KR800000320B1 - Recovery system for use with batch process for increasing the filling capacity of tobacco - Google Patents

Abstract

An appts. for recovery of volatile org. compds. was used to impregnate lots of tobacco to increase its filling capacity. Methylene, Et, ethylidine chlorides, trichlorofluoromethane, and trichlorotrifluoromethane are used for impregnation, which are introduced under pressure into tobacco layers in a hermetic chamber. The volatiles are removed by passing water vapor through tobacco at temp. above their b. p, transferred into a purifn. reservoir, in which solid tobacco particles and water vapor are sepd.

Description

Recovery system using batch process to increase the filling capacity of tobacco

1 is an opening view showing an embodiment of a processing apparatus including an impregnant recovery system according to the present invention.

2 is an embodiment of a modified recovery tank for use in a recovery system in accordance with the present invention.

The present invention relates to a device for recovering volatile organic compounds used in a process to increase the filling capacity of tobacco, and in particular, to dispose of tobacco after contact with a heated gas stream above the boiling temperature of the penetrating organic compound. Batch is a device for recovering the steam used in the batch process in which organic compounds are penetrated, so that the permeate is volatilized and the emitted vapor is recovered and reused.

In the conventional apparatus, there have been many processes for increasing the filling capacity of cigarettes, including the process of using volatile organic compounds to penetrate the cigarette, the process of using hot gas to volatilize the organic compounds, and the expansion of tobacco. The process is known. This process, which has been carried out so far, is described in U.S. Patent Nos. 3,524,451; 3,524,542; 3,575,178, and 3,524,542 and 3,575,178 specify the continuous feeding process and the process known as the "continuous process." Recently known processes for increasing tobacco and filling capacity have been described in US Pat. No. 3,753,440, which has been identified as a "batch process" because of its discontinuous nature. In the "batch process", a bed of tobacco (kd) is installed in a vacuum sealed chamber, which is in contact with the volatile organic compounds that penetrate the tobacco, and the dry gas is then used to remove the moisture and organic compounds in the tobacco. To pass a cigarette. Eventually the hot gas passes through the bed of tobacco to volatilize the organic compound, thereby expanding the tobacco. A feature of using a process as described in US Pat. No. 3,753,440 is the recovery of organic compounds used to penetrate tobacco. Thus, the present invention provides a unique recovery system in which the entire amount of the organic compound penetrated into the cigarette can be recovered, and also the items combined with the conventional recovery system have been omitted. In summary, the present invention is as follows. First, it is an object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive "batch process" recovery system for increasing the filling capacity of tobacco in a large amount of tobacco which can be treated in a single cycle. Second, another object of the present invention is to It will be apparent from the accompanying drawings and the claims.

In addition, the present invention will be described generally. The process according to an embodiment of the present invention is provided for a bed of tobacco installed in a container having a perforated bottom through which fluid can pass through the bed. The container for transporting tobacco is placed in a chamber that can be completely sealed, which is then sealed. Partial vacuum is applied to remove the inherent condensed gas (ie, air) from the cigarette, and vapor of the organic compound is supplied to the room under pressure and condensed in the cigarette. The chamber is then equilibrated and the pressure in the room is reduced. In addition, immediately after the pressure in the room reaches the required level, hot condensable gas (ie, air) is supplied to contact the cigarette to volatilize the permeate in the cigarette, thereby expanding the cigarette. The volatilized permeate passes through a gas purification tank that removes solid particles (ie, cigarettes) and most condensable hot gases from the seal. The effluent from the clarification tank is the vapor of the organic compound and the non-condensable gas (ie: air), which is fed to a recovery tank where the vapor of the organic compound is condensed from the clarification tank and settled on the bottom of the tank and recovered. The tank is divided into two parts, one acting as a condenser chamber and the other acting as a compression chamber used to reduce the volume of gas in the condenser chamber. This helps condensation of the steam. It is also used as a pump to pressurize liquid organic compounds from the recovery tank when this operation is required during the compressor chamber process.

Compounds or mixtures of organic compounds employed in batch processes to penetrate tobacco have an organic character and do not cause chemical changes to allow tobacco to be processed. In the present embodiment of the recovery system, which will be described next, the cooling fluid floats on the penetrant in the liquid phase and the cooling fluid takes the usual because the penetrant is denser than the cooling fluid used in the recovery tank of the system.

