EP2692247A1 - Tobacco material expansion method and device - Google Patents
Tobacco material expansion method and device Download PDFInfo
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- EP2692247A1 EP2692247A1 EP11862760.3A EP11862760A EP2692247A1 EP 2692247 A1 EP2692247 A1 EP 2692247A1 EP 11862760 A EP11862760 A EP 11862760A EP 2692247 A1 EP2692247 A1 EP 2692247A1
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- tobacco material
- steam
- cyclone
- steam flow
- duct
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- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 title claims abstract description 120
- 235000002637 Nicotiana tabacum Nutrition 0.000 title claims abstract description 118
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 title claims abstract description 32
- 244000061176 Nicotiana tabacum Species 0.000 title 1
- 241000208125 Nicotiana Species 0.000 claims abstract description 117
- 238000001035 drying Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 30
- 230000008961 swelling Effects 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 230000001143 conditioned effect Effects 0.000 claims description 12
- 238000007796 conventional method Methods 0.000 abstract description 4
- 238000005507 spraying Methods 0.000 description 9
- 230000003750 conditioning effect Effects 0.000 description 8
- 229920006395 saturated elastomer Polymers 0.000 description 7
- 238000000926 separation method Methods 0.000 description 7
- 238000005096 rolling process Methods 0.000 description 6
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 6
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 4
- 230000000052 comparative effect Effects 0.000 description 3
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 description 3
- VTYYLEPIZMXCLO-UHFFFAOYSA-L Calcium carbonate Chemical compound [Ca+2].[O-]C([O-])=O VTYYLEPIZMXCLO-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 2
- 239000003795 chemical substances by application Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000009833 condensation Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000005494 condensation Effects 0.000 description 2
- 230000006866 deterioration Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000011295 pitch Substances 0.000 description 2
- 230000000391 smoking effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 2
- 240000005979 Hordeum vulgare Species 0.000 description 1
- 235000007340 Hordeum vulgare Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 241000761557 Lamina Species 0.000 description 1
- 238000013459 approach Methods 0.000 description 1
- 229910000019 calcium carbonate Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000002347 injection Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000007924 injection Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000002156 mixing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000013021 overheating Methods 0.000 description 1
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- 239000000843 powder Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005303 weighing Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
- A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
- A24B3/00—Preparing tobacco in the factory
- A24B3/18—Other treatment of leaves, e.g. puffing, crimpling, cleaning
- A24B3/182—Puffing
Definitions
- Improvement in filling capacity by 50 cc per 100 g or greater corresponds to approximately 10% in percentage. Since the filling capacity of unprocessed cut stems before being dried (after being conditioned and shredded) is 410 cc per 100 g, the expansion coefficient had increased to 51% in Example 4, for example, which demonstrates that the present method is an excellent expanding method.
- the cut stems were supplied onto the tunnel-type vibratory conveyor of the moistening device at 320 kg/time by wet weight basis. While the cut stems are conveyed via the tunnel-type vibratory conveyor, saturated steam at a gauge pressure of 5 bars (0.5 MPa) at a temperature of 150°C is sprayed toward the cut stems from a plurality of holes in the lower surface of the conveyor at 130 kg/time (total amount of steam sprayed in the steam spray section), and thereby the cut stems were moistened and swollen.
- the water content in the moistened cut stems was 39.0% by weight, which had increased by 2% by weight from the water content (37.0% by weight) at the time of conditioning.
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- Manufacture Of Tobacco Products (AREA)
Abstract
Description
- The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for expanding tobacco material.
- Tobacco material (such as stems), which is separated from tobacco leaves, constitutes 20-30% by weight of tobacco leaves. Shreds of stems (cut stems) are used as tobacco shreds together with cut laminas of tobacco leaves, from which the stems are removed, for the purpose of utilizing tobacco material. In general, cut stems are obtained by rolling and shredding stems. The cut stems are subjected to an expanding process including conditioning and drying, so as to increase filling capacity and combustibility and soften the smoking taste. Conventional processes of expanding cut stems and techniques related thereto will be described below.
