EP1827142B1 - Defibration of tobacco material - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing comminuted tobacco material, during which a tobacco starting material is heated and placed under pressure, whereupon this heated and material placed under pressure is guided in an unstressed manner through a shearing gap and defibrated. The invention also relates to a device for producing comminuted tobacco material with a pressure chamber, which has a tobacco material inlet on the low-pressure side, a tobacco material outlet on the pressure side, and a conveying device for conveying the tobacco material from the inlet to the outlet. The tobacco material outlet has a gap for the passage of the tobacco material that is not stressed, and this gap has gap walls that can move relative to one another. The invention additionally relates to a smoking article that has a defibrated tobacco material product comminuted in the aforementioned manner, and relates to the use of a stuffing screw extruder with a shearing gap outlet for defibrating tobacco material.

Description

The present invention relates to the defibering of tobacco material. In particular, it relates to the production of shredded tobacco material by defibration and, more particularly, the invention shreds a tobacco rib material to produce a product having particularly advantageous properties which can ultimately be used to make smoking articles.

In tobacco preparation, i. in those processing operations that take place prior to actual cigarette making and packaging, the major tobacco materials, namely tobacco leaves (lamina) and tobacco stems, undergo several process steps before they can be used to make smoking articles. Smoking articles may e.g. Cigarettes, cigarillos, rolls and sticks products as well as fine cut or pipe tobacco. Tobacco ribs can also be used at least partially in all of these smoking articles.

The said tobacco ribs may be whole tobacco ribs, which are also referred to below as tube ribs, or incompletely shredded tubular ribs, which are also referred to below as winnowings. Winnowings are coarse shredded rib particles that are usually sorted out by sight processes from already shredded tobacco because they are undesirable in smoking articles due to their size and shape and would degrade the smoking article quality. One differentiates still Winnowings from the cigarette production (ZHV Winnowings = Winnowings from cigarette manufacturing pack) and those from the tobacco preparation (TV Winnowings). Winnowings are usually recycled or disposed of as waste.

Conventional ribbing operations such as cutting or shredding pose a major challenge to the tobacco preparation process The rib material must be moistened evenly to the core to relatively high moistures of 30 to 50% for these processes, in order to ensure an optimum crushing result without excessive material losses due to tobacco dust. Subsequent expansion processes to increase filling capacity often require the highest possible input moisture content. Since the fin material is very difficult to uniformly condition (heat, cool, dry and moisturize) due to its coarse nature (woody and with material thicknesses of 1 to approx. 15 mm), most conditioning processes are linked to very long residence times. This is especially true for the humidification, which makes even an intermediate storage of humidified material of usually 2 to 6 hours necessary to ensure the penetration of moisture into the material interior. Even two-stage moistening processes are used. The high level of humidification required for the conventional standard processes described involves another major drawback, namely the need to dry the shredded tobacco material, such drying processes causing high energy and equipment costs.

The method of ribbed shredding has, in addition to the very high necessary processing humidity of e.g. about 40 to 45% the big disadvantage that the shredded material has too many small parts (fines), namely about 15 to 30%, depending on the process, which must be screened and either discarded or recycled to film recycled. This disadvantage also has some other methods, e.g. Use mills in ribbed mincing.

Other rib processing processes process the ribs into tobacco sheet for mixing with a leaf tobacco mix. For this ribs are crushed into very small parts. Such tobacco sheet manufacturing processes are known for example from DE 40 05 656 C2 and the DE 43 25 497 A1 known. The tobacco foil processes work with additives such as binders (eg starch), humectants (eg glycerine) and other additives (eg flavor enhancers), and they produce a product depending on the process moderate to poor fillability and sensory deficits compared to leaf tobacco.

From the DE 100 65 132 A1 For example, a process for producing agglomerates is known. Here it is proposed to make agglomerates of the smallest tobacco particles, in particular of tobacco dust, ie larger particle complexes which are not undesirably separated out in a cigarette manufacturing machine. The finest tobacco dust particles are mixed with binders and liquid as in the aforementioned methods, and then ejected from a compression and heating chamber to form agglomerates, that is, the larger units. Again, there are the above-mentioned disadvantages of using binders. Another disadvantage is that such a process is in principle not suitable for processing coarser tobacco material, since it is designed to produce larger agglomerates from small amounts of particles. A shredding of tobacco material is not possible in this process.

