EP1310572A1 - Air conditioning device for articles such as hides, fabrics or suchlike, and relative method - Google Patents

Air conditioning device for articles such as hides, fabrics or suchlike, and relative method Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP1310572A1
EP1310572A1 EP02020751A EP02020751A EP1310572A1 EP 1310572 A1 EP1310572 A1 EP 1310572A1 EP 02020751 A EP02020751 A EP 02020751A EP 02020751 A EP02020751 A EP 02020751A EP 1310572 A1 EP1310572 A1 EP 1310572A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
articles
chamber
humidity
air
transport means
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP02020751A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Luciano Casasola
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Publication of EP1310572A1 publication Critical patent/EP1310572A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C14—SKINS; HIDES; PELTS; LEATHER
    • C14B—MECHANICAL TREATMENT OR PROCESSING OF SKINS, HIDES OR LEATHER IN GENERAL; PELT-SHEARING MACHINES; INTESTINE-SPLITTING MACHINES
    • C14B1/00—Manufacture of leather; Machines or devices therefor
    • C14B1/58—Drying

Definitions

  • the invention concerns a device for air conditioning articles, by means of which it is possible to dry, humidify or de-humidify articles such as industrial hides or fabrics in sequential fashion, the articles being arranged on transport means able to make them advance through conditioning chambers arranged between an entrance and an exit.
  • the invention also concerns a method to load articles in sequence on means to transport and process said articles with conditioned air with parameters controlled according to the relative humidity of the articles themselves.
  • the state of the art includes a device for drying and dehumidifying freshly tanned or dyed hides which arrive very damp, for example from a press or a vacuum drier located upstream of said device.
  • the conventional device comprises a conditioning chamber provided with heat exchangers and fans, located in a compartment outside the chamber, which make the suitably processed air circulate inside the chamber.
  • the hides are transported by means of two conveyor belts, coupled together sandwich fashion so as to translate the hides lying thereon through the chamber, preventing uncontrolled movements of the hides.
  • the conveyor belts define a path between the entrance and the exit of the chamber, arranged on several horizontal planes so as to form a sinusoid on the height of the chamber. In this way the hides move along sequential segments, back and forth with respect to the direction of entrance and exit of the hides into and out of the conditioning chamber.
  • the device has the disadvantage that it cannot progressively manage the conditioning according to the actual humidity, decreasing, of the hides between the entrance and exit of the conditioning chamber. In fact, as they gradually advance and remain inside the conditioning chamber, the hides dry and therefore require a drier quantity of air in order to complete the drying process.
  • the hides since there is a single transport element arranged in planes which follows inverse sequential paths between entrance and exit, the hides pass several times in the same vertical portion of the chamber, so that in the same portion there are hides with different conditions of humidity.
  • the conventional device also has the disadvantage that, every time the belt inverts its direction, the hides can bend or move, with the risk of jamming on the conveyor belt, which may spoil them and lead to a stoppage of the drying process.
  • the purpose of the invention is to achieve a device which will allow to process articles using air with controlled parameters, rationally and according to their actual conditions of humidity.
  • Another purpose is to ensure high productivity, optimum use of the spaces inside the conditioning chamber and to limit the overall longitudinal space occupied.
  • the device comprises at least a chamber in which a plurality of transport means are arranged, for example conveyor belts, able to translate the articles in a single direction of feed, substantially from one side of the conditioning chamber to the other, for example from an entrance to an exit of the chamber.
  • a plurality of transport means for example conveyor belts, able to translate the articles in a single direction of feed, substantially from one side of the conditioning chamber to the other, for example from an entrance to an exit of the chamber.
  • the chamber is associated with at least a means to deliver and circulate air able to create a flow of air such that the articles arranged in the same vertical portion along the length of the chamber, and hence with substantially the same humidity, are hit by air conditioned with parameters at least of humidity correlated to the humidity of the articles themselves.
  • the at least one means to deliver and circulate the air is able to create a flow of air in a direction substantially opposite or in any case transverse to the direction of feed of the articles.
  • the air can be fed in correspondence with the exit of the conditioning chamber, so that initially drier air hits articles which are substantially already dry and flows, in the direction opposite to their direction of feed, towards the entrance of the chamber.
  • the air gradually becomes humid by removing humidity from the articles, and therefore increases its humidity in a manner correlated to the increasing humidity of the articles which it meets along its travel.
  • the air can be removed from the chamber by means of a suction means associated with the entrance to the chamber, so as to be re-conditioned, for example by means of heat exchangers and mixers with fresh air, and finally conveyed to the delivery means arranged at the exit of the chamber in order to perform a new conditioning cycle.
