JP2022159738A - Dryer and manufacturing method for dried residue - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a dryer capable of drying high-viscosity beverage dregs at low cost, and a manufacturing method for a dried residue obtained by drying the high-viscosity beverage dregs.SOLUTION: A dryer comprises: an inlet unit into which high-viscosity beverage dregs are introduced; a drying unit including an outlet part through which the dried high-viscosity beverage dregs are discharged; an input unit configured to input the high-viscosity beverage dregs from the inlet unit into the drying unit; and a supply unit configured to supply hot air to the high-viscosity beverage dregs flowing through the drying unit from the inlet unit to the outlet unit. The flow velocity of the hot air from the supply unit is set to be 26 m/sec or more at a discharge port for hot air of the supply unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to a drying apparatus and method for producing dried residue.

Patent Literature 1 discloses a drying furnace that dries beverage residues such as tea residues and coffee residues by blowing a swirl flow of hot air onto the beverage residues.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-188887

By the way, Patent Document 1 also mentions barley tea (see paragraphs 0002 and 0005). However, when barley tea residue contains moisture, the starch contained in the barley is eluted, and the starch becomes a sticky agent that sticks the barley to each other, resulting in a highly viscous mass, making it extremely difficult to dry. be. Therefore, although there is no description in Patent Document 1, it was common knowledge that hot air at a high temperature (for example, 300° C. or higher) is required for drying barley tea. Moreover, in order to generate such high-temperature hot air, the drying apparatus becomes large-scale and fuel consumption increases. , sometimes referred to as "highly viscous beverage dregs").

Accordingly, the present disclosure describes a drying apparatus capable of drying highly viscous beverage residue at low cost and a method for producing dried residue obtained by drying the highly viscous beverage residue.

Example 1. An example of a drying apparatus includes a drying section including an inlet section into which highly viscous beverage residues are introduced, an outlet section through which dried highly viscous beverage residues are discharged, and highly viscous beverage residues being delivered from the inlet section to the drying section. An input section configured to input and a supply section configured to supply hot air to highly viscous beverage residues flowing through the drying section from the inlet section to the outlet section. The flow velocity of the hot air from the supply unit is set to be 26 m/sec or more at the hot air outlet of the supply unit. In this case, hot air with a relatively high flow velocity is blown onto the highly viscous beverage residue. Therefore, the hot air enters between the particles that make up the highly viscous beverage residue, and the particles are separated from each other by the hot air, thereby promoting drying. Therefore, the drying takes place before the particles that make up the highly viscous beverage residue stick to each other without generating hot air at high temperatures. That is, it is possible to dry the surface of each particle with hot air having a relatively high flow rate, thereby preventing the particles from sticking together to form lumps. Therefore, it becomes possible to dry highly viscous beverage residues at low cost.

Example 2. Another example of a drying apparatus includes a drying section including an inlet section into which highly viscous beverage residues are introduced, an outlet section through which dried highly viscous beverage residues are discharged, and a highly viscous beverage from the inlet section to the drying section. An input section configured to input the residue and a supply section configured to supply hot air to the highly viscous beverage residue flowing through the drying section from the inlet to the outlet. The flow velocity of the hot air from the supply section is set to 22 m/sec or more on the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue. In this case, effects similar to those of Example 1 are obtained.

Example 3. In the apparatus of Example 1 or Example 2, the distance between the hot air outlet of the supply unit and the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue may be set to 0 cm to 18 cm. In this case, hot air is blown onto the highly viscous beverage residue from a relatively close range. Therefore, the particles forming the highly viscous beverage dregs are more easily separated from each other by the hot air. Therefore, it becomes possible to accelerate the drying of the highly viscous beverage residue.

Example 4. In the apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 3, the supply section may be configured to supply hot air to the highly viscous beverage residue from a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue. In this case, the wind pressure from the hot air effectively acts on the highly viscous beverage residue. Therefore, the particles forming the highly viscous beverage dregs are more easily separated from each other by the hot air. Therefore, it becomes possible to accelerate the drying of the highly viscous beverage residue.

Example 5. In the apparatus of any one of Examples 1-4, the supply section may be configured to supply hot air of 300° C. or less to the highly viscous beverage residue. In this case, the high-viscosity beverage residue can be dried with relatively low-temperature hot air, so consumption of fuel used for generating hot air is suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to dry the highly viscous beverage residue at a lower cost.

Example 6. In the apparatus of any one of Examples 1-5, the supply section may be configured to supply hot air of 80° C. or higher to the highly viscous beverage residue. In this case, the high-speed hot air evaporates the water content of the highly viscous beverage residue even at such a low temperature. Therefore, consumption of fuel used for generating hot air is further suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to dry the highly viscous beverage residue at a lower cost.

Example 7. In the apparatuses of Examples 1 to 6, the heat source of the hot air supplied from the supply unit may be exhaust heat from the factory. In this case, the exhaust heat can be effectively used for drying the highly viscous beverage residue.

Example 8. In the apparatus of any of Examples 1-7, the input section may be configured to continuously input the high viscosity beverage residue from the inlet section to the drying section. In this case, since the highly viscous beverage residue can be dried continuously, it is possible to efficiently dry a large amount of highly viscous beverage residue.

Example 9. The apparatus of any one of Examples 1 to 8 includes a measuring unit configured to measure the temperature in the drying unit, and hot air supplied from the supplying unit and a highly viscous beverage based on the temperature measured by the measuring unit. A control unit configured to control the amount of heat exchange with the slag may be further provided. By the way, the state of highly viscous beverage lees (for example, moisture content, morphology, etc.). The temperature in the drying section changes depending on whether the highly viscous beverage dregs are agglomerated, etc.). This is because the heat energy required for drying the highly viscous beverage residue varies depending on the state of the highly viscous beverage residue. Therefore, by adjusting the amount of heat exchange between the hot air supplied from the supply section and the highly viscous beverage lees, based on the state of the highly viscous beverage lees indirectly estimated through temperature measurement in the drying section, Viscous beverage residues can be dried more efficiently. As used herein, the term "moisture content" refers to the ratio of the weight of water to the total weight of particles in each particle.