- Japanese Patent No.
4031115 - The specification of
U. S. Patent No. 4,766,912 discloses a method and an apparatus for expanding tobacco material. According to the U. S. patent, the apparatus comprises a steam spraying device including a vibratory conveyor for conveying tobacco material and conveys the tobacco material by spraying steam via holes in a lower surface of the vibratory conveyor to the material being conveyed while vibrating the material, and a fluidized bed dryer, in an attempt to improve filling capacity of the tobacco material. The specification ofU. S. Patent No. 2,802,334 discloses an apparatus comprising a closed transport duct formed as a vibratory conveyor including an inlet and an outlet, a supply device for supplying steam or a heated gas to a bottom of the transport duct, and spraying holes, in relation to the above-mentioned U. S. Patent. - Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No.
62-3778 - The above-mentioned conventional techniques, however, have problems as will be described below.
- In the apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent No.
4031115 -
U. S. Patent No. 4,766,912 discloses a structure of causing the steam spraying device to convey the material by vibration and spray steam from the holes in the bottom surface of the vibratory conveyor. Since deterioration of driving components caused by the vibration is fast, this structure is inferior in terms of durability. Spraying of steam from the bottom surface of the vibratory conveyor uses perforations with diameters of as small as 0.8 mm, for example. Accordingly, the perforations are clogged with scale (inorganic substances such as calcium carbonate) contained in the steam and fine powder of tobacco material. Clogging of the perforations causes fluctuation in the amount of steam and makes the quality of processed tobacco material unstable. - In the technique disclosed in Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No.
62-3778 - The present invention provides a method for expanding tobacco material capable of increasing filling capacity of the tobacco material compared to conventional techniques.
- The present invention provides an apparatus for expanding tobacco material with a simple structure capable of increasing filling capacity of the tobacco material compared to conventional techniques and achieving continuous processing and high durability.
- According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for expanding tobacco material, comprising: moistening and swelling tobacco material by swirling tobacco material together with a steam flow at temperatures of 100-160°C in contact therewith; and drying the tobacco material after being moistened and swollen.
- According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for expanding tobacco material, comprising: a cyclone including an inlet, a vent, and an outlet; a supply duct connected to the inlet of the cyclone; an exhaust duct connected to the vent of the cyclone; a steam supply section connected to the supply duct; a tobacco material supply section connected to the supply duct in a position between a connection part of the steam supply section and the inlet of the cyclone; and a dryer to which tobacco material discharged from the outlet of the cyclone is conveyed and configured to dry the tobacco material.
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FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an apparatus for expanding tobacco material according to an embodiment. - A method for expanding tobacco material according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described.
- Tobacco material is moistened and swollen by swirling the tobacco material with a steam flow at temperatures of 100-160°C in contact therewith.
- Cut stems, for example, can be used as the tobacco material. Cut stems are obtained by separating rod-like stems from tobacco leaves and rolling and shredding the rod-like stem material according to a fixed method. More specifically, rod-like stem material is conditioned to a moisture content of 15-50% by weight, preferably 20-40% by weight, for example. The conditioned rod-like stem material is rolled by a rolling mill with 0.5 to 1.2 mm roll pitches, for example, and is shredded into 0.1-0.3 mm widths, and thereby cut stems are produced.
- Steam at temperatures of 100-160°C can moisten and swell the tobacco material without drying the tobacco material. Preferably, the temperature of the steam should be in the range of 110-150°C.
- Swirling of tobacco material together with a steam flow can be performed by introducing the tobacco material into a cyclone, for example, together with the steam flow. The residence time by the swirling should preferably be 0.5-5 seconds.