From the WO 94/01007 is a method for processing consisting of dried or mechanically dehydrated beet pulp or dried or mechanically dehydrated beet pulp containing material to feed known, wherein the material is compressed by a conveying element against the discharge end of a container, so that there with simultaneous increase in temperature on the material acting elevated pressure, and there is expressed from the container through a discharge out, which is changeable and closable by a counter-pressure element in the passage cross-section.

From the EP 1 444 905 is as well as from the DE 103 04 629 a method for pressure conditioning of food or semi-luxury material is known, in which the material is introduced through a rotary valve entrance into a standing under superatmospheric pressure conditioning chamber, there applied with a conditioning agent and discharged at a rotary valve outlet again from the conditioning chamber.

It is the object of the present invention to enable the production of shredded tobacco material without the above-mentioned disadvantages occurring. In particular, the invention should make it possible to produce by comminution a tobacco product which is suitable directly or with little post-processing as a smoking article material. Furthermore, the processing time and complexity should be reduced.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a method according to claim 1, as well as by a device according to claim 18. Further, the invention still further comprises a use according to claim 32. The subclaims describe advantageous embodiments of the invention.

The above-defined invention provides, inter alia, the following advantages: The rib materials used are upgraded, so that the product produced has only slight sensory deficits compared to leaf tobacco and are therefore used to a greater extent in the tobacco blend of a smoking article can. The product produced has a well-shredded and shredded structure, and is therefore optically scarcely discernible in cut-tobacco mixtures. The processes are simple and inexpensive, resulting in low investment and production costs. The space requirement for the devices to be used is very low due to the low complexity of the method. The defibration produces a product that can result in a reduced CO / condensate ratio in cigarette smoke compared to otherwise processed rib products. The invention enables continuous processing within a very short period of time; long storage times are avoided.

The advantages of the method according to the invention are based in particular on the combination of relaxation of the pressurized and heated tobacco material and the shear in the gap, whereby a very good defibering takes place overall. As far as the device according to the invention is concerned, its advantages are based in particular on the fact that the optimally shredded product can be produced by the mutually moving gap walls with high consistency and reliability. The product obtainable by the invention, in addition to the above-mentioned advantages, still has a filling capacity which is in the range of leaf tobacco and enables a high material yield; There are a few small parts. Storage times for tobacco rib material are greatly reduced or unnecessary.

The process according to the invention can be carried out in the following variants:

The tobacco raw material may principally comprise a coarse tobacco material, in particular having a particle size of more than 2 mm. It can be a tobacco rib material or a winnowing material, in particular with a rib size of more than 2 mm. It should be noted that tobacco materials such as pipe fins, winnowings, short stems or stem fibers but also scraps (small leaf tobacco particles), other small tobacco pieces or a mixture of the components mentioned can be used.

In contrast to film production, the process according to the invention offers the possibility of processing the tobacco materials used without the addition of structure-forming materials to a product which can be used in the smoking article.

The tobacco starting material can be heated to a temperature of 60 ° to 180 ° C, in particular 100 ° to 140 ° C, preferably 110 ° to 130 ° C and to a pressure of 10 to 200 bar, in particular 40 to 150 bar, preferably 60 to 120 bar, wherein the residence time of the tobacco material in a continuous pass can be less than 3 minutes, in particular less than 2 minutes and preferably less than 1 minute.

Preferably, the tobacco starting material is mechanically pressurized, in particular mechanically pressed in a chamber against the shear gap. In this case, the material can be pressurized by means of a screw conveyor, which presses the material against the outlet side of the chamber of a heatable screw conveyor on which the shear gap is located. The material can also be coarsely pre-shredded in the chamber or in the screw conveyor during transport to the shearing gap or coarsely pre-shredded.

The shear gap is biased closed according to one embodiment and is opened intermittently by the pressure of the tobacco material, wherein the material passes through the gap. On the other hand, the material can also advantageously be passed through a continuously opened shear gap.

