EP1406054B1 - Apparatus for treating bulk material - Google Patents

Abstract

The assembly for the treatment of loose materials, e.g. foodstuffs and especially fodder, has a carrier cage (8) within the container (2) with at least one carrier (8a,8b) rotating around the container axis (2c). A drive (11) rotates the carrier cage so that at least one carrier moves along a section of the container inner wall (2d), to move the material towards the ejection zone (12) and give a material shower (10) from the ejection zone. The material feed (5) has its outflow opening (5a) under the material shower, and the inflow opening (6a) of the material take-off (6) is over the shower. The process air flows through the shower of loose material, and steam can be delivered to the material feed unit.

Description

The invention relates to devices according to the preamble of claim 1.

The production of food, especially feed, must ensure high quality and hygienic products. The market and legal regulations make demands on the production process. For example, with a conditioning step, contamination of the final product with questionable or pathogenic germs must be ruled out. For compacted compound feeds, for example, with pressure conditioning steps reliable hygienization effects are achieved. With compound feed in flour form a pressure conditioning can not be carried out or only with difficulty. The lack of simple and safe hygienization steps has always led to concerns when using flour-shaped compound feed. Measures in the form of a chemical treatment with organic acids are not appropriate with sufficient concentration and exposure time because of the considerable expenditure of time, the possible corrosion of the production facilities and the possibly impaired acceptance by the animals.

To ensure the hygienic quality of flour-shaped products, therefore, the heat treatment is of particular importance. When heating with saturated steam, for example, product temperatures of at least 85 ° C and about a residence time of at least four minutes are provided. Hot air treatments are also known. In common heat treatments, there is a risk that the temperature distribution is not uniform or not homogeneous. Hot air hot air treatments often produce short circuit flow channels with high air flow and heat exchange. In addition, at high flow velocities undesirable separation occurs with regard to the particle sizes and the entrainment of an undesirably high proportion of product.

In addition to the heat treatment and the subsequent cooling is problematic. The cooling should efficiently ensure a uniform final temperature and final moisture. It has now been shown that high cooling air throughputs, with extensive loosening of the product, allow an intensive exchange of heat and moisture, but at the same time lead to an undesirable separation in terms of particle sizes and carrying an undesirably high proportion of product. The portion entrained in the cooling air must be separated from the cooling air by means of large-scale separation devices. It has been shown that valuable fine-grained additives are also discharged. When cooling air is passed through larger layers of bulk material, short-circuit flow channels with a high air throughput and a low heat exchange often occur.

From "Heat treatment and cooling of flour-shaped compound feed with reduced risk of segregation", Eberhard Heidenreich, Thomas Michaelsen; Mill + compound feed 139th year, Issue 16/17, August 8, 2002, the advantages and disadvantages of various methods for sanitizing known. According to this article, a method is preferred in which the heat treatment is carried out in a Kurzzeitkonditioneur by means of steam and a subsequent heated dwell time. The cooling should be carried out by means of cooling air in a belt or countercurrent cooler. In order to prevent segregation and the discharge of fine-grained additives occurring in these cooling devices, the fine-grained additives should be mixed in a final mixer and / or the segregation should be reduced. The advantages and disadvantages of this preferred method according to the article mentioned correspond to the advantages and disadvantages of a heat treatment in a first mixer and the cooling and homogenization in a second mixer. If the solution with two mixers is not preferred, this is probably due to the fact that no efficient, versatile and simply constructed mixers for heat treatments and cooling steps are known from the prior art. As part of the above-mentioned tests, a ploughshare and an inclined blade mixer were tested for the heat treatment and the cooling. Both mixers were flowed through with cooling air. However, it has been shown that the mixers can only ensure sufficient homogeneity. A particularly intensive contact or heat exchange between the bulk material and the process air is not achieved with these mixers.

From DE 39 02 271 A1 a mixer is known which comprises a rotatably arranged drum with a partially perforated jacket wall in a housing. The product passes in the region of a first end face in the drum and is moved for example by means of a screw attached to the inside of the jacket wall due to the rotational movement of the drum against the second end face, where an outlet opening is provided. An air guiding device comprises a feed device on the housing and a discharge device from the drum, so that the process air passes through the perforated region of the jacket wall and the bulk material adjacent thereto into the interior of the drum and via the discharge device from the drum. The bulk material is fluidized by the process air and mixed due to the rotation of the drum to avoid uneven treatment due to the formation of dead zones. Preference is given to a solution in which the supply device alternately faces a perforated and then again a closed region, so that the bulk material is only alternately flowed through by process air. The solutions according to DE 39 02 271 A1 have the disadvantage that a portion of the process air passes through a gap region between the drum and the housing without the bulk material to flow through to the discharge device. During a part of the rotary movement, the perforated jacket areas are aligned such that no bulk material rests on the inside and process air flows in from the outside, so that the process air passes through the perforation into the drum without contact with the bulk material. The air that flows through without contact to the bulk material is thus discharged unused, which is not efficient. In addition, the structure with the housing, the rotatable drum and the axial discharge device is very expensive. In order to achieve sufficient fluidization at greater bulk material layer thicknesses, large flow velocities must be selected, which in turn leads to undesirable separation in terms of particle sizes and to carry an undesirably high proportion of product.