- By letting the tobacco material contact the steam flow at the above-mentioned temperature in the above-mentioned residence time, condensation heat transfer of the steam to the tobacco material occurs. The condensation heat transfer causes increase in moisture and temperature (goods temperature) of the tobacco material, which makes tobacco tissues flexible and causes moistening and swelling. When the tobacco material contacts the steam flow at the above-described temperature in the above-described residence time, the moistened and swollen tobacco material does not dry and increases in moisture content to a level equal to a level before contacting the steam flow, or by 5% by weight or less.
- The moistened and swollen tobacco material is dried, and thereby expanded.
- Drying can be performed by letting the tobacco material contact a superheated steam flow or a heated air flow.
- The superheated steam flow should preferably have a temperature higher than the temperature of the steam of the first step. By thus letting the superheated steam flow have a temperature higher than the temperature of the steam of the first step, the moistened and swollen tobacco material can be efficiently dried. The superheated steam flow should preferably have a temperature higher than the temperature of the steam of the first step, within the range of temperatures of 160-300°C. When the temperature of the superheated steam is 160°C, for example, the temperature of the steam of the first step is set to a temperature less than 160°C, and the temperature of the superheated steam is set to be higher than the temperature of the steam. Preferably, the temperature of the superheated steam should be within the range of 180-280°C.
- A variety of existing approaches can be adopted in order to let the moistened and swollen tobacco material contact the superheated steam flow. In particular, the tobacco material should preferably be swirled together with the superheated steam flow. Swirling can be performed using a cyclone, for example. The residence time by the swirling should preferably be 2-15 seconds.
- After the drying process, the moisture content of the tobacco material can be reduced to 3-15% by weight, for example.
- According to the above-described method for expanding tobacco material of the present embodiment, by swirling tobacco material together with a steam flow at temperatures of 100-160°C in contact therewith, the tobacco material (such as cut stems) can be made into contact with the steam in a dispersed state without being damaged. As a result, the tobacco material can be moistened and swollen efficiently. After that, the moistened and swollen tobacco material is dried. Thereby, expanded tobacco material (such as expanded cut stems) with high filling capacity, compared to the conventional one obtained by directly drying conditioned tobacco material, can be obtained. By letting the moistened and swollen tobacco material contact heated air, preferably a superheated steam flow (in particular, at a temperature higher than the temperature of the steam of the preceding step, preferably a superheated steam flow within the range of temperatures of 160-300°C) during drying of the tobacco material, the filling capacity of the tobacco material can be further increased. By reducing the moisture content of the dried tobacco material to a level lower than 12% by weight, expanded tobacco material with remarkably increased filling capacity can be obtained.
- When the tobacco material swirls together with the steam flow in contact therewith in the moistening and swelling step, the time required for moistening and swelling can be arbitrarily controlled by adjusting the amount of steam and the amount of air discharge. As a result, the filling capacity of the cut stems can be freely controlled by the drying process.
- An apparatus for expanding tobacco material according to an embodiment will now be described with reference to
FIG. 1 . - A
cyclone 1 includes aninlet 2 on a sidewall, avent 3 at an upper part, and an outlet 4 at a bottom part. One end of asupply duct 5 is connected to theinlet 2 of thecyclone 1. One end of anexhaust duct 6 is connected to thevent 3 of thecyclone 1. Adryer 7 is arranged adjacent to thecyclone 1. - A
steam supply tube 8 is connected to the other end of thesupply duct 5. Thesteam supply tube 8 includes an on-offvalve 9 which adjusts the amount of supply of steam. Aheater 10 is arranged in thesupply duct 5 in a position between a connection part of thesteam supply tube 8 and theinlet 2 of thecyclone 1. - A tobacco
material supply section 11 is connected to thesupply duct 5 in a position between theheater 10 and theinlet 2 of thecyclone 1 via afirst air locker 12. - The outlet 4 of the
