HEAT TREATMENT SYSTEM USING SUPERHEATED STEAM

• US 20050254803A1
• Filed: 08/23/2004
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aoki Kogyo Kabushikikaisha, Tatsumi Ono
• Original Assignee: Aoki Kogyo Kabushikikaisha, Tatsumi Ono
• Inventors: Ono, Tatsumi
• Granted Patent: US 7,113,695 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 392/405
• CPC Class Codes: A23L 3/165 in solid state
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/07 Steam
• CPC Class Codes: A61L 2/24 Apparatus using programmed or automatic operation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/10 Biofuels, e.g. bio-diesel
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 50/30 Fuel from waste, e.g. synthetic alcohol or diesel

Abstract

The present invention provides a heat treatment system, which includes a treatment chamber having an input port and a discharge port for charging and discharging materials to be treated. A heating system including a plurality of pipe-like heaters positioned one after another in serial arrangement is provided so that the heating temperature is gradually increased for heating the steam or the atomized water introduced from the water feeding system into the heaters by applying voltage on the heaters to turn the steam and the atomized water to superheated steam, and for performing heat treatment on the materials to be treated by injecting the superheated steam into the treatment chamber. A circulating system is provided for sucking the superheated steam and the dry distillation gas in the treatment chamber and for supplying the steam and the gas again into the treatment chamber after deodorizing and filtering, and a control unit is provided for controlling operating conditions such as supply quantity of the steam, duration of treatment, etc.

Claims

1. A heat treatment system using superheated steam, comprising

a treatment chamber with an input port for receiving materials to be treated and a discharge port for discharging materials to be treated;

a water feeding system for supplying steam or atomized water;

heating systems for turning the steam or the atomized water introduced from the water feeding system to superheated steam by a plurality of pipe-like heaters disposed in serial arrangement and with temperature gradually increasing and for discharging the superheated steam into the treatment chamber;

a circulating system for sucking the superheated steam and the dry distillation gas in the treatment chamber into a suction and reflux pipe by a reflux blower, and for supplying the steam and the gas again to the treatment chamber after deodorizing and filtering the steam; and

a control unit for setting voltage to be applied, and supply quantity of the steam or the atomized water from the water feeding system, for setting and maintaining operating condition such as duration of treatment, and for controlling and maintaining the preset condition.

2. A heat treatment system using superheated steam according to claim 1, wherein said heating system comprises a pipe-like high temperature preheater, a pipe-like high temperature heater, a pipe-like super-high temperature heater, and a discharge pipe connected one after another, said pipe-like high temperature preheater being connected with a feeding pipe of the water feeding system at an introducing port provided at one end and used for generating the superheated steam by heating steam or atomized water introduced through the introducing port by applying voltage, said pipe-like high temperature heater being operable to turn the superheated steam generated at the high temperature preheater to a steam of higher temperature by applying voltage, said super-high temperature heater being operable to turn the superheated steam heated at the high temperature heater to a steam of still higher temperature by applying voltage, and said discharge pipe being operable to discharge the superheated steam generated at the super-high temperature heater into the treatment chamber.

3. A heat treatment system using superheated steam according to claim 1, further comprising an agitating system for agitating the materials to be treated as the materials are charged into the agitating system.

4. A heat treatment system using superheated steam according to claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary treatment system comprising a changeover valve, said changeover valve being connected to an end of a branching pipe branched from a middle portion of the suction and reflux pipe and operable to switch over the flow of superheated steam and dry distillation gas in the suction and reflux pipe to the branching pipe side, said auxiliary treatment system being operable to introduce the superheated steam and the dry distillation gas in the suction and reflux pipe via said branching pipe when necessary, to cool down the superheated steam and the dry distillation gas and separate water from the superheated steam and separate the contained solvents from the dry distillation gas, and to deodorize and discharge the dry distillation gas to outside of the system.

5. A heat treatment system comprising:

a treatment chamber provided with an input port and a discharge port and with an agitating system for agitating materials charged therein;

a water feeding system for feeding steam or atomized water;

a heating system with a plurality of pipe-like heaters arranged in the treatment chamber, with a first end thereof opened to the treatment chamber to discharge the superheated steam, a second end thereof penetrating through the treatment chamber in an airtight and insulated manner and opened to outside, thereby acting as an introducing port for introducing the steam or the atomized water from said water feeding system and for charging the steam or the atomized water introduced through the introducing port by applying voltage and by heating the steam to turn the steam to the superheated steam and to discharge the steam into the treatment chamber;

a circulating system for sucking the superheated steam and the dry distillation gas in the treatment chamber into the suction and reflux pipe by using a reflux blower, and for supplying the superheated steam and the dry distillation gas into the treatment chamber after deodorizing and filtering the steam and the gas along the migration route when the steam and the gas are moving within the suction and reflux pipe;

an auxiliary treatment system comprising a changeover valve, said changeover valve being connected to an end of a branching pipe branched from a middle portion of the suction and reflux pipe and operable to switch over the flow of superheated steam and dry distillation gas in the suction and reflux pipe to the branching pipe side, said auxiliary treatment system being operable to introduce the superheated steam and the dry distillation gas in the suction and reflux pipe via said branching pipe when necessary, to cool down the superheated steam and the dry distillation gas and separate water from the superheated steam and separate the contained solvents from the dry distillation gas, and to deodorize and discharge the dry distillation gas to outside of the system; and

a control unit for setting voltage to be applied, and supply quantity of the steam or the atomized water from the water feeding system, for setting and maintaining operating conditions such as duration of treatment, and for controlling and maintaining the preset condition;

said heating system comprising a pipe-like high temperature preheater, a pipe-like high temperature heater, a pipe-like super-high temperature heater, and a discharge pipe connected one after another, said pipe-like high temperature preheater being connected with a feeding pipe of the water feeding system at an introducing port provided at one end and used for generating the superheated steam by heating steam or atomized water introduced through the introducing port by applying voltage, said pipe-like high temperature heater being operable to turn the superheated steam generated at the high temperature preheater to a steam of higher temperature by applying voltage, said super-high temperature heater being operable to turn the superheated steam heated at the high temperature heater to the steam of a still higher temperature by applying voltage, and said discharge pipe being operable to discharge the superheated steam generated at the super high temperature heater into the treatment chamber.