From EP 338 099 A1 a device with a rotatable drum and a fluidization bed is known. The fluidization bed is formed by an air box with a perforated surface, wherein the air box and thus the fluidization bed extends in the lower portion of the drum interior in the direction of the axis of rotation over a portion of the drum. In the area with the air box, the drum on its inside a ring of lifting blades, so that bulk material is carried by the lower drum area, which trickles as the blades rise against the upper drum area from the lifting blades on the fluidizing bed. The trickling bulk material is both from air which is conveyed along the drum axis through the drum and flows through air from the air box. The bulk material falling onto the air box or onto the fluidization bed must flow transversely to the drum axis beyond the edge of the fluidization bed to the lower drum area, where it is detected by the lifting blades. At least in For a portion of the drum to be able to remove the process air upwards, the drum wall must be perforated in this area. It is now very difficult to design the drum, the air box and the drives for the process air in the drum and in the air shaft so that a bulk layer with constant thickness and in the direction of the drum axis a desired throughput of bulk material is ensured on the entire fluidization. The design varies greatly correspond to the bulk material to be treated, so that no versatile standard device can be provided. In addition, the layer thickness on the fluidization bed can vary greatly, in particular undulating, which leads to greatly differently treated subsets of the bulk material. In order to achieve sufficient fluidization at larger bulk material layer thicknesses, large flow velocities must be selected, which leads to undesirable separation in terms of particle sizes and to carry an undesirably high proportion of product. In addition, in the case of solutions with fluidizing areas there is the danger that the openings of the fluidizing area become blocked with bulk material.

A disadvantage of rotary drum devices is that only a small portion of the drum volume is filled with bulk material during operation. It is essentially a bulk kidney that occupies a maximum of 10 to 15% of the drum volume. Also over the fluidization areas, the filling level is severely limited, which has a negative effect on the achievable filling quantity. Due to this small capacity and because rotating drums also need to be rebuilt or shut off for safety reasons, the space required in relation to the receiving volume and thus the achievable throughput is undesirably large.

With rotating drums, all particles move on individual paths. This means that directly adjacent particles from the entrance to the exit from the drum can take very different paths. For the residence time of the particles in the drum and thus for the treatment time, this results in a broad spectrum and one can not assume a homogeneously treated bulk material. The mean residence time in the drum must be greater than the time required for the treatment. This reduces the achievable throughput. In the case of hygienisation, the broad spectrum of residence can lead to individual germs not being destroyed due to extremely short passageways through the drum.

From DE 149 590 and DE 323 462 containers are known in which a driver cage is rotatably disposed about the container axis. According to DE 149 590 feeds and top discharges are arranged to carry out steam at the bottom of the container. The movement and thus the treatment of individual particles of the bulk material is very different.

The object of the invention is now to find a simple, versatile and efficient device for treating bulk material with process gas.

In a first inventive step, it has been recognized that a rotating drum, in the interior of which the bulk material is received, limits the possible uses of the device. When supplying and discharging process air into or out of a rotating drum tight connection must be provided from the rotating drum to the non-co-rotating, stationary air guide parts, which is associated with a great effort. In leaky connections, a portion of the process air can not be passed through the bulk material. In addition, the wall of a rotating drum can be connected only with additional effort to a cooling or heating circuit. If a solid or a non-rotating container is used, it can be formed with little effort with a heating or cooling jacket and thus also give contact heat to the bulk material or absorb heat from this. As a solid container, a container is referred to, which is not rotated and thus always remains in the same position. With a solid container, no measures are necessary to prevent operators from contacting rotating parts. Air guide parts can easily be connected tightly to the non-rotating container. In order to be able to convey the bulk material in the axial and / or circumferential direction of a cylindrical container having a substantially horizontally extending container axis, a driver cage is rotatably arranged in the container about the container axis, which makes carrier elements movable along the container inner wall. Preferably, the driver cage comprises at least one screw element and optionally at least one substantially parallel to the drum axis extending fin element. The design of the worm and / or the lamellar elements allows desired bulk material movements in the direction of the container axis and to achieve in the circumferential direction. Optionally, the container axis is arranged slightly inclined, so that the bulk material movement is excited or supported in the axial direction by gravity.