Example 10. In the apparatus of Example 9, the measuring unit is configured to measure the temperature at or near the outlet as the outlet temperature, and the control unit determines the temperature of the outlet from the supply unit based on the outlet temperature measured by the measuring unit. It may be configured to control the flow velocity of the hot air. By the way, when the moisture content of the highly viscous beverage residue before drying treatment (in this specification, it may be referred to as the "pre-treatment moisture content") is high, more heat is required until the highly viscous beverage residue is dried. Requires energy. Therefore, the amount of heat exchanged between the hot air and the highly viscous beverage dregs increases, and the outlet temperature at or near the outlet of the drying section tends to be low. On the other hand, when the moisture content before treatment is low, not much heat energy is required until the highly viscous beverage residue is dried. As a result, the amount of heat exchanged between the hot air and the highly viscous beverage residue is reduced, and the outlet temperature at or near the outlet of the drying section tends to be high. From these facts, the moisture content before treatment can be estimated by measuring the outlet temperature. Therefore, when the measured temperature is low, the hot air flow rate is increased, and when the measured temperature is high, the hot air flow rate is decreased, so that the flow rate is controlled appropriately according to the moisture content before treatment. Hot air is supplied into the drying section. As a result, when the moisture content before treatment cannot be determined, the hot air flow rate tends to be set too high in order to sufficiently dry the highly viscous beverage residue. It is possible to dry highly viscous beverage residues at a low cost compared to .

Example 11. In the apparatus of Example 9 or Example 10, the measuring section is configured to measure the temperature at or near the inlet section as the inlet temperature, and the control section controls the supply based on the inlet temperature measured by the measuring section. At least one parameter selected from the group consisting of the flow rate of hot air from the unit, the temperature of the hot air from the supply unit, and the amount of high-viscosity beverage residue supplied to the drying unit by the input unit may be controlled. good. By the way, if the highly viscous beverage residue is not sufficiently dried and the particles that make up the highly viscous beverage residue stick to each other to form lumps, it becomes difficult for the water to evaporate. The temperature tends to drop. Therefore, by measuring the inlet temperature, it is possible to estimate the moisture content of the highly viscous beverage residue during the drying process (herein sometimes referred to as the "in-process moisture content"). Therefore, when the inlet temperature becomes low, it is necessary to increase the flow velocity of the hot air, raise the temperature of the hot air, or reduce the amount of the highly viscous beverage residue fed to the drying section. Accelerates drying. As a result, highly viscous beverage residues can be dried more efficiently based on the in-process moisture content, which is indirectly estimated via temperature measurements at or near the inlet of the drying section.

Example 12. In the apparatus of Example 11, the control unit may be configured to increase the flow velocity of the hot air from the supply unit when the inlet temperature measured by the measurement unit is below a predetermined threshold. In this case, the flow velocity of the hot air with relatively high responsiveness is controlled without changing the input amount of the highly viscous beverage residue to the drying section. Therefore, it becomes possible to dry the highly viscous beverage residue more efficiently while maintaining the throughput of the highly viscous beverage residue.

Example 13. In the apparatus of Example 12, the control unit may be configured to increase the temperature of the hot air from the supply unit if the inlet temperature measured by the measurement unit falls below another threshold value that is less than the threshold. . In this case, the flow velocity of the hot air is prevented from becoming excessively high in order to promote the drying of the highly viscous beverage residue. Therefore, the amount of energy required for drying the highly viscous beverage residue is reduced, so that the highly viscous beverage residue can be dried more efficiently.

Example 14. In the apparatus of Example 13, the control unit controls the amount of high-viscosity beverage residue input by the input unit to the drying unit when the inlet temperature measured by the measuring unit falls below a further threshold value which is smaller than the other threshold value. may be configured to reduce the In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 13 can be obtained.

Example 15. An example of a method for producing a dry residue is to feed the highly viscous beverage residue from the inlet of the drying section, and supply and drying the highly viscous beverage residue by supplying hot air from the unit. The flow velocity of the hot air from the supply unit is set to be 26 m/sec or more at the hot air outlet of the supply unit. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 1 are obtained.

Example 16. Another example of the method for producing the dried residue is to feed the highly viscous beverage residue from the inlet of the drying section, and to the highly viscous beverage residue flowing in the drying section from the inlet toward the outlet of the drying section. and drying the highly viscous beverage residue by supplying hot air from the supply. The flow velocity of the hot air from the supply section is set to 22 m/sec or more on the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 2 can be obtained.

Example 17. In the method of Example 15 or Example 16, the distance between the hot air outlet of the supply unit and the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue may be set to 0 cm to 18 cm. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 3 are obtained.

Example 18. In the method of any of Examples 15-17, drying the highly viscous beverage residue comprises supplying hot air to the highly viscous beverage residue in a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue. You can In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 4 can be obtained.

Example 19. In the method of any of Examples 15-18, drying the highly viscous beverage residue may include supplying hot air at 300° C. or less to the highly viscous beverage residue. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 5 can be obtained.

Example 20. In the method of any of Examples 15-19, drying the highly viscous beverage residue may include supplying hot air at 80° C. or higher to the highly viscous beverage residue. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 6 are obtained.

Example 21. In the method of any of Examples 15-20, drying the highly viscous beverage residue may include supplying hot air generated from factory waste heat to the highly viscous beverage residue. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 7 are obtained.

