U.S. patent application number 16/233226 was filed with the patent office on 2021-07-08 for continuous multi-chamber process.
The applicant listed for this patent is Markus Lehmann. Invention is credited to Markus Lehmann.
Application Number | 20210205768 16/233226 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005666477 |
Filed Date | 2021-07-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210205768 |
Kind Code |
A9 |
Lehmann; Markus |
July 8, 2021 |
Continuous Multi-Chamber Process
Abstract
An installation for carrying out a continuous multi-stage
industrial process includes a housing that defines a first space
and a second space that is connected to the first through a first
connecting channel. Different pressure conditions prevail in these
spaces during the course of the process. A process material is
passed sequentially through the first space, the first connecting
channel and the second space. A transported material is provided in
the first connecting channel to form a free-flowing sealing zone
with the process material and ensures that different process
conditions will be maintained in the two spaces, and in particular
that different pressures will be maintained in the two spaces. The
invention also relates to a multi-stage continuous industrial
process using such an installation.
Inventors: |
Lehmann; Markus; (Wohlen,
CH) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lehmann; Markus |
Wohlen |
|
CH |
|
|
Prior
Publication: |
|
Document Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20200206702 A1 |
July 2, 2020 |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005666477 |
Appl. No.: |
16/233226 |
Filed: |
December 27, 2018 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
PCT/EP2016/065123 |
Jun 29, 2016 |
|
|
|
16233226 |
|
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B01F 5/265 20130101;
F26B 25/002 20130101; B01J 4/00 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B01F 5/26 20060101
B01F005/26; B01J 4/00 20060101 B01J004/00; F26B 25/00 20060101
F26B025/00 |
Claims
1. An installation for carrying out a continuous multi-stage
industrial process, the installation comprising; a first chamber
defining a first space; a second chamber defining a first space; a
first connecting channel connecting the first chamber and the
second chamber and configured to allow passage of a process
material from the first space, through the first connecting channel
and into the second space, one after the other, in a process
sequence; and a transported material is provided in the first
connecting channel in or with which the process material can pass
through the first connecting channel in a process sequence, and
wherein the transported material together with the process material
forms a trickling sealing zone in the connecting channel, which
ensures that different pressures will be maintained in the two
spaces.
2. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the passage
through the two spaces is free of any airlock.
3. The installation according to claim 1, further comprising a
transport means configured for ensuring the passage of the process
material through the first connecting channel.
4. The installation according to claim 3, wherein the transport
means is selected from the group of; a worm gear, a conveyor belt,
a conveyor worm gear, a trickle installation or a pump.
5. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the first space
and the second space do not have any direct connection to one
another apart from the connecting channel and are separated from
one another with a pressure-tight separation, wherein the pressure
difference in the spaces is at least 0.2 bar, at least 0.8 bar or
at least 2 bar.
6. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the process
material is a loose, bulk material, a pasty material or a
liquid.
7. The installation according to claim 1, further comprising a
separation device in the second space for separating the
transported material from the process material.
8. The installation according to claim 7, further comprising a
return device for returning the transported material back to the
first connecting channel.
9. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the transported
material is the same as the process material, both of them being
free-flowing.
10. The installation according to claim 1, wherein the process
conditions in the two spaces are also different with regard to
their temperature, moisture content, gas composition and/or the
radiation burden in the spaces, apart from the different
pressures.
11. The installation according to claim 1, further comprising a
third chamber defining a third space; a second connecting channel
connecting the second chamber to the third chamber; a fourth
chamber defining, a fourth space; a third connecting channel
connecting the third chamber to the fourth chamber; wherein the
transported material together with the process material forms a
free-flowing sealing zone in each connecting channel, this sealing
zone ensuring that different pressures will be maintained in the
respective spaces adjacent to respective connecting channels.
12. A multi-stage continuous industrial process using an
installation according to claim 1, the process including the steps
of; introducing process material with first process conditions and
first pressures into the first space; putting the process material
through a first process; then passing the process material through
the first connecting channel in or with the transported material
(5a) and entering the second space with the second process
conditions, where it is put through a second process, from which it
is removed, wherein the transported material together with the
process material forms a trickling sealing zone in the connecting
channel which ensures that the different process conditions and in
particular the different pressures will be maintained in the two
spaces.
13. A multi-stage industrial process using an installation
according to claim 11, the process including the steps of: passing
the process material successively through each of the respective
connecting channels and respective spaces with their own process
conditions and different pressures in alternation, wherein the
transported material together with the process material forms a
trickling sealing zone (6b, 6c) in each respective connecting
channel, thereby ensuring that the different process conditions and
different pressures will be maintained in the respective spaces
adjacent to the respective connecting channels.
