METHOD OF DRYING HONEYCOMB ARTICLE, AND DRYING APPARATUS THEREFOR

• US 20090320315A1
• Filed: 09/02/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Inventors: HORIBA, Yasuhiro, TAKEMORI, Yohei, HAYASHI, Shinzou, SHIMADA, Hiromi
• Granted Patent: US 8,584,375 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 34/265
• CPC Class Codes: B28B 11/243 Setting, e.g. drying, dehydrating or firing ceramic articles B28B11/242 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 21/006 the gas supply or exhaust being effected through hollow spaces or cores in the materials or objects, e.g. tubes, pipes, bottles F26B9/003 and F26B9/103 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 21/06 Controlling, e.g. regulating, parameters of gas supply F26B21/14 takes precedence; control in general G05
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 2210/02 Ceramic articles or ceramic semi-finished articles

Abstract

The drying method performs drying the honeycomb formed article by such an arrangement that superheated steam or mixed gas of steam and hot air, temperature and humidity of which is regulated so that wet-bulb temperature thereof becomes 70° C. or higher, is made to pass through the cells of the honeycomb formed article. The drying apparatus includes a steam supply unit that supplies the superheated steam, a buffer chamber that aligns the superheated steam supplied from the steam supply unit, an upper chamber disposed above the buffer chamber to locate the honeycomb formed article, and a hood unit that recovers the superheated steam which has passed through the honeycomb formed article.

Claims

1. A drying method of an unfired honeycomb formed article including raw material composition containing ceramics raw material, water, and binder, and having a plurality of cells, the cells being separated by partition walls to be passage of fluid, wherein

superheated steam or mixed gas of steam and hot air, having the humidity thereof regulated so as to realize a wet-bulb temperature of 70°

C. or higher, is arranged to pass through the cells to dry the honeycomb formed article.

2. The drying method of the honeycomb formed article according to claim 1, wherein

the binder has heat gelation characteristic or thermosetting characteristic.

3. An apparatus for drying honeycomb formed article, comprising:

a steam supply unit that supplies superheated steam;

a buffer chamber that aligns the superheated steam supplied from the steam supply unit;

an upper chamber that is disposed above the buffer chamber to locate the honeycomb formed article, wherein the superheated steam passes through inside of the honeycomb formed article; and

a hood unit that recovers the superheated steam which has passed through the honeycomb formed article.