METHOD FOR EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE DRYING
First Claim
1. A method for totally or partially drying a product in a drying equipment, wherein the method is driven by one or more compressors acting on an air/vapor mix released by the product, integrates the drying phases of (i) Warming up, (ii) Constant drying, (iii) Falling drying, and (iv) Aeration, and controls a dripping formed in the drying equipment, comprising the steps of:
- a. reducing the pressure inside the drying equipment by the action of the compressor.b. sucking up ambient air into the drying equipment through an air inlet;
c. warming up said air and the product with a heat exchanger which evaporates the moisture in the product, releasing the air/vapor mix;
d. compressing the air/vapor mix released by the product by means of the compressor which increases its temperature and its thermal energy;
e. transferring the thermal energy from the compressed mix inside the heat exchanger to the product and air on the other side of the heat exchanger, which reduces the mix temperature, condensates most of its vapor and warms up the product and the air on the other side of the heat exchanger;
generating an air/vapor/condensate mix inside the heat exchanger; and
f. discharging all the air/vapor/condensate mix.
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Accused Products
Abstract
Hot air drying is an intensive energy consuming process, 5000-8000 kJ per kg of water. More efficient processes produce low drying rates or cannot totally dry the product because they do not integrate the four drying phases, warm up, constant drying, falling drying and aeration and do not handle dripping. To reduce the energy consumption, the exhausted mix of air and vapor is used as working fluid to drive each phase, and the dripping is collected before it goes back to the product. This fluid is compressed inside of a heat-exchanger to heat the product; however, the mix proportion, vapor and air, changes on each phase. For warm up phase, the working fluid is either hot air or condensed water; in constant phase, it is mostly vapor; in falling phase, it changes from vapor to air; and for aeration, it is air. Inlet and outlet valves control these proportions.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method for totally or partially drying a product in a drying equipment, wherein the method is driven by one or more compressors acting on an air/vapor mix released by the product, integrates the drying phases of (i) Warming up, (ii) Constant drying, (iii) Falling drying, and (iv) Aeration, and controls a dripping formed in the drying equipment, comprising the steps of:
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a. reducing the pressure inside the drying equipment by the action of the compressor. b. sucking up ambient air into the drying equipment through an air inlet; c. warming up said air and the product with a heat exchanger which evaporates the moisture in the product, releasing the air/vapor mix; d. compressing the air/vapor mix released by the product by means of the compressor which increases its temperature and its thermal energy; e. transferring the thermal energy from the compressed mix inside the heat exchanger to the product and air on the other side of the heat exchanger, which reduces the mix temperature, condensates most of its vapor and warms up the product and the air on the other side of the heat exchanger;
generating an air/vapor/condensate mix inside the heat exchanger; andf. discharging all the air/vapor/condensate mix. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification