EP2481301B1 - Tobacco cooling device, particularly for a tobacco drying system - Google Patents

Tobacco cooling device, particularly for a tobacco drying system Download PDF

Info

Publication number: EP2481301B1
Authority: EP; European Patent Office
Prior art keywords: tobacco; cooling device; drying; process gas; water
Prior art date: 2011-01-27
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.): Active

Application number

EP11186721.4A

Other languages

German (de)

English (en)

French (fr)

Other versions

EP2481301A1 (en

Inventor

Mansueto Favaro

Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)

Garbuio SpA

Original Assignee

Garbuio SpA

Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)

2011-01-27

Filing date

2011-10-26

Publication date

2015-02-18

2011-10-26 Application filed by Garbuio SpA filed Critical Garbuio SpA

2011-10-26 Priority to PL11186721T priority Critical patent/PL2481301T3/pl

2012-08-01 Publication of EP2481301A1 publication Critical patent/EP2481301A1/en

2015-02-18 Application granted granted Critical

2015-02-18 Publication of EP2481301B1 publication Critical patent/EP2481301B1/en

Status Active legal-status Critical Current

2031-10-26 Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

Images

Classifications

- A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
- A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
- A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
- A24B3/00—Preparing tobacco in the factory
- A24B3/04—Humidifying or drying tobacco bunches or cut tobacco