The shear gap walls perform a relative movement during the passage of the tobacco material, even at a constant gap distance, ie with a continuous gap opening. The relaxation of the tobacco material takes place when passing through the shear gap in one embodiment to atmospheric pressure. Prior to or during heating and pressurization, tobacco material conditioning may take place with or without casing and / or flavor feeding, with the increase in material moisture from about 9 to 12% to about 18 to 45%, more preferably 20 to 30%. After relaxation and passing through the shear gap, the tobacco material According to one embodiment, have a moisture content of about 14 to 42%, preferably 16 to 18%, and it is possible to cool the tobacco material behind the shear gap at room temperature and under atmospheric pressure and thereby to dry or let it dry until it Has moisture of about 12 to 16%.

The shredded, pressure-shredded tobacco material from the method according to the invention can be supplied directly to further processing as a smoking article material if the tobacco raw material is a winnowing material or if sufficient pre-shredded material is used. On the other hand, the shredded, pressure-shredded tobacco material may be subjected to classification according to the method of the invention, e.g. if the starting material is a very coarse rib material. In this case, according to a preferred embodiment, the materials which have been rejected during classification are subjected to the process again, and the residue which has not been separated out can be directly supplied for further use as a smoking article material.

The device according to the invention can be provided in the following embodiments:

The gap walls of the device may be away from each other and movable towards each other; the gap walls may be biased toward the closed state of the gap. On the other hand, the gap walls with a fixed or fixed adjustable distance against each other be movable, in particular, the gap walls at a fixed distance of 0.01 mm to 2mm, in particular 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. These figures refer to smooth split walls.

According to a preferred embodiment, the gap walls on roughness or profiles, in particular groove or Kreuzrillenprofilierungen which are arranged longitudinally or transversely to the gap wall movement direction and have a depth of up to 2 to 3 mm. In the deep areas of the profiles, the distances of the shear gap are of course correspondingly larger than indicated above.

In one embodiment variant, the gap wall arranged on the pressure chamber is fixed, while the counter wall is arranged movably on a counter holder provided with a movement drive. The gap walls may be movable against each other continuously or intermittently, in one or two directions, or reciprocally. In particular, the gap may be an annular gap, preferably a cone gap.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the pressure chamber has a plug screw as a conveyor for conveying the tobacco material from the inlet to the outlet. It should be noted that a pressure generation by mechanical means, such as is produced for example by a plug screw, in the context of the invention can in principle also take place otherwise. It is not excluded that the pressure is generated mechanically in other ways, for example by a piston device or not mechanically or not only mechanically via a gas pressure.

If a plug screw is used, this advantageously means towards the area of the outlet chamber volume reducing measures, e.g. smaller slants, on.

In the pressure chamber mechanical Vorzerkleinerungsmittel or Vorzerfaserungsmittel are arranged with advantage. According to an advantageous embodiment of the device according to the invention in the same or in an upstream pressure chamber housing a Schneckenkammer pressure conditioning device is set. Such a pressure conditioning device is for example in the DE 103 04 629 A1 described, and it is very well suited for combination with the Druckzerfaserung invention. The pressure conditioning device may include all of the structural features disclosed in U.S. Pat FIG. 1 and the associated description of DE 103 04 629 A1 and these design features are hereby incorporated by reference.

Furthermore, it is still possible to equip the pressure chamber with inlets for conditioning or casing agent or flavor.

The smoking article comprises a shredded, shredded tobacco material product made by any of the foregoing methods or apparatuses. It may have the tobacco material product in a proportion of up to 50%, in particular from 0.5% to 35% and particularly preferably from 0.5% to 25%.

The invention further includes the use of a one or two worm conveyor with a shear gap outlet for defibering tobacco material. For the purposes of this invention, a shearing gap is an opening in which material is sheared during passage. So far, extruders - as described above - have always been used only for the production of tobacco foil or for producing agglomerates of the finest tobacco particles. The present invention describes for the first time a use of an extruder with a shear gap for the comminution and defibration of tobacco materials.

Within the scope of the use according to the invention, the process according to the invention can be carried out in all process variants and the device according to the invention can be used in all embodiments.

Figur 1

ein Ablaufdiagramm, das schematisch den Ablauf der Tabakvorbe- reitung unter Verwendung der erfindungsgemäßen Druckzerfaserung zeigt;

Figur 2

ein weiteres Ablaufdiagramm mit etwas detaillierterem Schema;

Figur 3

eine Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Druckzerfaserungs- vorrichtung;

Figur 4

eine Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Druckzerfaserungs- vorrichtung mit vorgeschalteter Druckkonditionierung in einer ersten Ausführungsform; und

Figur 5

ein Druckkonditiönierungs-Druckzerfaserungs-Kombinationsvorrichtung in einer zweiten Ausführungsform.

