GB2102270A

GB2102270A - Straw briquetting press

Info

Publication number: GB2102270A
Application number: GB08219967A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Bernd Hollmann; Otger Weddeling
Original assignee: Claas KGaA mbH
Current assignee: Claas KGaA mbH
Priority date: 1981-07-29
Filing date: 1982-07-09
Publication date: 1983-02-02
Also published as: FR2510475B1; GB2102270B; FR2510475A1; DK336482A; DE3129788A1; DD202227A5

Abstract

Mobile apparatus for the production of highly compacted straw brlquettes comprises a bale breaking- up means, straw feed metering means which is provided with drying means, means for adding solid and/or fluid additives, a briquetting press with moisture measuring means, and an extrusion guide for the brlquettes, feed from the bale being dependent on the briquetting output, and the drives for the individual units being arranged so that a continuous flow of material results. The straw feed metering means may comprise an inclined belt (5) associated with a load sensor (5a). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Straw briquette press The invention relates to an apparatus for producing highly compacted straw briquettes.

Such apparatuses are known in practice.

However, none of the known apparatuses have been able to achieve success hitherto because on the one hand they were excessively large and were therefore not mobile while on the other hand they had only a low output capacity. The reason for the low capacity is that the straw to be briquetted was either too wet or too dry and therefore it was scarcely possible to form briquettes which were stable in shape.

The present invention is therefore based on the problem of so designing an apparatus of the kind set forth above that, in spite of having a stisfactorily high output capacity, the resulting structural unit is compact.

According to the present invention there is provided apparatus for producing highly compacted straw briquettes, wherein the apparatus is mobile and comprises means for breaking up a straw bale with a feed from the bale which is dependent on the briquetting output, straw feed metering means which is provided with a drying means, means for adding solid and/or fluid additives for conditioning the straw, a straw briquetting press with a moisture measuring means and an extrusion guide means for the briquettes, and wherein the drives for the individual units are so arranged that a continuous flow of crop material may be ensured.

In such an arrangement, the metering means advantageously comprises a metering belt (the term 'belt' is used herein to include chain conveyors) which rises at an angle, a crusher means which is disposed upstream of the belt, a stripper plate which is disposed at the feed end of the belt, and a combing-out rotor which is arranged above the discharge end of the belt.

In accordance with a further preferred feature of the invention, associated with the metering belt is a sensor for sensing its loading. Preferably the drying means comprises an air guide casing for directing warm air from a drive motor under the top run of the metering belt, the metering belt being permeable to air. For the purposes of giving a compact and short unit, the direction of conveying movement of the bale breaking-up means and that of the metering belt is opposite to that of the press and the extrusion guide means, the bale normally being a rolled bale and the press a thrust piston press.

Using the preferred apparatus in accordance with the invention, it has been found possible to ensure that the briquettes have an almost uniform degree of moisture and can therefore be moved with a uniformly high level of through-put, the conditioning of the straw always ensuring that the briquettes are true to size and rigid.

A preferred embodiment of the invention will be described in greater detail by way of example with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which: Figure 1 shows a side view of a briquetting apparatus, and Figure 2 shows a plan view of the briquetting apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle chassis which is movable on support wheels 2 and which carries a means 3 for breaking up a rolled bale.

