JP5719924B2 - Tobacco raw material expansion equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to Rise KaSo location of the tobacco material.

  Tobacco raw materials (for example, middle bones) are separated from tobacco leaves and occupy 20 to 30% by weight of the tobacco leaves. Incision of the middle bone (intermediate bone incision) is used for tobacco engraving together with the debonation of tobacco leaves from which the intermediate bone has been removed for the purpose of effective use of tobacco raw materials. The middle bone is generally obtained by compressing and cutting the middle bone. This medium bone engraving is subjected to expansion treatment by humidity adjustment and drying in order to enhance the bulkiness and combustibility and to relax the taste. A conventional scallop expansion process and related techniques will be described below.

  Japanese Patent No. 4031115 discloses a method and apparatus for applying a conditioning agent to tobacco raw materials. This apparatus has a structure in which a nozzle hole is attached to a projecting portion such as an impeller having a rotating Kara type roll (hereinafter referred to as Winoa), for example, a banding pin. In this method, the apparatus is used, spraying the vapor from the nozzle onto the free-falling tobacco raw material before spraying the conditioning agent, and then transporting it to the drying section.

  U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,912 discloses a method and apparatus for expanding tobacco raw materials. This apparatus has a vibrating conveyor for transporting tobacco raw materials, and sprays steam through the holes on the lower surface of the vibrating conveyor and feeds the tobacco raw materials while vibrating, and a fluidized bed dryer. It is described to improve and improve the bulkiness of tobacco raw materials. U.S. Pat. No. 2,802,334 relates to the U.S. Pat. No. 2,802,334, for a closed transfer line formed as a vibrating conveyor having an inlet and an outlet and for supplying steam or heated gas to the bottom of the transfer line. A supply device and a device with spray holes are disclosed.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-3778 discloses a method for drying cigarettes and an apparatus therefor in which a two-stage airflow drying process is continuously performed. That is, a tobacco raw material is supplied into a high-temperature gaseous medium, moves to a first separation device through a first duct, and separates the raw material and the gaseous medium. A hot gaseous medium is supplied to the second duct, while the separated tobacco raw material is supplied downstream of the first separator. The tobacco raw material and the hot gas medium are transferred to the second separation device through the second duct and separated. By passing through the two drying sections in this manner, 1) the time for continuously exposing the tobacco raw material to the high-temperature gaseous medium can be shortened, 2) excessive overheating can be eliminated, and 3) the tobacco raw material can be removed. It is accelerated in two stages, and the drying efficiency due to the relative speed difference can be improved. It also describes the use of a separation device for shortening the contact time between the tobacco raw material and the high-temperature gaseous medium.

  However, the prior art described above has the following problems.

  Japanese Patent No. 4031115 has a short passage time of tobacco raw material and steam in the apparatus from the description of the free fall speed, the effective height of the apparatus, and the rotational speed of the winor (200 rpm). Therefore, the tobacco raw material is not sufficiently wetted and swollen due to the short contact time with the steam. In addition, since Winoa has a rotating part, the deterioration of parts is fast. Furthermore, the tobacco raw material is easily entangled with the rotating part. Intertwined tobacco materials have a great influence on taste and physical properties.

  US Pat. No. 4,766,912 has a structure in which a vapor spraying apparatus conveys a raw material by vibration and sprays vapor from a hole on the bottom surface of the vibration conveyor. For this reason, since the deterioration of the drive component due to vibration is fast, the durability is inferior. Further, vapor spray from the bottom surface of the vibration conveyor uses, for example, pores having a diameter of 0.8 mm. For this reason, scales (inorganic substances such as calcium carbonate) contained in the steam and fine powder of tobacco raw material are clogged in the pores. Pore clogging causes fluctuations in the amount of steam and destabilizes the quality of the tobacco raw material after processing.

  In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-3778, two stages of air-drying treatment are performed using two separators connected in series, so that the drying of the tobacco material proceeds at each stage. However, due to the characteristics of the apparatus, the contact time between the tobacco raw material and the high-temperature humid air or superheated steam flow becomes extremely short. As a result, it becomes difficult to sufficiently wet or swell the tobacco material. In addition, the tobacco material is deposited on the mesh screen of the separator, and the exhaust system is blocked. For this reason, the continuous operation of the separator is hindered.