Definitions

the present invention relates to a tobacco cooling device, particularly for a tobacco drying system.
GB 2426566 discloses an apparatus and method for drying tobacco meterrel of the prior art.
the process gas is moved by a fan, typically of the centrifugal type and provided with all the solutions required for operation at high temperature.
the fan produces a mass and volume flow-rate of process gas that is adapted to provide the desired drying effect, which is obtained essentially by thermal convection, and convey the product from the loading point to the discharge point.
the systems for heating the process gas based on the combustion of hydrocarbons can be of the direct fire or indirect fire type.
the combustion products are introduced directly into the drying circuit (typically of the open type).
the process gas is made to pass through a heat exchanger, inside the hot section of which the combustion products are circulated, while the process gas passes through the cold section.
the indirect heating technique is applied to closed circuit systems.
electric coil heaters are inserted in the process gas circuit for the direct heating thereof, although this application is preferred for low-capacity dryers.
the process gas is then made to pass through a vertical pipe known typically as a drying tower or drying column, where the product, propelled by the process gas, proceeds typically upward from below in suspension in the process gas.
a vertical pipe known typically as a drying tower or drying column
the adjustment of the speed of the process gas and the geometry of the drying column can be set in various ways so as to induce a greater or smaller speed gradient between the product and the process gas.
the gas mixed with the product then enters the device that is adapted to perform the gas/product separation.
the product is introduced typically by means of a star valve (i.e. an airlock) at the height of the horizontal portion of the duct that precedes the drying column or alternatively directly into the drying column.
a star valve i.e. an airlock
the product is extracted at the base of the cyclone separator (or other separation system) typically by means of a star valve.
the process gas after the separation of the product, is sent to the stack (after energy recovery, if any) in an arrangement with an open circuit, or alternatively it is recycled and resent to the propulsion fan in a closed-circuit system.
part of the process gas is bled (in a natural or forced manner) in order to eliminate the steam generated in the drying process.
Various instruments are arranged to measure the temperatures, speed and flow rate of the gas, the pressure inside the dryer, et cetera.
the product is discharged at 100°C, a temperature which of course corresponds to the boiling point of water at atmospheric pressure at sea level.
the product is typically cooled with various means, all of which, albeit according to various different application schemes, provide for the removal of the heat by thermal convection from the product to the ambient air, which may or may not be pre-cooled.
the product is conveyed through an open-circuit pneumatic conveyance system, drawing air directly from the environment.
cooling is induced with means adapted to maximize its efficiency, since the swiftness of the cooling has been found to be functional to optimizing the process.
Specific volume is measured typically by means of standard procedures that consist in subjecting, inside a vessel having a calibrated volume, a sample of product of predetermined mass to compression by a known weight, for a preset time.
the conclusive test adapted to determine the filling power remains that of proceeding with the packaging of a significant number of cigarettes (thousands) and measuring, for equal packaging conditions, the actual content of product in relation to the actual consistency of the cigarettes, which in turn is determined on the basis of standard transverse compression tests.
drying column inside which most of the process occurs, by being extended in a vertical direction, also requires a useful height of several meters.
the actual energy consumption is variable in relation to the technical layout used; for example, it depends greatly on whether a closed circuit is applied instead of an open one, on the extent to which the gas is bled, on the quality of the thermal insulation of the circuit, on the efficiency of the assemblies for heating the process gas (burner and heat exchanger), etc.
Another drawback that can be ascribed to the cited background art is the limited specific volume of the product that is the result of the process; this volume typically can be improved in two ways: by increasing the temperature of the process gas (so as to accelerate the transmission of the heat to the product and therefore the evaporation of the water by increasing the thermal gradient) or by increasing the humidity at the entry of the product (in order to increase the quantity of water available for evaporation).
the cooling process after drying typically uses ambient air for the convective extraction of the heat.
the temperature of the ambient air is of course variable depending on the season and on the current conditions inside the factory.
degradation is defined as the fragmentation of the product which results from the process and which, by reducing the size of the particles of product, has a negative effect on its specific volume and filling power.
pneumatic conveyance systems by which is meant means for conveyance between two points, is typically limited to the minimum indispensable, since they are found to be responsible for degradation which can be traced back mainly to the dynamic impact of the product, especially if it is in the dried state, against the walls of the conveyance duct, especially where the latter has a winding shape.
the aim of the present invention is therefore to solve the drawbacks cited above and therefore solve the described technical problems by providing a device that can be used in tobacco drying systems and which makes it possible to reduce the quantity of energy to be transferred by convection from the hot process gas, this allowing a reduced sizing of the tobacco drying means and therefore, among other things, a reduced overall height of the system.
an object is also to make it possible to achieve an energy saving.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that combines the preceding characteristics with that of achieving an increase in the specific volume of the product resulting from the drying process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a device that makes it possible to achieve controllability and reproducibility of the drying process.
Another object of the present invention is to obtain a device that can be used in tobacco drying systems and makes it possible to achieve a limited degradation of the dried product.
a tobacco cooling device particularly for a tobacco drying system comprising means for the circulation of a process gas at high temperature in a circuit provided with a tobacco drying column and with a device for separating said process gas from said tobacco, characterized in that it is adapted to utilize the enthalpy content of the tobacco available downstream of the discharge point of said separation device.
the reference numeral 1 designates a system for drying tobacco (also referred to as "product"), comprising a known type of superheater 2 for a process gas, which is raised to a high temperature.
a circuit 3 is defined into which the product is introduced for example at a first star valve 4, located downstream of the superheater 2; the product is then conveyed to the base of a vertical drying column 5.
the vertical drying column 5 conveys the product into a subsequent separation device 6, such as a cyclone separator, of a known type.
the energy recovery device is adapted to generate the conditions suitable for utilizing, instead of dissipating, the enthalpy content comprised between the pre- and post-cooling temperatures of the tobacco at the point 8 of discharge thereof from the separation device 6.
the product is currently discharged from the drying system at the temperature of 100°C and the "available" enthalpy with respect to the target temperature level downstream of the subsequent cooling process (typically 40°C) is currently dispersed completely by convection of the heat toward the cooling gas (typically ambient air) for a marginal residual drying effect.
the tobacco cooling device 7 therefore has first means for introducing an evaporation stage at subatmospheric pressure, which is arranged downstream of a first point 8 of discharge of the tobacco from the separator or separation device 6, so as to generate the psychrometric conditions adapted to restart the evaporation, which is supported, from the energy standpoint, by the "available" enthalpy cited above.
the tobacco cooling device 7 therefore has the function of adjusting the pressure conditions of the environment so that the sensible heat contained in the dry mass of the product, as well as the sensible heat of the water contained therein, is converted into latent heat in order to induce the change of state of the water (boiling).
the tobacco cooling device 7 therefore comprises a vessel 9 in partial vacuum, provided with internal conveyance means 10, which are adapted to transfer the product from the loading point, arranged downstream of the first discharge point 8, to the second discharge point 11.
the vessel 9 is arranged in direct connection to the first discharge point 8 of the tobacco and is provided with adapted means for insulation with respect to the outside environment; inside the vessel 9 it is possible, by means of the forced extraction of the air and steam generated therein, to maintain a perceptibly subatmospheric pressure, so that it is possible to induce a rapid evaporation of water by transformation of the sensible heat into latent heat and achieve the simultaneous cooling of the product to the target delivery temperature thereof (drying by cooling).
the internal conveyance means 10 are constituted, in the particular embodiment, for example by a screw feeder, but they can be constituted by another conveyance system that is commonly available in the background art.
the vessel 9 is provided with a second discharge star valve 12, which is provided for the evacuation of the product, maintaining at the same time and in the best possible terms of efficiency the pressure insulation from the external atmospheric environment.
the tobacco cooling device 7 comprises a system for the forced extraction of the gas that consists of a mixture of water vapor (which is a result of the inherent evaporation and of the draft related to the efficiency and to the clearance volume of the loading valve) and air (which, in the steady state, is a result of the draft related to the efficiency and to the clearance volume of the discharge valve) connected to the vessel 9.
condensable gases i.e., water vapor
non-condensable gases i.e., air
the extraction system is of the two-stage type and is composed of a condenser 13 (first stage) which is adapted to condense the "condensable” gases and a compressor 14 (second stage), which is adapted to recompress the "non-condensable” gases to atmospheric pressure for final return into the environment (after optional treatment for neutralization of the environmental impact, if necessary).
the condenser 13 can be of the direct type - by contact (by transit of the gases through a cooling water screen) or indirect, by means of a tube nest exchanger provided according to the common known technical options.
water is used inside the condenser 13 as a cooling fluid and can be conveyed in an open or closed circuit, wherein, in the latter case, an evaporation tower 15 is provided in order to cool water before recycling it.
the invention has thus achieved the aim and objects cited above, a device having been obtained in which, for an equal capacity of the drying system and an equal increase in the obtained specific volume, by virtue of the reuse of the enthalpy that is inherent in the product at the discharge of the dryer (which in the background art is dissipated), the energy to be transferred by convection from the hot process gas is lower.
the consumption related to maintaining the subatmospheric pressure inside the vessel for "drying by cooling” is in fact comparable, in terms of dimensional order, to the consumption currently used for cooling devices.
the device furthermore makes it possible to achieve controllability and reproducibility of the drying process.
Cooling of the product is in fact obtained by virtue of the evaporation induced in subatmospheric pressure conditions.
control and repeatability of the target delivery temperature and humidity of the finished product must be ascribed exclusively to the pressure level established within the vessel for "drying by cooling” .
this value is very easy to control, since it is simply a matter of acting on the temperature of the fluid that is condensing inside the condenser in order to adjust the extent of the suppression of the "condensable” gases and acting on the flow rate of the compressor in order to adjust the extraction of the "non-condensable” gases.