In a second inventive step, it was recognized that even without a fluidizing bed, an intense thermal contact between the bulk material and the process gas or process air can be ensured if the bulk material falls in a veil-like manner through the process air, at least in a partial region. On a fluidizing bed over a perforated surface, which is supplied from below air, can be dispensed with. It just has to it can be ensured that the process air is introduced into the veil or into the bulk material below the veil area, ie in a collecting area, by at least one feed opening. The flow rate can be chosen to be small, because the process air is not used to fluidize a bulk material layer but rather to flow through a veil and, for example, a loosened or thin layer of bulk material. The entry opening can be directed downwards and can be a large opening, so that the obstruction occurring in fluidizing areas can be excluded. When the supply opening is directed downwards, it is formed, for example, on a supply device arranged in the interior of the container and of the carrier cage.

So that the lamellar or possibly the screw elements can take the bulk material in the circumferential direction up to an upper portion of the container interior, they are optionally formed scoop-shaped. Preferably, however, the lamellar elements cooperate in the rise area with an inner guide surface, so that a conveying region is formed between the container inner wall and the guide surface, in which the worm and / or lamella elements move. The bulk material is thus pushed in the direction of movement of the screw and / or lamellar elements in front of these elements through the conveyor area. The bulk material conveyed in the circumferential direction falls in a veil from the upper end of the guide surface through the container against its lower region. In a solution with paddle-shaped lamellar elements, they must be formed so that the bulk material is emptied in a predetermined peripheral region of the lamellar elements to form a veil.

The inventive solution thus comprises a solid container with a cylindrical shell wall. The container axis is substantially horizontal, or inclined at a small angle to the horizontal. A driver cage is rotatably disposed within the container about the container axis and includes follower elements that move as it rotates along the container interior wall. The driver cage comprises as a driver element at least one screw element and / or at least one substantially parallel to the drum axis extending fin element. The driving elements make bulk material in the circumferential direction feasible to a discharge area, from where the bulk material falls in a veil against the bottom. In the lower interior of the container, at least one supply opening for process air is arranged. Here are the discharge area and at least one discharge opening and the at least one feed opening are arranged for the process air such that the process air flows from the feed opening towards the discharge area and then to the discharge opening. The discharge opening is for this purpose formed in the upper peripheral region of the container. The at least one feed opening for process air can be formed on a fixed feed device arranged inside the driver cage or optionally also on the container inner wall.

According to a preferred embodiment, the driver elements cooperate with an inner guide surface, so that between the container inner wall and the guide surface, a conveyor region is formed, in which move the screw and / or fin elements. The discharge area is formed by the upper end region of the guide surface. Optionally, the guide surface is connected to the supply device for the process air, wherein the feed opening connects, for example, to the lower edge of the guide surface. In order to ensure easy cleaning of the container interior, the guide surface and in particular the associated feed device from the container in the axial direction is arranged to be pulled out.

The veil-like falling bulk material is absorbed in the lower part of the container. It forms in a collection area a bulk layer with an upper level surface. In the lower edge region of the bulk material layer, that is to say in a partial ring region adjoining the container wall, the bulk material is set in motion by the driver elements. Now, if the driver elements comprise at least one preferably continuous screw or helix and a guide surface is provided, then a controlled throughput of the bulk material can be ensured by the container. In order to achieve a desired throughput, the thickness of the conveyor area between the container inner wall and the guide surface is determined. In addition, can be determined by the choice of the radial extent of the screw elements in relation to the thickness of the conveying region of the driving share, which also affects the throughput. The thread pitch determines the achievable throughput per turn. The throughput per revolution can be converted by the multiplication with the speed into a throughput per time. The ratio of vessel fill to throughput per time provides the average residence time. For a given treatment time can be determined according to the configuration of the device an appropriate speed.

A continuous screw ensures, in addition to the controlled throughput, that particles in the same volume range are essentially always guided together during feed in the screw. This controlled feed helps to achieve a narrow treatment spectrum for all particles. Accordingly, a homogeneous treatment of the bulk material can be achieved and the risk for insufficiently treated particles can be greatly reduced. In addition, the mean residence time can be selected directly according to the desired treatment time. Because the residence time does not have to be unnecessarily large, a high throughput can be achieved.