  • the transport means are arranged preferably one above the other on the height of the chamber and each one is able to be moved independently of the other between the entrance and exit of the chamber.
  • Each of the transport means can therefore move at its own speed and with different temporal modes compared to the other transport means.
  • Each of the transport means comprises a single surface to support the articles; according to a variant, it comprises strips, wires, chains or belts, maintained at least partly under tension and arranged parallel or intertwined.
  • Each transport means is able to be loaded in sequence, or simultaneously with one or more other means, by means of at least a feeder means comprising a movable conveyor belt, associated with the entrance of the chamber, and is able to cooperate with at least a discharge means arranged at the exit of the chamber and also comprising at least a movable discharge belt.
  • the belts are able to rotate with respect to a fulcrum to arrange themselves sequentially in cooperation with one or other of the transport means of the conditioning chamber, in order to load/discharge on each occasion one or more articles thereon.
  • the belts are able to translate vertically parallel to their axis.
  • This embodiment is preferred when the chamber is very developed in height, since in this case rotation alone could cause the hides to move on the belt, caused by the excessive inclination, while translation alone would entail an excessive loading time.
  • the transport means move linearly and are arranged parallel to each other, longitudinally with respect to the direction of movement.
  • Each belt defines a level of transport inside the conditioning chamber; the articles are therefore not subject to any inversion of direction inside the chamber, thus preventing them from moving on the transport means and becoming damaged.
  • the chamber is divided along its length into a plurality of distinct conditioning zones arranged in succession.
  • Each of the zones defines a compartment which is heat insulated with respect to each of the adjacent compartments, except for apertures through which the articles transit arranged on the transport means; in this way each of the compartments can be conditioned advantageously with air having specific controlled parameters at least of humidity, different with respect to the humidity of the adjacent compartments.
  • Each compartment is conditioned by means of its own delivery or ventilation means and air-intake means mounted preferably in cooperation with at least a peripheral wall of the compartment.
  • the articles arranged inside each zone can be conditioned in the same conditions at least of humidity, obtaining a specific processing which prevents damage to the articles and optimizes the result obtained.
  • the invention allows to obtain an air conditioning process for articles such as will not spoil the articles due to air which is too dry, reducing to a minimum the processing times and limiting the space and quantity of heat used.
  • the process provides to deliver a flow of conditioned air to the articles with parameters at least of humidity correlated to the humidity of the articles themselves between an entrance and an exit of the chamber.
  • the method according to the invention comprises a first step wherein each of the conveyor belts is loaded in succession by means of at least a feeder means, until the zone of the conditioning chamber nearest the entrance is completely full. Subsequently, the feeder means returns in cooperation with the first conveyor belt which, as it translates, takes the previously loaded article into the second zone and simultaneously receives at least a new article. For every translation of the conveyor belt, under normal working conditions, a discharge means is arranged at the exit of the conditioning chamber able to receive the conditioned article.
  • the feeder means then loads the second conveyor belt, then the third and so on; in this way, the various conveyor belts are fed in sequence so that, during every step, the plurality of articles loaded in the same step are to be found in the same zone of the conditioning chamber and consequently in the same conditions of humidity.
  • the discharge means collects the articles in sequence from each conveyor belt every time it makes a translation step inside the chamber.
  • a device 10 comprises a chamber 11 for processing hides 13 with conditioned air. Inside the chamber 11, the device 10 comprises a plurality of conveyor belts 12, all independent, which transport the hides 13 along the whole length of the chamber 11 from an entrance 11a to an exit 11b of the chamber 11.
  • the conditioning chamber 11 is, in this case, divided into five compartments 14, substantially heat insulated from each other, for the gradual drying of the hides 13.
  • the compartments 14 are arranged in succession along the direction of feed of the belts 12 and are separated from each other by transverse walls 15 which have apertures 18, advantageously associated with sealing means, through which the hides 13 enter and exit the relative compartment 14.
  • the conveyor belts 12 are arranged parallel one above the other and convey the hides 13 from one compartment 14 to the other.
  • the conveyor belts 12 are driven by independent motors, not shown in the drawings, and each defines its own independent transport level for the hides 13 in the chamber 11. In every compartment 14, movement takes place in the direction of the arrow F from an inlet transverse wall 15 to an outlet transverse wall 15.
  • Each conveyor belt 12, inside each compartment 14, translates inside a channel 24, defined by two substantially parallel sheets, which determines the circulation and distribution of the air above and below the relative conveyor belt 12.