The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to embodiments. It may include all of the features listed herein individually and in any combination. Reference is made to the accompanying drawings. Show it:

FIG. 1

a flow chart showing schematically the procedure of the tobacco preparation using the pressure pulp according to the invention;

FIG. 2

another flowchart with a more detailed schema;

FIG. 3

an embodiment of a Druckzerfaserungs- device according to the invention;

FIG. 4

an embodiment of a Druckzerfaserungs- device according to the invention with upstream pressure conditioning in a first embodiment; and

FIG. 5

a pressure-conferring-pressure-fusing combination device in a second embodiment.

First, the classification of the pressure defibration according to the invention in the tobacco preparation process with reference to the FIGS. 1 and 2 be explained in more detail.

In general terms, the schematic procedure of tobacco preparation is FIG. 1 represented by ribs from the tubular to use in the final product.

Moisture values are given in terms of wetness and represent recommended and preferred values. Those skilled in the art can set optimum conditions if they follow the principles of the invention and thus adapt to optimal conditions of a particular device according to the invention (expansion plant).

The pipe fins typically enter the conditioning at a moisture content of about 10%. The conditioning can be carried out under atmospheric conditions, advantageous is a conditioning at superatmospheric pressure, such as in the previously mentioned DE 103 04 629 A1 described. When conditioning or at substantially the same time in the process (atmospheric or under pressure), the addition of casing and flavoring agents, as known to those skilled in the art, can also be carried out. The ribs leave the conditioning with a humidity of about 18% to 45% and are handed over to the defibration of the invention. Details of the defibration will be described below, also with reference to embodiments according to the FIGS. 3 to 5 ,

When shredded, the ribs usually lose some moisture, so that now the shredded ribs with 16% to 42% moisture are classified. There too large rib parts are conveyed back again and go through the previously described sequence again. Typically, this proportion is low and is less than 10% of the total mass. The other portion of the shredded ribs can now be treated differently depending on the desired process parameters. At humidities of, for example, 14% to 15%, the ribs go directly into the tobacco mixture for the end product smoking article. At higher humidities, eg 15% Up to 40%, the ribs still undergo expansion and drying and can then be added at the same 14% to 15% moisture in the mixture for the final product. This is possibly preceded by a classification, so that about remaining larger parts are separated and added back to the pipe sections, which then go through the process previously described again. If ZHV or TV winnowings are used as input material in this process instead of pipe butt, the process usually ends before the first classification, and the shredded winnowings go directly into the final product.

The FIG. 2 shows the process, in particular with regard to the defibration according to the invention and the process steps taking place immediately thereafter, somewhat more detailed and with more limited or slightly different moisture values. In principle, it should be noted that these values can always be selected and set by experts depending on the desired end product and the overall process parameters.

The FIG. 2 actually includes the first two process steps shown in boxes FIG. 1 (Conditioning, defibration, sifter). The tobacco material, in particular rib materials such as pipe lips, Winnowings, Short Stems and Stem Fibers, but also Scraps (small Blatttabakteilchen), other tobacco small parts or even a mixture of the individual enumerated components are conditioned in the first process step and depending on the material to about 20 % to 30% moistened. The moistening and, if appropriate, the addition of flavor and casing can conventionally be carried out under atmospheric pressure with a short storage time or even without storage time or under pressure, such as in the DE 100 38 114 A1 and the DE 103 04 629 A1 is described. If it is coarser rib material such as pipe lips, Short Stems or Stem Fibres pre-crushing of the material can be carried out on particle sizes between 2 and 15 mm, which is depending on the selected method and partially already frayed. The pre-shredding can be done by all common methods. However, dust and small parts should be avoided (smaller quantities of very small parts are tolerable). With the smaller starting materials, pre-shredding can be completely dispensed with.

Subsequently, the material is heated (about 60 ° to 180 ° C) and pressurized (about 10 to 200 bar), on the one hand to achieve the desired taste improvement by chemically running processes (eg Maillard reaction or caramelization) and on the other hand Sufficient energy to store the defibration by shearing and relaxing over a shear gap. The pressure generation and heating can be carried out with commercially available stuffing screws whose housing can also be heated in particular. Such systems will be described in more detail below.