To additionally mechanically loosen the bulk material in a part of the collecting area, preferably at least one loosening shaft, preferably a paddle shaft, is arranged parallel to the container axis below the veil. The loosening elements fastened to the loosening shaft, in particular paddle elements, at least partially, if necessary also completely, move through the bulk material layer during rotation of the loosening shaft, whereby they loosen up bulk material and optionally agitate over the upper level surface. If necessary, the loosening elements act on the veil over the bulk material layer. With such a mechanical loosening the filling height in the container can be very large. Even if more than 50% of the filled drum or more than 50% of the fillable interior are filled, the process air can enter into intensive heat exchange contact with the loosened bulk material, part of the loosening in the area of the veil and a part in the area of Loosening elements is given.

The bulk material passes preferably in the region of a first end side of the container via an entry device from above into the container and leaves the container via a discharge device in the region of its second end face. The input and output device are preferably designed so that essentially no process air can escape. These devices include about rotary valves. The discharged from the discharge device from the container process air with the particle content contained therein is passed through a separator, preferably at least one cyclone, wherein about on the air outlet side of the separator a suction fan is arranged. In closed loop processes, the air outlet side is reconnected to the feeder. In an open process air cycle, the process air is discharged from the air outlet side to the environment or optionally fed to another process step. The separated from the separator bulk material is optionally reintroduced into the container or fed directly to the discharge.

The inventive device for treating bulk material is simple and versatile. It can be used for cooling, drying and heating with process air or gas, for example for sanitizing. It goes without saying that steam can also be used for heating. For this purpose, steam nozzles are arranged in the container interior so that the exiting steam is introduced into the bulk material layer at the collecting area. With the process air moisture can be removed from the bulk material, so that even with the entry of large amounts of steam, the moisture content of the bulk material during discharge is in a desired range.

The device mechanically achieves a bulk veil with loosened bulk material, or with particles that are surrounded by free spaces. In the area of the bulk goods curtain, process air can enter into intensive heat exchange contact with the bulk material. The process air does not have to fluidize the bulk material and can therefore flow through the bulk material at a lower flow velocity, which prevents unwanted entrainment of a high proportion of product. Because the product is discharged at the end of a mixing operation, no segregation of the particle size occurs in the discharge device. The device allows processes with a high degree of thermal utilization due to an efficient combination of mechanical elements and an air duct. Optionally, the heat is recovered from the exhaust air. If odor-laden warm exhaust air is passed through the bulk material, the bulk material can be preheated and a reduction of the odor, the exiting the device exhaust air, can be achieved.

In the region of the veil or the overlying discharge opening for the process air, a screening or fractionation of the bulk material can be carried out, so that the device can also be used, for example, for separating the bulk material into fine material and coarse material.

Substantially similar devices can be arranged in series and / or in parallel. For example, when two devices for cooling or heating are connected in series with each other, the air outlet side of the lower container can be connected to the air supply device of the upper container. The process air is used in two stages for cooling or heating. Optionally, contact heat is emitted or absorbed by the inside of the container and in particular also by the guide surface. For this purpose, guides for a heat transfer medium, for example, as a double-walled boundary or possibly heating elements are provided in these surfaces, if necessary.

The inventive device is not limited to the treatment of meal-shaped products, but can be used advantageously for the treatment of all bulk materials. In particular, cubes or expandates can also be treated. In addition, in addition to process steps with feed and food, treatments with process air of any other bulk materials can be carried out. For example, sawdust can be dried.

Fig. 1

eine schematische Darstellung einer Behandlungsvorrichtung mit einer Führungsfläche, wobei die Prozessluft über eine radial innerhalb des drehbaren Mitnehmerkäfigs angeordnete Zuführvorrichtung eintragbar ist,

Fig. 2

eine schematische Darstellung einer Behandlungsvorrichtung mit Schaufelelementen am Mitnehmerkäfig, wobei zum Eintragen von Prozessluft zwei verschiedene Zuführvorrichtungen dargestellt sind,

Fig. 3

einen schematischen Längsschnitt durch eine Vorrichtung, bei der ein Einschubteil mit der Zuführvorrichtung, der Führungsfläche, der Dampfeintragsvorrichtung und einer Auflockerungswelle in axialer Richtung aus dem Behälter entnehmbar und einsetzbar ist,

Fig. 4

einen schematischen Querschnitt durch eine Vorrichtung nach Fig. 3.,

Fig. 5

einen schematischen Längsschnitt durch eine Vorrichtung nach Fig. 3. ohne Einschubteil,

Fig. 6

einen schematischen Längsschnitt durch den Einschubteil einer Vorrichtung nach Fig. 3.,

Fig. 7

einen schematischen Längsschnitt durch eine Vorrichtung, bei der ein Einschubteil mit der Zuführvorrichtung, der Führungsfläche und der Dampfeintragsvorrichtung in axialer Richtung aus dem Behälter entnehmbar und einsetzbar ist,

Fig. 8

einen schematischen Längsschnitt einer Vorrichtung gemäss Fig. 3 mit einer Abscheidevorrichtung,

Fig. 9

einen schematischen Querschnitt der Vorrichtung gemäss Fig. 7,

Fig. 10

einen schematischen Querschnitt einer Vorrichtung mit zwei in Serie angeordneten Behältern zum Behandeln von Schüttgut, und

Fig. 11

eine schematische Seitenansicht einer Vorrichtung gemäss Fig. 9.