Example 22. In the method of any of Examples 15-21, introducing the highly viscous beverage residue may include continuously introducing the highly viscous beverage residue from the inlet section to the drying section. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 8 can be obtained.

Example 23. The method of any one of Examples 15 to 22 includes measuring the temperature in the drying section during drying of the highly viscous beverage residue with hot air, and based on the measured temperature, the hot air supplied from the supply section and the high viscosity and controlling the amount of heat exchanged with the beverage residue. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 9 are obtained.

Example 24. In the method of Example 23, measuring the temperature in the drying section includes measuring the temperature at or near the outlet as the outlet temperature, and controlling the amount of heat exchange is measured at or near the outlet controlling the flow rate of the hot air from the supply based on the outlet temperature of the. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 10 are obtained.

Example 25. In the method of Example 24, measuring the temperature in the drying section includes measuring the temperature at or near the inlet as the inlet temperature, and controlling the amount of heat exchange is performed at or near the measured inlet At least one parameter selected from the group consisting of the flow rate of hot air from the supply section, the temperature of hot air from the supply section, and the amount of high-viscosity beverage dregs input to the drying section is controlled based on the inlet temperature of may contain. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 11 can be obtained.

Example 26. In the method of Example 25, controlling the amount of heat exchange comprises increasing the flow rate of hot air from the supply when the measured inlet temperature at or near the inlet falls below a predetermined threshold. You can In this case, effects similar to those of the apparatus of Example 12 can be obtained.

Example 27. In the method of Example 26, controlling the amount of heat exchange increases the temperature of the hot air from the supply when the measured inlet temperature at or near the inlet falls below another threshold less than the threshold. may include In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 13 can be obtained.

Example 28. In the method of Example 27, controlling the amount of heat exchange is such that if the measured inlet temperature at or near the inlet falls below yet another threshold that is less than another threshold, high viscosity to the drying section It may also include reducing the amount of beverage residue input. In this case, effects similar to those of the device of Example 14 can be obtained.

According to the drying apparatus and method for producing dried residue according to the present disclosure, it is possible to dry highly viscous beverage residues at low cost.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a drying system for beverage residues. FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line II-II of FIG. FIG. 3(a) is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the particles constituting the highly viscous beverage residue stick together to form a lump, and FIG. It is a schematic diagram showing a state in which hot air enters. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing test results of drying highly viscous beverage residues under various conditions of hot air flow rate and temperature. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing another example of the drying apparatus.

In the following description, the same reference numerals will be used for the same elements or elements having the same functions, and redundant description will be omitted.

[Configuration of drying system]
An example of the drying system 1 for the beverage residue D will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. The drying system 1 comprises a power plant 2 and a drying device 10 .

The power plant 2 operates based on instructions from the control unit Ctr, and is configured to generate power using fuel, raw materials, waste heat from other plants, and the like. The power plant 2 is, for example, a cogeneration system, and may include a power generation system such as a gas turbine or a steam turbine, and an exhaust heat recovery system configured to recover exhaust heat from the power generator.

The power plant 2 is configured to supply exhaust heat generated by the operation of the power plant 2, that is, factory exhaust heat, to the drying device 10 as hot air. Hot air (for example, about 80° C. to 250° C.) after heat recovery by the exhaust heat recovery system may be supplied to the drying device 10 . Hot air (for example, about 250° C. to 300° C.) before heat recovery by the exhaust heat recovery system may be supplied to the drying device 10 .

The drying device 10 is configured to dry the input beverage residue D using hot air from the power plant 2 . Beverage dregs D refers to extraction dregs after the beverage has been extracted, and includes, for example, tea dregs, coffee dregs, and the like. Tea residue includes, for example, extraction residue of barley tea, brown rice tea, oolong tea, green tea, and the like. Among them, for example, when barley tea contains water, the starch contained in the barley is eluted, and as shown in FIG. The drying apparatus 10 also dries such viscous beverage residues (highly viscous beverage residues) such as barley tea with relatively high viscosity. That is, in the present specification, beverage residue D includes highly viscous beverage residue. In addition, in FIG. 3, the code|symbol G is each particle|grain which comprises the beverage dregs D. As shown in FIG. The diameter of the particles G may be, for example, about 0.5 mm to 10 mm.

The drying apparatus 10 includes an input section 20, a drying section 30, a recovery section 40, an air supply section B1 (supply section), an exhaust section B2, measurement sections S1 and S2, and a control section Ctr.

The input section 20 is configured to input the beverage residue D into the drying section 30 . The input unit 20 includes, for example, a storage tank 21 that stores the beverage residue D, a screw conveyor 22 that conveys the beverage residue D supplied from the storage tank 21 to the drying unit 30, and a screw conveyor 22 that conveys the beverage residue D in the storage tank 21. A feeder (not shown) feeding the conveyor 22 may also be included. The screw conveyor 22 and feeder may be configured to be operable based on instructions from the controller Ctr. The loading section 20 may continuously load the beverage residue D into the drying section 30 or intermittently load the beverage residue D into the drying section 30 . The input unit 20 may input the same type of beverage lees D into the drying unit 30 , or may input one type of beverage lees D into the drying unit 30 and then load another type of beverage lees D into the drying unit 30 . Alternatively, a mixed residue in which a plurality of types of beverage residue D are mixed may be added to the drying section 30 .

The drying section 30 is configured to supply hot air to the beverage residue D input from the input section 20 to dry it. Drying section 30 may be a rotary kiln, as illustrated in FIGS. The drying section 30 includes a body section 31, an inlet section 32, an outlet section 33, and a supply pipe 35 (supply section).

