CONTAINER AND METHOD FOR INSTALLING AN AGITATOR IN A CONTAINER

Abstract

A container for fermenting bio-degradable substances, the container comprising: a base and a wall, wherein an interior of the container is enclosed by the base and the wall; a rotatable agitator that protrudes into the interior and is supported in an upper bearing and a lower bearing in an installed position of the rotatable agitator in the container, wherein the rotatable agitator includes a shaft that is drivable by a drive, wherein at least one stirring paddle is arranged at the shaft and configured to co-rotate with the shaft so that substances arranged in the container are stirrable, wherein the lower bearing is arranged at the at least one base of the container and a bearing device located at a lower end of the shaft is supported in the lower bearing in the installed position of the rotatable agitator.

Claims

1. A container for fermenting bio-degradable substances, the container comprising: at least one base and at least one wall, wherein an interior of the container is enclosed by the at least one base and the at least one wall; at least one rotatable agitator that protrudes into the interior and is supported in an upper bearing and a lower bearing in an installed position of the rotatable agitator in the container, wherein the at least one rotatable agitator includes a shaft that is drivable by a drive, wherein at least one stirring paddle is arranged at the shaft and configured to co-rotate with the shaft so that substances arranged in the container are stirrable, wherein the lower bearing is arranged at the at least one base of the container and a bearing device located at a lower end of the shaft is supported in the lower bearing in the installed position of the at least one rotatable agitator, wherein the shaft includes a longitudinal axis that is inclined at an angle between 5 degrees and 60 degrees relative to vertical in the installed position of the at least one rotatable agitator, wherein a guide is arranged at an upper side of the container and includes a contact surface for at least a section of the shaft, and wherein a lower end of the shaft of the at least one rotatable agitator is alignable with the lower bearing into an aligned position of the shaft by moving the shaft along the contact surface so that the at least one rotating actuator is axially movable from the aligned position into the installed position.

2. The container according to claim 1, further comprising: a shaft extension that is connected in a disengageable manner with an upper end of the shaft.

3. The container according to claim 2, wherein the shaft including the shaft extension connected to the shaft protrudes beyond an upper edge of the at least one wall in the installed position, and wherein a section of the shaft that protrudes beyond the upper edge of the at least one wall has a length of at least 1 m.

4. The container according to claim 2, wherein a longitudinal axis of the shaft extension coincides with the longitudinal axis of the shaft, and wherein the shaft extension has a diameter that is identical to a diameter of the shaft.

5. The container according to claim 1, further comprising: a ceiling, wherein the at least one base, the at least one wall, and the ceiling encloses the interior of the container essentially gas tight.

6. The container according to claim 5, wherein the ceiling includes at least one opening configured to pass the rotatable agitator through, and wherein the guide is arranged at the at least one opening.

7. The container according to claim 1, wherein the guide is connected with the container in a disengageable manner.

8. The container according to claim 1, wherein the guide includes at least two fixing elements configured to fix the section of the shaft at the guide, wherein the at least two fixing elements that fix the shaft in a radially and directionally fixed position facilitate an axial linear movement of the shaft relative to the contact surface in the radially and directionally fixed position, and wherein the shaft is aligned with the contact surface in the radially and directionally fixed position.

9. A method for installing a rotatable agitator in a container, wherein a shaft of the rotatable agitator includes a longitudinal axis that is inclined at an angle between 5 degrees and 60 degrees relative to vertical in an installed position of the rotatable agitator and the rotatable agitator is supported in the installed position at an upper bearing and a lower bearing that is arranged at a base of the container, the method comprising: inserting the rotatable agitator into an interior space of the container; contacting at least a section of the shaft at a contact surface of a guide arranged at the container; aligning a lower end of the shaft with the lower bearing; and subsequently axially moving the shaft along the contact surface until the rotatable agitator is arranged in the installed position in the container.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least the section of the shaft is connected by at least two fixing elements with the guide before moving the shaft along the contact surface.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0029] The invention is subsequently described based on an embodiment with reference to drawing figures, wherein:

[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates a three dimensional view of a container according to the invention; and

[0031] FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate a respective side view of the container of FIG. 1 during assembly and in an installed position of the rotatable agitator.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0032] FIG. 1 illustrates a container 1 according to the invention that is configured as a fermenter and includes a rotatable agitator 2, wherein only a detail of the fermenter is shown for the purposes of clarity. Accordingly only a portion of a ceiling device 3 and a portion of a base configured as a base plate 4 and a portion of a wall 26 are shown. The ceiling device 3, the base plate 4 and the wall close an interior I of the fermenter gas tight.

[0033] The rotatable agitator 2 that is shown in an installed position 5 includes a rotatable shaft 6 where six stirring elements 7 configured as paddles are arranged at a distance from each other. Adjacent stirring elements 7 are rotated relative to each other by 180 degrees.

[0034] The rotatable agitator 2 includes a drive 27 that is arranged at an upper end 8 of the shaft 6 and that drives the shaft 6. The drive is well known in the art and includes a motor and a transmission.

[0035] The shaft 6 includes a longitudinal axis 9 that is inclined at an angle α of 15 degrees relative to vertical in the illustrated installation position 5.

