Method and device for the fast and efficient heating of plastic granulates for preparing for the processing in a plasticization
OwnerStefan Bockinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method and an apparatus for rapid and efficient heating of polymer pellets in preparation for processing in a plastifier. For introduction of heat energy, a gas, preferably dried air, is introduced into the polymer pellets flow so as not to be in direct countercurrent thereto. The gas is preferably introduced in its still hottest state in a targeted fashion, for the purpose of rapid energy input, at a freely selectable location. This preferably takes place at the material output of the booster hopper. The gas is preferably conducted by way of cascades, which can be of a variable design, and flows through the bulk material at least twice. The speed of the flow can be influenced.
Claims21
A method for heating and/or drying flowable bulk material, comprising the steps of:
- conveying the bulk material to a processing unit;
- and introducing heat energy by introducing a gas to the flow of bulk material so as not to be in direct countercurrent thereto, wherein the gas is introduced in a still hottest state in a targeted manner at a freely selectable location and then flows through the bulk material at least twice by way of cascades and by way of ring channels, wherein resistance of the continuously flowing process gas in each cascade is influenced by the structural design, and thus overall flow and speed of the process gas is influenced, wherein the bulk material is polymer pellets, wherein the processing unit is a plastifier, wherein the bulk material is surrounded by cascade-like flow spaces, wherein the cascades are length-variable, wherein the ring channels are width-variable, and wherein at least one hot air inlet opens into a first of the flow spaces, and thus a temperature level is highest there.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.