The drawings illustrate the invention with reference to two embodiments to which it is not limited. It shows

Fig. 1

1 a schematic representation of a treatment device with a guide surface, wherein the process air can be introduced via a feed device arranged radially inside the rotatable carrier cage,

Fig. 2

a schematic representation of a treatment device with blade elements on Mitnehmerkäfig, wherein for the input of process air two different feeding devices are shown,

Fig. 3

a schematic longitudinal section through a device in which an insertion part with the supply device, the guide surface, the steam injection device and a loosening shaft in the axial direction can be removed from the container and used,

Fig. 4

a schematic cross section through a device according to Fig. 3.,

Fig. 5

a schematic longitudinal section through a device according to FIG. 3 without insertion part, FIG.

Fig. 6

a schematic longitudinal section through the insertion part of a device according to Fig. 3.,

Fig. 7

a schematic longitudinal section through a device in which an insertion part with the supply device, the guide surface and the steam injection device in the axial direction can be removed and inserted from the container,

Fig. 8

FIG. 3 shows a schematic longitudinal section of a device according to FIG. 3 with a separating device, FIG.

Fig. 9

a schematic cross section of the device according to FIG. 7,

Fig. 10

a schematic cross section of an apparatus with two arranged in series containers for treating bulk material, and

Fig. 11

a schematic side view of a device according to FIG. 9th

1 shows a device 1 for treating bulk material with process air or gas. The device 1 comprises a fixed cylindrical container 2, which is closed in its longitudinal direction by a first and a second end face 2a, 2b. A container axis 2c extends substantially horizontally or inclined at a small angle to the horizontal. The bulk material passes through an entry device 3 into the interior of the container 2. A discharge device 4 serves to discharge treated bulk material from the container 2. The entry device 3 is, for example, at the first end face above and the discharge device 4 optionally at the second end face at the bottom of the container 2 arranged so that the bulk material is conveyed by the container after the entry into the container 2 during the treatment in the direction of the container axis 2c. The delivery is preferably mechanical, in particular with a driver cage 8, which comprises, for example, a screw element 8a. In a tilted against the horizontal container axis 2c, the bulk material can also be moved by gravity against the discharge device 4. In order to close the container 2 at the entry device 3 and the discharge device 4 substantially tight, these are formed, for example, as rotary valves.

In order to treat the bulk material in the container 2 with process air or gas, a feed device 5 is formed with a feed opening 5a. The feed opening 5a preferably extends at the lower end region of the feed device 5 in the direction of the container axis 2c over substantially the entire interior of the container 2.

It goes without saying that, if necessary, feed openings 5a, for example in the form of slots, can also be formed in a lateral region 5c of the feed device 5. The feed opening 5a or the lateral area 5c is formed so that the entry of bulk material into the feed device 5 in the operating state is prevented. After passing through a bulk material layer 9, the process air reaches the upper level 9a of this layer and then flows through a bulk material veil 10 against a discharge device arranged in the upper container region 6 which is connected via a discharge opening 6a with the container 2. Optionally, the process air also passes directly into the bulk goods 10. By the feed device 5 is disposed inside the Mitnehmerkäfigs 8, the feed opening 5a can be formed against the bottom and a large opening. In order to prevent that in a clockwise rotating Mitnehmerkäfig 8 bulk material enters the interior of the feeder 5, the edges of the feed opening 5a are inclined towards the bottom in the direction of rotation. The excited by the Mitnehmerkäfig 8 bulk material movement is deflected by these acting as baffles boundaries down.

The supply of the feeding device 5 takes place from the second end face 2b forth via a connection opening 5b, which has the largest possible cross-section and therefore prevents too high entrance velocities even at a large process air throughput. By a sufficiently large dimensioning of the feeding device 5 and the feed opening 5a ensures that the process air reaches the bulk material with a large throughput and sufficiently low flow velocity. In the illustrated embodiment, the feeding device 5 occupies together with the guide surface 13 a share of 30-40% of the container interior and is in the range of a container half. The other container half and the region of the Mitnehmerkäfigs 8 are provided for receiving the bulk material and the bulk goods.