The bale breaking-up means 3 comprises two rake chain conveyors 3a and 3b which are arranged at an obtuse angle relative to each other in such a way as to form a means for receiving a rolled bale 3c. The speed of the conveyor 3a in that arrangement is lower than that of the conveyor 3b. Depending on the relationship between the speeds of the two conveyors, the bale 3c is now broken up at a higher or lower rate. The material which is broken off the rolled bale then passes by way of the conveyor 3b into a crusher means 4, which, in the present embodiment, is in the form of two groups of discs which can be driven in opposition and which are fitted with blades.The crushed straw which falls downwardly then passes onto a metering belt 5 which rises at an inclined angle and which comprises a rake-type chain with a perforated plate 9 which is arranged below its upper run and over which the crushed straw is drawn to the discharge end. A stripper plate 4a which is provided downstream of the crusher roller 4 in the direction of conveying movement evens out the crushed straw which is discharged onto the metering belt 5. Now, in order to ensure that the same amount of material is discharged by the metering belt 5 in each unit of time, associated with the discharge end is a combing-out rotor 6 which rotates in a clockwise direction at a constantly high speed of rotation and which throws back onto the metering belt any excess material which is supplied thereby.It will be appreciated that controlling the discharge quantity in this way can be carried out only within narrow limits. If therefore the metering belt is charged with an excessive amount of material, that is detected by a sensor 5a and the speed of the bale breaking-up means 3 is reduced by suitable means until the accumulation of material has been removed. Disposed below the discharge end of the metering belt 5 is a collecting hopper 10 into which the crushed straw falls. The straw material is then fed by a collecting screw 11 which is disposed in the hopper 10 to a packing or tamping screw 12 which operates below the hopper 10 and which is enclosed by a casing and which conveys the crushed straw into the pressing chamber of a thrust piston briquetting press 1 3.

The material is then pressed through the pressing die 17 in known manner by the thrust piston 14 which is driven by the crank drive means 15, and thus highly compacted. For the purposes of adjusting the pressing pressure, the pressing die 1 7 comprises two half shell members which are adjustable relative to each other. Disposed adjoining the pressing die 1 7 is an extrusion guide means 19 in which the extruded line of briquettes 1 6 is cooled and the definitive shape impacted thereto. As Figures 1 and 2 show by way of indication, the guide means 1 9 has a moisture measuring means 1 8 arranged directly downstream of the pressing die 17, for measuring the degree of moisture of the briquette line.If an excessively high level of moisture is measured at that location, the moisture content of the straw is reduced, while it is being conveyed on the metering belt, by the waste heat from the drive motor 21 being passed upwardly through the perforated plate 9 and the material on the metering belt 5. For that purpose, the motor 21 is partly enclosed by an air guide casing 7 which has lateral air discharge openings 8 from which the hot air is passed between the upper and lower runs of the metering belt. When the straw is excessively dry, the straw can be wetted by way of an adding means 20 which is mounted above the hopper 10. However, it is also possible for the means 20 to be used to add binding agent or other materials, even solid materials, for the purposes of conditioning the straw.With regard to the screw 11 which is mounted in the hopper 10, it should also be stated that the drive thereof, being controlled by way of a switch which detects the screw pressure, is reversible so that, when the pressure is excessively high, the crushed straw, instead of being conveyed to the packing screw 12, is temporarily conveyed away to the exterior through an aperture (not shown) in the collecting hopper 10. As can be seen in particular from Figure 2, the apparatus according to the invention is of such a design that it gives a relatively short unit, in which the direction of conveying movement of the material is reversed. More particularly, while the rolled bale braking-up means 3 transports the material in the direction of movement of the vehicle chassis 1 which is movable on its support wheels 2, as far as the metering belt 5, the thrust piston briquetting press operates in the opposite direction.

Claims

1. Apparatus for producing highly compacted straw briquettes, wherein the apparatus is mobile and comprises means for breaking up a straw bale with a feed from the bale which is dependent on the briquetting output, straw feed metering means which is provided with a drying means, means for adding solid and/or fluid additives for conditioning the straw, a straw briquetting press with a moisture measuring means and an extrusion guide means for the briquettes, and wherein the drives for the individual units are so arranged that a continuous flow of crop material may be ensured.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the metering means comprises a metering belt which rises at an angle, a crusher means which is disposed upstream of the belt, a stripper plate which is disposed at the feed end of the belt, and a combing-out rotor which is arranged above the discharge end of the belt.

3. Apparatus accoridng to claim 2 wherein a sensing means is associated with the metering belt for sensing its loading.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 or 2 wherein the drying means comprises an air guide casing for directing warm air from a drive motor under the top run of the metering belt, the metering belt being permeable to air.

5. Apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein for the purposes of providing a compact and short structural unit, the direction of conveying movement of the bale breaking-up means and that of the metering belt is opposite to that of the press and the guide means, the bale being a rolled bale and the press being a thrust piston press.

6. Apparatus for producing highly compacted straw briquettes, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying; drawings.