  • Each conveyor belt 12, in this case, comprises two elements coupled in such a fashion as to keep the hides 13 stationary during transport.
  • a feeder belt 16 is set in cooperation with the entrance 11a to the chamber 11 and is suitable to feed the hides 13, usually deposited for example by a press or a vacuum drier, not shown in the drawings, located upstream of the chamber 11.
  • a discharge belt 116 is arranged in cooperation with the exit 11b.
  • the feeder belt 16 and the discharge belt 116 (Fig. 1) are able to rotate around an axis of rotation cooperating with one of their ends, respectively rear and front with respect to the direction of movement, so that the respective other ends can cooperate selectively, on each occasion, with each conveyor belt 12.
  • the feeder belt 16 and the discharge belt 116 are able to translate vertically on the height of the chamber 11 in correspondence with the level of each conveyor belt 12 so as to arrange themselves substantially coplanar therewith and hence be able to transfer, on each occasion, the hides 13 onto and from each conveyor belt 12.
  • Each compartment 14 is contained between two lateral walls 19 and 20, on each of which apertures 25 are made at the height of each of the levels of the conveyor belt 12, and an upper wall 21 with which an air conditioning unit 23 is associated.
  • the apertures 25 arranged in cooperation with the exit of the relative compartment 14 are used to introduce the air, while the apertures 25 arranged at the entrance are used to recover the air.
  • the lateral walls 19 and 20 of the compartment 14 are advantageously lined with insulating material so that inside each compartment 14 a pre-set temperature and humidity are maintained.
  • the conditioning unit 23 comprises means which allow to regulate the temperature and humidity of the air introduced into the compartment 14 with which it is associated, and comprises a fan 26 to deliver air and an aspirator 27 to recover and recircle the air.
  • the fan 26 and the aspirator 27 are associated in a single unit.
  • the conditioning unit 23 comprises, in conventional fashion, means to regenerate the air, such as nozzles to emit and introduce the air, heat exchangers, humidifiers and filters.
  • the fan 26 is connected to two conduits 28 and 29 to emit the air, while the aspirator 27 is connected to two intake conduits 30 and 31.
  • the emission conduits 28 and 29 and the intake conduits 30 and 31 extend along the lateral walls 19 and 20 outside the conditioning chamber 11.
  • the emission conduits 28 and 29 and the intake conduits 30 and 31 are provided with apertures, for each level of transport, through which the air is conveyed and extracted into and from each distribution channel 24.
  • each compartment 14 it is possible to establish, thanks to a suitable setting of the relative conditioning unit 23, at least a humidity suitable to the actual condition of humidity of all the hides 13 arranged in the same compartment 14.
  • each distribution channel 24 the air circulates, in this case, in the direction opposite the direction of feed of the hides 13.
  • the emission channels 28 and 29 convey the air by means of central longitudinal channels 32, arranged above and below the relative belt 12. From the channels 32 the air is made to exit in order to hit the hides, and is then recovered by means of the same lateral channels 28 and 29 and sent back to the conditioning unit 23.
  • the method which uses the device 10 provides a first loading step, wherein the feeder belt 16 is positioned so as to load the hide 13 on a first conveyor belt 12, for example the highest, in the compartment 14 adjacent to the entrance 11a of the chamber 11. Then, the feeder belt 16 is arranged sequentially in cooperation with all the conveyor belts 12 until the first compartment 14 has been filled with hides 13.
  • the highest conveyor belt 12, loaded first is made to advance so that the hide or hides 13 arranged thereon is/are introduced into the subsequent compartment 14, and again loaded so as to introduce a new hide 13 into the first compartment 14. Subsequently the other conveyor belts 12 are also translated in identical manner towards the following compartment 14 and are loaded.
  • Loading is regulated in such a manner that a portion of a conveyor belt 12 remains in a compartment 14 substantially for the same length of time as the corresponding portion of another conveyor belt 12.
  • Each compartment 14 is conditioned with progressively drier air than that of a previous compartment 14, so as to adapt to the progressively decreasing humidity of the hides 13.
  • a first working cycle is complete when the hides 13 loaded into the conditioning chamber 11 exit from the exit 11b and are discharged onto the discharge belt 116.
  • the hides 13 are dry but not deteriorated because the humidity has been eliminated gradually and each hide 13 has been conditioned in a targeted fashion, using air with rigorously controlled parameters according to the actual conditions of the hides 13.
  • the method can comprise continuous conditioning cycles.
  • the sequence of loading steps, the times the hides 13 remain in the chamber 11, the temperature and humidity of the air can be programmed in a different way from that in the preceding description, because conditioning with air depends, for example, on the type of hides to be conditioned, their thickness and the relative humidity.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)
  • Treatment And Processing Of Natural Fur Or Leather (AREA)
EP02020751A 2001-10-02 2002-09-16 Air conditioning device for articles such as hides, fabrics or suchlike, and relative method Withdrawn EP1310572A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
ITUD20010158 2001-10-02
ITUD20010158 ITUD20010158A1 (it) 2001-10-02 2001-10-02 Dispositivo di condizionamento con aria di articoli quali pelli, tessuti o simili, e relativo procedimento

