A system to fluidize and convey finely divided particulate matter comprises a container with a top and bottom portion separated by a pan with apertures there through and a hatch to receive a volume of particulate matter into the container to be supported on the pan. The pan is funnel-shaped and has a discharge port at the lowermost portion of the pan. A bridging conveyor tube receives fluidized flow of the particulate matter from the discharge port and conveys the matter to a riser conveyor tube, which elevates the fluidized flow to a receiving bin remove from the container. The bridging conveyor tube and the riser conveyor tube receive gas streams provided through apertures from a bridging gas passage and a riser gas passage, respectively, to sustain fluidized flow from the discharge port of the pan to the receiving bin to minimize the air required to convey the matter.