  The present invention provides a tobacco raw material expansion apparatus having a simple structure capable of increasing the bulkiness of tobacco raw materials as compared with conventional methods and realizing continuous treatment and high durability.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a first cyclone having an inflow port, an exhaust port and an exhaust port, a first supply side duct connected to the inflow port of the first cyclone, and an exhaust port of the first cyclone are provided. The first exhaust side duct to be connected, the first water vapor supply part connected to the first supply side duct, the connection part of the first water vapor supply part, and the inlet of the first cyclone. A first tobacco raw material supply unit connected to the first supply side duct, a second cyclone having an inlet, an exhaust port and an outlet, and a second supply side duct connected to the inlet of the second cyclone A second exhaust-side duct connected to the exhaust port of the second cyclone, a heating member disposed in the second supply-side duct, and a connection to the second supply-side duct located upstream from the heating member Second steam supply unit A second tobacco material supply unit connected to the second supply-side duct located between the inlet of the second cyclone and the heating member, and a tobacco material discharged from the discharge port of the first cyclone A transport member for transporting the first cigarette raw material supply unit to the second tobacco raw material supply unit, and the first supply duct connected to the first cyclone and the first exhaust duct are connected to each other to connect the first circulation duct. The first supply duct connected to the second cyclone and the second exhaust duct are connected to form a second circulation duct, and the first cyclone located near the exhaust port of the first cyclone A tobacco raw material expansion apparatus is provided in which a circulation duct and the second circulation duct in the vicinity of the exhaust port of the second cyclone are connected by a connecting duct.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a tobacco raw material expansion apparatus according to an embodiment.

  Hereinafter, a method for expanding a tobacco material according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

(First step)
The tobacco raw material is brought into contact with a steam flow at 100 to 160 ° C. to wet and swell the tobacco raw material.

  For example, a medium bone can be used as the tobacco raw material. The medium bone engraving is obtained by separating the rod-shaped medium bone from the tobacco leaf, and compressing and cutting the rod-shaped medium bone material according to a conventional method. Specifically, the rod-shaped medium bone material is conditioned to a moisture content of, for example, 15 to 50% by weight, preferably 20 to 40% by weight. For example, after the pressure-control rod-shaped medium bone raw material is squeezed with a roll mill having a roll interval of 0.5 to 1.2 mm, it is cut into a width of 0.1 to 0.3 mm to produce a medium bone engraving.

  By having the temperature of 100 to 160 ° C., the water vapor can be wetted and swollen without drying the tobacco raw material. More preferable water vapor temperature is 110 to 150 ° C.

  In order to bring the tobacco raw material into contact with the water vapor flow, for example, the cigarette raw material can be swirled with the water vapor flow. The turning can be performed using, for example, a cyclone. The residence time by swirling is preferably 0.5 to 5 seconds.

  By contacting the tobacco raw material with the water vapor stream at the temperature and residence time, condensation heat transfer of the water vapor to the tobacco raw material occurs. Condensation heat transfer raises the moisture and temperature (product temperature) of the tobacco raw material, making the tobacco tissue soft and causing it to wet and swell. When the tobacco raw material is brought into contact with the water vapor stream at the above temperature and residence time, the wet and swollen tobacco raw material is not dried, and the moisture content of the tobacco raw material is the same as before contact with the water vapor flow or within 5% by weight. To increase.

(Second step)
The wet and swollen tobacco material is brought into contact with a superheated steam stream at a temperature higher than the temperature of the water vapor in the first step to dry the tobacco material, thereby expanding.

  When the superheated steam has a temperature higher than the temperature of the steam in the first step, the wet and swollen tobacco material can be efficiently dried. The superheated steam preferably has a temperature range of 160 to 280 ° C. at a temperature higher than the temperature of the steam in the first step. For example, when the temperature of the superheated steam is 160 ° C., the steam temperature in the first step is set to a temperature lower than 160 ° C., and the temperature of the superheated steam is set to be higher than the steam temperature. A more preferable temperature of the superheated steam is 180 to 270 ° C.