The body portion 31 is a housing configured such that the beverage residue D flows from the inlet portion 32 toward the outlet portion 33 . The body portion 31 may have a tubular shape, for example. When the drying section 30 is a rotary kiln, the body section 31 may have a cylindrical shape and be rotatable around its central axis.

The inlet portion 32 is arranged at the upstream end portion of the body portion 31 in the flow direction of the beverage residue D. As shown in FIG. The downstream end of the screw conveyor 22 is inserted into the inlet section 32 . The outlet portion 33 is arranged at the downstream end portion of the body portion 31 in the flow direction of the beverage residue D. As shown in FIG.

The supply pipe 35 is configured to supply hot air to the beverage dregs D flowing inside the body portion 31 . The supply pipe 35 includes a main pipe 36 and multiple branch pipes 37 . The main pipe 36 is arranged inside the body portion 31 so as to extend along the central axis of the body portion 31 .

A plurality of branch pipes 37 are physically and fluidly connected to the main pipe 36 . The plurality of branch pipes 37 extend in a direction crossing the longitudinal direction (extending direction) of the main pipe 36 . The plurality of branch pipes 37 are arranged at different positions in the extending direction (axial direction) of the main pipe 36 . The plurality of branch pipes 37 may be arranged at different angles with respect to the central axis of the main pipe 36 when viewed from the longitudinal direction of the main pipe 36, as illustrated in FIG. In this case, the plurality of branch pipes 37 may be arranged such that branch pipes 37 having the same angle are not adjacent to each other in the extending direction (axial direction) of the main pipe 36 .

The plurality of branch pipes 37 are, for example, a first branch pipe 37a, a second branch pipe 37b arranged at an angle different from the first branch pipe 37a with respect to the central axis of the main pipe 36, and a central axis of the main pipe 36. and a third branch 37c arranged at a different angle than the first branch 37a and the second branch 37b with respect to . In this case, the first branch pipe 37a may extend vertically downward from the main pipe 36, for example. The second branch pipe 37b may be inclined, for example, by about +10° to +50° with respect to the central axis of the main pipe 36 when the rotation direction of the main pipe 36 is positive and the first branch pipe 37a is used as a reference. For example, the third branch pipe 37c may be tilted about +40° to +80° with respect to the central axis of the main pipe 36 when the rotation direction of the main pipe 36 is positive and the first branch pipe 37a is used as a reference.

The direction of the outlet OL of the branch pipe 37 may intersect with the surface of the beverage residue D flowing inside the main body 31, or as illustrated in FIG. It may be substantially perpendicular to the surface of D. In this case, the hot air discharged from the outlet OL of the branch pipe 37 flows in the radial direction of the main pipe 36 and along the stacking direction (thickness direction) of the beverage residue D flowing in the main body 31 . The distance between the outlet OL of the branch pipe 37 and the surface of the beverage lees D can be appropriately set according to the properties of the beverage lees D to be dried.

The temperature of the hot air supplied from the branch pipe 37 to the beverage residue D may be, for example, 300° C. or lower, 250° C. or lower, or 200° C. or lower. The temperature of the hot air supplied from the branch pipe 37 to the beverage residue D may be 80° C. or higher, 100° C. or higher, or 120° C. or higher.

The collecting unit 40 is configured to collect the dried beverage residue D discharged from the outlet unit 33 . The collection unit 40 is arranged downstream (for example, below) the outlet 33 . The collection unit 40 may include, for example, a tank capable of storing the beverage residue D after drying.

The air supply unit B<b>1 operates based on an instruction from the control unit Ctr, and is configured to supply hot air from the power plant 2 into the main unit 31 through the supply pipe 35 . The air supply unit B1 may be, for example, a blower. The air supply part B1 may supply hot air to the supply pipe 35 so that the flow rate of the hot air at the outlet OL of the branch pipe 37 is 26 m/sec or more. The air supply part B1 may supply hot air to the supply pipe 35 so that the flow rate of the hot air supplied from the branch pipe 37 is 22 m/sec or more on the surface of the beverage residue D.

The exhaust section B2 is configured to operate based on an instruction from the control section Ctr and exhaust the heat in the drying section 30 from the outlet section 33 . The exhaust part B2 may be, for example, an exhaust blower.

The measurement units S1 and S2 are configured to measure the temperature inside the drying unit 30 and transmit the temperature data to the control unit Ctr. The measurement units S1 and S2 may be, for example, temperature sensors such as thermocouples. The temperature in the drying section 30 changes according to the drying state of the beverage residue D (for example, moisture content before treatment, moisture content during treatment, etc.). This is because the heat energy required for drying the beverage residue D changes when the condition of the beverage residue D changes. In other words, it is possible to estimate the state of the beverage residue D in the drying section 30 by measuring the temperature in the drying section 30 with the measurement sections S1 and S2.

The measuring section S1 may be arranged at or near the entrance section 32 in the drying section 30 . As exemplified in FIG. 1, the measuring section S1 is arranged at the upstream end of the body section 31 (for example, near the most upstream branch pipe 37) as the inlet section 32 or its vicinity. may In this case, the measurement unit S1 measures the temperature (inlet temperature) of the upstream end of the main body 31 and transmits the temperature data to the control unit Ctr.

The measuring section S2 may be arranged at or near the outlet section 33 in the drying section 30 . As illustrated in FIG. 1, the measuring section S2 may be arranged at the outlet section 33 . In this case, the measurement unit S2 measures the temperature (outlet temperature) of the downstream end of the main body 31 and transmits the temperature data to the control unit Ctr.

The control unit Ctr is configured to control the power plant 2, the input unit 20, the air supply unit B1 and the exhaust unit B2. The controller Ctr may be, for example, a controller such as a computer.