Upon exiting the shear gap into the atmosphere, a sudden evaporation of the stored water and optionally also of other ingredients occurs, which leads to the material being defibrated and expanded in addition to the shear in the gap. Depending on the process pressure and temperature, the moisture content of the material is reduced by up to approx. 10% due to the flash evaporation and, in addition, tobacco ingredients are partially reduced. It has proved to be advantageous if the shear gap surfaces move relative to each other in a certain time to prevent clogging and eliminate. This ensures that the full cross-sectional area of the gap is utilized and there are constant physical conditions at the gap, ultimately resulting in a unitary product. For this purpose, it has also proven to be advantageous to structure the gap surfaces or to profile.

In the subsequent cooling of the material from about 100 ° C to room temperature, which may take place on a conveyor belt with air extraction, in particular from below, the tobacco material loses further moisture by evaporative cooling, so that it is possible to come without a dryer to a final product moisture, which allows a direct blending into the leaf tobacco mixture.

Whether a classification of the shredded tobacco material and the associated return of too large particles in the process is necessary depends on the material to be crushed and the type of pre-crushing. For ZHV winnowings or similar sized material, classification is usually not necessary.

Instead of e.g. preferably pre-shredded with a mill or crusher and with a heated plug screw to produce pressure and temperature, it is also preferable to use a single- or twin-screw extruder, because here the material pre-shredded by shearing, heated by the friction during crushing simultaneously and by the compression of the screw, a corresponding pressure is built up. So you can summarize with a device equal to three necessary process steps. In this case, the extruder must be designed so that the material is not otherwise comminuted and plasticized as usual in extrusion processes and desired (high density), but the fiber structure of the tobacco material is maintained. So there should be no extrusion in the classical sense.

• geschmackliche Aufwertung bzw. sensorische Verbesserung;
• Absenkung des Verhältnis CO/Kondensat im Rauch (gegenüber anderen Rippenprodukten, z.B. geschnittenen Rippenprodukten);
• Füllfähigkeit je nach Eingangsmaterial ähnlich bei geschnittenem Blatttabak;
• optisch unauffällige Faser ähnlich Blattschnitt;
• drastische Verkürzung von Lagerzeiten beim Feuchten bzw. keine Lagerzeiten bei Druckkonditionierung;
• kein Trockner;
• hohe Materialausbeute (Kleinteile kleiner als 1 mm weniger als 10%); und
• kompakter Gesamtprozess mit entsprechend niedrigem Platzbedarf und niedrigen Investitions- und Betriebskosten.

With the process according to the invention, all set goals are achieved:

• flavor enhancement or sensory enhancement;
• Lowering the CO / condensate ratio in the smoke (compared to other rib products, eg cut rib products);
• Fillability similar to input material, similar to cut leaf tobacco;
• optically inconspicuous fiber similar to leaf cut;
• drastic shortening of storage times during dampening or no storage times during pressure conditioning;
• no dryer;
• high material yield (small parts smaller than 1 mm less than 10%); and
• compact overall process with correspondingly low space requirements and low investment and operating costs.

An embodiment of the device according to the invention will now be described with reference to the FIG. 3 explained in more detail. There, a DruckzerfaserungsVorrichtung invention is shown, which is provided overall with the reference numeral 1. It has a chamber housing 2 and an auger 3 provided in this, which is rotated via the motor 4. Furthermore, in the drawing of FIG. 3 a tobacco material inlet 5 and optional inlets, for water, casing (and / or flavor) and steam are shown, bearing the reference numerals 6 and 7. At the outlet end (in the figure on the right), the chamber has a head 8, which forms an inner cone. The inner cone wall of the head 8 forms together with the outer cone wall of the outer cone 10, the gap 9 through which the subsidized by the screw 3 tobacco material can escape. At the gap tip of the inner cone 8 is an opening to the interior of the chamber 2 out. The leaked, shredded tobacco material is designated by the reference numeral 12.

The outer cone 10 is positioned by a counter-holder 11, which can simultaneously provide a rotary drive for the cone body 10. By means of this rotary drive, the cone 10, as shown by the curved arrow, are rotated about the central axis. The connection between the counter-holder 11 and the cone 10 is represented by a double arrow, which means that the cone 10 can be moved up on the axis of the inner cone 8. There he can be held firmly in its axial position, but also be arranged axially movable. By means of this construction, the width of the gap can be adjusted or adjusted, in addition, a back pressure to the left, ie generated in the direction of the closure of the gap 9 out, preferably by hydraulic means.

