CN1059552C

CN1059552C - Process for treating tobacco

Info

Publication number: CN1059552C
Application number: CN95197978A
Authority: CN
Inventors: R·尼维特; C·H·亨尼威德; K·A·马思维斯; B·C·查尔德
Original assignee: Imperial Tobacco Ltd Great Britain
Priority date: 1995-10-19
Filing date: 1995-10-19
Publication date: 2000-12-20
Anticipated expiration: 2015-10-19
Also published as: CN1200655A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for processing tobacco to generate expansion, which comprises the following steps: the tobacco is placed under the reduced pressure not higher than 7 kilopascals, and a cell structure of the tobacco is soaked in isopentane steam of 70 to 90 DEG C. The tobacco and the steam are kept to be in contact for 30 minutes under the pressure of at least 400 kilopascals, excessive steam is evacuated, and pressure change is generated in an adiabatical way. The steam is used for processing the soaked tobacco to expand the cell structure of the tobacco, and then, the expanded tobacco is readjusted in vacuum. The expansion level obtained by the method is similar to and possibly larger than the expansion levels obtained by traditional expansion methods.

Description

A kind of method of handling tobacco

The present invention relates to a kind of method of handling tobacco.More particularly, it relates to a kind of expanding tobacco to increase the method for its fill volume.

Tobacco leaf experiences maturing process after results.Because the dehydration that in maturing process, suffers, cause leaf to suffer in various degree shrinkage.In tobacco industry, thereby the conventional practice of cigar or production of cigarettes processing slaking tobacco is to recover shrinkage by increasing its fill volume.It has been generally acknowledged that by handling tobacco with this method, the eucaryotic cell structure of the tobacco of slaking expand into the state of finding before the slaking that is similar in leaf.

There are many methods in the fill volume that increases tobacco.These methods are widely used in industry, in order to obtain the recovery of product after slaking.The object of the present invention is to provide a kind of method of the expanding tobacco that can under the condition of controlling on the commercial scale, carry out, this method is used a kind of swelling agent of avoiding the environmental problem relevant with fluorine Lyons, but obtained simultaneously with use prior art in environmentally harmful fluorine Lyons compare similar or more favourable expansion level, and can not cause the tobacco cell structural damage.The present invention is with the following basis that is found to be: the expansion level that expanding method was obtained that the expansion level of filler is similar to and is better than sometimes using by tradition, thereby the isopentane that passes through to use vapor state in a kind of method of careful control can be realized restoring as inflating medium.

Therefore, the invention provides a kind of method of handling tobacco, it comprises a series of step:

(1) in a chamber, tobacco is placed under the decompression that is not higher than 70 millibars (7 kPas);

(2) with the eucaryotic cell structure of the isopentane steam dipping tobacco of the temperature in 70 ℃～90 ℃ scopes, and keep tobacco under the pressure of at least 4 crust (400 kPas), to contact being thirty minutes long, so that the tobacco structure is flooded with the isopentane steam;

(3) by evacuated chamber, excessive isopentane steam to be removed from the tobacco of dipping, the pressure variation produces adiabaticly;

(4) tobacco with dipping contacts with steam, with expanding tobacco; And

(5) expanded tobacco is carried out vacuum and adjust (re-ordering) again.

The tobacco of handling according to method of the present invention generally is the form of the fragment of slaking tobacco leaf, fragment by knocking, lash or cut complete slaking tobacco leaf and obtain.It maybe can be the tobacco leaf that chops up that tobacco also can be the strip that is obtained by whole leaf cutting.Will be arranged on the basket that is arranged in process chamber by processed tobacco.

According to the present invention, the slaking tobacco is placed under the decompression that is not higher than 70 millibars (7 kPas).Handle through this, the air in the process chamber and remain between the tobacco leaf fragment or eucaryotic cell structure in air be removed, otherwise they are with the dipping of the isopentane steam pair cell structure of interfere with subsequent.Application is higher than 70 millibars decompression can not fully remove the air of occlusion in tobacco, and therefore, follow-up isopentane steam is damaged to the dipping of tobacco cell structure.Preferably, the pressure in the chamber is reduced to below 70 millibars (7 kPas) and as much as possible pressure is reduced.Certainly this depends on applied finding time and the performance of recovery system.We find that the pressure in 40～70 millibars of (4～7 kPas) scopes can get in the method continuously, and have provided good result.