cyclone 1 is connected to adischarge duct 13, and asecond air locker 14 is interposed in thedischarge duct 13. One end of a transportation member, such as avibratory conveyor 15, is positioned on the side of thedischarge duct 13 of thecyclone 1, and the other end is positioned on the side of thedryer 7. Thevibratory conveyor 15 conveys tobacco material discharged from thecyclone 1 to thedryer 7. A belt conveyor may be used instead of the vibratory conveyor as the transportation member. When the dryer is a pneumatic conveying dryer including a duct in which superheated steam circulates, thedischarge duct 13 of thecyclone 1 may be directly connected to the duct of the dryer. - A
drain separator 16 and anexhaust fan 17 are connected in this order to theexhaust duct 6 from thevent 3 of thecyclone 1. The other end of theexhaust duct 6 is made open so as to discharge steam circulating therein to the outside, or connected to thedryer 7 via abranch duct 18 so as to be reused as a drying source of thedryer 7. - A
diaphragm valve 19 is arranged in thebranch duct 18. Apressure gauge 20 is connected to thebranch duct 18 in a position on the side of thedryer 7 from thediaphragm valve 19. An aperture of thediaphragm valve 19 is controlled on the basis of pressure detection data (pressure detection signal) from thepressure gauge 20. - A method for expanding tobacco material using the apparatus for expanding tobacco material shown in
FIG. 1 will now be described. - Tobacco material (such as cut stems) is prepared. The cut stems are obtained by conditioning rod-like stem material to a moisture content of 20-40% by weight (wet basis), rolling the conditioned stem material using a rolling mill with 0.5-1.2 mm roll pitches, and then shredding the rolled stem material into 0.1-0.3 mm widths.
- Dry saturated steam at a gauge pressure of 1-7 bars is sprayed into the
supply duct 5 from thesteam supply tube 8. The steam flow is heated by theheater 10 of thesupply duct 5 as necessary. After that, the cut stem s are continuously supplied to thesupply duct 5 from the tobaccomaterial supply section 11 via thefirst air locker 12. By driving thedischarge fan 17 in advance, the cut stems flow into thecyclone 1 from thesupply duct 5 together with the steam flow at temperatures of 100-160°C, and swirl together with the steam flow. In this case, the cut stems increase in moisture content to a level equal to a moisture level before the steam is supplied, or by 5% by weight, and is sufficiently moistened and swollen. Preferably, the circulation time in thesupply duct 5 and the swirling time in thecyclone 1 should be 0.5-5 seconds, for example. - After the swirling, the cut stems are separated from the steam flow. The separated cut stems are discharged to the
vibratory conveyor 15 via thesecond air locker 14 from thedischarge duct 13 connected to the outlet 4 of thecyclone 1. When theexhaust fan 17 is driven, the steam flow is discharged to theexhaust duct 6 from theoutlet 3 of thecyclone 1, from which the steam flow is discharged to the outside. While the steam flow circulates in theexhaust duct 6, water condensed in the steam flow is discharged from thedrain separator 16. - The moistened cut stems are conveyed to the dryer (pneumatic conveying dryer, for example) 7 via the
vibratory conveyor 15. The moistened cut stems are dried in the pneumatic conveyingdryer 7, and thereby expanded. Drying in the pneumatic conveyingdryer 7 can be performed using a superheated steam flow or a heated air flow. The superheated steam flow should preferably have a temperature higher than that of the steam supplied to thecyclone 1, within the range of temperatures of 160-280°C. - When the steam exhausted from the
cyclone 1 is used as a part of the superheated steam of the pneumatic conveyingdryer 7, an aperture of thediaphragm valve 19 arranged in thebranch duct 18 is controlled on the basis of pressure detection data (pressure detection signal) from thepressure gauge 20, and a desired amount of steam flow circulating in thebranch duct 18 is introduced into the pneumatic conveyingdryer 7. - The obtained expanded cut stems have a moisture content of 3-15% by weight. The expanded cut stems have filling capacity of 580-750 cc per 100 g, and can improve the filling ability by approximately 30-70% compared to the filling capacity (450 cc per 100 g) of undried cut stems immediately after shredding.
- In a step of drying cut stems in a system of a second cyclone 21 and a second circulation duct 25, when the moisture content has dropped to 10% or less by weight, for example, it is permitted to condition the cut stems by a known method, for example, by spraying water.