  Various existing methods can be employed to bring the wet and swollen tobacco material into contact with the superheated steam flow. In particular, it is preferred that the cigarette raw material is swirled with the superheated steam flow. The turning can be performed using, for example, a cyclone. The residence time by swirling is preferably 2 to 15 seconds.

  By the drying step, the moisture content of the tobacco raw material can be reduced to 3 to 15% by weight, for example.

  In an embodiment, the tobacco raw material is further allowed to be reconditioned after the drying step. The re-humidification is performed, for example, by spraying water on the tobacco material. It is desirable that the re-humidification is performed on the tobacco raw material that has been reduced to a moisture content of 10% by weight or less by the drying step.

  According to the method for expanding a tobacco raw material according to the embodiment described above, first, the moisture content of the tobacco raw material at the time of humidity control is maintained by bringing the tobacco raw material into contact with a steam flow of 100 to 160 ° C., or 5% by weight. It is possible to sufficiently wet and swell the tissue of the tobacco raw material (for example, the medium bone) in the state increased within%, that is, in the non-dry state. Thereafter, the wet and swollen tobacco material is brought into contact with a superheated steam stream at a temperature higher than the water vapor in the step, preferably in the temperature range of 160 to 280 ° C., and the tobacco raw material is dried. This makes it possible to obtain an expanded tobacco material (e.g., expanded swollen bones) having a higher bulge than a conventional tobacco material that has been conditioned and dried directly with superheated steam. By making the moisture content of the tobacco raw material after drying further lower than 12% by weight, it is possible to obtain an expanded tobacco raw material with greatly increased bulkiness.

  In particular, when the tobacco raw material is brought into contact with the water vapor stream in the wetting and swelling process, it is possible to further increase the wettability and swelling without damaging the tobacco raw material by swirling the tobacco raw material together with the water vapor flow. Become.

  In addition, when the tobacco raw material is brought into contact with the superheated steam flow in the drying process, the wet and swollen tobacco raw material is swirled with the superheated steam flow, so that the tobacco raw material can be dried more efficiently without being damaged. Become.

  In the embodiment, the tobacco raw material after the drying step (for example, the water content is 10% by weight or less) is further reconditioned, for example, the moisture content is reconditioned to 12% by weight, whereby the humidified tobacco raw material is superheated with steam. Thus, an expanded tobacco raw material having a higher bulkiness than that obtained by drying the water content to 12% by weight can be obtained. The reason for this is that once the tobacco raw material is dried to low moisture, the rigidity of the tobacco raw material structure (for example, the middle bone tissue) increases and the expanded state can be firmly fixed, and even when the expanded tobacco raw material is reconditioned This is caused by the fact that the contraction of the resin is difficult to occur.

  Next, the tobacco raw material expansion apparatus according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  The first cyclone 1 has an inlet 2 on the side wall, an exhaust port 3 on the top, and an exhaust port 4 on the bottom. The first circulation duct 5 has one end connected to the inlet 2 of the first cyclone 1 and the other end connected to the exhaust port 3 of the first cyclone 1.

  The check valve 6 is disposed in the first circulation duct 5 so as to be located near the middle of its length. The check valve 6 restricts the flow of water vapor in the first circulation duct 5 from the exhaust port 3 of the first cyclone 1 toward the inflow port 2 and in the reverse direction. The first heater 7 is disposed in the first circulation duct 5 portion located between the check valve 6 and the inlet 2 of the first cyclone 1.

  The first water vapor supply pipe 8 is connected to the first circulation duct 5 portion located between the check valve 6 and the first heater 7. The first water vapor supply pipe 8 is provided with an on-off valve 9 for adjusting the amount of water vapor supplied. The first tobacco raw material supply unit 10 is connected to the first circulation duct 5 through the first air locker 11 at a portion between the first heater 7 and the inlet 2 of the first cyclone 1. The drain separator 12 and the exhaust fan 13 are arranged in this order from the exhaust port 3 of the first cyclone 1 toward the check valve 6 in the first circulation duct 5.

  The discharge port 4 of the first cyclone 1 is connected to a first discharge duct 14, and a second air locker 15 is interposed in the first discharge duct 14.

  The second cyclone 21 is disposed adjacent to the first cyclone 1. The second cyclone 21 has an inflow port 22 on the side wall, an exhaust port 23 on the top, and an exhaust port 24 on the bottom. The second circulation duct 25 has one end connected to the inlet 22 of the second cyclone 21 and the other end connected to the exhaust port 23 of the second cyclone 21.

  The circulation fan 26 and the second heater 27 which is a heating member are arranged in this order from the exhaust port 23 of the second cyclone 21 to the inflow port 22, that is, in the direction of the superheated steam flow. Has been placed. The exhaust duct 28 is connected to the second circulation duct 25 portion located between the circulation fan 26 and the second heater 27. The exhaust duct 28 exhausts the amount of superheated steam flowing through the second circulation duct 25 as necessary. The exhaust duct 28 is provided with an open / close valve 29 for adjusting the exhaust amount.

  The second water vapor supply pipe 30 is connected to a second circulation duct 25 portion located between the connection portion of the exhaust duct 28 and the second heater 27. The second water vapor supply pipe 30 is provided with an on-off valve 31 for adjusting the amount of water vapor supplied. The second tobacco raw material supply unit 32 is connected to the second circulation duct 25 portion located between the second heater 27 and the inlet 22 of the second cyclone 21 through the third air locker 33. One end of the conveying member 34 is located on the first discharge duct 14 side of the first cyclone 1, and the other end is located on the second tobacco material supply unit 32. The conveying member 34 conveys the tobacco material discharged from the first cyclone 1 to the second tobacco material supply unit 32.

  The discharge port 24 of the second cyclone 21 is connected to a second discharge duct 35, and a fourth air locker 36 is interposed in the second discharge duct 35.

  The connecting duct 37 connects the first circulation duct 5 portion located in the vicinity of the exhaust fan 13 and the second circulation duct 25 portion located in the vicinity of the exhaust port 23 of the second cyclone 21. The diaphragm valve 38 is disposed in the connection duct 37. The pressure gauge 39 is connected to the connecting duct 37 located on the second circulation duct 25 side from the diaphragm valve 38. The opening degree of the diaphragm valve 38 is controlled based on pressure detection data (pressure detection signal) from the pressure gauge 39.

  Next, a method for expanding tobacco raw materials by the tobacco raw material expansion apparatus shown in FIG. 1 will be described.

  First, a tobacco material (for example, a medium bone) is prepared. In the medium bone engraving, the rod-shaped medium bone raw material is conditioned to a moisture content of 15 to 50% by weight (on a wet basis), and then rolled with a roll rolling machine having a roll interval of 0.5 to 1.2 mm, and further, a width of 0. It is obtained by cutting at 1 to 0.3 mm.

  A dry saturated water vapor of 1 to 7 bar is injected into the first circulation duct 5 from the first water vapor supply pipe 9 at a gauge pressure. The steam flow is heated by the first heater 7 of the first circulation duct 5 as necessary. Thereafter, the intermediate bone is continuously supplied from the first tobacco material supply unit 10 to the first circulation duct 5 through the first air locker 11. By driving the exhaust fan 13 in advance, the middle bone is flown into the first cyclone 1 from the first circulation duct 5 together with the water vapor flow at a temperature of 100 to 160 ° C., and swirls together with the water vapor flow. At this time, the amount of water in the middle bone is equal to that before supply or increased by 5% by weight, and is sufficiently wetted and swollen. The circulation time in the first circulation duct 5 and the turning time in the first cyclone 1 are preferably set to 0.5 to 5 seconds, for example.

  The inner bone after turning is separated from the water vapor stream. The separated medium bone is discharged from the first discharge duct 14 connected to the first discharge port 14 of the first cyclone 1 to the conveying member 34 through the second air locker 15. On the other hand, the steam flow is discharged from the first exhaust port 3 of the first cyclone 1 to the first circulation duct 5 by driving the exhaust fan 13 and circulated toward the first inlet 2. In the circulation of the water vapor flow, water condensed in the water vapor flow is discharged from the drain separator 12.

