KR102491617B1 - Particle distributor - Google Patents

Abstract

A particle distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention has an inner space, a housing having an inlet into which particles are introduced, a plurality of outlets through which particles moving through the inlet are discharged, and an inner space and a vibrating unit for applying vibration to the housing so that the particles can move toward the outlet, and the housing includes a plurality of distribution passages provided in an internal space so that the particles can be distributed and moved toward the plurality of outlets, and between the distribution passage and the inlet. It may include a partition wall extending along the width direction of the housing.

Description

Particle Distributor {PARTICLE DISTRIBUTOR}

The present invention relates to a particle distributor, and more particularly, to a particle distributor including a barrier rib for controlling the movement of particles.

A super absorbent polymer (SAP) is a special polymer material with excellent absorbency and water retention, and is widely used in diapers for infants and adults, women's products, and the like.

Such a superabsorbent polymer may be prepared in a powder form through monomer polymerization, drying, pulverization, classification, and surface crosslinking. Immediately after polymerization, the superabsorbent polymer (hereinafter referred to as 'particle') is in a gel state with various sizes and high water content and goes through a drying step. Considering the efficiency of the drying step, the process of distributing the particles using a particle distributor preceded

As shown in FIG. 1, the particle distributor 10 is a device for moving particles entering one inlet 11 and distributing them to a plurality of outlets 17a and 17b, and the particles are moved by vibration applied to the entire distributor. will do Vibration of the distributor is applied by the vibrating unit 14, and the vibrating unit 14 operates with the same amplitude and frequency to uniformly distribute the particles to the plurality of outlets 17a and 17b, and the plurality of outlets 17a, 17b) may be provided in plurality.

However, when the vibration period of each vibrating unit 14 is not constant or the magnitude of the amplitude is different, the magnitude of the vibration applied to the plurality of outlets 17a and 17b is different, resulting in deviation in particle movement, which causes distribution There is a problem in that appropriate distribution is not achieved due to the deviation of the flow rate of the particles distributed to the furnaces 15a and 15b. In addition, there is a problem in that process efficiency and productivity are lowered due to a load on equipment due to the bias of particles in a subsequent process step or a seizing phenomenon.

The present invention has been conceived to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a particle distributor including a barrier rib for uniformly controlling the movement of particles.

A particle distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention has an inner space, a housing having an inlet into which particles are introduced, a plurality of outlets through which particles moving through the inlet are discharged, and an inner space and a vibrating unit for applying vibration to the housing so that the particles can move toward the outlet, and the housing includes a plurality of distribution passages provided in an internal space so that the particles can be distributed and moved toward the plurality of outlets, and between the distribution passage and the inlet. It may include a partition wall extending along the width direction of the housing.

In this embodiment, when the barrier rib is cut along the height direction of the housing in a state of viewing the housing from the side, the cut surface of the barrier rib may be formed perpendicular to the main movement direction of the particles.

In this embodiment, the barrier rib may be formed so that one end of the side surface of the housing is in contact with the side surface of the housing.

In this embodiment, the barrier rib may be formed spaced apart from at least one of an inner upper surface and an inner lower surface of the housing so that particles may move to at least one of upper and lower portions of the barrier rib.

In this embodiment, the partition wall may connect the front ends of both side walls of the distribution path to each other.

The particle distributor according to the embodiment of the present invention has the effect of adjusting the distribution deviation of the particles distributed to a plurality of distribution passages by installing a partition wall inside the housing and uniformizing the movement of the particles. In addition, process efficiency and productivity can be improved.

1 is a perspective view of a conventional particle distributor.
2 is a perspective view of a particle distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a top plan view of a particle distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a side view of a particle distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a top plan view of a particle distributor according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 (a) and (b) are diagrams showing calculation domains of simulations performed in relation to the present invention.
7 (a) and (b) are diagrams showing simulation results performed in relation to the present invention.

The present invention relates to a particle distributor including a barrier rib for controlling the movement of particles. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In this specification, the outer side walls 151a and 151b of the distribution passages may be understood to mean a part of the side wall 121 of the housing forming the distribution passages 150a and 150b.

In addition, in this specification, 'vertical' includes not only a vertical meaning 90˚ according to mathematical definition, but also a substantially vertical case, and the angle is generally within 90˚±2˚, and preferably 90˚±0.5˚. range within degrees.

2 is a perspective view of a particle distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the particle distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a side view of the particle distributor according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5 is a top plan view of a particle distributor according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The particle distributor 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a housing 120 in which an inner space 130 in which particles move is formed, and a vibration unit 140 for applying vibration to the housing 120.

The housing 120 may include an inlet 110 through which particles are introduced, and a plurality of outlets 170a and 170b through which particles introduced through the inlet 110 and moving in the internal space 130 are discharged. The inlet 110 is formed on one side of the housing 120, and a plurality of outlets 170a and 170b may be formed on the opposite side of the inlet 110. In the present specification, the plurality of outlets 170a and 170b include a first outlet 170a formed on the left side of the housing 120 and a second outlet 170b formed on the right side of the housing 120 with reference to FIG. 2, that is, two. It can be understood to mean a segmented structure. However, it goes without saying that three or more outlets 170 may be provided as needed.