- As described above, according to the apparatus for expanding tobacco material of the present embodiment, by performing moistening of the tobacco material (such as cut stems) using the
cyclone 1 and thesupply duct 5 connected to thecyclone 1, the cut stems can be efficiently contacted with a steam flow in a dispersed state, without being damaged. Generation of a swirling flow by the cut stems and the steam flow in thecyclone 1 makes it possible to increase the residence time of the cut stems in the steam flow even if the apparatus is reduced in size. As a result, the cut stems can be efficiently moistened and swollen, and by causing the pneumatic conveyingdryer 7 to dry the cut stems thereafter, expanded cut stems with increased filling capacity can be obtained. - Since the
cyclone 1 and thesupply duct 5 installed in the expanding apparatus have an extremely simplified structure which does not require a rotary component or a mesh screen as in conventional apparatuses, the apparatus is excellent in durability and is capable of performing the steps of moistening and drying of the cut stems continuously. - Further, by letting the
branch duct 18 divided from theexhaust duct 6 connected to thevent 3 of thecyclone 1 and connecting thebranch duct 18 to the pneumatic conveying dryer 7 (such as a pneumatic conveying dryer which uses a superheated steam flow), steam circulating in thebranch duct 18 from thecyclone 1 via theexhaust duct 6 can be efficiently used as a part of superheated steam of thedryer 7, thereby achieving energy-saving operation. - The example of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the apparatus for expanding tobacco material shown in
FIG. 1 . - In Example 1, a drying step was performed using the pneumatic conveying
dryer 7 ofFIG. 1 . - Rod-like stem material of flue-cured tobacco of 100% by weight, for example, was conditioned by a method known to a person skilled in the art, e.g. by spraying water or steam, to a moisture content of 37% by weight, for example. Cut stems as tobacco material was prepared by causing a pair of rollers arranged at an interval of 0.8 mm to roll the rod-like stems, and then shredding the stems into 0.2 mm widths.
- The cut stems were continuously introduced into the pneumatic conveying
dryer 7 at a flow quantity of 25 kg/time by wet weight basis. The pneumatic conveying dryer is formed of a duct measuring approximately 100 mm in diameter and approximately 22 m in length, and a cyclone measuring approximately 460 mm in diameter and including a separator with an effective height of approximately 1.4 m. The dried medium circulating in the duct at a slot of the cut stems is adjusted by supplying 40 kg/time of saturated steam at a gauge pressure of 2 bars (0.2 MPa), such that the steam ratio becomes 90% by volume (which can be regarded as being approximately equal to a superheated steam flow) and the rate of flow becomes 25 m/s. That is, the cut stems circulated in the duct together with the superheated steam flow at 280°C, swirled and dried in the cyclone together with the superheated steam flow, and were thereby expanded. The residence time by the swirling was 5 seconds. - Cut stems were dried and expanded in a manner similar to that of Example 1, except that the temperatures of the superheated steam flow circulating together with the cut stems were set to 260 and 210°C, respectively, in the duct of the pneumatic conveying
dryer 7. - In Example 4, the apparatus for expanding tobacco material shown in
FIG. 1 was used. - Cut stems (37% by weight in moisture content and 0.2 mm in width) subjected to a process similar to that of Example 1 was prepared.
- Saturated steam at a gauge pressure of 5 bars (0.5 MPa) was injected into the supply duct 5 (approximately 50 mm in diameter and approximately 0.6 m in length) arranged in a horizontal state from a nozzle part (3 mm in diameter) of the
steam supply tube 8 at a flow quantity of approximately 40 kg/time. The cut stems were continuously introduced into thesupply duct 5 via thefirst air locker 12 from the tobaccomaterial supply section 11 at a flow quantity of 36 kg/time by wet weight basis. In this case, the steam flow circulating in thesupply duct 5 was saturated steam at a temperature of 150°C. By driving theexhaust fan 17 in advance, the cut stems were introduced into the cyclone 1 (approximately 250 mm in diameter and including a separator with an effective height of approximately 0.75 m) together with the steam flow from thesupply duct 5, and swirled together with the steam flow, and were thereby moistened and swollen. The transit time in thesupply duct 5 and the cyclone 1 (residence time was 1.5 seconds) was approximately 1.8 seconds. The moisture content of the moistened cut stems was 39% by weight, which had increased by 2% by weight from the moisture content (37% by weight) at the time of conditioning. - After that, the moistened cut stems discharged from the
cyclone 1 were continuously introduced into the pneumatic conveyingdryer 7 via thevibratory conveyor 15, and the moistened cut stems were dried by a superheated steam flow under conditions similar to those of Example 1, and thereby expanded. The temperature of the superheated steam was set to 280°C. - Moistened cut stems were dried and expanded in a manner similar to that of Example 4, except that the temperature of the superheated steam flow circulating together with the cut stems was set to 215°C, in the duct of the pneumatic conveying
dryer 7. - The expanded cut stems obtained in Examples 1-5 were stored (conditioned) for 1 week in a constant temperature and humidity room at a temperature of 22.0°C and a relative humidity of 60%. After the equilibrium moisture content was obtained, the filling capacity was measured.
- The filling capacity indicates the filling ability when the tobacco shreds are filled in rolling paper so as to be smoked. The measurement was performed using D51 from Borgwaldt, Germany. The examination was performed by measuring the filling capacity of the expanded cut stems 5 times repeatedly and calculating an average value.
- The moisture content of the expanded cut stems was obtained as an average value of 5 points calculated from difference in weight before and after drying, after putting approximately 2 g of expanded cut stems into a weighing bottle and letting the expanded cut stems dry for 1 hour in a natural convection oven at a temperature of 100°C.
- The filling capacity and the moisture content of the expanded cut stems of Examples 1-5 are shown in Table 1.
Table 1 Whether moistening was performed and steam temperature thereof Superheated steam temperature (°C) during drying Moisture content (% by weight) of cut stems Filling capacity (cc/100g) During conditioning After drying Example 1 No 280 37.0 5.0 565 Example 2 No 260 37.0 6.0 560 Example 3 No 210 37.0 13.0 535 During moistening After drying Example 4 Yes (150°C) 280 39.0 7.0 620 Example 5 Yes (150°C) 215 39.0 12.0 610 - As clear from Table 1, in Examples 4 and 5, in which the conditioned cut stems were moistened by steam at a temperature of 150°C before being dried by a superheated steam flow, the filling capacity increases (improves) by 50 cc per 100 g or greater, compared to Examples 1-3, in which the cut stems were not moistened by a steam flow before being dried by a superheated steam flow, at every moisture level.
- Improvement in filling capacity by 50 cc per 100 g or greater corresponds to approximately 10% in percentage. Since the filling capacity of unprocessed cut stems before being dried (after being conditioned and shredded) is 410 cc per 100 g, the expansion coefficient had increased to 51% in Example 4, for example, which demonstrates that the present method is an excellent expanding method.
- Rod-like stem material obtained by mixing 70% by weight of flue-cured tobacco and 30% by weight of barley tobacco was conditioned to a moisture content of 37% by weight, by a method known to a person skilled in the art, e.g. by spraying water or steam. Cut stems as tobacco material were prepared by causing a pair of rollers arranged at an interval of 0.8 mm to roll the rod-like stems, and then shredding the rolled stems into 0.2 mm widths.
- A moistening device including a tunnel-type vibratory conveyor and including a plurality of holes, from which steam was sprayed, in a lower surface of the conveyor was prepared. External dimensions of this device were 3800 mm in length, 400 mm in width, and 1500 mm in height, and a steam spray section was 2400 mm in length.