  The wet medium bone is transported to the second tobacco material supply unit 32 by the transport member 34 and introduced into the second circulation duct 25 through the third air locker 33. Saturated water vapor is injected from the second water vapor supply pipe 30 into the second circulation duct 25 and heated at a higher temperature than the water vapor supplied to the first cyclone 1 while being heated while the saturated water vapor flow passes through the second heater 27. , A superheated steam flow in the temperature range of 160-280 ° C. By driving the circulation fan 26 in advance, the wet medium bone introduced into the second circulation duct 25 flows into the second cyclone 21 from the second circulation duct 25 together with the superheated steam flow and swirls together with the superheated steam flow. . At this time, the wet medium bone is dried and expanded. The circulation time in the second circulation duct 25 and the turning time in the second cyclone 21 are preferably 2 to 15 seconds, for example.

  After turning, the middle bone (expanded middle bone) is separated from the superheated steam flow. The separated expanded bone is discharged and collected from the second discharge duct 35 connected to the second discharge port 24 of the second cyclone 1 through the fourth air locker 36. On the other hand, the superheated steam flow is discharged from the second exhaust port 23 of the second cyclone 21 to the second circulation duct 25 by the drive of the circulation fan 26 and circulated toward the second inlet 22.

  The resulting swollen medium bone has a water content of 3 to 15% by weight. In addition, the bulging middle bone has a bulkiness of 5.8 to 7.5 cc / g, which is about 30 to 70 compared with the bulkiness (4.5 cc / g) of an undried middle bone immediately after cutting. % Filling capacity can be increased.

  In such a medium-humidity humidity control and drying process, the opening degree of the diaphragm valve 38 disposed in the connection duct 37 is controlled based on pressure detection data (pressure detection signal) from the pressure gauge 39, and the first circulation. A desired amount of water vapor flowing through the duct 5 is introduced into the second circulation duct 25 through the connection duct 37 and used as part of superheated water vapor.

  In addition, in the drying process of the medium bone by the system of the second cyclone 21 and the second circulation duct 25, when the water content becomes, for example, 10% by weight or less, the medium bone is cut by a known method, for example, spraying of water. Allow reconditioning.

  As described above, according to the tobacco raw material expansion apparatus according to the embodiment, wetting and drying of the tobacco raw material (for example, the middle bone) are applied to the first and second cyclones 1, 21 and the cyclones 1, 21, respectively. By using the first and second circulation ducts 5 and 25 connected to each other, it is possible to increase the chance of contact between the middle bone and the water vapor flow and the superheated water vapor without damaging the middle bone. As a result, it is possible to efficiently wet and swell the middle bone, and then dry it efficiently, so that it is possible to obtain a blown middle bone having increased bulkiness.

  Further, the first and second cyclones 1 and 21 and the first and second circulation ducts 5 and 25 incorporated in the expansion device have a very simplified structure and require rotating parts and mesh screens as in the conventional device. Therefore, it is excellent in durability, and it becomes possible to perform wet and dry treatment continuously in the middle bone.

  Furthermore, if the 1st circulation duct 5 and the 2nd circulation duct 25 are connected by the connection duct 37, the water vapor | steam which circulates through the 1st circulation duct 5 can be utilized effectively as a part of superheated water vapor | steam of the 2nd circulation duct 25, and energy saving is carried out. Driving can be realized.

  Hereinafter, the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the tobacco raw material expansion apparatus shown in FIG.

(Example 1: Comparative example)
In Example 1, the drying process was performed using the second cyclone and second circulation duct system of FIG.

  First, a rod-shaped medium bone material mixed at a ratio of 70% by weight of yellow seed and 30% by weight of Burley seed was conditioned to a water content of 37% by a method known to those skilled in the art, for example, spraying water or steam. This rod-shaped medium bone was squeezed with a pair of rollers having a gap of 0.8 mm, and then cut into a width of 0.2 mm to prepare a medium bone as a tobacco raw material.