In order to produce a bulk goods curtain 10 by mechanical means over the bulk material layer 9, at least one lamellar element 8b is preferably arranged on the driver cage 8, but a plurality of lamella elements 8b, which are uniformly spaced in the circumferential direction, are arranged. A driver drive 11 (FIG. 3) sets the driver cage 8 in a rotational movement according to arrow 11a. The lamellar elements 8b act for example with an inner guide surface 13 and with the container inner wall 2d together, so that between the container inner wall 2d and the guide surface 13, a conveyor region 14 is formed. The discharge area 12 is formed by the upper end region of the guide surface 13. The lamellar elements 8b are attached to longitudinal elements 8e of the driver cage 8. Preferably, the attachment is formed so that the position of the lamellar elements 8b radially relative to the longitudinal elements 8e is adjustable so that the entire displacement effect of the longitudinal and lamellar elements 8e, 8b is adjustable. By this adjustability, the radial portion of the conveyor region 14, which is occupied by the longitudinal and lamellar elements 8e, 8b, are adjusted. Because the driver cage 8 in addition to the lamellar elements 8b for the promotion in the circumferential direction preferably includes at least one screw element 8a for the promotion in the direction of the container axis 2c, by adjusting the position of the lamellar elements 8b, the ratio between the promotion in circumferential and the promotion in Axial direction to be changed.

Starting from the discharge area 12, the bulk goods veil 10 forms in the container 2. The feed opening 5a is below and the discharge opening 6a is arranged above the bulk goods veil 10, so that the process air at least partially flows through the bulk goods veil 10 in the operating state. In the illustrated embodiment, the guide surface 13 is connected to the feeding device 5, wherein the feed opening 5a adjoins the lower edge of the guide surface 13. In order to ensure easy cleaning of the container interior, the guide surface 13 and in particular the feed device 5 connected thereto at the second end face 2b from the container 2 in the axial direction can be pulled out.

The container 2 and possibly also the guide surface 13 preferably comprise at least partial regions in which a contact surface allows heat transfer between the adjacent bulk material and a heat transfer medium or at least one heating element. For example, the container 2 and / or the guide surface 13 is double-walled, so that the heat transfer medium can be passed through a cavity 15.

2 shows an embodiment in which the driver cage 8, in addition to the screw element 8a, comprises scoop-shaped lamellar elements 8c. The scoop-shaped fin elements 8c are formed so as to be in the lower tank area Absorb received bulk material in a given peripheral area to form veils. On a guide surface 13 can be omitted, so that a larger peripheral area can be used for the formation of veils. The discharge area extends over a partial ring section along which the discharge edges of the blade-shaped lamellar elements 8c move when dumping bulk material. In order to prevent the bulk material particles in a veil from carrying out excessive movements in the direction of the container axis 2c, bulkhead plates can be arranged inside the container 2 radially inside the driver cage 8, so that the interior space is subdivided into subspaces in the axial direction.

In order to treat the bulk material in the container 2 with process air or gas, at least one of the two illustrated supply devices 5 'and 5 "can be provided The supply device 5' is arranged in the interior of the container 2 analogously to the supply device 5 according to FIG comprises at least through the upper feed openings 5a, the process air passes directly into the bulk goods 10 and flows after intensive contact with bulk material particles over a substantially The feed slots of the roof-shaped feed devices 5 'can also be advantageously used with an embodiment 13 according to FIG formed separately and the tip is positioned in the central region of the veil 10, so that trickles down on both sides of the feed device.

The second feeding device 5 "shown is located outside of the container 2. The process air passes through a feed opening 5a" in the form of a surface with extremely small holes in the interior of the container 2. The bulk material is to be retained in the container. Because the small holes can be blocked, would have to work at high air speeds, but this is not desirable. Therefore, this solution is not practical for all bulk materials. It may be used for bulk materials that may not cause blockages.

If process air flows through bulk material, then the flow channels can be varied by means of pulsation. The pulsating air changes the bed and makes it possible a more intensive exchange between the process air and the bulk material. Pulsed process air may be provided by, for example, disposing a rotating flap 16 in the feeder. A pulsation device may be assigned to any of the described delivery devices as needed.

FIGS. 3 to 7 show a device according to FIG. 1 which additionally comprises a loosening shaft 17. The loosening shaft 17 loosens the bulk material mechanically and thus enables the process air to reach an intensive heat exchange contact with the bulk material at a lower flow velocity. It goes without saying that in a container with a larger diameter and / or a higher upper bulk material level two or more loosening waves 17 can be provided.