[0036] The ceiling device 3 of the container 1 is configured as a concrete plate and includes an elongated opening 11 that is enveloped by a frame 10 with an upper bearing and which facilitates pulling out the agitator 2. The opening 11 has a length L that corresponds approximately to a sum of a diameter d of the shaft 6 and a length L′ of a paddle or slightly more. When pulling out the rotatable agitator 2 it is turned so that a paddle that passes the opening 11 is aligned with the opening 11 so that it fits through.

[0037] In FIG. 2, the rotatable agitator 2 is in a mounting position 12 where it is largely inserted through the opening 11 into the fermenter. A bearing device configured as a bearing cartridge 14 fixes the shaft 6 in a lower bearing 15 wherein the bearing device is arranged at a lower end 13 of the shaft 6 wherein the bearing 15 is fixed by a bearing base 16 at the base plate 4. The lower bearing 15 is a rectangular sleeve with a longitudinal axis 17 which is also tilted at the angle α of 15 degrees relative to vertical. The bearing cartridge 14 is inserted into the lower bearing 15 to produce a plug in connection in which the bearing cartridge 14 cannot rotate. The shaft rotates relative to the bearing cartridge 14 that envelops it on the outside and in which the actual axial and the radial bearings are arranged. In order to retrieve the rotatable agitator the shaft 6 with the bearing cartridge 14 can be pulled out of the lower bearing 15 again. Furthermore the shaft 6 is supported in an upper bearing during operations wherein the upper bearing is arranged in a portion of the opening 11. The upper bearing is attached at a transmission cover that is in turn connected in a force transferring manner with a wall or ceiling device of the container.

[0038] A support device 19 with a contact surface 20 for the shaft 6 is arranged at a top side of the container 1 that is formed in the illustrated embodiment by the ceiling device 3 wherein the shaft 6 is already in contact with the contact surface 20 in FIG. 2.

[0039] Due to the paddles arranged at the shaft 6 the rotatable agitator 2 is initially inserted into the opening 11 in an approximately vertical direction during installation through the opening 11 and aligned according to the paddle that is arranged at the opening 11, thus rotated so that the paddle moves through the opening 11. Due to the size and the weight of the rotatable agitator 2 it is installed using a crane that is also not shown in the drawing figure. When all six paddles are in the interior I of the container 1 the agitator 2 is pivoted relative to the support device 19 so that the shaft 6 comes in contact with a section 21 with the contact surface 20 of the support device 19 which is clearly evident from FIG. 2.

[0040] In the instant embodiment, the section 21 is divided into two sections 24, 25 wherein the first section 24 is associated with the actual shaft 6 and the second section 25 is associated with an extension 23 that will be described infra.

[0041] The contact surface 20 of the support device 19 also encloses an angle α with the vertical so that the rotatable agitator 2 is already oriented according to the installation position 5 when the rotatable agitator 2 contacts the support device 19. Thereafter a downward movement along the contact surface 20 is performed that is indicated by two arrows 22 and the rotatable agitator 2 moves into the lower bearing 15 with its bearing device.

[0042] The installed position 5 of the rotatable agitator 2 is illustrated in FIG. 3 where the lower end 13 of the shaft 6 is coupled with the lower bearing 15 with the bearing cartridge 14 of the shaft 6. The rotatable agitator can be operated, this means rotated, in this position where it is supported on two sides. FIG. 3 furthermore indicates that the shaft 6 in the installed position 5 of the rotatable agitator 2 protrudes far beyond the container 1 in an upward direction and even protrudes upward beyond an elevation above the support device 19. The reason is that the shaft 6 has an extension 23 at an upper end 8 wherein the extension is connected with the shaft 6 in a form locking and disengageable manner. The extension 23 at the shaft 6 extends the section of the shaft that is in contact with the contact surface 20 of the support device 19 so that the rotatable agitator 2 can be comfortably installed. Since the extension 23 has the same diameter d in the instant embodiment as the shaft 6 it looks like the shaft 6 is configured with the respective length. Actually, the shaft 6 protrudes only marginally beyond the cover ceiling device 3 of the container 1.

[0043] When the rotatable agitator 2 is in the installed position 5 the extension 23 of the shaft 6 is disengaged so that the rotatable agitator 2 terminates approximately flush with the container. Thereafter, the drive device that is not illustrated in the drawing figures is attached at the shaft 6 and the rotatable agitator 2 is ready to operate.

REFERENCE NUMERALS AND DESIGNATIONS

[0044] 1 container [0045] 2 rotatable agitator [0046] 3 ceiling device [0047] 4 base plate [0048] 5 installed position [0049] 6 shaft [0050] 7 stirring element [0051] 8 upper end of shaft [0052] 9 longitudinal axis of shaft [0053] 10 frame, upper bearing [0054] 11 opening [0055] 12 mounting position [0056] 13 lower end of shaft [0057] 14 bearing cartridge [0058] 15 bearing [0059] 16 bearing base [0060] 17 longitudinal axis [0061] 18 topside of container [0062] 19 support device [0063] 20 contact surface [0064] 21 section [0065] 22 arrow [0066] 23 extension [0067] 24 first section [0068] 25 second section [0069] 26 wall [0070] 27 drive [0071] I inner cavity [0072] L length of opening [0073] L′ length of paddle [0074] d diameter of shaft [0075] H height of support device [0076] α angle