Apparatus and method for producing woodfuel briquettes, pellets, compounds, agglomerates, granulates, and the like
First Claim
1. An apparatus for producing woodfuel briquettes, pellets, compounds, composites, agglomerates, or granulates, the apparatus comprising:
- a pressing screw having screw spirals that rotate around a longitudinal axis and that are arranged inside a screw shell;
a feeding chute for conveying feed material to the pressing screw, the feeding chute being located at an input side;
processing tools, which are arranged at an end of the pressing screw and to which the feed material is conveyed by the rotating screw spirals; and
an expansion chamber through which escaping steam flow is channeled, the steam being generated in an area of the processing tools by residual moisture in the feed material due to heat being generated during the processing procedure, the expansion chamber having a flow-through cross section such that it causes the steam flow to decelerate.
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Abstract
An apparatus and a method for producing woodfuel briquettes, pellets, compounds, composites, agglomerates, or granulates as source material for subsequent processing in injection molding or extrusion processes, includes a pressing screw with screw spirals, which rotate around a longitudinal axis and which are arranged inside a screw shell. The feed material is conveyed to the pressing screw via a feed chute located at an input side. At the end of the pressing screw, processing tools are arranged, to which the feed material is conveyed by the rotating screw spirals. In the area of the processing tools, the residual moisture in the feed material evaporates due to the heat generated during the processing procedure, and is vented as a steam flow from the apparatus through the screw shell. In order to prevent the steam flow from carrying away part of the feed material, the apparatus includes an expansion chamber, through which the escaping steam flow is channeled, and the flow-through cross section of which is such that it causes the steam flow to decelerate. As a result of the deceleration of the steam flow in the expansion chamber, the particles of the feed material that were carried off by the steam flow can be returned to the feed material.
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Citations
32 Claims
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1. An apparatus for producing woodfuel briquettes, pellets, compounds, composites, agglomerates, or granulates, the apparatus comprising:
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a pressing screw having screw spirals that rotate around a longitudinal axis and that are arranged inside a screw shell;
a feeding chute for conveying feed material to the pressing screw, the feeding chute being located at an input side;
processing tools, which are arranged at an end of the pressing screw and to which the feed material is conveyed by the rotating screw spirals; and
an expansion chamber through which escaping steam flow is channeled, the steam being generated in an area of the processing tools by residual moisture in the feed material due to heat being generated during the processing procedure, the expansion chamber having a flow-through cross section such that it causes the steam flow to decelerate. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 26, 27)
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18. A method for producing woodfuel briquettes, pellets, compounds, composites, agglomerates, or granulates, the method comprising the steps of:
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venting steam, which is formed from residual moisture in feed material and evaporates due to heat being generated during the processing procedure, and which is vented upstream as steam flow into the ambient air; and
decelerating, during the ventilation process, the speed of the steam flow for at least part of the way towards the ambient air. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 28)
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29. An apparatus comprising:
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a feed chute for receiving feed material;
processing tools for processing the feed material;
a screw shell for housing a screw, the screw providing the feed material from the feed chute to the processing tools; and
an expansion chamber being provided on the screw shell and being located between the feed chute and the processing tools, the expansion chamber allowing steam, which is generated by the feed material being compacted, to dissipate from the screw shell, wherein the expansion chamber is formed such that a flow amount of the dissipating steam is decreased so that feed material that is carried into the expansion chamber by the dissipating steam is redirected towards the feed material. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32)
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Specification