  Saturated steam was supplied from the second steam supply pipe 30 to the second circulation duct 25 (diameter: about 100 mm, length: about 22 m) at a rate of 40 kg / hour and heated while passing through the second heater 27. Humidity control bone was continuously introduced from the second tobacco raw material supply unit 32 through the third air locker 33 into the second circulation duct 25 at a flow rate of 25 kg / hour on the basis of humidity control weight. At this time, the water vapor flow that circulates through the second circulation duct 25 is saturated water vapor with a vapor ratio of 90% by volume (which can be almost regarded as a superheated water vapor flow), a flow rate of 25 m / sec, atmospheric pressure, and a temperature of 260 ° C. It was. By driving the circulation fan 26 in advance, the humidity control medium is introduced from the second circulation duct 25 together with the superheated steam flow into the second cyclone (diameter: about 460 mm, separation portion effective height of 1.4 m). It swirled with steam and dried to expand. The residence time of the swirl was 5 seconds.

(Examples 2 and 3; comparative examples)
In the second circulation duct 25, the moisture-controlling carving was dried and expanded in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the temperature of the superheated steam flow circulating along with the humidity-controlling carving was 230 ° C and 210 ° C, respectively.

(Example 4: Example)
In Example 4, the above-described tobacco raw material expansion apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was used.

  Humidity control bones (water content: 37% by weight, width: 0.2 mm) subjected to the same treatment as in Example 1 were prepared.

  About 20 kg / into the first circulation duct 5 (diameter: about 250 mm, length: about 0.6 m) in which saturated water vapor with a gauge pressure of 5 bar is horizontally arranged from the nozzle portion (diameter 3 mm) of the first water vapor supply pipe 8. It spouted at the flow rate of time. Humidity control bone was continuously introduced from the first tobacco material supply unit 10 through the first air locker 11 into the first circulation duct 5 at a flow rate of 36 kg / hour on the basis of humidity control weight. At this time, the steam flow through the first circulation duct 5 was saturated steam having a temperature of 125 ° C. By driving the exhaust fan 13 in advance, the inside of the humidity control is introduced from the first circulation duct 5 into the first cyclone 1 (diameter: about 50 mm, effective height of separation part about 0.75 m) together with the water vapor flow, It swirled with water vapor and swollen. The passage time between the first circulation duct 5 and the first cyclone 1 (residence time was 1.5 seconds) was about 1.8 seconds. The moisture content of the wet medium bone was 39% by weight, an increase of 2% by weight from the moisture content at the time of humidity control (37% by weight).

  Next, the wet medium bone discharged from the first cyclone 1 is continuously introduced into the second circulation duct 25 through the conveying member 34 and the second tobacco raw material supply unit 32, and the second circulation duct 25 and the second cyclone are introduced. No. 21 was used to dry the swollen medium bone with a superheated steam flow and expand under the same conditions as in Example 1 described above. The temperature of superheated steam was 270 ° C.

(Examples 5 and 6; Examples)
In the second circulation duct 25, the wet medium bone was dried and expanded in the same manner as in Example 4 except that the temperature of the superheated steam flowing along with the wet medium bone was set to 240 ° C. and 220 ° C., respectively.

  The obtained engraved bones of Examples 1 to 6 were stored (harmonized) in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a temperature of 22.0 ° C. and a relative humidity of 60% for one week to obtain equilibrium moisture, and then the swelling property was measured. .

  The bulging property indicates the filling ability when the cigarette is made into a cigarette that can be smoked. For this measurement, DD-60A manufactured by Borgwaldt, Germany was used. In the test, the bulkiness of the bulging medium was measured repeatedly 5 times, and the average value was calculated.

  In addition, the water content of the expanded carved bone is calculated from the weight difference between before and after drying, after putting the expanded expanded carved bone of about 2 g into a weighing bottle, drying in a natural convection oven at a temperature of 100 ° C. for 1 hour. The average value of points was obtained.

Table 1 below shows the bulkiness and water content of the expanded medium bone of Examples 1 to 6.