- After that, the cut stems were supplied onto the tunnel-type vibratory conveyor of the moistening device at 320 kg/time by wet weight basis. While the cut stems are conveyed via the tunnel-type vibratory conveyor, saturated steam at a gauge pressure of 5 bars (0.5 MPa) at a temperature of 150°C is sprayed toward the cut stems from a plurality of holes in the lower surface of the conveyor at 130 kg/time (total amount of steam sprayed in the steam spray section), and thereby the cut stems were moistened and swollen. The water content in the moistened cut stems was 39.0% by weight, which had increased by 2% by weight from the water content (37.0% by weight) at the time of conditioning.
- The conditioned and swollen cut stems were continuously supplied to the pneumatic conveying dryer with a structure similar to that of Example 1 at the flow quantity of 25 kg/time by wet weight basis, and were dried and swollen by a superheated steam flow (at a temperature of 220°C) under conditions similar to those of Example 1.
- Saturated steam at a gauge pressure of 5 bars (0.5 MPa) was injected into the supply duct 5 (approximately 50 mm in diameter and approximately 0.6 m in length) arranged in a horizontal state from a nozzle part (3 mm in diameter) of the
steam supply tube 8 at the flow quantity of approximately 40 kg/time. Cut stems (with a moisture content of 37% by weight) subject to a process similar to that of Example 6 were continuously introduced from the tobaccomaterial supply section 11 to thesupply duct 5 via thefirst air locker 12 at the flow quantity of 36 kg/time by wet weight basis. In this case, the steam flow circulating in thesupply duct 5 was saturated steam at the temperature of 150°C. By driving theexhaust fan 17 in advance, the cut stems were introduced from thesupply duct 5 into the cyclone 1 (approximately 250 mm in diameter and including a separator with an effective height of approximately 0.75 m) together with the steam flow, swirled together with the steam flow, and were thereby moistened and swollen. The transit time in thesupply duct 5 and the cyclone 1 (residence time was 1.5 seconds) was approximately 1.8 seconds. The moisture content of the moistened cut stems was 39% by weight, which had increased by 2% by weight from the moisture content (37% by weight) at the time of conditioning. - After that, the moistened cut stems discharged from the
cyclone 1 was continuously introduced into the pneumatic conveyingdryer 7 via thevibratory conveyor 15, and the moistened cut stems were dried and swollen by a superheated steam flow under conditions similar to those of Example 1. The temperature of the superheated steam was set to 220°C. - The expanded cut stems obtained in Examples 6 and 7 were stored (conditioned) in a constant temperature and humidity room at a temperature of 22.0°C and a relative humidity of 60% for 1 week. After the equilibrium moisture content was obtained, filling capacity was measured in a manner similar to those of Examples 1-5.
- The moisture content of the expanded cut stems were obtained in a manner similar to those of Examples 1-5.
- The obtained results are shown in Table 2.
Table 2 Steam temperature (°C) during moistening Superheated steam temperature (°C) during drying Moisture content (% by weight) of cut stems Filling capacity (cc/100g) During moistening After drying Example 6 150 220 39.0 10.5 610 Example 7 150 220 39.0 11.0 635 - As clear from Table 2, in Example 7, in which cut stems were moistened and swollen in a cyclone and dried by a superheated steam flow, the filling capacity can be increased compared to Example 6, in which cut stems were moistened and swollen by a tunnel-type vibratory conveyor including a plurality of holes from which steam was sprayed, and were dried using a superheated steam flow.
Claims (9)
- A method of expanding tobacco material, comprising:moistening and swelling tobacco material by swirling tobacco material together with a steam flow at temperatures of 100-160°C in contact therewith; anddrying the tobacco material after being moistened and swollen.
- The method of claim 1, wherein tobacco material before contacting the steam flow is conditioned to 15-50% by weight.
- The method of claim 1, wherein the moistened and swollen tobacco material has a moisture content equal to that of the tobacco material before contacting the steam flow, or a moisture content which has increased by 5% by weight or less.
- The method of claim 1, wherein the residence time by the swirling is 0.5-5 seconds.