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1310572A1 true EP1310572A1 (en) 2003-05-14

Family

ID=11460652

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP02020751A Withdrawn EP1310572A1 (en) 2001-10-02 2002-09-16 Air conditioning device for articles such as hides, fabrics or suchlike, and relative method

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1310572A1 (it)
IT (1) ITUD20010158A1 (it)

Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ITPD20120290A1 (it) * 2012-10-05 2014-04-06 Erretre Spa Impianto industriale di essiccazione e/o condizionamento di superfici laminari flessibili
CN104278112A (zh) * 2014-08-12 2015-01-14 王庆祝 皮革烘干除湿设备及皮革烘干除湿方法
ITUB20160968A1 (it) * 2016-02-23 2017-08-23 Lc Innovation S R L Dispositivo umidificatore a pompa cavitante

Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1958341A (en) * 1931-04-22 1934-05-08 Proctor & Schwartz Inc Roller conveyer
US2347109A (en) * 1942-01-30 1944-04-18 Proctor & Schwartz Inc Leather drier
DE895878C (de) * 1943-02-27 1953-11-05 Benno Schilde Maschb Ag Furniertrockner
FR2262785A2 (it) * 1974-02-28 1975-09-26 Martin Jean Marie
GB2043860A (en) * 1979-03-15 1980-10-08 Remonato G Remonato F Multistage Continuous Drying Apparatus, Especially for Tanned Hides
DE4201475A1 (de) * 1992-01-21 1993-07-22 Hubertus Dipl Ing Hein Etagenabluefter"- sortier- und pufferfaehige vorrichtung fuer das ablueften und die trocknung von plattenfoermigen erzeugnissen nach dickschichtigem lackauftrag