14. The process according to claim 13, wherein the process material
in the respective spaces is put through two processes.
15. The process according to claim 12, wherein one of the processes
is selected from the group consisting of a drying, a moistening, a
condensation, a distillation, a pigmentation, a spraying, an
irradiation, a gas composition, a chemical reaction, an
inertization of substances, a heating, a cooling, an adsorption, a
reception, a mixing or a separation.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to International
Application Serial No. PCT/EP2016/065123 filed Jul. 13, 2017.
International Application Serial No. PCT/EP2016/065123 is hereby
incorporated herein in its entirety for all purposes by this
reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to an installation for carrying out a
continuous multi-stage industrial process, comprising at least one
first space and one second space, such that different process
conditions and different pressures in particular prevail in these
spaces during the course of the process, wherein these two spaces
are connected to one another by a first connecting channel, and
wherein a process material passes through the first space, the
first connecting channel and the second space, one after the other,
in a process sequence. The invention also relates to a continuous
process that can be carried out on such an installation.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Installations for carrying out industrial processes are
known, but they usually consist of valves, flaps and/or airlocks,
which are responsible for maintaining the various process
conditions in the individual process spaces. One disadvantage to
this is that such processes usually cannot be carried out
continuously but instead must be carried out in so-called
batches.
[0004] Industrial processes which are carried out continuously in
different process spaces, in which the process material is
free-flowing or free-flowing, usually do not allow different
process conditions such as differences in pressure or
temperature.
[0005] One example is given in (WO2008122137 A1) U.S. Pat. No.
8,434,241, which is hereby incorporated herein by this reference
for all purposes, in which a wet pasty material, in particular a
sludge, is dried in a drying process, by putting the wet material
through a drying operation. This process is carried out in a drying
tank, in which optimized pressure and temperature conditions
prevail. As soon as the wet material has reached the desired degree
of drying, an airlock is opened and the dry material can be
removed. Next, additional wet material is introduced into the
drying tank by means of a conveyor screw. To improve the process,
the wet material may first be mixed with a dry substance and/or
preheated. One disadvantage of this method is that the process
cannot be carried out as a continuous process or without
airlocks.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 2,174,006, which is hereby incorporated herein
by this reference for all purposes, describes a continuous process
for sintering or calcination, wherein the process material passes
through various spaces on a conveyor belt, where it is heated, for
example, and later cooled. However, the chambers are mostly made up
of partitions, which are arranged at a sufficiently great distance
from the conveyor belt, so that different pressure conditions
cannot be set in the chambers.
[0007] DE10148721A1 describes a method for producing elastomer
blends for production of rubber. The materials used to do so are
fluid media. They are supplied in batches as needed through various
metering scales.
BRIEF OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The object of the present invention is therefore to present
an installation such as that described in the introduction, with
which a continuous industrial process that can be carried out
continuously is possible. Furthermore, a process that can be
carried out continuously with such an installation is also to be
described. It should also be possible to maintain the different
pressures prevailing in the spaces.
[0009] These objects are achieved by the features of the
independent patent claims. Preferred embodiments are described in
the dependent claims. According to the invention, with such an
installation, a transported material is provided in the first
connecting channel in which or with which the process material can
pass through the first connecting channel in a process sequence,
wherein the transported material forms together with the process
material a free-flowing sealing zone in the connecting channel,
which ensures that the different process conditions will be
maintained, in particular different pressures in the two
spaces.
[0010] Accordingly, with the method according to the invention,
process material is introduced into the first space with the first
process conditions in the process according to the invention, where
it is put through a first process, wherein the process material
then passes through the first connecting channel in or together
with the transported material and enters the second space under the
second process conditions, where it is subjected to a second
process, from which it is removed. The second process conditions in
the second space differ from the first process conditions in the
first space at least in the prevailing pressure.
[0011] The transported material together with the process material
according to the invention forms a free-flowing sealing zone in the
connecting channel, which ensures that the wide variety of process
conditions will be maintained, in particular the pressure
differences in the two spaces.
[0012] It has been found that a free-flowing and trickling mixture
of process material and transported material may readily form a
sealing zone in the connecting channel if the connecting channel is
filled with this mixture over a sufficiently long distance. The
connecting channel may be a pipe standing upright or obliquely, for
example, and having a lower, narrower opening, out of which the
mixture can trickle steadily while it is being replenished again
repeatedly with the mixture, wherein the filling level of the pipe
should preferably be within a predefined range. On the one hand,
this can be regulated through the filling rate and, on the other
hand, with the trickle rate, which can be determined by the
cross-sectional area of the lower opening and/or by the geometry of
the outlet region, for example.
