Heavy load vortex internal apparatus for handling plastic granular material and method related thereto

{
  "publication_number": "US12138829B2",
  "country": "US",
  "kind": "B2",
  "title": "Heavy load vortex internal apparatus for handling plastic granular material and method related thereto",
  "abstract": "A heavy load vortex internal apparatus is provided having a vibration channel for receiving plastic granular material. The vibration channel has a channel floor and two side walls opposite each other, where the length of the vibration channel is greater in the longitudinal direction than the maximum height and width of a channel cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. At least two vibration generators are provided for generating a vibration excitation having a transverse component perpendicular to a vertical plane in the longitudinal direction. At least two channel carriers are spaced apart from each other in the longitudinal direction, each supporting the channel floor and the side walls from the outside and bridging the vibration channel opposite the channel floor. One of the vibration generators in each case is fastened to at least two of the channel carriers. Also provided is a method for crystallization of plastic granular material.",
  "claims": [
    "1. A heavy-duty swirling trough device (1), comprising: a vibrating trough (10) for receiving plastic granules, which vibrating trough has a trough base (11) and two opposite side walls (12 a, 12 b), the length of the vibrating trough (10) in the longitudinal direction (a) being greater than the maximum height and width of a trough cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction; at least two vibration exciters (20) for generating a vibration excitation which has a transverse component (y) perpendicular to a plane formed by the longitudinal direction (a) and vertical direction (z); and at least two trough supports (31), which are spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction (a) of the vibrating trough (10), each support the trough base (11) and the side walls (12 a, 12 b) from the outside, and also bridge the vibrating trough (10) on the side opposite the trough base (11), one of the vibration exciters (20) being fastened to at least two of the trough supports (31) in each case.",
    "2. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein the trough supports (31) each form a closed ring which radially surrounds the vibrating trough (10).",
    "3. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein the vibrating trough (10) passes substantially perpendicularly through the trough support (31), so that the longitudinal direction (a) of the vibrating trough (10) and the main extension plane of the relevant trough support (31) enclose a smallest angle in the range from 75° to 90°.",
    "4. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 3, wherein the main extension plane of the trough support (31) is a vertical plane (yz).",
    "5. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 3, wherein the trough support (31) has a one-piece support plate (34) with a constant wall thickness, in which a passage opening (33) for the vibrating trough (10) is formed.",
    "6. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein the trough base (11) of the vibrating trough (10) is inclined in the longitudinal direction (a) from a feed end (14) to an outlet end (15), that is inclined at an angle (α) in the range from 2° to 15° with respect to a horizontal plane (xy).",
    "7. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein the trough cross section between a feed end (14) and an outlet end (15) of the vibrating trough (10) is free of barriers.",
    "8. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein adjacent trough supports (31) are connected to one another by at least three longitudinal members (32) in the longitudinal direction (a) of the vibrating trough (10).",
    "9. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein the vibration exciters (20) are arranged above the vibrating trough (10) in a region above or laterally outside next to any of the side walls (12 a) in such a way that the force action line (k) of the vibration excitation of the relevant vibration exciter (20) extends at a distance of at most 20%, more preferably at most 10%, of the clear width of the vibrating trough (10) between the side walls (12 a, 12 b) and the upper edge (12 c) of the side wall (12 a) on the side of the vibration exciter.",
    "10. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein the force action line (k) of the vibration excitation of the relevant vibration exciter (20) intersects the trough base (11) upstream of the center of the trough base (11) in the transverse direction (b, y) of the vibrating trough (10).",
    "11. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein the trough base (11) has a straight portion in the plane of the trough cross section (bc) which is inclined away from the vibration exciter (20) to a horizontal (b) in the plane of the trough cross section (bc), that is inclined to the horizontal (b) at an angle (β) from 2° to 15°.",