Because devices without Auflockerungswelle 17 can be constructed substantially the same as the embodiment according to Figures 3 to 7, the structure of a solution according to FIG. 1 with reference to Figures 5 and 7 will be explained. 5, the container 2 with the entry device 3 at the first end face 2a above, the discharge device 4 at the second end face 2b below and the discharge device 6 is shown. The driver cage 8 in the interior of the container 2 comprises at the first end face 2 a a first and at the second end face 2 b a second closing element 8 c or 8 d. The two end elements 8c, 8d are connected to each other in the container wall, ie radially outward, via longitudinal connections 8e. The longitudinal connections 8e and / or fin elements 8b attached thereto ensure rotation of the entrainment cage 8, conveying bulk material in the circumferential direction. The first end element 8c is connected to a central drive shaft 18, which is rotatably mounted on the container 2 via first pivot bearings 18a and can be driven by the driver drive 11. The second end element 8d is ring-shaped and is mounted on the container 2 radially outward via bearings 8f.

In the illustrated embodiment, the bearings 8f are arranged in the form of rollers on the container 2, the rollers abutting a running surface 8g of the closing element 8d. Along the circumference at least three but preferably at least four rollers are arranged. In order to allow a controlled conveyance of the bulk material in the direction of the container axis 2c, at least one screw element 8a, preferably in the form of a continuous thread line, is provided on the longitudinal connections 8e, formed, wherein the thread line protrudes at least a little over the longitudinal connections 8e and optionally attached thereto lamellar elements 8b against the container wall. This ensures that bulk material is conveyed directly to the container wall from the screw element 8a and bulk material, which is spaced further from the container wall, by the lamellar elements 8b, optionally by the longitudinal connections 8e. The lamellar elements 8b are preferably designed as short pieces which can be inserted between successive turns of the screw element 8a. It goes without saying that the short pieces can have different shapes. They form entrainment elements which, when the entrainment cage 8 is rotated, move along an area in the container inner wall 2d and thereby make bulk material feasible in the circumferential direction to a discharge area, so that at least one bulk product veil can be achieved in the container 2 starting from the discharge area.

In the second end face, an insertion opening 2d is formed in the container 2, through which an insertion part 19 can be inserted into the container 2. The insertion part 19 comprises the feeding device 5 and / or the guide surface 13 and / or a steam injection device 24 and / or the loosening shaft 17 and can be removed and used for cleaning purposes in the axial direction from the container. The parts of the insertion part 19 are optionally each individually or at least partially, but possibly all, can be used together in the container. The loosening shaft 17 comprises loosening tools 17a, preferably paddles. It is rotatably supported by second pivot bearing 20 on the insertion part 19 and is driven by a Auflockerungsantrieb 21. In order to fix the insertion part in the container 2 centered on both sides, the insertion part 19 is mounted at the first end face 2a with a third pivot bearing 22 at a central pin 23 or at a recess and at the second end face 2b via a cover plate 19a and a closing ring 19b connected radially outside with the container 2, wherein the loosening drive 21 is preferably attached to the outside of the end plate 19a.

The steam introduction device 24 comprises, for example, a main line and a plurality of distribution lines 24a, which extend against a region of bulk material and at the end comprise outlet nozzles, which introduce the steam into the bulk material. The steam introducing device 24 is optionally connected to the feeding device 5 and / or the guide surface 13.

8 and 9 show a device with a discharge device 6, which is connected to a separation device, preferably at least one cyclone 25 and then to an air drive device 26. In order to reuse the bulk material from the cyclones 25, the discharge devices of the cyclones are connected to the interior of the container 2. If appropriate, filters, in particular bag filters, are also used instead of the cyclones. Because the filters must be cleaned or replaced, they should only be used for treatments or bulk materials that carry very small amounts of the bulk material through the process air. From the air drive device 26 optionally performs a process air return 28 via an adjustable valve 29 to the feeder 5. As a result, the device can also be operated with a closed process air circuit, or optionally with a recirculation and a fresh air portion, in which case the valve 29 exhaust both proportionally the environment as well as the feeding device 5 feeds.

If two cyclones are used, the system can be made compact. A cyclone with the same capacity as two cyclones would have a much greater height. In addition, it can be selected in each case whether one or both cyclones are to be used for the current application.

In order to cool or heat the container wall 2d and / or optionally the guide surface 13 with a cooling or heating medium, at least one inlet connection 32 and at least one outlet connection 33 are provided on the container 2 and / or on the insertion part 19.