Patent Citations (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US1958341A (en) * 1931-04-22 1934-05-08 Proctor & Schwartz Inc Roller conveyer
US2347109A (en) * 1942-01-30 1944-04-18 Proctor & Schwartz Inc Leather drier
DE895878C (de) * 1943-02-27 1953-11-05 Benno Schilde Maschb Ag Furniertrockner
FR2262785A2 (it) * 1974-02-28 1975-09-26 Martin Jean Marie
GB2043860A (en) * 1979-03-15 1980-10-08 Remonato G Remonato F Multistage Continuous Drying Apparatus, Especially for Tanned Hides
DE4201475A1 (de) * 1992-01-21 1993-07-22 Hubertus Dipl Ing Hein Etagenabluefter"- sortier- und pufferfaehige vorrichtung fuer das ablueften und die trocknung von plattenfoermigen erzeugnissen nach dickschichtigem lackauftrag

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
ITPD20120290A1 (it) * 2012-10-05 2014-04-06 Erretre Spa Impianto industriale di essiccazione e/o condizionamento di superfici laminari flessibili
WO2014053978A1 (en) * 2012-10-05 2014-04-10 Erretre S.P.A. Industrial plant for drying and/or conditioning flexible laminar surfaces
CN104278112A (zh) * 2014-08-12 2015-01-14 王庆祝 皮革烘干除湿设备及皮革烘干除湿方法
CN104278112B (zh) * 2014-08-12 2015-12-02 王庆祝 皮革烘干除湿设备及皮革烘干除湿方法
ITUB20160968A1 (it) * 2016-02-23 2017-08-23 Lc Innovation S R L Dispositivo umidificatore a pompa cavitante
WO2017144553A1 (en) 2016-02-23 2017-08-31 Lc Innovation S.R.L. Damping device with cavitating pump

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
ITUD20010158A1 (it) 2003-04-02

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US4562650A (en) Board drying apparatus
US11047623B2 (en) Grain dryer and method for using the same
GB2043860A (en) Multistage Continuous Drying Apparatus, Especially for Tanned Hides
US4403425A (en) Apparatus for drying and smoothing articles of clothing
EP1926385B1 (en) Device for treating elongate food products with a conditioned airflow
RU2237720C2 (ru) Машина для кондиционирования слоистых гибких изделий, например, промышленных кож и шкур
US1515596A (en) Drying machine
EP1310572A1 (en) Air conditioning device for articles such as hides, fabrics or suchlike, and relative method
US2074458A (en) Apparatus for drying short alimentary paste
EP1245919A1 (en) Apparatus for continuously drying unpackaged food products, in particular vegetables
US5253569A (en) Serpentine food processing with closed-loop recirculation
US1547294A (en) Drying apparatus
JP4390557B2 (ja) 輸送車両用シートカバーを処理するための方法及び装置
US2274426A (en) Method and apparatus for manufacturing pottery ware
US20060150438A1 (en) Circulating air oven
WO1979000800A1 (en) Vapor exchange
US2333236A (en) Apparatus for continuous drying and conditioning material
CN115769039A (zh) 具有冷却功能的干燥机
RU2668206C1 (ru) Установка для ферментации табака в рыхлой массе
KR101850521B1 (ko) 연속왕복식 고성능 계분 건조기
EP0036241B1 (en) Method and arrangement for conveying groups of cubes from a moulding press through a conditioning device
UA117917C2 (uk) Спосіб сушіння зернистих продуктів та пристрій для його здійснення
US881602A (en) Machine for drying yarn and textile goods.
JP3136212B2 (ja) 太陽熱利用型の穀物予備乾燥、一時貯留装置
US718770A (en) Apparatus for drying and conditioning yarns.

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

Free format text: ORIGINAL CODE: 0009012

AK Designated contracting states

Designated state(s): AT BE BG CH CY CZ DE DK EE ES FI FR GB GR IE IT LI LU MC NL PT SE SK TR

AX Request for extension of the european patent

Extension state: AL LT LV MK RO SI

AKX Designation fees paid
REG Reference to a national code

Ref country code: DE

Ref legal event code: 8566

STAA Information on the status of an ep patent application or granted ep patent

Free format text: STATUS: THE APPLICATION IS DEEMED TO BE WITHDRAWN

18D Application deemed to be withdrawn

Effective date: 20031115