[0013] According to the invention, the sealing zone in the
multi-chamber process is created by a labyrinth seal, because a
trickling mixture cannot form an absolutely airtight sealing zone
and therefore allows a certain gas exchange between the two ends of
the connecting channel. The required seal is achieved by an
adequate length of the sealing zone accordingly, so that the
process conditions in the two spaces adjacent to the connecting
channels, in particular the pressure difference, are upheld to the
extent required by the processes in these spaces.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The present invention is described in greater detail below
with reference to the figures. The same reference numerals, with or
without a letter a, b, c or d, each refer to the facts.
[0015] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an installation
according to the invention having two spaces;
[0016] FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an installation
according to the invention having four spaces;
[0017] FIG. 3a shows a schematic diagram of a connecting channel of
an installation according to the invention between two spaces;
[0018] FIG. 3b shows an alternative schematic diagram of a
connecting channel of an installation according to the invention
between two spaces.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0019] FIG. 1 shows an installation 1 according to the invention
for carrying out a continuous multi-stage industrial process in the
simplest form. It comprises a first space 2a and a second space 2b,
wherein different process conditions, in particular different
pressures, prevail in these spaces 2a, 2b during the course of the
process. For example, one of the spaces may also be open to the
surroundings. These two spaces 2a, 2b are interconnected by a first
connecting channel 3a. In a process sequence, a process material 4
may pass through the first space 2a, the first connecting channel
3a and the second space 2b, one after the other. According to the
invention, a transported material 5a is provided in the first
connecting channel 3a, in which or with which the process material
4 can pass through the first connecting channel 3a in a process
sequence. The transported material 5a together with the process
material 4 forms a free-flowing sealing zone 6 in the connecting
channel 3a, which ensures that the different process conditions, in
particular the pressure differences in the two spaces 2a, 2b, will
be maintained. During the process, this mixture of transported
material 5a and process material 4 trickles steadily through the
sealing zone.
[0020] This invention is of course not limited to two spaces 2a, 2b
with a connecting channel 3a. Ambient conditions may therefore also
prevail in many of the spaces 2, which may also be open in
particular.
[0021] The process conditions in the two spaces 2a, 2b may be
different from one another, for example, in their temperature,
their moisture content, their gas composition and/or their
radiation burden, not to mention the pressure differences
prevailing there.
[0022] According to the invention, the passage through the
installation 1 between the two spaces 2a, 2b is free of airlocks,
so that a continuous industrial process can be carried out, in
which there is no apportioning in the meantime and thus the process
need not be interrupted. The process material 4 can pass
continuously through the installation 1 without having to stop in
the meantime. This simplifies the process because discontinuities
in a process are often responsible for problems.
[0023] In particular one or more transport means 7, which ensure
continuous passage of the process material 4 and also the
transported material 5a, may be provided. The process material 4
may be transported with these transport means 7 either alone or
combined with the transported material 5a. A worm gear, a conveyor
belt, a trickle system and/or a pump in particular may be used as
transport means 7. The deciding factor here is that free-flowing
material can be transported.
[0024] The process material 4 may be any substance, which should be
capable of passing through the processes. Examples of suitable
processes including drying, moistening, condensation, distillation,
pigmentation, spraying, irradiation, heating, cooling, adsorption,
reception and/or mixing or separation, isolation and introduction
into the installation 1 or discharge from the installation 1 when
different process conditions, in particular different pressures,
prevail in the surroundings than in the adjacent spaces 2. This is
not a final list.
[0025] However, the process material 4 may also be a wet material
which is mixed with a dry transported material 5 in a space 2 so
that together they become free-flowing, In the context of the
present invention, free-flowing means that the mixture is a
gas-permeable bulk material, which is divided into portions when
poured. Liquids and pasty materials are not gas-permeable and
therefore are not free-flowing in the sense of the invention. A
process material 4 that was originally pasty or liquid must
therefore be combined with a suitable amount of dry transported
material 5 in order to become free-flowing. On the other hand, a
dry process material 4 can be combined with a transported material
5a, which is itself a free-flowing material, a pasty composition or
a liquid. It is important for the mixture of process material 4 and
transported material 5 in the connecting channel 3a to be
free-flowing. If the mixture is too wet, it will endanger the
transport through the connecting channel 3a because the composition
will stick to the walls and result in blockages. A liquid mixture
of process material 4 and transported material 5 is also not
free-flowing and therefore is not taken into account here.