  As is clear from Table 1, Examples 4 to 6 in which the moisture in the humidity control was wetted with steam at a temperature of 125 ° C. before drying with the superheated steam flow, It can be seen that the bulkiness is increased (improved) by 1.0 cc / g or more, respectively, as compared with Examples 1 to 3 in which no moisture was previously applied by the steam flow. Such an increase in bulkiness of 1.0 cc / g or more corresponds to about 20% in terms of the rate. Since the bulkiness of the unprocessed medium bone before drying (after humidity conditioning and cutting) is 4.5 cc / g, for example, in Example 4, the expansion rate is increased to 62%, and a very excellent expansion method It is confirmed that

(Example 7: Example)
In Example 7, the tobacco raw material expansion apparatus shown in FIG. 1 was used.

  Humidity-controlled bone engraving (water content: 37.0% by weight, width: 0.2 mm) subjected to the same treatment as in Example 1 was prepared.

  The incised bone was wetted and swollen using the first circulation duct 5 and the first cyclone 1 under the same conditions as in Example 4. The moisture content of the wet medium bone was 39.0% by weight, an increase of 2% by weight from the moisture content at the time of humidity control (37.0% by weight).

  Next, the wet medium bone discharged from the first cyclone 1 is continuously introduced into the second circulation duct 25 through the conveying member 34 and the second tobacco material supply unit 32, and the wet medium bone is introduced into the second circulation duct. 25 and the second cyclone 21 were dried in a superheated steam flow (temperature: 270 ° C.) under the same conditions as in Example 1 and expanded.

  Thereafter, water was sprayed on the incised bones to adjust the moisture content to 12.5% by weight.

(Example 8: Example)
In the second circulation duct 25, the wet medium bone was dried and expanded in the same manner as in Example 7, except that the temperature of the superheated steam flow circulating with the wet medium bone was set to 250 ° C. Thereafter, water was sprayed on the incised bones to adjust the moisture content to 12.5% by weight.

  The obtained engraved bone in Example 7 and Example 8 (after drying) was stored (harmonized) in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a temperature of 22.0 ° C. and a relative humidity of 60% for one week to obtain equilibrium moisture, and then described above. The bulkiness was measured in the same manner as in Examples 1 to 6. In addition, the bulkiness of the bulging medium after reconditioning was measured by the same method as in Examples 1 to 6.

  Furthermore, the water content of the engraved bone (after drying) was determined in the same manner as in Examples 1 to 6 described above.

These results are shown in Table 2 below.

  As is clear from Table 2 above, Examples 7 and 8 in which the sculptures during humidity control were wetted with a steam flow at a temperature of 125 ° C. before drying with a superheated steam flow, and were reconditioned after drying, respectively. The bulkiness is only reduced by about 4% compared to the midbone after drying (before reconditioning).

  Compared to the swelling of the swelled medium of Example 7 and Example 8 as described above, the swelled of the swelled medium (after drying) of Example 3 as a comparative example described above, both are larger than the swelled form. I understand. Therefore, when the middle bone is expanded with the target of water content of 12% by weight, as compared with the case where the moisture content is made to be 11% by weight only by the drying process as in Example 3, the middle bone of the humidity is adjusted. It can be seen that Example 7 and Example 8 can significantly improve the bulkiness by applying moisture with a steam flow before drying with a superheated steam flow and adjusting the moisture content to 12% by weight after drying.