Landscapes

Drying Of Solid Materials (AREA)
Manufacture Of Tobacco Products (AREA)

EP11186721.4A 2011-01-27 2011-10-26 Tobacco cooling device, particularly for a tobacco drying system Active EP2481301B1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number	Priority Date	Filing Date	Title
PL11186721T PL2481301T3 (pl)	2011-01-27	2011-10-26	Urządzenie do chłodzenia tytoniu, w szczególności dla systemu suszenia tytoniu

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number	Priority Date	Filing Date	Title
ITTV2011A000009A IT1404282B1 (it)	2011-01-27	2011-01-27	Dispositivo per il raffreddamento del tabacco, particolarmente per un impianto per la essicazione del tabacco.

Publications (2)

Publication Number	Publication Date
EP2481301A1 EP2481301A1 (en)	2012-08-01
EP2481301B1 true EP2481301B1 (en)	2015-02-18

Family

ID=43975667

Family Applications (1)

Application Number	Title	Priority Date	Filing Date
EP11186721.4A Active EP2481301B1 (en)	2011-01-27	2011-10-26	Tobacco cooling device, particularly for a tobacco drying system

Country Status (4)

Country	Link
EP (1)	EP2481301B1 (it)
CN (1)	CN102613682B (it)
IT (1)	IT1404282B1 (it)
PL (1)	PL2481301T3 (it)

Families Citing this family (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number	Priority date	Publication date	Assignee	Title
CN106343604B (zh) *	2016-10-09	2017-10-17	福建金闽再造烟叶发展有限公司	烟叶处理系统
CN108323790A (zh) *	2018-03-12	2018-07-27	周亚男	一种烟草汁液提取用的烘干装置
CN111329097A (zh) *	2020-04-07	2020-06-26	广东海悟科技有限公司	一种烟叶烘干装置及该装置的控制方法

Family Cites Families (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number	Priority date	Publication date	Assignee	Title
DE3221602A1 (de) *	1981-06-27	1983-01-13	Hauni-Werke Körber & Co KG, 2050 Hamburg	Verfahren und vorrichtung zum trocknen von tabak
DE3323000A1 (de) *	1982-07-15	1984-01-19	Hauni-Werke Körber & Co KG, 2050 Hamburg	Anordnung zum trocknen von tabak
DE4204771B4 (de) *	1992-02-18	2006-01-12	Hauni Maschinenbau Ag	Verfahren und Anordnung zum Betrieb eines dampfbeheizten Trockners
GB2463820B (en) *	2005-05-17	2010-06-09	Thomas Industries Inc	Pump Improvements
DE102005024975A1 (de) *	2005-05-25	2006-11-30	Hauni Maschinenbau Ag	Vorrichtung und Verfahren zum Trocknen eines Tabakgutes
PL211482B1 (pl) *	2007-09-24	2012-05-31	Int Tobacco Machinery Poland	Sposób i dozownik do zwiększenia sprawności procesu napęczniania oraz suszenia materiałów organicznych, zwłaszcza w suszarce strumieniowej

2011
- 2011-01-27 IT ITTV2011A000009A patent/IT1404282B1/it active
- 2011-10-26 PL PL11186721T patent/PL2481301T3/pl unknown
- 2011-10-26 EP EP11186721.4A patent/EP2481301B1/en active Active
- 2011-12-26 CN CN201110463026.6A patent/CN102613682B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related

Also Published As

Publication number	Publication date
CN102613682A (zh)	2012-08-01
ITTV20110009A1 (it)	2012-07-28
PL2481301T3 (pl)	2015-07-31
IT1404282B1 (it)	2013-11-15
EP2481301A1 (en)	2012-08-01
CN102613682B (zh)	2015-12-16

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