Spouted Bed Granulator with Adjustable Slots for Pulsed Combustor Drying
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pulse combustion dryers face challenges in efficiently drying and granulating wet feedstocks, particularly those with high sugar content or natural fibers, due to issues like caking, sticking to chamber walls, and inefficient particle removal, which complicates the dehydration and granulation process.
Innovation Solution
A spouted bed granulator system integrated with a pulsed combustor dryer, featuring adjustable spouting gas supply via slots in the granulator's wall, allowing for controlled gas flow and circulation to prevent caking, enhance granulation, and reduce fine particle carry-over, while the pulsed combustor method externally sets the oscillation frequency independent of chamber dimensions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If pulse combustion drying is used to dry wet feedstock, then drying efficiency and heat transfer rate are improved, but caking and sticking to chamber walls occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration through a vibratory conveyor belt to prevent caking and sticking of dried particles to chamber walls. The vibration mechanically disrupts adhesion between particles and surfaces, solving the harmful effect while maintaining high drying efficiency through pulse combustion
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a spouted bed granulator with gas flow to fluidize and suspend particles, preventing them from settling and sticking to walls. The pneumatic system creates upward gas flow that counteracts gravitational settling and adhesion forces, eliminating caking while preserving the high productivity of pulse combustion drying
2Productivity
If pulse combustion is used for drying, then mass and heat transfer rates increase, but noise level increases requiring attenuation measures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the noise-generating pulse combustion chamber from the drying system by using externally pulsed combustion to drive a heat exchanger rather than direct combustion in the drying chamber. This separates the high-intensity combustion process (source of noise) from the drying process, maintaining mass transfer efficiency while reducing noise exposure in the drying zone
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a heat exchanger as an intermediary between the pulse combustion process and the drying chamber. The heat exchanger transfers thermal energy from the combustion gases to the drying air, acting as a buffer that reduces noise transmission while preserving the high heat transfer rates needed for efficient drying
3Use of energy by moving object
If pulse combustion is used for drying, then combustion intensity and energy efficiency increase, but control difficulty increases due to interactive process parameters
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamic control through variable frequency pulsed air generation, allowing the system to adapt combustion intensity to varying drying conditions. The pulsed air frequency and duration can be adjusted in real-time to optimize energy efficiency while maintaining stable combustion, resolving the control difficulty through dynamic parameter adjustment
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by monitoring drying progress and adjusting pulsed combustion parameters accordingly. Sensors detect moisture content and temperature, feeding this information back to the control system which modifies air pulse timing and duration to maintain optimal energy efficiency and prevent over-drying or sticking
4Ease of operation
If conventional drying methods are used, then operation is simpler, but drying time and fine particle carry-over increase
Solution Approach 1:
The vibratory conveyor belt provides mechanical agitation that accelerates drying by continuously moving and repositioning particles to expose fresh surfaces to hot air. This simple mechanical addition dramatically reduces drying time without complicating operation, as the vibration mechanism requires minimal control intervention
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 enables efficient, fast, and reliable drying and granulation of wet feedstocks, minimizing dust build-up and fine particle issues, while maintaining product quality by controlling moisture and temperature, thus improving the overall efficiency and product handling.
Implementation Method 1
The pulsed combustor assembly comprises a fuel supply line, a first air supply line and a first pulsed air generator connected to the first air supply line for generating a first pulsed air stream with a pulse frequency f1, a second air supply line and a second pulsed air generator connected to the second air supply line for generating a second pulsed air stream with a pulse frequency f2
Implementation Method 2
a combustion chamber for mixing the pulsed air streams with the fuel and for igniting the mixture to generate a stream of high-temperature sonic pulses
Implementation Method 3
a spouted bed granulator with a freeboard area and a product collection area below the freeboard area. The spouted bed granulator has spouting gas supply means for supplying spounting gas to a receiving portion through at least one slot
Implementation Method 4
adjusting the pulse frequencies f1 and f2 such that a beat frequency f3 is generated within the combustion chamber. The beat frequency f3 resonates with the drying chamber
Implementation Method 5
acoustic pulses at the beat frequency create pressure variations that enhance mass transfer and prevent caking of the feedstock
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4~6
AI summary
A fluid bed granulator, in particular spouted bed granulator, in particular for a combustor dryer, preferably for a pulse or pulsed combustor dryer for drying and granulation of a wet feedstock, in particular a viscous feedstock such as a feedstock containing natural fibres, sugars and/or vegetable starches, comprising a receiving portion for receiving the feedstock, in particular emerging from a combustion chamber of the combustor dryer, a fluid bed granulator, in particular a spouting gas supplying means for supplying a fluid bed granulator, in particular spouting gas to the receiving portion via one or more openings, in particular one or more slots, and at least one adjustment means for adjusting an opening degree of the one or more openings.