Then the isopentane steam is injected process chamber.Importantly liquid isopentane does not allow to enter process chamber among the present invention.Therefore, be stored in the outer liquid isopentane of process chamber it enter process chamber and with must vaporize fully before tobacco contacts.Because isopentane is a kind of highly volatile and flammable solvent, must carefully handle engineering design with recovery system.The temperature of the isopentane steam in the inlet chamber will be in 70 ℃～90 ℃ scope.Temperature is higher than 90 ℃ isopentane steam should not be used for the present invention, because the follow-up steam expansion process of its infringement makes tobacco can not obtain sufficient expansion.In addition, if heat exchanger is set the isopentane steam that is lower than 70 ℃ temperature with generation, exist liquid isopentane may by and the danger that enters process chamber.Just be cooled to the degree of condensation in isopentane steam possibility one inlet chamber under this temperature by the inclusion in the chamber.The influence that allows liquid isopentane enter process chamber is with the destruction processing procedure.At first, any liquid isopentane that is present in the chamber will be taken energy out of system when it evaporates.Secondly, the energy requirement of the removal process of excessive isopentane will increase.

The amount of the isopentane of dipping tobacco leaf cell is controlled by the pressure of the isopentane steam that produces in the process chamber.With in the isopentane steam flood chamber until obtaining one at least 4000 milli (400 kPas), the internal pressures in preferred 4000～4500 millibars (400～450 kPas) scopes.When reaching this force value, with the chamber sealing, after this when the temperature of isopentane steam continues to raise, internal pressure also will continue raise (typically rising to about 5000 millibars (500 kPas)).Keep tobacco under the pressure of at least 4000 millibars (400 kPas), to contact and be thirty minutes long, so that tobacco cell is by the isopentane thorough impregnation with the isopentane steam.We find by keeping about 30 minutes tobaccos of high pressure can obtain optimum expansion.At impregnation stage, people infer that the isopentane that occurs in the eucaryotic cell structure is squeezed into liquid state under pressure.

One in the past during this period of time, and just immediately by as quickly as possible the pressure in the chamber being reduced to about (preferably) atmospheric pressure, thereby the isopentane steam that all are excessive is removed from the chamber.Pressure changes thereby is adiabatic.By guaranteeing the adiabatic change of pressure, just avoided to be catastrophic cyto-architectural destruction and to break.We find that this pressure drop can be in less than 15～20 minutes time, finish in about typically 15 minutes.

After the chamber is evacuated, raise rapidly by the temperature that tobacco is contacted the tobacco that makes dipping with steam immediately.The result that temperature raises is combined in isopentane liquid experience volume in the tobacco cell to increase and be released, and causes the eucaryotic cell structure of tobacco to expand.The result that electron microscope demonstrates this processing is that cell membrane expands.In addition, leaf surfaces has appeared to roughening.Typically, steam is introduced in the chamber so that pressure wherein is increased to one at 1000 millibars (100 kPas)～1400 millibars (140 kPas), and the values in preferred 1000～1200 millibars (100～120 kPas) scopes.Care should be used to when adding steam will be so that in indoor not turbulization, turbulent flow will produce injurious effects to expanding tobacco.Preferably when by finding time and the steam that emits from the chamber of recovery system be increased to 90～95 ℃, during especially about 94 ℃ temperature, the expansion stage is considered to finish.This moment, steam no longer continued to introduce.Begin to be incorporated into from steam and reach this exhaust temperature and should preferably be no more than 4 minutes, and if possible be no more than 2 minutes.

After finishing in the expansion stage, dilated tobacco is stood evaporation immediately and adjusts, to obtain final expansion and water content of wishing.Typically, the final water content of tobacco will be as much as possible near the level before handling.Adjust again and be achieved normally by after finishing in the expansion stage process chamber being evacuated to 180～220 millibars of pressure in (18～22 kPas) scope.After this, with the pressure isothermal return to atmospheric pressure, expanded tobacco is taken out from process chamber.

Then, can prepare burden by usual way if necessary, be transported to cigar or production of cigarettes place then on demand through the tobacco after so handling.