The first part of the defibration of the tobacco ribs is carried out according to the invention under superatmospheric pressure. This overpressure is generated by the tobacco material, in the special case conditioned tobacco ribs are conveyed in the chamber 2 by the screw 3, after they were introduced via the inlet 5. At the end of the auger there is a shear gap outlet, which almost closes off the delivery chamber similar to an extruder. Preferably, this stencil outlet is as in FIG. 3 shown, designed as an annular gap, namely as a cone gap 9, the gap width by the outer cone 10 (punch) is adjustable. As a result, the ribs are under an increased pressure (up to 200 bar) and an elevated temperature (in particular well above 100 ° C). In addition to the mechanical pressure created by the promotion of the ribs against this gap, additional forces act on the ribs, as act in the aisles of the screw conveyor in conjunction with the wall shear forces which pre-shred or pretreat the ribs. The shear can be assisted by introducing traction in the housing wall or by introducing additional flow resistances. In addition, steam may be supplied in several places to regulate the humidity, the temperature and the pressure in the screw conveyor or in the housing 2. By the supplied steam (For example, shown in Figure 7) and the intrinsic humidity of the ribs from the conditioning there is an additional defibration of the ribs when exiting the gap 9, because the water evaporates abruptly: the second part of the defibration. The pressurized moisture in the fins abruptly evaporates upon depressurization to atmospheric pressure after the annular gap; There is a flash evaporation.

The combination of conditioning and pressure fraying depends on the pressure conditions at which conditioning is performed. In the simplest case, with atmospheric conditioning, the tobacco material is simply conveyed via conveyors or a conveyor belt into the inlet 5, e.g. an inlet funnel fed. The conditioning can then take place, for example, at an intermediate point of the housing 2 by introducing water and casing, as indicated by the reference numeral 6.

The crucial step of the defibration takes place during the passage and the exit from the gap 9. When passing through the gap 9, the tobacco ribs are subjected to shearing between the gap walls, and upon exiting the gap, the previously mentioned flash evaporation takes place. The interaction of these effects produces the very well-shredded process product, which can be used at least to a large extent already in the production of smoking articles.

In order to prevent blockages from occurring at the narrow shearing gap 9 over a large area of the annular surface or conical surface, which then suddenly release again, it has proved helpful to keep the cone 10 in rotation about its axis of rotation. This rotation can be continuous or interrupted in one direction or change the direction of rotation. The rotation may be complete or may include only quarter / or third turns or smaller / larger units.

In addition, it has proven to be advantageous if the surface of at least one of the cones, the inner cone on the head 8 or the outer cone on the punch 10 is roughened or profiled, for example by the introduction of grooves or cross grooves up to 2 or 3 mm depth. Important here is only a roughening / profiling, the depth and the course (direction) of the grooves can be adjusted in any way. Especially in connection with the rotations of the cone 10 so blockages can be greatly reduced. This gives more homogeneous pressure conditions, which also lead to a more homogeneous end product.

The resulting defibrated process product exhibits similar appearance and usage characteristics as are known from shredded ribs. However, the pressure defibration according to the invention does not have the disadvantage of a high dust accumulation, as it is known in shredding ribs, also does not need to be pre-moistened as much as shredding, so that subsequent drying can be greatly reduced or eliminated.

As far as the combination or combination of conditioning and pressure defibration is concerned, on the basis of the present invention there are still additional possibilities, which are now based on the FIGS. 4 and 5 be explained. In the FIG. 4 the Druckzerfaserungsvorrichtung 1 according to the invention offset a Druckkonditionierungsvorrichtung 20 upstream. The pressure conditioning device 20 is generally such as shown in the DE 103 04 629 A1 especially in FIG. 1 and the associated description. Reference is additionally made to this. It has a tobacco material inlet 25 and a differential-pressure-resistant rotary valve 26, via which the tobacco material is introduced into the pressure chamber 21, where it is transported by means of a screw conveyor 22. The screw conveyor 22 is driven by the motor 24. At the end of the chamber 21, an outlet 27 for the tobacco material is shown, which simultaneously forms the inlet for the pressure-fusing device 1. Unlike the device after the DE 103 04 629 A1 located at the outlet of the pressure conditioning device no differential-pressure-tight lock; the tobacco material is transferred under the pressure of the chamber 21 into the inlet of the pressure-fusing device 1.