The control unit Ctr may be configured to control the amount of heat exchange between the beverage residue D and the hot air supplied from the branch pipe 37 to the beverage residue D based on the temperature data received from the measurement units S1 and S2. good. For example, the control unit Ctr controls the air supply unit B1 based on the temperature data received from the measurement units S1 and S2 to control the flow rate of hot air supplied from the branch pipe 37 to the beverage residue D (simply referred to as the "flow velocity of hot air"). ) may be controlled. In this case, as an example, the controller Ctr may control the amount of air blown by the blower based on the temperature data received from the measuring units S1 and S2.

The control unit Ctr controls the power plant 2 based on the temperature data received from the measurement units S1 and S2, and controls the temperature of the hot air supplied from the branch pipe 37 to the beverage residue D (simply referred to as “hot air temperature”). ) may be controlled. In this case, as an example, the controller Ctr may control the power generation amount of the power plant 2 based on the temperature data received from the measuring units S1 and S2.

The control unit Ctr controls the input unit 20 based on the temperature data received from the measurement units S1 and S2, and determines the input amount of the beverage lees D from the input unit 20 to the drying unit 30 (simply referred to as the "input amount of the beverage lees D ) may be controlled. In this case, as an example, the controller Ctr may control the feeding speed of the feeder based on the temperature data received from the measuring units S1 and S2.

By the way, when the particles G of the beverage dregs D stick to each other to form lumps, it may become difficult to evaporate water. In particular, in the case of highly viscous beverage dregs, the starch contained in the dregs makes them highly viscous masses, so there is a strong tendency for water to evaporate with difficulty. Therefore, the temperature (inlet temperature) at or near the inlet 32 of the drying section 30 tends to be low. In view of this property, the control unit Ctr can estimate the in-process moisture content based on the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1.

Therefore, the control unit Ctr may control one or more of the flow velocity of the hot air, the temperature of the hot air, and the amount of the beverage dregs D input based on the temperature data received from the measuring unit S1. For example, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 has relatively decreased, it is likely that lumps will form, so the control unit Ctr controls the air supply unit B1 to generate hot air. The flow velocity may be increased, the temperature of the hot air may be increased by controlling the power generation plant 2, or the input amount of the beverage residue D may be decreased by controlling the input unit 20.

In another example, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 is below the predetermined threshold value T1, the control unit Ctr may control the air supply unit B1 to increase the flow velocity of the hot air. good. Further, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 is lower than the threshold value T2, which is lower than the threshold value T1, the control unit Ctr controls the power plant 2 to raise the temperature of the hot air. may Furthermore, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 is below the threshold T2, or is below another threshold T3 lower than the threshold T2, the input unit 20 may be controlled to reduce the amount of beverage residue D input.

The threshold T1 may be approximately 60 degrees Celsius or approximately 80 degrees Celsius. The threshold T2 may be about 50 degrees Celsius or about 70 degrees Celsius. The threshold T3 may be about 40 degrees Celsius or about 60 degrees Celsius.

Further, in a state where the temperature of the hot air, the flow velocity of the hot air, and the amount of the beverage residue D are not controlled and are substantially constant, when the moisture content before treatment is high, more water is added until the beverage residue D is dried. of heat energy is required. Therefore, the amount of heat exchanged between the hot air and the beverage dregs D increases, and the temperature (outlet temperature) at or near the outlet 33 of the drying section 30 tends to decrease. On the other hand, when the temperature of the hot air, the flow velocity of the hot air, and the amount of the beverage residue D are not controlled and are substantially constant, when the moisture content before treatment is low, it takes a long time for the beverage residue D to dry. No heat energy required. Therefore, the amount of heat exchanged between the hot air and the beverage dregs D is reduced, so the temperature (outlet temperature) at or near the outlet 33 of the drying section 30 tends to increase. In view of this property, the control unit Ctr can estimate the pre-treatment moisture content based on the temperature data received from the measurement unit S2.

Therefore, the control unit Ctr may control the flow velocity of the hot air based on the temperature data received from the measuring unit S2. For example, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measuring unit S2 has relatively decreased, the beverage residue D having a high pre-treatment moisture content has been put into the drying unit 30. , the air supply section B1 may be controlled to increase the flow velocity of the hot air. On the other hand, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S2 has relatively increased, the beverage dregs D having a low pre-treatment moisture content have been put into the drying unit 30. , the air supply section B1 may be controlled to reduce the flow velocity of the hot air.

[Action]
According to the above example, the flow velocity of the hot air from the branch pipe 37 can be set to 26 m/sec or more at the outlet OL. Alternatively, the flow velocity of the hot air from the branch pipe 37 can be set to 22 m/sec or more on the surface of the beverage residue D. In these cases, hot air with a relatively high flow rate is blown onto the beverage residue D. Therefore, as schematically shown in FIG. 3(b), the hot air enters between the particles G constituting the beverage residue D, and the particles G are separated from each other by the hot air, thereby promoting drying. Therefore, drying is performed before the particles G constituting the beverage residue D stick to each other without generating high-temperature hot air. That is, it is possible to dry the surface of each particle G with hot air having a relatively high flow velocity and prevent the particles G from sticking together to form lumps M. Therefore, it is possible to dry the beverage residue D containing highly viscous beverage residue at low cost.

According to the above example, the distance between the outlet OL and the surface of the beverage residue D can be set to 0 cm to 18 cm. In this case, hot air is blown to the beverage dregs D from a relatively close range. Therefore, the particles G constituting the beverage dregs D are more easily separated from each other by the hot air. Therefore, it is possible to further accelerate the drying of the beverage residue D including the highly viscous beverage residue.