Organic compounds that can be used to carry out the invention are the azeotropic and fluoro of compounds such as trichlorofluoro-methane-isopentane, azeotrope described below. Dichloromethane (fluorodichIoromethane), 1,2-dichlorotetrafluoroethane (1,1,1-chlorodifluoroethane), trichlorotrifluoroethane (trichlorotrifluoroethane), trichlorofluoromethane (trichIorotrifluoromethane), ethylidene chloride (ethylidene chloride), ethyl bromide (methylene chloride). These compounds are preferably not oxidized, and organic compounds are non-polar and do not mix well with water. These good compounds have a relatively low specific heat and therefore consume less energy, allowing them to evaporate and expand in tobacco. Preferred raw materials are hydrocarbons and inert hydrocarbons in the groups described above, and the most preferred raw materials are trichlorofluoromethanes having a boiling point to perform the process without the need for excessive heating or cooling. Its density is 1.476.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Tavern 10 shown in FIG. 1 represents a chamber containing a container or container 12 having a perforated bottom, which conveys a batch or bed of tobacco 14 to allow the tobacco to be processed, and the seal is removed from the container. 16 sealing lids were installed. The bottom of the perforated container allows the steam or hot gas used in the process to pass freely through the bed of tobacco.

The seal has a hole 18 in the bottom 19 through which the seal can be vacuumed and introduced into the room while the organic compound penetrant penetrates during the process. The second hole 20 is provided in the side wall 22 of the seal so that hot gas, especially steam, used in the steaming process is introduced into the room.

The steam supply has three parts as shown in FIG. The pressure regulator 29 was installed in the pipe so that the steam pressure was regulated uniformly for the various functions in which steam was used (i.e., evaporating organic compounds to steam and penetrate the cigarettes and energizing the steam jet). The seal is also connected to the penetrant supply and recovery via vent hole 34, vacuum pipe 36 and feed line 38 through hole 18, to the steam jet 40 of vacuum pipe 36, which is in the gas purifier and the dehumidification tank 44. Connected to the spray head 42 below. The gas purging and dehumidifying tanks holding the cooling fluid 45 receive condensate from the seal to remove solids such as tobacco, and condensable gases (ie steam) and their condensation to the temperature of the cooling fluid. Cool non-condensable gas that cannot condense with temperature. Preferred cooling fluid is water maintained at a temperature between about 45 ° to 60 ° C. The water in the clarification tank is circulated by the pump 46 to the upper headquarters header above the injection header 42 via pipe 47, heat exchanger 48 and pipe 49. do. The effluent from the lower injection header 42 passes through the cooling fluid and is contacted by the mist released from the injection head 50. Along with valve 52, drain pipe 51 is installed at the bottom of the purification tank to remove sediment from the tank.

The feed pipe 38 is connected to one end of the discharge pipe 34 and the other end to the recovery tank 54. Volatile organic compounds used as penetrants during the process are not only recovered in the tank but also stored. In the second heat exchanger 56, the organic compound is supplied to the supply pipe 38 to evaporate the liquid organic compound supplied in the process and to supply the seal. The recovery tank 54 is also connected to the outlet 61 of the purification tank 44 via pipes 58 and 60.

The recovery tank 54 is provided with a baffle or a partition plate for dividing the cavity of the tank into the condenser 64 and the compressor 66 at the top, and the reflux of the tank is connected to the pipes 60, 58 through the outlet 61 of the purification tank 44. A connected discharge jet header 68 was installed to receive the effluent from the purification tank. The second injection header or injection nozzle 70 is located on top of the discharge injection header 68 and is used to condense the steam which will be described later. Three kinds of fluids are supplied to this recovery tank; The first fluid can be compressed and is a non-condensable gas such as air supplied to the compressor section of the tank via pipes 72,73, and the compressed supply air (not shown) preferably has a pressure of about 90. The second fluid 74 in the recovery tank is the cooling fluid used to condense the vapor from the discharge into the recovery tank. In recovery systems of this nature, such fluids must be of low density so that they can float above the penetrant compound and be less dense than the penetrant compound. The level of cooling fluid in the tank must be kept above the baffle stage. An important reason for the level of cooling fluid above the baffle stage is that the surface of the cooling fluid is kept above the baffle stage, so that This is to prevent the gas from passing under the baffle stage. In addition, the temperature of the cooling fluid should be maintained between 3 ° C and 59 ° C. Preferred cooling fluids are water and should be kept below the boiling point of the penetrant compound used. Thus, since the preferred penetrant in this embodiment is trichlorofluoromethane, the temperature of the water should be maintained at about 10 degrees Celsius, and the temperature of the cooling fluid is maintained by circulating the water through the pump 77 through the pipe 77 to the cooler 78. This water is returned to the tank by pipe 79 and spray nozzle 70. The third fluid 75 in the tank is a volatile organic compound in the liquid state.

Although many connection pipes and valves related to the present system have not been described as described above, they will be specified when describing the following recovery system.

2 shows a modified recovery tank using shrinkable bladder 100 connected to inlet pipe 72 from a compressed air source. This air sac does not allow the introduction of a compound that can collide with the condenser section of the tank. This prevents the loss of condensable compounds when the compressor section of the tank is punctured and will be well named next.