It is of course also possible in the context of the present invention, the exit from the pressure conditioning chamber 21 by means of a rotary valve and a Pressure reduction operate. Then, as in FIG. 3 , Tobacco material entered at ambient pressure in the Druckzerfaserung.

However, it is preferable to avoid a pressure drop when passing from the pressure conditioning into the pressure defibration in order to be able to provide a superatmospheric pressure over the entire process range from the beginning of the conditioning to the defibration, as in FIG. 4 is shown. The entire facility in FIG. 4 corresponds to the box "conditioning (and casing) / defibration" in FIG. 1 , The ribs are fed via the differential-pressure-tight rotary valve 26. The tightness of the lock 26 on one side and the narrow annular gap 9, which is always filled with shredded ribs in operation, allow to maintain a superatmospheric pressure throughout the combined device. The tightness of the rotary valve 26 can be optimized for this purpose by heating its housing.

After the introduction of the tobacco ribs in the chamber 21, the ribs are under superatmospheric pressure, which is maintained by steam supply against the naturally leaking rates of the rotary valve 26 (column and Schöpfvolumen). The steam heats the ribs and increases the humidity. In principle, in such a chamber, a drying with supersaturated steam is possible, but it is usually already for the application to defibration advantageous if the registered ribs have significantly higher humidities. By means of the screw conveyor 22, the tobacco ribs are conveyed through the conditioning chamber 21. In this case, various settings can be made (pitch of the screw, speed and inclination of the chamber), with which the residence time of the tobacco ribs can be adjusted. It is usually between 2 and 10 minutes. After the pressure conditioning, in which the addition of water, Casing- and / or Flavourmaterial can be done, the ribs are then transferred through the outlet 27 in the Druckzerfaserungsvorrichtung 1, and this entry can be easily achieved if the housing also funnel-shaped is trained. The typical residence time of the ribs in the area of defibration is less than 2 minutes, in particular less than 1 minute. The ribs then leave the pressure defibration in the desired, previously described condition.

Instead of the pressure conditioning screw, a conditioning screw under atmospheric pressures can also be used.

The FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of a plant with combined pressure conditioning and pressure defibration. The pressure conditioning device 20 and the pressure fiberizer 1 are basically constructed as in FIGS Figures 3 and 4 illustrated, why the designation of the individual components is unnecessary. The difference to the embodiment according to FIG. 4 is that the auger of the conditioning device 20 and the fiberizing screw of the pressure fusing device 1 sit on an axle and can be driven by a single motor. If the same rotational speed is then used for both screws, the different residence times in both process steps can be achieved by other means, eg by different cross-sectional volumes, fallback possibilities in the area of conditioning, etc.

In the cases of FIGS. 4 and 5 the conditioning measures and the steam injection are made by the corresponding already existing introduction possibilities of the pressure conditioning device, so it must not be made appropriate entries on the Druckzerfaserungsvorrichtung. In particular, the introduction of flavor and / or casing can be carried out both in the pressure range, ie in one of the pressure chambers, or atmospherically, ie outside the chambers.

Claims (34)