According to the above example, the branch pipe 37 can be configured to supply hot air to the beverage residue D from a direction substantially orthogonal to the surface of the beverage residue D. In this case, the wind pressure due to the hot air acts effectively on the beverage dregs D. Therefore, the particles G constituting the beverage dregs D are more easily separated from each other by the hot air. Therefore, it is possible to further accelerate the drying of the beverage residue D including the highly viscous beverage residue.

According to the above example, hot air of 80° C. or higher can be supplied to the beverage residue D from the branch pipe 37 . In this case, together with the high-speed hot air of 26 m/sec or more at the outlet OL (22 m/sec or more on the surface of the beverage residue D), the water content of the beverage residue D evaporates even at such a low temperature. Therefore, consumption of fuel used for generating hot air is further suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to dry the beverage residue D including highly viscous beverage residue at a lower cost.

According to the above example, hot air of 300° C. or less can be supplied to the beverage residue D from the branch pipe 37 . In this case, the beverage dregs D can be dried with relatively low-temperature hot air, so consumption of fuel used for generating hot air is suppressed. Therefore, it becomes possible to dry the beverage residue D including the highly viscous beverage residue at a lower cost.

According to the above example, the heat source of the hot air supplied from the branch pipe 37 can be factory exhaust heat (exhaust heat from the power plant 2). In this case, the waste heat can be effectively used for drying the beverage residue D including the highly viscous beverage residue.

According to the above example, the input unit 20 can be configured to continuously input the beverage residue D into the main body 31 from the inlet 32 of the drying unit 30 . In this case, since the beverage residue D can be dried continuously, a large amount of the beverage residue D can be dried efficiently.

According to the above example, the control unit Ctr controls the amount of heat exchange between the hot air supplied from the branch pipe 37 to the beverage residue D and the beverage residue D based on the temperature data received from the measurement units S1 and S2. can be configured as In this case, the amount of heat exchange between the hot air supplied from the branch pipe 37 and the beverage residue D is adjusted based on the state of the beverage residue D indirectly estimated through temperature measurement in the drying section 30. , the beverage residue D can be dried more efficiently.

According to the above example, the controller Ctr controls one or more of the flow velocity of the hot air, the temperature of the hot air, and the amount of the beverage lees D thrown in based on the temperature data received from the measuring unit S1. can be configured to In this case, the beverage residue D can be dried more efficiently based on the in-process moisture content indirectly estimated through temperature measurement at or near the inlet 32 of the drying section 30 .

According to the above example, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 is below the predetermined threshold value T1, it controls the air supply unit B1 to increase the flow velocity of the hot air. sell. In this case, the flow velocity of the hot air with relatively high responsiveness is controlled without controlling the amount of the beverage dregs D fed into the drying section 30 . Therefore, it becomes possible to dry the beverage residue D more efficiently while maintaining the throughput of the beverage residue D.

Further, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 is lower than the threshold value T2, which is lower than the threshold value T1, the control unit Ctr controls the power plant 2 to raise the temperature of the hot air. may Furthermore, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 is below the threshold T2, or is below another threshold T3 lower than the threshold T2, the input unit 20 can be controlled to reduce the amount of beverage residue D input. In these cases, an excessive increase in the flow velocity of the hot air to accelerate the drying of the beverage residue D is suppressed. Therefore, the amount of energy required for drying the beverage residue D is reduced, so that the beverage residue D can be dried more efficiently.

According to the above example, the control unit Ctr can be configured to control the flow velocity of the hot air based on the temperature data received from the measuring unit S2. In this case, hot air is supplied into the drying section 30 with a flow rate controlled appropriately according to the moisture content before treatment. Therefore, in preparation for the case where a plurality of beverage residues D having different moisture contents are introduced, it is not necessary to set the flow velocity of the hot air excessively to give priority to drying the beverage residues D. Therefore, it is possible to reduce costs when drying various beverage residues D.

[Test results]
Here, using the example of the drying apparatus 10 described above, a test was conducted to determine whether barley tea residue, which is a highly viscous beverage residue, was dried while changing the hot air flow rate and the hot air temperature. Specifically, tests were conducted under the following conditions 1 to 11.

・Condition 1
Flow velocity of hot air at outlet OL 36.0 m/sec
(Flow velocity of hot air on surface of highly viscous beverage dregs) 32.0 m/sec
Hot air temperature 100℃
・Condition 2
Flow velocity of hot air at outlet OL 32.1 m/sec
(Flow velocity of hot air on surface of highly viscous beverage dregs) 28.1 m/sec
Hot air temperature 100℃

・Condition 3
Flow velocity of hot air at outlet OL 30.0 m/sec
(Flow velocity of hot air on surface of highly viscous beverage dregs) 26.0 m/sec
Hot air temperature 90℃
・Condition 4
Flow velocity of hot air at outlet OL 30.7 m/sec
(Flow velocity of hot air on surface of viscous beverage residue) 26.7 m/sec
Hot air temperature 150℃
・Condition 5
Flow velocity of hot air at outlet OL 30.2 m/sec
(Flow velocity of hot air on surface of highly viscous beverage dregs) 26.2 m/sec
Hot air temperature 150℃

・Condition 6
Flow velocity of hot air at outlet OL 30.8 m/sec
(Flow velocity of hot air on surface of highly viscous beverage dregs) 26.8 m/sec
Hot air temperature 230℃
・Condition 7
Flow velocity of hot air at outlet OL 27.5 m/sec
(Flow velocity of hot air on surface of highly viscous beverage dregs) 23.5 m/sec
Hot air temperature 300℃

・Condition 8
Flow velocity of hot air at outlet OL 25.0 m/sec
(Flow velocity of hot air on surface of highly viscous beverage dregs) 21.0 m/sec
Hot air temperature 150℃
・Condition 9
Flow velocity of hot air at outlet OL 25.0 m/sec
(Flow velocity of hot air on surface of highly viscous beverage dregs) 21.0 m/sec
Hot air temperature 230℃
・Condition 10
Flow velocity of hot air at outlet OL 21.4 m/sec
(Flow velocity of hot air on surface of highly viscous beverage dregs) 17.4 m/sec
Hot air temperature 500℃

The test results are shown in FIG. According to FIG. 4, it was confirmed that the barley tea residue was dried in the cases of conditions 1 to 7 (see circles in FIG. 4). That is, it was confirmed that the barley tea residue was dried when the flow velocity of the hot air at the outlet OL was 26 m/sec or higher (the flow velocity of the hot air on the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue was 22 m/sec or higher). On the other hand, in the cases of conditions 8 to 10 (see ● in FIG. 4), the barley tea residue was not sufficiently dried. That is, when the flow velocity of the hot air at the outlet OL was less than 26 m/sec (the flow velocity of the hot air on the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue was less than 22 m/sec), the barley tea residue was not sufficiently dried.

[Modification]
The disclosure herein should be considered illustrative and not restrictive in all respects. Various omissions, substitutions, modifications, etc. may be made to the above examples without departing from the scope and spirit of the claims.

(1) As illustrated in FIG. 5, the drying section 30 may be a fluid bed dryer. In this case, a perforated plate 38 (for example, a metal mesh) is arranged in the body portion 31 so as to extend in the horizontal direction, and hot air from the air supply portion B1 may be blown from below the body portion 31 . As a result, the hot air blown out from the through-holes of the perforated plate 38 is immediately blown against the beverage dregs D flowing on the perforated plate 38 from the upstream side to the downstream side. That is, the distance between the through hole of the perforated plate 38 serving as the hot air outlet and the beverage dregs D is approximately 0 cm. Incidentally, the thickness of the perforated plate 38 may be, for example, about 0.3 cm to 1 cm.

(2) When the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 is below the predetermined threshold value T1, the control unit Ctr may control the power plant 2 to increase the temperature of the hot air, The input amount of the beverage residue D may be reduced by controlling the input unit 20 . In this case, when the temperature of the inlet 32 or its vicinity (inlet temperature) is equal to or higher than the predetermined threshold value T1, control based on the temperature of the inlet 32 or its vicinity (inlet temperature) is not performed. That is, control based on the temperature at or near the inlet 32 (inlet temperature) is omitted in situations where lumps are less likely to occur. Therefore, it is possible to save energy in the operation of the drying device 10 .

(3) In the above example, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 is below the predetermined threshold value T1, it controls the air supply unit B1 to increase the flow velocity of the hot air. Furthermore, when it is determined that the value of the temperature data received from the measuring unit S1 is below the threshold value T2, the input unit 20 can be controlled to reduce the input amount of the beverage residue D. In this case, when the control unit Ctr determines that the value of the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 is below the threshold value T3, the control unit Ctr may control the power plant 2 to increase the temperature of the hot air. .

(4) The moisture content before treatment tends to take a value according to the type of the beverage residue D. For example, coffee grounds have a moisture content of about 60% before treatment, and green tea grounds have a moisture content of about 80% before treatment. Therefore, there is a flow velocity of hot air suitable for the type of beverage dregs D. Therefore, if the type of the beverage residue D to be introduced is known in advance, the hot air may be supplied from the branch pipe 37 at a flow rate suitable for the type of the beverage residue D in question. In other words, the controller Ctr stores a table in which the types of the beverage dregs D and the flow velocities of the hot air suitable for the beverage dregs D correspond one-to-one. The flow velocity may be selected by the controller Ctr based on the table.

Alternatively, if the type of beverage residue D to be fed is known in advance, hot air having a flow rate and temperature suitable for the type of beverage residue D may be supplied from the branch pipe 37 . In other words, the control unit Ctr stores a table in which the types of the beverage lees D and the flow velocities and temperatures of the hot air suitable for the beverage lees D correspond one-to-one. The controller Ctr may select the flow velocity and temperature of the hot air based on the table.

(5) The direction of the outlet OL of the branch pipe 37 may be substantially parallel to the surface of the beverage residue D flowing inside the main body 31 . In this case, the hot air discharged from the outlet OL of the branch pipe 37 flows along the surface of the beverage residue D flowing inside the body portion 31 .

(6) The air supply unit B1 is being controlled based on the temperature data received from the measurement unit S2, but the air supply unit B1, the power plant 2, or the input unit 20 is controlled based on the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1. is not performed, depending on the type of the beverage residue D, the drying of the beverage residue D may not be sufficiently accelerated. This tendency is particularly pronounced in the case of highly viscous beverage residues. For example, when high-viscosity beverage residue with a low pre-treatment moisture content is thrown in, the temperature (outlet temperature) at or near the outlet 33 rises. to reduce the flow velocity of However, if the flow velocity of the hot air is too low, lumps M with high viscosity are likely to occur. When lumps M are generated in the drying section 30, the temperature (inlet temperature) at or near the inlet section 32 of the drying section 30 is lowered as described above. On the other hand, since moisture is difficult to evaporate from the mass M, the mass M stays upstream of the drying section 30 without promoting heat exchange between the mass M and the hot air (while the thermal energy of the hot air is not consumed so much). Therefore, the temperature (outlet temperature) of the outlet 33 of the drying section 30 or its vicinity increases, coupled with the fact that the air is exhausted from the outlet 33 by the exhaust section B2. Then, the control unit Ctr controls the air supply unit B1 to further decrease the flow velocity of the hot air. Therefore, both the control of the air supply unit B1 based on the temperature data received from the measurement unit S2 and the control of the air supply unit B1, the power plant 2, or the input unit 20 based on the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 are executed. may In this case, the control of the air supply unit B1 based on the temperature data received from the measurement unit S2 is mainly executed, and the control of the air supply unit B1, the power plant 2, or the input unit 20 is performed based on the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1. It can be run auxiliary. Alternatively, the control of the air supply unit B1, the power plant 2, or the input unit 20 based on the temperature data received from the measurement unit S1 is mainly executed, and the control of the air supply unit B1 based on the temperature data received from the measurement unit S2 is assisted. can be executed effectively. Note that if there are no circumstances as described above, either control may be executed.

(7) In the above example, the drying system 1 includes the power plant 2, and the exhaust heat from the power plant 2 is supplied to the drying device 10. However, the heat supplied to the drying device 10 is It is not limited to waste heat from 2. That is, the drying system 1 may include devices or facilities other than the power plant 2 (for example, a combustion device for burning the target, a drying chamber for drying the target, etc.). Therefore, the heat supplied to the drying device 10 includes exhaust heat from the power plant 2, exhaust heat from plants that do not generate electricity, exhaust heat from the combustor, exhaust heat from the drying chamber, and heat generated by a dedicated combustor. and so on.

(8) In the above example, the supply pipe 35 of the drying section 30 includes a plurality of branch pipes 37 extending from the main pipe 36, but may not include a plurality of branch pipes 37. That is, a plurality of through holes may be provided in the peripheral surface of the main pipe 36, and hot air may be blown out toward the beverage residue D from the plurality of through holes. The plurality of through-holes may be provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of branch pipes 37 on the peripheral surface of the main pipe 36, for example.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Drying system, 2... Power generation plant, 10... Drying apparatus, 20... Input part, 30... Drying part, 31... Main body part, 32... Inlet part, 33... Outlet part, 35... Supply pipe (supply part), 37 Branch pipe, B1: air supply section (supply section), B2: exhaust section, Ctr: control section, D: beverage dregs (highly viscous beverage dregs), OL: outlet, S1, S2: measurement section.

Claims (16)

a drying section including an inlet section into which highly viscous beverage residues are introduced and an outlet section through which the dried highly viscous beverage residues are discharged;
an input section configured to input the highly viscous beverage residue from the inlet section into the drying section;
a supply section configured to supply hot air to the highly viscous beverage residue flowing in the drying section from the inlet section to the outlet section;
The drying apparatus, wherein the flow velocity of the hot air from the supply section is set to be 26 m/sec or more at the hot air outlet of the supply section. a drying section including an inlet section into which highly viscous beverage residues are introduced and an outlet section through which the dried highly viscous beverage residues are discharged;
an input section configured to input the highly viscous beverage residue from the inlet section into the drying section;
a supply section configured to supply hot air to the highly viscous beverage residue flowing in the drying section from the inlet section to the outlet section;
The drying device, wherein the flow velocity of the hot air from the supply section is set to 22 m/sec or more on the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue. 3. The device according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the hot air outlet of the supply unit and the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue is set to 0 cm to 18 cm. 4. The supply unit according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the supply unit is configured to supply hot air to the highly viscous beverage residue from a direction substantially perpendicular to the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue. device. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the supply section is configured to supply hot air of 300°C or less to the highly viscous beverage residue. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the supply section is configured to supply hot air of 80°C or higher to the highly viscous beverage residue. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heat source of the hot air supplied from the supply unit is factory exhaust heat. 8. Apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the input section is configured to continuously input the highly viscous beverage residue from the inlet section into the drying section. a measuring section configured to measure the temperature in the drying section;
and a control unit configured to control the amount of heat exchange between the hot air supplied from the supply unit and the high-viscosity beverage residue based on the temperature measured by the measurement unit. 9. Apparatus according to any one of clauses 8 to 9. The measuring unit is configured to measure a temperature at or near the outlet as an outlet temperature,
10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the control section is configured to control the flow rate of hot air from the supply section based on the outlet temperature measured by the measurement section. The measuring unit is configured to measure a temperature at or near the inlet as an inlet temperature,
Based on the inlet temperature measured by the measurement unit, the control unit controls the flow rate of hot air from the supply unit, the temperature of hot air from the supply unit, and the high-viscosity beverage to the drying unit by the input unit. 11. Apparatus according to claim 9 or 10, adapted to control at least one parameter selected from the group consisting of the amount of slag input. 12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein said control section is configured to increase the flow velocity of hot air from said supply section when said inlet temperature measured by said measurement section falls below a predetermined threshold. . The control unit is configured to increase the temperature of hot air from the supply unit when the inlet temperature measured by the measurement unit falls below another threshold smaller than the threshold. 13. The device according to 12. The control unit causes the input unit to input the high-viscosity beverage residue into the drying unit when the inlet temperature measured by the measurement unit falls below another threshold value that is smaller than the another threshold value. 14. The device of claim 13, configured to reduce volume. introducing highly viscous beverage dregs from the inlet of the drying section;
drying the highly viscous beverage residue by supplying hot air from a supply unit to the highly viscous beverage residue flowing in the drying unit from the inlet toward the outlet of the drying unit. ,
A method for producing a dry residue, wherein a flow velocity of hot air from the supply unit is set to be 26 m/sec or more at a hot air outlet of the supply unit. introducing highly viscous beverage dregs from the inlet of the drying section;
drying the highly viscous beverage residue by supplying hot air from a supply unit to the highly viscous beverage residue flowing in the drying unit from the inlet toward the outlet of the drying unit. ,
The method for producing dry residue, wherein the flow rate of hot air from the supply unit is set to be 22 m/sec or more on the surface of the highly viscous beverage residue.

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