The vibrator 140 is a device that applies vibration to the housing 120 and may be a motor. In addition, various means capable of applying vibration may be used instead of the motor. As the housing 120 is vibrated by the vibration unit 140 , the particles introduced through the inlet 110 may move toward the first outlet 170a and the second outlet 170b. As shown in FIG. 2 , the vibration unit 140 is provided to correspond to the distribution passages 150a and 150b to be described later so that vibration can be applied to each distribution passage 150a and 150b, and the housing 120 ) can be placed below.

On the other hand, the real-time movement direction of each injected particle may be different, but since the particles in the housing 120 are introduced through the inlet 110 and discharged through the outlets 170a and 170b, as shown in FIG. 4, the particles It can be seen as moving from the inlet side (I) to the outlet side (O), and in this specification, this direction is defined as the main movement direction of the particles.

In addition, in this embodiment, the housing 120 may be provided to be inclined downward along the main movement direction of the particles, and the downward slope may induce the particles inside the housing 120 to move toward the outlets 170a and 170b. .

The housing 120 may include a plurality of distribution passages 150a and 150b provided in the inner space 130 so that the particles are distributed and moved toward the plurality of outlets 170a and 170b, respectively. The plurality of distribution passages 150a and 150b are spaces formed by the outer walls 151a and 151b of the distribution passage extending from the side wall 121 of the housing and the inner walls 153a and 153b of the distribution passage extending from the middle wall 152 to be described later. can be

Particles inside the housing 120 may reach the respective outlets 170a and 170b via the respective distribution passages 150a and 150b. For example, in this embodiment, the particles are discharged through the first outlet 170a through the first distribution passage 150a of the housing 120, or through the second distribution passage 150b of the housing 120. It may be discharged through the second outlet (170b). More specifically, the particles may be distributed to the first distribution passage 150a or the second distribution passage 150b by the middle wall 152 formed at the introduction part of the distribution passages 150a and 150b. The middle wall 152 is preferably located at the center of the housing 120 in the width direction in order to uniformly distribute the particles moving to the first distribution passage 150a and the second distribution passage 150b.

In addition, the housing 120 may include a barrier 160 for controlling the movement of particles. Hereinafter, various embodiments of the barrier rib 160 will be described.

The partition wall 160 may extend along the width direction of the housing 120 between the distribution passages 150a and 150b and the inlet 110. For example, the linear partition wall 160 may be formed along the width of the housing 120. It can be formed extending in the direction. In addition, when the partition wall 160 is cut along the height direction of the housing 120 in a state in which the housing 120 is viewed from the side with reference to FIG. 2, the cut surface of the partition wall 160 is the main particle It may be formed perpendicular to the direction of movement.

The partition wall 160 may be formed to have the same length as the length of the housing 120 in the width direction so that one end of the partition wall 160 on the housing side surface 121 is in contact with the housing side surface 121 . Meanwhile, the barrier rib 160 may be formed to have a length shorter than the length of the housing 120 in the width direction and may not come into contact with the side surface 121 of the housing 121 . In this case, the barrier rib 160 may be formed in the center of the inner space 130 of the housing 120 so that a space of equal interval is formed between the barrier rib 160 and both side surfaces of the housing 120 .

In addition, the partition wall 160 may connect the distal ends P of both side walls of the distribution passages 150a and 150b to each other. Specifically, the partition wall 160 is formed to connect the front end P of the outer wall 151a of the first partition and the outer wall 151b of the second distribution, or the front end P of the outer wall 151a of the first distribution and the middle. The wall 152 and the second distribution may be formed to connect the front end P of the outer wall 151b and the middle wall 152. In this case, the barrier ribs 160a and 160b may be provided in the plurality of distribution passages 150a and 150b, respectively.

Meanwhile, the partition wall 160 may be formed to come into contact with the middle wall 152 extending from the junction of the inner walls 153a and 153b of the distribution passages 150a and 150b to the introduction part, for example, the partition wall 160 ) may be formed in front of the intermediate wall 152 to come into contact with the intermediate wall 152 . In this case, since the particles moving in the inner space 130 of the housing 120 pass through the partition wall 160 and are directly distributed to the distribution passages 150a and 150b and move, the particle movement control effect by the partition wall 160 is reduced. can be maximized

In addition, the barrier rib 160 may be spaced apart from at least one of the inner upper surface and the inner lower surface of the housing 120 so that particles may move to at least one of the upper and lower portions of the barrier rib 160 . For example, the distance between the partition wall 160 and the inner lower surface of the housing 120, the height of the partition wall 160, and the distance between the partition wall 160 and the inner upper surface of the housing 120 are in a ratio of 3:2:5. At this time, 70% of the particle flow flows into the space between the partition wall 160 and the inner lower surface of the housing 120, and the remaining 30% flows into the space between the partition wall 160 and the inner upper surface of the housing 120. can flow

On the other hand, left and right particle movement and discharge of the conventional particle distributor 10 without the partition wall 160 of FIG. 1 and the particle distributor 100 including the partition wall 160 according to one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. A simulation was conducted to compare the deviations.