1. A method for producing cut tobacco material, wherein:

   - an initial tobacco material is heated and pressurised; and

   - the heated and pressurised material is fed through a shearing gap (9) and cut, in particular defibrated, by expansion.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial tobacco material is largely a coarse tobacco material, in particular with a particle size of more than 2 mm.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the initial tobacco material is a tobacco stem material, in particular with a stem size of more than 2 mm.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the initial tobacco material is a winnowing material.
5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which is performed using an initial tobacco material without adding structuring materials.
6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the initial tobacco material is heated to a temperature of 60 to 180°C, in particular 100 to 140°C, preferably 110 to 130°C, and pressurised to 10 to 200 bars, in particular 40 to 150 bars, preferably 60 to 120 bars, wherein the dwell time of the tobacco material in continuous circulation is less than 3 minutes, in particular less than 2 minutes, preferably less than 1 minute.
7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the initial tobacco material is mechanically pressurised, in particular mechanically pressed towards the shearing gap (9) in a chamber (2).
8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the initial tobacco material is pressurised by means of a conveyor screw (3) which presses the material towards the outlet end of the chamber (2) of a heatable screw conveyor, at which the shearing gap (9) is disposed.
9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the material is coarsely pre-cut and/or coarsely defibrated in the chamber (2) and/or in the screw conveyor as it is transported to the shearing gap (9).
10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the shearing gap (9) is closed with a bias and is intermittently opened by the pressure of the tobacco material, wherein the material passes through the gap (9).
11. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the material is fed through a continuously open shearing gap (9).
12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the shearing gap walls perform a relative movement as the tobacco material is fed through.
13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the tobacco material is expanded to atmospheric pressure as it passes through the shearing gap (9).
14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the tobacco material is conditioned, and/or casing and/or flavouring is added, before or during heating and generating the pressure, wherein the moisture content of the material is increased from about 9 to 12% to about 18 to 45%, in particular 20 to 30%.
15. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the tobacco material exhibits a moisture content of about 14 to 42%, preferably 16 to 18%, once it has been expanded and fed through the shearing gap (9).
16. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the tobacco material is cooled at room temperature and atmospheric pressure after the shearing gap (9) until it exhibits a moisture content of about 12 to 16%.
17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, wherein the cut and pressure-defibrated tobacco material is:

    - directly provided for further processing as smoking article material if the initial tobacco material is a winnowing material;

    - subjected to a classification if the initial material is a coarse stem material, wherein the materials which are separated out during classification are subjected to the method again, and the remainder which is not separated out is directly provided for further processing as smoking article material.
18. A device for producing cut tobacco material, comprising a heatable pressure chamber (2) which comprises a tobacco material inlet (5) at the low-pressure end and a tobacco material outlet at the pressurised end and a conveyor device (3) for conveying the tobacco material from the inlet (5) to the outlet, wherein the tobacco material outlet has a shearing gap (9) through which the tobacco material passes and is expanded, and the shearing gap (9) comprises gap walls which can be moved relative to each other and perform a relative movement even when the gap distance remains constant.
19. The device according to claim 18, characterised in that the gap walls can be moved apart from each other and towards each other.
20. The device according to claim 18 or 19, characterised in that the gap walls are biased towards the state in which the gap (9) is closed.
21. The device according to claim 18, characterised in that the gap walls can be moved relative to each other at a fixed or fixedly adjustable distance.
22. The device according to claim 21, characterised in that the gap walls have a fixed distance of 0.01 mm to 2 mm, in particular 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm.
23. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 22, characterised in that the gap walls exhibit roughened or profiled features, in particular grooved or intersecting grooved profiling which is preferably disposed longitudinally or transversely with respect to the direction in which the gap wall moves and in particular exhibits a depth of up to 2 to 3 mm.
24. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 23, characterised in that the gap wall disposed on the pressure chamber (2) is stationary, while the co-operating wall is movably disposed on a co-operating holder (11) provided with a movement drive.
25. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 24, characterised in that the gap walls can be moved relative to each other continuously or intermittently and in one or two directions or back and forth.
26. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 25, characterised in that the gap is an annular gap, in particular a conical gap.
27. The device according to any one of claims 24 to 26, characterised in that the pressure chamber (2) comprises a plug screw feeder (3) as a conveyor device for conveying the tobacco material from the inlet to the outlet.
28. The device according to claim 27, characterised in that the plug screw feeder (3) exhibits features which reduce the chamber volume towards the region of the outlet, in particular smaller screw pitches.
29. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 28, characterised in that mechanical pre-cutting means and/or pre-defibrating means are disposed in the pressure chamber (2).
30. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 29, characterised in that a screw chamber pressure-conditioning system (20) is disposed upstream of it in the same pressure chamber housing or an upstream pressure chamber housing.
31. The device according to any one of claims 18 to 30, characterised in that the pressure chamber comprises inlets (6, 7) for conditioning agents or casing agents and/or flavourings or steam.
32. The use of a plug screw feeder extruder comprising a shearing gap outlet for defibrating tobacco material.
33. The use according to claim 32, wherein one or more of the methods according to claims 1 to 17 is/are performed.
34. The use according to claim 32 or 33, wherein a device comprising features in accordance with any one of claims 18 to 31 is used to defibrate the tobacco material.

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