Wetting Wood Particles with Protruding Nozzle Chute

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wood particle wetting devices face issues with wood particles adhering to the inner system parts, leading to expensive downtimes and complex maintenance due to excessive gluing, which increases the risk of packing.

Innovation Solution

A device with a chute allowing wood particles to fall freely, featuring nozzles arranged on a protruding component that is spaced from the chute's inner walls, with a spray direction parallel to the chute and a fanned-out spray pattern to minimize contact with the walls, reducing accumulation and facilitating easy maintenance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If nozzles are arranged on the inner walls of the chute for spraying medium onto wood particles, then the wetting effect is improved, but wood particles adhere to the inner walls forming packs that require regular removal and cause downtime

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvewetting uniformityVSAvoidproduction downtime
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The nozzles are mounted on a component that protrudes into the chute interior from the outer wall, changing the spatial arrangement from a two-dimensional wall-mounted configuration to a three-dimensional extended configuration. This positioning allows nozzles to spray onto particles in free fall without contact with inner walls, eliminating packing while maintaining wetting effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Quantity of substance

If spray pressure is increased to improve wetting coverage, then the binder is sprayed more effectively onto wood particles, but accumulation on inner walls increases and maintenance complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebinder distributionVSAvoidmaintenance complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The nozzles are extracted from the inner wall surface and repositioned on a protruding component that extends into the chute. This extraction removes the source of packing (nozzle-to-wall contact) while preserving the spraying function, allowing effective binder distribution without the harmful side effect of accumulation on inner walls.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Use of energy by moving object

If nozzles are positioned close to the inner walls to reduce spray pressure requirements, then energy consumption is reduced, but the risk of wood particle accumulation on walls increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespray pressureVSAvoidparticle accumulation
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The protruding component acts as an intermediary structure that positions nozzles close to the particle flow path without direct contact with inner walls. This mediator enables low-pressure spraying (reducing energy consumption) while preventing the harmful effect of particle accumulation on walls by eliminating the wall contact interface.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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 solution significantly reduces the accumulation of wood particles and binding agents on the chute's inner walls, allowing for simpler wetting with lower spray pressure and minimizing downtime for maintenance, ensuring continuous panel production.

Implementation Method 1

spraying the medium onto the wood particles of the flow of wood particles

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSpray: Spray

Implementation Method 2

allows the wood particles to fall freely in one direction

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFree fall: Free Fall

Data Source

PatentEP2718069B1Device and method for wetting wood particles
Publication Date: 2015.08.05 FRITZ EGGER GMBH & CO OG
  • EP2718069B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2718069B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3d
  • EP2718069B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The invention relates to a device (1) for wetting wood particles (2) with a medium (3), containing a chute (4) which has at least one inner wall (4.1) and allows a free fall of the wood particles (2) in a running direction (X), and at least one nozzle (5), wherein the at least one nozzle (5) is connected via a supply line (6) to a reservoir (7) for the medium (3). In order to reduce the risk of clumping, the invention proposes that the device (1) has a first component (8.1) that projects into the interior of the chute (4) in the operating position, wherein at least one nozzle (5) is arranged on the first component (8.1) and wherein all of the nozzles (5) which are arranged on the first component (8.1) are spaced apart from every internal wall (4.1) of the chute (4) in the operating position. The invention further relates to a corresponding method for wetting wood particles (2).