    "12. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein the trough base (11) has at least one bead (11 a) in the longitudinal direction.",
    "13. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein the side walls (12 a, 12 b) of the vibrating trough (10) each merge into the trough base (11) via a curved portion (13 a, 13 b), the radius of curvature (r a) of the curved portion (13 a) on the side of the vibration exciter (20) being greater than the radius of curvature (r b) of the curved portion (13 b) on the opposite side.",
    "14. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 13, wherein the ratio of the radius of curvature (r a) of the curved portion (13 a) on the side of the vibration exciter (20) to the radius of curvature (r b) of the curved portion (13 b) on the opposite side is greater than 2, preferably greater than 5.",
    "15. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 13, wherein the ratio of the radius of curvature (r a) of the curved portion (13 a) on the side of the vibration exciter (20) to the width of the vibrating trough (10) between the side walls (12 a, 12 b) is less than 0.3 and greater than 0.1.",
    "16. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 13, wherein the radius of curvature (r a) of the curved portion (13 a) on the side of the vibration exciter (20) is at least a quarter of the greatest trough depth (t) of the vibrating trough (10).",
    "17. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein the force action line (k) of the vibration excitation of the relevant vibration exciter (20) in a vertical plane including the transverse direction (b, y) encloses an angle (y) in the range of 25° to 50° with the trough base (11).",
    "18. The heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) of claim 1, wherein a nominal filling level is larger than 50% of the cross section (bc) of the trough.",
    "19. A method for crystallizing plastic granules having a tendency to stick together, characterized by loading the vibrating trough (10) of a heavy-duty swirling trough device (1) according to any of the preceding claims with plastic granules which, when fed in, have a temperature above the glass transition temperature thereof in the range of the reaction temperature thereof for crystallization, and exciting the vibrating trough (10) by means of the vibration exciter (20) in such a way that the plastic granules in the vibrating trough (10) are subjected to a helical movement, the residence time of the plastic granules in the vibrating trough being 20 to 60 minutes and the vibrating trough (10) being filled with plastic granules over at least 50% of its cross section."
  ],
  "description_excerpt": "The invention relates to a swirling trough device for treating plastic granules.\n\nCertain plastic granules are subjected after the actual granulation to an in particular thermal post-treatment in order to change the structure of the granules. For example, polylactide granules (PLA granules) polytetrafluoroethylene granules (PET granules) are first obtained from the granulation process in an amorphous state. The amorphous granules are converted into an at least partially crystalline state in a post-treatment step, also referred to as crystallization. This results in an increased alignment among the molecular chains. The temperature control plays an important role for the crystallization. On the one hand, the amorphous granules must be brought to a corresponding reaction temperature or held at it. On the other hand, however, some granules, such as PLA granules, PET granules, and PU granules, tend to stick together in a transition phase. PLA granules usually exit the granulator at a temperature in the range of 80 to 120° C. The individual PLA granule particles initially have a very sticky surface. Due to the glass transition temperature of about 60 to 80° C. and the crystallization temperature of about 90° C., which are very close to each other, drying and crystallizing PLA is made difficult because the granule particles must be prevented from sticking to each other during crystallization.\n\nPET granules, also, are already sticky under the reaction temperature required for the crystallization, which is about 80° C. to 170° C.",
  "cpc": [
    "B29B 9/16",
    "B29B 13/021",
    "B29B 2009/165",
    "B29B 9/06",
    "B29B 9/065",
    "B65G 27/32"
  ],
  "ipc": [
    "B29B 9/16",
    "B65G 27/32"
  ],
  "assignees": [
    "VIBRA MASCHF SCHULTHEIS GMBH & CO"
  ],
  "inventors": [
    "SCHULTHEIS WINFRIED"
  ],
  "filing_date": "2022-12-27",
  "publication_date": "2024-11-12",
  "grant_date": "2024-11-12",
  "priority_date": "2020-06-28",
  "application_number": "US-202218089111-A",
  "family_id": "71401775",
  "citations": [
    "CN203794103U",
    "DE102004042612A1",
    "DE102015203654A1",
    "EP1924414B1",
    "KR100725291B1",
    "US2007276119A1",
    "US2008171847A1",
    "US5628947A"
  ]
}