In addition, when comparing the bulkiness of the re-humidified bone engraving of Example 7 and Example 8 and the swollen middle bone of Example 1, the re-humidified bone engraving of Example 7 and Example 8 The bulkiness can be increased more than the swelled engraved bone of Example 1 (see Table 1), which is dried only to a moisture content of 5.4% by weight. Accordingly, even if rehumidification is performed to increase moisture after drying by applying moisture with a steam flow at a predetermined temperature before drying with a superheated steam flow as in the present invention, It was confirmed that the bulkiness can be significantly improved as compared with the conventional method in which only the drying process is performed.
Hereinafter, the invention described in the scope of claims of the present application will be appended.
[1] A step of bringing the tobacco raw material into contact with a steam flow at 100 to 160 ° C. to wet and swell the tobacco raw material;
Contacting the tobacco raw material after wetting and swelling with a superheated steam stream at a temperature higher than the water vapor to dry the tobacco raw material;
Method for expanding tobacco raw materials including
[2] The method for expanding a tobacco raw material according to [1], wherein the tobacco raw material before contact with the water vapor stream is conditioned to 15 to 50% by weight.
[3] The method for expanding a tobacco raw material according to [1], wherein the wet and swollen tobacco raw material has the same water content as the tobacco raw material before contact with the water vapor stream or a water content increased within 5% by weight. .
[4] The method for expanding a tobacco raw material according to [1], wherein the wetting and swelling step is performed by swirling the tobacco raw material together with the water vapor flow.
[5] The tobacco raw material expansion method according to [4], wherein a residence time due to the swirling is 0.5 to 5 seconds.
[6] The method for expanding a tobacco raw material according to [1], wherein the tobacco raw material is reconditioned after the drying step.
[7] The method for expanding a tobacco raw material according to [6], wherein the re-humidification is performed by spraying water on the tobacco raw material.
[8] The method for expanding a tobacco raw material according to [6], wherein the re-humidification is performed on the tobacco raw material that has been reduced to a moisture content of 10% by weight or less by the drying step.
[9] The method for expanding a tobacco material according to any one of [1] to [8], wherein the tobacco material is a medium bone.
[10]
A first cyclone having an inlet, an outlet and an outlet;
A first supply-side duct connected to the inlet of the first cyclone;
A first exhaust duct connected to the exhaust port of the first cyclone;
A first water vapor supply unit connected to the first supply side duct;
A first tobacco raw material supply part connected to the first supply side duct located between the connection part of the first water vapor supply part and the inlet of the first cyclone;
A second cyclone having an inlet, an outlet and an outlet;
A second supply duct connected to the inlet of the second cyclone;
A second exhaust duct connected to the exhaust port of the second cyclone;
A heating member disposed in the second supply-side duct;
A second water vapor supply unit connected to the second supply side duct located downstream from the heating member;
A second tobacco material supply unit connected to the second supply side duct located between the inlet of the second cyclone and the heating member;
A transport member for transporting tobacco material discharged from the discharge port of the first cyclone to the second tobacco material supply unit;
A tobacco raw material expansion apparatus.
[11] The second supply-side duct connected to the second cyclone by connecting the first supply-side duct connected to the first cyclone and the first exhaust-side duct to form a first circulation duct. And the second exhaust duct are connected to form a second circulation duct, and the first circulation duct located near the exhaust port of the first cyclone and the second circulation duct near the exhaust port of the second cyclone [10] The tobacco raw material expansion apparatus according to [10].

Claims (1)

A first cyclone having an inlet, an outlet and an outlet;
A first supply-side duct connected to the inlet of the first cyclone;
A first exhaust duct connected to the exhaust port of the first cyclone;
A first water vapor supply section connected to the first supply side duct; a first connection connected to the first supply side duct located between the connection section of the first water vapor supply section and the inlet of the first cyclone; Tobacco raw material supply department,
A second cyclone having an inlet, an outlet and an outlet;
A second supply duct connected to the inlet of the second cyclone;
A second exhaust duct connected to the exhaust port of the second cyclone;
A heating member disposed in the second supply-side duct;
A second water vapor supply unit connected to the second supply side duct located upstream from the heating member;
A second tobacco material supply unit that will be connected to the second supply duct which is positioned between the heating member and the inlet of the second cyclone,
A transport member for transporting the tobacco material discharged from the discharge port of the first cyclone to the second tobacco material supply unit ;
Equipped with a,
The first supply side duct connected to the first cyclone and the first exhaust side duct are connected to form a first circulation duct, and the second supply side duct connected to the second cyclone and the second Two exhaust ducts are connected to form a second circulation duct, and the first circulation duct located near the exhaust port of the first cyclone and the second circulation duct near the exhaust port of the second cyclone are connected to the duct. in swelling apparatus of raw materials come if were connected.

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