Vertical Vacuum Pan Chamber Nesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vertical continuous vacuum pans face limitations in increasing the number of chambers due to technical and economic constraints, leading to suboptimal crystal size distribution, conglomeration, and false grain formation, while existing solutions complicate maintenance and energy efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates eight vacuum chambers and a storage tank within the same height by housing mechanical circulator drives in insulated pockets within each chamber's vapor space, eliminating the need for a common shaft and reducing shaft length, allowing for easy installation and maintenance, and using a compact gearbox for direct in-line planetary drives.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the number of vacuum chambers is increased to improve crystal size distribution and reduce conglomeration, then product quality is improved, but the apparatus height and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical circulator drives and gearboxes are nested within insulated pockets inside the vapor space of each chamber, rather than being mounted externally on a common shaft. This nesting approach allows multiple chambers to be stacked vertically within the same height constraint, as each drive unit occupies space within its respective chamber volume.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from a horizontal arrangement of chambers to a vertical stacking arrangement, utilizing the vertical dimension to accommodate multiple chambers. By combining this with the nesting principle, the apparatus achieves increased crystal size distribution control through more chambers while maintaining compact height through efficient space utilization within each chamber.
2Ease of manufacture
If mechanical circulator drives are mounted on a common shaft outside chambers, then installation is simplified, but maintenance becomes difficult and space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
Each mechanical circulator drive is segmented as an independent unit housed within its own insulated pocket in each chamber. This segmentation allows each drive to be accessed, removed, and maintained independently without affecting other chambers or requiring disassembly of a common shaft structure, significantly improving maintenance accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulated pocket acts as an intermediary structure that houses the mechanical circulator drive within the chamber vapor space. This intermediate housing provides both protection and easy access for maintenance, serving as a mediator between the need for compact integration and the need for maintenance accessibility.
3Productivity
If chamber height is reduced to fit more chambers vertically, then throughput is improved, but heating surface area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By nesting the mechanical circulator drives within the vapor space of each chamber, the invention maximizes the utilization of each chamber's internal volume. This allows the chambers to be more compact in height while maintaining adequate heating surface area, as the drive units occupy space that would otherwise be unused vapor space.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the spatial parameters of chamber arrangement by stacking more chambers vertically with optimized individual chamber dimensions. The mechanical circulator drives are positioned within each chamber to optimize the distribution of heating surface area while maintaining reduced overall chamber height, allowing more chambers to fit within the same vertical envelope.
4Reliability
If conventional mechanical circulator drives are used in vapor space, then crystal circulation is improved, but incrustation occurs on drive components
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical circulator drives are extracted from direct contact with the massecuite stream and housed within insulated pockets in the vapor space above the liquid level. This extraction removes the drives from the harmful environment where incrustation occurs, while they still perform their function of circulating crystals through the massecuite.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulated pocket serves as an intermediary barrier between the mechanical circulator drive and the massecuite vapor environment. This intermediate housing protects the drive components from direct exposure to conditions that cause incrustation, while still allowing the drive to function effectively in circulating crystals.
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 enhances product quality and throughput by increasing the heating surface and net volume, reduces power consumption, and simplifies maintenance, overcoming previous technical and economic limitations.
Implementation Method 1
heating pan with floating calandria in housing and divided serially into compartments
Implementation Method 2
sugar syrup after reaching a particular consistency on undergoing evaporation and crystallization
Implementation Method 3
continuous vacuum pan comprising heating pan with floating calandria in housing and divided serially into compartments
Implementation Method 4
crystallization and evaporation. Each chamber is vertically connected to the next, so that sugar syrup after reaching a particular consistency on undergoing evaporation and crystallization
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
The present invention consists of an improved vertical continuous vacuum pan apparatus consisting of eight chambers (2) (instead of four or five) and a storage or buffer tank (27) at the top, within the existing conventional height, characterized in that each chamber has a bottom mounted mechanical circulator housed in an insulated pocket (28) in the vapour space segment (29) of each chamber and not in additional space above the chamber.