Super absorbent polymer (SAP) conditions

In this simulation, SAP particles with physical properties derived as follows (Table 1) through measurement of the angle of repose and particle discharge time were used.

Super absorbent polymer (SAP) particles particle diameter (mm) 5 Particle Density (kg/m³) 1,100 angle of repose (˚) 34 friction coefficient 0.8 coefficient of restitution 0.1 rolling friction coefficient 0.225 Discharge time (s) 5

Selection of calculation domain

- Analysis area (L*W*H): 15000*400*200 (unit: mm)

In this simulation, the left and right deviation of particle movement was calculated for the region consisting of the shortest distance (L) from the inlet to the inlet to the distribution path, the width (W) of the standard housing at the entrance to the distribution path, and the height (H) of the housing. The calculation domain selected in this way can be confirmed through FIG. 6 .

process conditions

The distribution process conditions in which this simulation was conducted are as follows (Table 2).

Assay condition Housing horizontal angle (˚) 5 Particle flow rate (kg/s) 0.75 Particle Density (True/Bulk) (g/cm³) 1.1/0.6 particle diameter (mm) 5 Vibration period of vibrating part (Hz) 17 Vibration section amplitude (mm) 1.45 Vibration part angle (˚) 34 Space under bulkhead (mm) 45 Space above the bulkhead (mm) 125 bulkhead height (mm) 30

In [Table 2], the horizontal angle (˚) of the housing means an inclined angle from the inlet side to the outlet side based on a virtual horizontal plane. In addition, the vibrating unit is disposed below the housing, and the angle (˚) of the vibrating unit means an angle between the bottom surface of the housing and the vibrating unit.

The space under the partition wall (mm) and the space above the partition wall (mm) refer to the height of the space formed between the partition wall and the lower or upper surface inside the housing, respectively.

On the other hand, in this simulation, the particles were not supplied through the inlet of the particle distributor, but the particles were supplied to the left and right sides of the pre-selected calculation area at different supply ratios. Specifically, particles of 80% of the average particle flow rate were injected into the left side of the calculation area, and particles of 120% of the average particle flow rate were injected into the right side, and the left and right discharge flow rates of the particles were calculated after the injected particles passed through the inlet of the distribution path.

Simulation analysis result

The results of this simulation analysis are as follows (Table 3). In (Table 3), column A shows information related to a conventional particle distributor that does not include the barrier rib 160, and column B shows the particle distributor 100 including the barrier rib 160 according to an embodiment of the present invention and Relevant information is indicated.

A B With or without bulkhead X O Left discharge flow rate (%) 86.7 91.8 Right discharge flow rate (%) 113.4 108.6

According to the results shown in (Table 3), when the partition wall 160 is not included in the housing inner space 130, the left and right discharge flow rate deviation of the particles is 26.7%, whereas when the partition wall 160 is included, the left and right sides of the particles It can be seen that the flow discharge deviation was improved by about 10% to 16.8%.

As described above, the particle distributor 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention installs the partition wall 160 inside the housing 120 to control the distribution deviation of the particles distributed to the plurality of distribution passages 150a and 150b. and has the effect of homogenizing the movement of particles. In addition, process efficiency and productivity can be improved in manufacturing the super absorbent polymer (SAP) to which the particle distributor 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is applied.

Although the present invention has been described with respect to the above-mentioned preferred embodiments, various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the scope of the appended claims will include such modifications and variations as long as they fall within the gist of the present invention.

100: particle divider 110: inlet
120: housing 121: housing side
130: inner space 140: vibrating unit
150a: first distribution path 150b: second distribution path
151a: outer wall of the first distribution passage 151b: outer wall of the second distribution passage
152: middle wall 153a: inner wall of the first distribution passage
153b: inner wall of the second distribution passage 160: bulkhead
170a: first outlet 170b: second outlet

Claims (5)

a housing having an inner space and having an inlet into which particles are introduced and an outlet formed into two parts so that the particles introduced through the inlet and moving through the inner space can be discharged; and
A vibration unit for applying vibration to the housing so that the particles in the inner space can be moved toward the outlet,
the housing,
two distribution channels provided in the inner space so that the particles can be distributed and moved toward the two outlets; and
A partition wall extending to contact the side surface of the housing along the width direction of the housing between the distribution path and the inlet;
The partition wall is formed spaced apart from at least one of an inner upper surface and an inner lower surface of the housing so that the particles can move to at least one of the upper and lower parts of the partition wall, the particle distributor.
According to claim 1,
When the partition wall is cut along the height direction of the housing in a state in which the housing is viewed from the side,
The cut surface of the barrier rib is formed perpendicular to the main movement direction of the particles, the particle distributor. delete delete According to claim 1,
The bulkhead is
A particle distributor for connecting the front ends of both side walls of the distribution passage to each other.

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