[0026] In particular the transported material 5a used in the plant
I may be the same as the process material 4. In this case, the
process material 4 is used only in the connecting channel, which
forms the sealing zone. In addition, the only difference between
the process material 4 and the transported material 5 may be the
moisture content. A wet material may thus be combined with a dry
substance, which corresponds to the dried wet material. The wet
material therefore becomes drier due to the materials being
combined, thereby achieving the desired pourability, which is
required for the industrial process.
[0027] For example, sand is a free-flowing material which is
gas-permeable: moisture can escape from a small pile of sand until
it is completely dry, Furthermore, sand or similar granules with a
grain size diameter of approximately 0.5-3 mm is a suitable
transported material 5a because it has a sufficient imperviousness
in a sealing length of less than one meter for most process
conditions, in particular for differences in pressure.
[0028] The installation 1 preferably includes a separation device 8
in the second space 2b for separating the transported material 5a
from the process material 4. In addition, a return device 9 may be
arranged therein for recycling the transported material 5a, which
is either brought directly into the first connecting channel 3a or
brought only into the first space 2a, from which it ultimately goes
back into the connecting channel 3 and forms the sealing zone with
new process material 4.
[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the installation 1 may also comprise one
or more additional spaces 2c, 2d with individual process
conditions, wherein all the spaces 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d are
interconnected directly or indirectly through a suitable number of
additional connecting channels 3b, 3c. In each additional
connecting channel 3b, 3c a transported material 5b, 5c together
with the process material 4 forms a free-flowing sealing zone 6b,
6c, which ensures that the different process conditions will be
upheld, in particular pressure differences in the spaces 2b, 2c, 2d
adjacent to the other connecting channels 3b, 3c, in accordance
with the first connecting channel 3a. Identical and/or different
free-flowing materials 5a, 5b, 5c may be arranged in the connecting
channels 3a, 3b, 3c. Accordingly, if all the free-flowing materials
5a, 5b, 5c are identical, they pass together with the process
material 4 through all the connecting channels 3a, 3b, 3c with the
process material 4 as a trickle flow. To do so, corresponding
separation devices may be present to separate the process material
4 from the respective transported material 5a, 5b, 5c in each space
2b, 2c, 2d. Supply devices 10 may also be arranged there, combining
the transported material 5a, 5b that has been separated with the
process material 4 as the next transported material 5b, 5c before
the next connecting channel 3b, 3c.
[0030] In particular, additional devices or supply devices 10 may
also be provided for introducing additional process goods 4' into
one of the spaces 2, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Further the various
process materials 4, 4' may each have passed through one or more
spaces 2 with corresponding processes before being combined and
then running through additional spaces jointly. However, that is
not shown here.
[0031] FIG. 3a shows one possible example of a connecting channel
3a according to the invention, which connects two spaces 2a, 2b.
The connecting channel 3 comprises a cylinder that is open at both
ends and is positioned vertically, terminating on each side in one
of the spaces 2a, 2b, which do not otherwise have any direct
connection to one another. The spaces are separated from one
another in a pressure-tight manner, wherein the pressure in the
spaces (2a, 2b) is at least 0.2 bar, at least 0.8 bar or at least 2
bar. Accordingly, the required minimum length of the connecting
channel 3 also varies. At least one of the spaces 2a, 2b must be
separated in a pressure-tight manner from the surroundings,
depending on the requirements of the pressure difference. This
means that both the inlet and the outlet for the process material 4
and for the transported material 5a must be leakproof during use.
Both of these effects can be achieved according to the invention by
a connecting channel 3 as a free-flowing sealing zone 6. In
particular the supply devices may also be designed to be leakproof
during use. If the process material 4 and/or the transported
material 5a itself is/are not free-flowing but instead is/are
liquid or pasty, then other known leakproof inlet and/or outlet
devices would also be available from the state of the art.
[0032] In FIG. 3a, the mixture with process material 4 and
transported material 5a in the space 2a is conveyed continuously
with transport means 7, for example, with a conveyor belt or a
conveyor worm gear, into the cylindrical connecting channel 3a. The
space 2b contains another transport means 7, for example, another
conveyor belt, close to but at a distance from the pipe opening,
onto which process material 4 and transported material 5a trickle
out of the connecting channel 3a during the process. The distance A
between the transport means 7 and the lower opening of the
connecting channel 3a is such that the mixture of process material
4 and transported material 5a comes to a standstill and no longer
trickles as soon as the lower transport means 7 has stopped in the
space 2b, as shown in FIG. 3a. The rate of travel of the transport
means 7 together with the aforementioned distance A thus determines
the flow rate in the installation 1. The resupply into the
connecting channel 3a should thus be regulated so that the filling
level therein is always in a predetermined range. This ensures that
the imperviousness that is provided between the spaces 2a and 2b
always meets the desired criteria.
