Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids – Apparatus – With apparatus cleaner and/or escaping material collector
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-21
2001-04-03
Wilson, Pamela (Department: 3749)
Drying and gas or vapor contact with solids
Apparatus
With apparatus cleaner and/or escaping material collector
C034S623000, C034S631000, C034S638000, C034S236000, C134S129000, C134S144000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06209222
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning a belt dryer comprising at least one belt running through a drying space for receiving the products to be dried, more particularly food products treated with a sugary liquor, the invention also relating to a belt dryer incorporating the apparatus in accordance with the invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Belt dryers are put to use in many fields for drying products. It is especially in food processing, but also in other fields, that sticky products very often need to be dried which results in heavy soilage of the belt dryer. Particularly in drying food products treated with a sugary liquor the belt dryer is exposed to heavily encrusted soilage at locations due to sugary solution spillage. This is why for good hygiene and to restrict soilage the belt dryer needs to be shut down and cleaned manually at regular intervals. Such a manual cleaning procedure takes up a lot of time and money. Apart from this, there is a risk of cleaning not being comprehensive.
Automatic cleaning systems are also known in the field of cleaning production piping, tanks and receptacles by stationary nozzles emitting a suitable cleaning fluid being incorporated in the vessels to be cleaned. Such stationary nozzles cannot be put to use in belt dryers. Thus, in conventional belt guidance arrangements there is hardly any possibility, nor sufficient space for providing a means of automatic cleaning. Furthermore, very large surface areas need to be cleaned in a belt dryer which would necessitate a correspondingly high number of stationary nozzles. Apart from this, the drying process would be obstructed by such an array of nozzles, since the stationary nozzles would need to be included in the drying chamber and stay there during drying. In addition, stationary nozzles require a relatively large amount of cleaning agent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is thus the object of the invention to provide an apparatus for cleaning a belt dryer which permits automatic, fast and reliably good cleaning by a simple design.
In accordance with the invention this object is achieved by an apparatus of the aforementioned kind in which at least one nozzle for emitting a cleaning agent into the drying space of the belt dryer is arranged for traveling in the longitudinal and/or transverse direction of the belt.
Due to the mobility of the at least one nozzle the number of nozzles needed can be considerably reduced whilst nevertheless permitting cleaning of relatively large surface areas. Furthermore, only a small amount of cleaning agent is needed. In addition to this, the nozzle can be traveled during drying to the edge of the drying space or out of the drying space altogether so as not to obstruct the drying process.
Advantageous aspects and further embodiments of the invention read from this disclosure.
In a first advantageous aspect at least one slide mounting the at least one nozzle is provided for traveling in the longitudinal direction of the belt, to thus achieve reliably good cleaning over the full length of the belt.
Advantageously, for supplying the cleaning agent a hose is provided secured by one end to the slide and by its other end to an automatic hose reeler to thus achieve simple supply of the cleaning agent irrespective of the position of the slide.
In accordance with another advantageous aspect the at least one slide is connected to a drive means, more particularly a ribbed drive belt, for movement in the longitudinal direction of the product belt. The drive for the drive means may then be configured fixed so that the moved mass is reduced, this in addition simplifying the design.
In a first advantageous further embodiment several slides are provided connected to a common drive means so that the slides can then be moved in unison and simultaneously with a single drive.
In a second advantageous further embodiment several slides are provided, each of which comprises its own drive means for movement in the longitudinal direction of the belt to thus achieve precise positioning of each slide irrespective of the position of any other slide.
Advantageously, at least one first slide is arranged above the belt and at least one further slide below the belt, the belt then being cleaned on both sides by these slides. Arranging the slides above and below the belt also improves cleaning the drying space.
In accordance with yet another advantageous aspect the at least one slide comprises mounting rollers and is arranged transversely to the belt in the drying space of the belt dryer. The rollers are preferably rotatably mounted on the slide and require no maintenance. Arranging the slide transversely permits cleaning the belt over its full width whilst cleaning the slide guide and the slide itself.
In another advantageous further embodiment the rollers are accommodated in an interspace between labyrinth packing plates of the belt dryer, running along the side edges of the at least one belt, and one sidewall of the belt dryer, the rollers thereby being reliably protected from soilage by the labyrinth packing plates. The additional expense required in this design is minor since such labyrinth packing plates are already incorporated in known belt dryers.
Advantageously, the rollers are supported by a supporting plate secured to the sidewall of the belt dryer or by one leg of a labyrinth packing plate, this involving only minor modifications to the design of the labyrinth packing plates.
In still another further embodiment the interspace is sealed off from the drying space of the belt dryer by sealing elements to thus furthermore reduce the risk of the rollers being soiled. In addition, the sealing elements prevent ingress of the products to be dried into the interspace which is difficult to clean.
Advantageously, the hose and the drive means are accommodated in the interspace to thus prevent soilage of these components essential to the cleaning of the belt dryer.
In accordance with still another advantageous further embodiment the rollers are supported on the surfaces of the labyrinth packing plates of the belt dryer running along the side edges of the at least one belt. Doing away with supporting plates reduces the number of components needed.
In yet a further embodiment the surfaces are configured inclined towards the middle of the belt and the rollers configured tapered to conform with the inclination of the surfaces. By inclining the surfaces and selecting the rollers tapered automatic centering of the slide is achieved with no need for additional guide elements.
In accordance with yet another advantageous aspect at least one nozzle is arranged in a belt interior space between an upper run and lower run of the belt, this nozzle permitting reliably good cleaning of the belt interior space.
To advantage, at least one nozzle is mounted on an extensible arm, by means of which the nozzle can be moved into the belt interior space to thus enhance cleaning efficiency.
In still a further advantageous aspect at least one nozzle is configured rotatable. Employing rotatable nozzles enhances cleaning efficiency and reduces the number of nozzles needed overall.
The invention also relates to a belt dryer comprising an apparatus of the present invention for cleaning the belt dryer.
REFERENCES:
patent: 3810315 (1974-05-01), Fleming
patent: 3938532 (1976-02-01), Babunovic
patent: 4139921 (1979-02-01), Kline et al.
patent: 4498250 (1985-02-01), Gageur et al.
patent: 5409545 (1995-04-01), Levey et al.
patent: 5769956 (1998-06-01), Cord et al.
patent: 4310546 (1998-04-01), None
Stevens Davis Miller & Mosher LLP
Wilson Pamela
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