FIGS. 10 and 11 show a device with two containers 2 arranged in series. Both containers 2 comprise an entry device 3 and a discharge device 4 for introducing or discharging bulk material and a respective supply device and a discharge device for supplying or discharging process air. The discharge device of the first or upper container serves as an entry device of the second container 2 and thus becomes a transfer device 30. Preferably, the discharge device 6 of the second container 2 is connected to the supply device 5 of the first container 2, so that both containers 2 can be operated in series are, wherein the process air is used first in the second and then in the first container 2. With this arrangement, two-stage heat treatments and two-stage cooling can be used which is often much more efficient than a one-step process with a larger container.

Claims (10)

1. Apparatus for treating bulk material comprising a rigid cylindrical receptacle (2) having a first and a second front side (2a, 2b), and a receptacle axis (2c), which extends substantially horizontally or inclined to the horizontal by a small angle, feeding means (3) as well as discharge means (4) for feeding and discharging bulk material, and supply means (5) as well as evacuating means (6) for supplying and evacuating process air, a carrier cage (8) with at least one carrier element (8a, 8b) being rotatably arranged within said receptacle (2), while a carrier drive (11) enables said carrier cage (8) to be driven, and said at least one carrier element (8a, 8b) moves during rotation along a region at the inner receptacle wall (2d), thus enabling bulk material to be guided in circumferential direction towards a discharge region (12) so that, starting from said discharge region, at least one veil of bulk material (10) is obtained within said receptacle (2), a supply opening (5a) of said supply means (5) being situated below and an evacuating opening (6a) of said evacuating means (6) being situated above a portion of said veil of bulk material (10) and the process air flows at least partially through said veil of bulk material (10), characterised in that at least one guiding surface (13) is arranged within said receptacle (2) and faces the region including said carrier cage (8) so that a conveying region (14) is formed between the inner receptacle wall (2d) and said guiding surface (13) in which said at least one carrier element (8a, 8b) moves.
2. Apparatus according to claim 1, characterised in that said guiding surface (13) extends from a lower receptacle region to an upper receptacle region, and the discharge region (12) is formed by the upper terminal region of said guiding surface (13).
3. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that said supply means (5) extend in radial direction within said carrier cage (8) into the interior of said receptacle (2) and comprises preferably at least one downwards directed supply opening (5a).
4. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 3, characterised in that it comprises steam feeding means (24), which are preferably connected to said supply means (5) and/or to said guiding surface (13).
5. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 4, characterised in that it comprises at least one loosen up shaft (17) including a loosen up drive (21) and loosen up elements (17a), said at least one loosen up shaft (17) extending in radial direction within said carrier cage (8) into the interior of said receptacle (2).
6. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 5, characterised in that said supply means (5) and/or said guiding surface (13) and/or said steam feeding means (24) and/or said loosen up shaft (17) may be removed in axial direction from said receptacle (2), for example for cleaning purposes, and inserted, said guiding surface (13) and said supply means (5) and/or said steam feeding means (24) and/or bearing means of said loosen up shaft (17), but preferably all removable parts of the device, being interconnected, thus forming a slide-in unit (19) in common.
7. Apparatus according to claim 6, characterised in that the carrier cage (8), at the first front side (2a) of the receptacle (2), comprises a central shaft element (18) which is rotatably supported at said receptacle (2) and is connected to said carrier drive (11) radially outside said receptacle (2), while being supported at the second front side (2b) radially outside said receptacle (2), and that optionally said slide-in unit (19) is supported at the first front side (2a) by a third rotation bearing (22) on a central engagement element (23), while being connected at the second front side radially outside with said receptacle (2).
8. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 7, characterised in that at least one carrier element (8a, 8b) is helically formed as a screw element (8a) and/or at least one carrier element (8a, 8b) is formed in the shape of a lamella as a lamellar element (8b), preferably substantially parallelly to the receptacle's axis (2c), said at least one lamellar element (8b) being preferably mounted to be radially adjustable.
9. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 8, characterised in that said evacuating means (6) is in communication with separator means, preferably at least one cyclone (25), and subsequently, in particular, with an air conveyor (26), a bulk material return line (27) leading optionally from said separator means into said receptacle (2) and/or a process air return line (28) leading from said air conveyor (26) to said supply means (5).
10. Apparatus according to any of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that a further receptacle (2), comprising feeding means (3) as well as discharge means (4) for feeding and discharging bulk material and supply means (5) as well as evacuating means (6) for supplying and evacuating process air, is provided, the discharge means (4) of the first receptacle (2) serving as feeding means (3) of said further receptacle (2), while preferably the evacuating means (6) of the further receptacle (2) is in communication with the supply means (5) of the first receptacle (2), so that two receptacles (2) may be operated in series.

Images