Volatile organic compounds used to extend tobacco during the process described above must be recovered to perform the process economically. It is also possible to use conventional recovery systems, but this recovery system allows for volatile organic compound vapors and air mixtures that can be pressed by an external compressor. The external pressure gauge is the amount of organic compounds used in standard compressors used in other recovery systems. Tends to reduce. This system also reduces the cost of the recovery system since it is replaced by the recovery tank 54 used in the system among the conventional recovery system components. Recovery tank 54, for example, acts as a compressor, contact condenser and pump storage tank.

Recovery of volatile organic compounds begins through the infiltration phase when the pressure in the chamber 10 begins to be maintained at the required level. In addition, when the valve installed in the supply pipe 38 is closed to open and close the supply of steam to the chamber through the infiltration step, the valve 90 installed in the compressed air source pipe is closed and compressed to 90 psig in the compressor 66 of the recovery tank 54. Shut off the air. The pressure of the compression base drops from about 90 psig to 20 psig due to the opening of the discharge valve 106 which discharges the compressor unit 60 to the atmosphere, and at the same time the valve 106 is closed. This action reduces the pressure on the condenser portion 64 of the recovery tank to facilitate drainage.

Although air predominates in the gas mixture in the condenser section 64 of the tank before recovery begins, volatile organic compound vapors are present in the mixture, which is recovered until the level control 110 detects water and the valve 92 is closed. Opening the discharge valve 92 at the condenser side of the tank allows it to exit the system during the infiltration phase. Level valve 110 operates valve 92 to shorten the opening and closing time for all gases to be removed. The purpose of this step is to remove all non-condensable gases from the system. At the selected time, the discharge valve 92 is disabled and prevented from opening. At the same time the discharge valve 106 is resumed so that the compressor portion 66 of the tank is equal to the atmosphere, after which the valve 106 is closed. The reason for closing valve 106 at this moment is to recover the vapor and air mixture under pressure that can reduce the volume of the non-condensable gas accumulated, so that the gas does not pass under the baffle 62 and escapes to the compressor section of the tank. .

The valve 86 opens after the infiltration process and during the drop in the actual pressure and therefore the valve 102 installed in the pipe 60 connecting the tank. When steam passes into the clarification tank 44, condensable fluid (ie: water) or solids is removed by foaming the effluent from the header 42 through the cooling fluid 45 or by the cooling effect of the cooling spray from the header 50. In addition to cooling, condensable non-condensable gas or vapors of volatile organic compounds pass through outlet 61 and pipes 58, 60 into recovery tank 54 and are foamed from header 68 through cooled fluid 74. Part of the organic vapor is condensed from the mixture and settles at the bottom of the tank. The spray cooled from the spray nozzle 70 also condenses most of the residual vapor and settles at the bottom of the tank.

When the pressure in the room is reduced, valve 84 opens to allow the steam jet to pass through, which causes the steam jet to actuate the seal. At the same time, even though the discharge valve 106 in the compressor section of the recovery tank is opened, all steam is not recovered.

The steam jet 40 operates during the entire process, so that during each step of the process, the recovery device described above in the same way has already been described for the depressurization process and the recovery system is operated until the steam jet stops functioning. do. Steam remaining in the condenser section of the recovery tank is recovered in the next process cycle during the infiltration process when air at 90 psig pressure is used to compress the steam to promote their condensation.

As described above, the present invention provides a novel penetrant recovery system, which is much more economical than conventional systems to recover the entire amount of penetrant used, and thus provides an inexpensive "batch process" to increase the filling capacity of tobacco. It can be seen that it provides.

Accordingly, the present recovery system may be modified or modified in various ways within the scope of the following claims and the spirit of the recovery system described above.

Claims (1)

A device that can be used to store, supply, and retrieve the condensable compounds used in the treatment system in a vapor state as described in the text with reference to the accompanying drawings is placed on the reservoirs and compounds of the liquid condensable compounds at the bottom of the tank. A closed tank having a coolant reservoir less dense than the rising condensable compound, a device for separating the top of the tank with a condensation base and a compressor section, a device for maintaining the coolant at a constant temperature, and liquid vapor as it passes through the coolant. A vapor introduction device for introducing a vaporized compound from the treatment system into the coolant reservoir in a condenser section of the tank where the liquid compound is collected in a compound reservoir at the bottom of the tank, Supply to connect tank to treatment system for distribution A pipe, an apparatus for maintaining and adjusting the pressure in the compressor section of the tank to pressurize the liquid compound from the tank as required, and a control device coupled to the processing system to regulate the supply of the compound to the processing system. Recovery system using a batch process to increase the filling capacity of tobacco.

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