In order to measure filling value as the cigar grass product a kind of slaking, that thumped described in the following examples, use a kind of filling value measurement mechanism, it is that 64 millimeters cylinder body is formed by a diameter in fact, and diameter is that 63 millimeters piston slides in cylinder body.There is scale mark the piston side.Pressure is applied on the piston, and the tobacco of given weight 14.18 grams has just determined in the volume of milliliter.Experiment shows that this device will accurately determine the filling value of cigar tobacco of the knocking of specified rate, have good repeatability.In all embodiments, the pressure that piston is applied on the tobacco is 12.8 kPas, pressurizes 10 minutes, reads filling value reading this moment.The filling value that the water content influence of tobacco determines in this way, therefore comparable filling value obtains under similar water content.Embodiment 1

Contain 14～14.5% moisture with 150 kilograms, the filling value that goes out by the program determination of pointing out previously is that the slaking cigar tobacco of the knocking of 5.08 cubic centimetres/gram is arranged in the basket according to method of the present invention and handles.Tobacco is placed under the decompression of 64 millibars (6.4 kPas), will inject process chamber at the isopentane steam in 70 ℃～90 ℃ scopes then, constant pressure is increased to 4300 millibars (430 kPas).Keep tobacco to contact 30 minutes with isopentane, rise to 4964 millibars at 30 minutes last pressure.By reduce pressure to 1100 millibar (110 kPas) adiabaticly, the isopentane steam that all are excessive is removed from the chamber, lasts about 6 minutes.After this evacuation step, steam is injected process chamber risen to 104 ℃ until being evacuated the steam that emits from the chamber with recovery system.Evaporate adjustment again by the pressure that the chamber is evacuated to further 200 millibars (20 kPas) after, return to atmospheric pressure at last, dilated tobacco is taken out from process chamber.The final filling value of tobacco is 8.14 a cubic centimetres/gram, and water content is 14%～14.5%.

The step of embodiment 1 repeats in other circulation of tobacco, the results are shown in the table 1.Embodiment 2,3 is identical with embodiment 1 with 4 technological parameter, except as otherwise noted.According to embodiment 1～4, the force value of processing indoor application is presented at respectively in Fig. 1～4 with the form of curve map during the entire process process.

Table 1

	Embodiment 2	Embodiment 3	Embodiment 4
	Embodiment 2	Embodiment 3	Embodiment 4	Before and after the filling value (cubic centimetre/gram)	5.04 8.23	4.74 8.60	4.67 8.33
Constant pressure (millibar) at the impregnation stage end	4975	4811	4974	Before and after the filling value (cubic centimetre/gram)	5.04 8.23	4.74 8.60	4.67 8.33
Constant pressure (millibar) at the impregnation stage end	4975	4811	4974	The steam temperature that from the chamber, discharges in expansion stage end (℃)	103	104	104

Claims

1. method of handling tobacco comprises a series of step:

(2) with the eucaryotic cell structure of the isopentane steam dipping tobacco of the temperature in 70 ℃～90 ℃ scopes, and keep tobacco under the pressure of minimum 4 crust (400 kPas), to contact being thirty minutes long, so that tobacco is flooded with the isopentane steam;

(4) tobacco with dipping contacts with steam, with expanding tobacco; And

(5) expanded tobacco is adjusted processing again.

2. according to the process of claim 1 wherein that tobacco is positioned under 40～70 millibars of decompressions in (4～7 kPas) scope in step (1).

3. according to the method for claim 1 or 2, wherein in step (2), keep contacting about 30 minutes under tobacco and the pressure of isopentane steam in 4000～4500 millibars of (400～450 kPas) scopes.

4. steam is introduced in the chamber in step (4) according to the process of claim 1 wherein, pressure is risen to a value in 1000～1400 millibars of (100～140 kPas) scopes.

5. according to the method for claim 4, the temperature that wherein ought allow to leave the vent water vapor of chamber reaches 90～95 ℃, in the time of especially about 94 ℃, ends to introduce steam in the chamber.

6. will carry out vacuum drying under the decompression of expanded tobacco in 180～220 millibars of (18～22 kPas) scopes according to the process of claim 1 wherein that again adjustment process comprises.