- The method of claim 1, wherein drying of the tobacco material is performed by letting the tobacco material contact a superheated steam flow or heated air.
- The method of claim 5, wherein the superheated steam flow has a temperature higher than the temperature of the steam.
- The method of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the tobacco material is cut stems.
- An apparatus for expanding tobacco material, comprising:a cyclone including an inlet, a vent, and an outlet;a supply duct connected to the inlet of the cyclone;an exhaust duct connected to the vent of the cyclone;a steam supply section connected to the supply duct;a tobacco material supply section connected to the supply duct in a position between a connection part of the steam supply section and the inlet of the cyclone; anda dryer to which tobacco material discharged from the outlet of the cyclone is conveyed and configured to dry the tobacco material.
- The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the discharge duct is divided into a branch duct, which is connected to the dryer.
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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PCT/JP2011/058342 WO2012132008A1 (en) | 2011-03-31 | 2011-03-31 | Tobacco material expansion method and device |
Publications (3)
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EP2692247A1 true EP2692247A1 (en) | 2014-02-05 |
EP2692247A4 EP2692247A4 (en) | 2014-11-12 |
EP2692247B1 EP2692247B1 (en) | 2018-08-08 |
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Cited By (4)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN103892441A (en) * | 2014-03-26 | 2014-07-02 | 河南中烟工业有限责任公司 | Tobacco stem soaking water recycling method |
CN104082849A (en) * | 2014-08-01 | 2014-10-08 | 云南中烟工业有限责任公司 | Two-section type tobacco stem microwave expansion processing method |
CN106805282A (en) * | 2017-02-16 | 2017-06-09 | 红塔烟草(集团)有限责任公司 | A kind of method for controlling water content of chimneying formula dried material |
IT202000004129A1 (en) * | 2020-02-27 | 2021-08-27 | Magg Consulting S R L | Improved Method for Treating Tobacco. |
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EP2952105B1 (en) | 2013-02-04 | 2019-08-14 | Japan Tobacco Inc. | Expanding method of tobacco raw material and expanding system of the same |
PL2991510T3 (en) | 2013-05-02 | 2020-06-15 | Jt International Sa | Vaporisable material |
GB2513631B (en) * | 2013-05-02 | 2018-08-15 | Jt Int Sa | A vaporisable material for use in a vapour generating device |
MY176773A (en) * | 2013-12-26 | 2020-08-21 | Japan Tobacco Inc | Method for producing tobacco material, and tobacco material produced by said production method |
WO2019004003A1 (en) * | 2017-06-28 | 2019-01-03 | 日本たばこ産業株式会社 | Method for estimating swelling property of leaf tobacco stem |
CN108523209A (en) * | 2018-06-29 | 2018-09-14 | 江苏中烟工业有限责任公司 | A kind of tobacco stalk processing method |
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Cited By (5)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
CN103892441A (en) * | 2014-03-26 | 2014-07-02 | 河南中烟工业有限责任公司 | Tobacco stem soaking water recycling method |
CN104082849A (en) * | 2014-08-01 | 2014-10-08 | 云南中烟工业有限责任公司 | Two-section type tobacco stem microwave expansion processing method |
CN104082849B (en) * | 2014-08-01 | 2016-02-03 | 云南中烟工业有限责任公司 | A kind of two-part offal microwave expansion processing method |
CN106805282A (en) * | 2017-02-16 | 2017-06-09 | 红塔烟草(集团)有限责任公司 | A kind of method for controlling water content of chimneying formula dried material |
IT202000004129A1 (en) * | 2020-02-27 | 2021-08-27 | Magg Consulting S R L | Improved Method for Treating Tobacco. |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
EP2692247B1 (en) | 2018-08-08 |
WO2012132008A1 (en) | 2012-10-04 |
EP2692247A4 (en) | 2014-11-12 |
JP5948316B2 (en) | 2016-07-06 |
JPWO2012132008A1 (en) | 2014-07-24 |
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