[0033] The trickle principle corresponds here to that of a bird
feed dispenser. The bird feed backs up in the dish as long as the
supply there is filled to a sufficient level. However, as soon as
the grains have been picked out, they trickle out again from the
bird feed supply, but without overfilling the dish. It can be seen
that this principle would not function with either a pasty filling
or a liquid filling. Therefore, a trickling mixture is required as
the filling in the sealing zone 6 in the installation 1 according
to the invention.
[0034] In addition, the sealing zone must have a sufficient length
for the required pressure tightness to be ensured. The required
length depends on the pressure difference, the average diameter of
the granules and the cross-sectional area of the connecting channel
3.
[0035] The aforementioned example according to FIGS. 3a and 3b can
of course be generalized without any loss of validity. Thus, the
connecting channel 3b need not necessarily be set up vertically but
may also be arranged at an inclination to the direction of fall.
Furthermore, the cross section of the connection channel 3a may not
be round but instead may have any desired shape, such as
rectangular, and the shape also need not be constant. Instead of
the nearby transport means 7 preventing the material from trickling
freely out of the connecting channel 3a, a funnel may also be
mounted at the lower opening of the connecting channel 3a, wherein
the setting of the funnel opening regulates the amount of
flow-through. A minimum size must then be maintained accordingly
for the distance from the transport means. However, the advantage
of the nearby conveyor belt is that the installation 1 can be
stopped and started up again at any time without having to open and
close a device. A funnel would allow the connecting channel 3a to
empty too slowly in the event of a stoppage of the process if the
funnel opening were not closed.
[0036] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3b the connecting channel 3a
may also be filled from the bottom, in particular when it is
arranged at an angle to the direction of fall. The mixture of
process material 4 and transported material 5a is then preferably
conveyed partially upward at least in part with transport means 7,
for example, with a continuous conveyor belt, a conveyor worm gear
or a spiral conveyor, where it ultimately trickles out of the
connecting channel 3a. This is readily possible in particular when
the specific gravity of the process material 4 is higher than that
of the transported material 5a because it is then certain that no
process material 4 can remain in the upper part of the connecting
channel 3a. In this case, a large portion of the transported
material 5a would remain permanently in the connecting channel 3a
and only a smaller portion of the transported material 5a would
reach the upper end of the connecting channel 3a. Thus, the process
material 4 flows mostly in the transported material 5a but less
with it. The pressure tightness in the sealing zone 6 however, is
always maintained.
[0037] It has been found that even transported material 5a, which
contains essentially open gas channels, can provide a sufficient
seal and can thus form a sufficient sealing zone 6, when a
corresponding filling height and/or filling length is/are
provided.
[0038] The method according to the invention is a continuous
multi-stage industrial process, which is carried out on an
installation 1 according to the invention. A continuous process
material 4 is introduced into the first space 2a with the first
process conditions, where it is put through a first process. The
process material 4 then passes through the first connecting channel
3a in or together with the transported material 5a and enters the
second space 2b with the second process conditions and in
particular with different pressure conditions than in space 2a,
where it is subjected to a second process. It is ultimately removed
from this space by being introduced into another connecting channel
3b, for example. The transported material 5a together with the
process material 4 forms a trickling sealing zone 6 at all times in
the connecting channel 3a, which ensures that the different process
conditions will be maintained and in particular ensures different
pressures in the two spaces 2a, 2b.
[0039] The process material 4 may in particular then pass through
one or more additional connecting channels 3b, 3c and spaces 2c, 2d
at separate process conditions in alternation. The transported
material 5b, 5c and the process material 4 together form a
trickling zone 6b, 6c in each additional connecting channel 3b, 3c,
thereby ensuring that the different process conditions will be
maintained and that the different pressure differences in the
spaces 2b, 2c, 2d adjacent to the additional connecting channel 3b,
3c will be maintained.
[0040] According to the invention, the process material 4 in the
spaces 2a 2b, 2c, 2d is put through two or more processes. A
process may be a drying, a moistening, a condensation, a
distillation, a pigmentation, a spraying, an irradiation, a gas
composition, a chemical reaction, an inertization of substances, a
heating, a cooling, an adsorption, a reception and/or a mixture or
separation in particular.
REFERENCE LIST
[0041] 1 installation
[0042] 2 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d space
[0043] 3 3a, 3b, 3c connecting channel
[0044] 4 process material
[0045] 5 5a, 5b, 5c transported material
[0046] 6 sealing zone
[0047] 7 transport means
[0048] 8 separation device
[0049] 9 return device
[0050] 10 supply device
[0051] A distance
* * * * *