Slurry Delivery Conduit Layout for Uniform Gypsum Flow Splitting

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional slurry delivery conduits for gypsum boards face issues with uneven distribution of slurry due to differences in flow rate and specific gravity between discharge ports, leading to stagnation and scattering, which can result in production interruptions and quality degradation.

Innovation Solution

A slurry delivery conduit with a rectilinear tube segment that rectifies the slurry flow into an axial current, followed by a branch part that splits it into divergent streams, eliminating vertical wall surfaces that cause stagnation and ensuring sufficient distance between discharge ports, with slurry discharge ports oriented parallel to the conveying direction to prevent scattering.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If conventional slurry delivery conduits with vertical wall surfaces are used, then slurry can be delivered to discharge ports, but slurry stagnation occurs and flow rate distribution becomes uneven

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveslurry delivery efficiencyVSAvoidflow rate uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces vertical wall surfaces with curved or inclined surfaces in the slurry delivery conduit. The curved surface configuration eliminates dead zones where slurry would stagnate, ensuring smooth flow distribution to all discharge ports and maintaining uniform flow rates.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies different surface configurations (curved vs. inclined) at different locations within the conduit based on local flow requirements. This ensures optimal slurry flow distribution by adapting the surface geometry to prevent stagnation in specific high-risk areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Device complexity

If discharge ports are positioned close together, then the conduit structure is compact, but slurry scattering occurs and distribution uniformity deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconduit structure compactnessVSAvoidslurry distribution uniformity

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs asymmetric positioning of discharge ports relative to the conduit structure, with ports arranged at optimized distances from each other. This asymmetric configuration prevents slurry scattering while maintaining a compact overall structure by strategically spacing ports based on flow dynamics rather than uniform distribution.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

3Ease of manufacture

If vertical wall surfaces are present in the conduit, then the conduit structure is simple, but slurry stagnation occurs and flow distribution becomes non-uniform

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveconduit manufacturing simplicityVSAvoidslurry flow consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses curved surfaces instead of vertical walls to eliminate stagnation zones. This curvature design maintains manufacturing feasibility while dramatically improving slurry flow consistency by preventing localized accumulation and ensuring uniform distribution to all discharge ports.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

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 configuration prevents differences in flow rate and specific gravity between discharge ports, ensures uniform distribution, and reduces the occurrence of slurry scattering, thereby improving productivity and quality of gypsum boards.

Implementation Method 1

a fluid passage for rectifying a flow of the slurry so as to be an axial current

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFlow rectification:

Implementation Method 2

a branch part for splitting the axial current into branched streams

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFluid flow division:

Data Source

PatentUS11565439B2Slurry delivery conduit of mixer and slurry delivery method

Publication Date: 2023.01.31 YOSHINO GYPSUM CO LTD

AI summary

An object of the invention is to prevent differences in the flow rate and the specific gravity of a gypsum slurry from being caused between slurry discharge ports, to divide a current of the slurry into streams without a factor of stagnation of the slurry provided at a branch part, and also, to ensure a sufficient distance between the discharge ports.The slurry delivery conduit (10) has a rectilinear tube segment (14), a branch part (15) and branch tube segments (16). A tube-wall joint portion (20) of the branch tube segments configures a counter-flow splitting element (22) in a form of V-letter at the branch part. The slurry is introduced from a mixing area (51) into the rectilinear tube segment, which configures a straight rectilinear fluid passage. The rectilinear tube segment rectifies a flow of the slurry to be an axial or rectilinear current (S), and the axial or rectilinear current is split into branch streams (S1, S2) by the counter-flow splitting element.