Device for producing pellets

Abstract

A device for producing pellets has a machine frame, a hollow outer cylinder mounted therein with a first axis of rotation and an inner cylinder, arranged in the outer cylinder, with a second axis of rotation, wherein a wedge-shaped gap is formed between an inner surface of the outer cylinder and an outer surface of the inner cylinder, the outer cylinder and/or the inner cylinder has radial holes for pressing through material, and a pivot arm is arranged on each of the two sides next to the inner cylinder, on which pivot arms the inner cylinder is rotatably mounted. Each pivot arm is moveably mounted on the machine frame in the region of both ends of the pivot arm.

Claims

1. A device for producing pellets, comprising: a machine frame; a hollow outer cylinder mounted in the machine frame with a first axis of rotation; an inner cylinder disposed in the outer cylinder with a second axis of rotation, a wedge-shaped gap being defined between an inner surface of the outer cylinder and an outer surface of the inner cylinder, one or more of the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder including radial holes configured to press through material; two pivot arms, on which the inner cylinder is mounted to rotate, being respectively disposed next to the inner cylinder on a respective side of the inner cylinder, each pivot arm having a first end and a second end, each pivot arm being mounted to move on the machine frame at the first end and the second end of the respective pivot arm.

2. The device according to claim 1, further comprising two connecting elements, each of the connecting elements being swivel-connected to the first end of the respective pivot arm via a first bearing and to the machine frame via a second bearing.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein a distance between the first bearing and the second bearing of the respective connecting element is adjustable.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the respective second end of each pivot arm is mounted on the machine frame by an eccentric shaft.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the eccentric shaft has at least one first section with a third axis of rotation and at least two additional sections with a fourth axis of rotation, the fourth axis of rotation being parallel to the third axis of rotation, and wherein the eccentric shaft is mounted to rotate with the at least one first section in the machine frame and with the at least two additional sections in, respectively, the second end of each of the pivot arms.

6. The device according to claim 4, wherein the eccentric shaft is configured to be rotated via a drive.

7. The device according to claim 4, wherein a measurement device configured to measure rotation of the eccentric shaft is disposed in a vicinity of the eccentric shaft.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the inner cylinder is mounted on the two pivot arms via inner cylinder bearings, and/or wherein the outer cylinder is mounted on the machine frame on two sides of the machine frame via outer cylinder bearings.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the inner cylinder is hollow.

10. The device according to claim 1, wherein the inner cylinder is connected to a main drive on at least one side via a gear.

11. The device according to claim 1, wherein each of the pivot arms on the second end thereof is mounted the eccentric shaft on the machine frame.

12. The device according to claim 3, wherein the respective second end of each pivot arm is mounted on the machine frame by an eccentric shaft.

13. The device according to claim 5, wherein the eccentric shaft is configured to be rotated via a drive.

14. The device according to claim 7, wherein the measurement device is a sensor.

15. The device according to claim 14, wherein the sensor is a rotary transducer.

16. The device of claim 8, wherein the bearings are roller bearings.

17. The device of claim 16, wherein the roller bearings are spherical roller bearings.

18. The device according to claim 5, wherein a measurement device configured to measure rotation of the eccentric shaft is disposed in a vicinity of the eccentric shaft.

19. The device according to claim 6, wherein a measurement device configured to measure rotation of the common eccentric shaft is disposed in a vicinity of the common eccentric shaft.

20. The device according to claim 2, wherein the inner cylinder is mounted on the two pivot arms via inner cylinder bearings, and/or wherein the outer cylinder is mounted on the machine frame on two sides of the machine frame via outer cylinder bearings.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Additional details, features, and advantages of the invention follow from the description below with reference to the attached drawings, in which an embodiment that is preferred and not limited to the scope of protection is depicted. Here:

(2) FIG. 1 shows an isometric view of a device according to the invention,

(3) FIG. 2 shows a front view of a device according to the invention,

(4) FIG. 3 shows a section along the line A-A in FIG. 2,

(5) FIG. 4 shows a section along the line B-B in FIG. 2, and

(6) FIG. 5 shows a section through the device that is normal to the sectional plane of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(7) FIG. 1 shows a device according to the invention for producing pellets, in particular that consist of crushed biomass, in an isometric view.

(8) A hollow outer cylinder 2 is mounted to rotate in a machine frame 1, and a hollow inner cylinder 3 is arranged in the hollow outer cylinder 2. A wedge-shaped gap 4 is formed between an inner surface of the outer cylinder 2 and an outer surface of the inner cylinder 3 (FIG. 5).

(9) Pivot arms 5 are mounted to move on the machine frame 1 on either side of the inner cylinder 3. The inner cylinder 3 is mounted to rotate approximately in the central area of the pivot arms 5.

(10) Each pivot arm 5 has two ends 6, 7. The first end 6 of the pivot arm 5 is connected movably to the machine frame 1 via a connecting element 8. The connecting element 8 is swivel-connected to the first end 6 of the pivot arm 5 via a bearing 9 and to the machine frame 1 via another bearing 10.

(11) The second end 7 of the pivot arm 5 is mounted to rotate on the machine frame 1 via an eccentric shaft 13.

(12) In the depicted embodiment, the connecting element 8 has a threaded rod 11 with two screw nuts, between which a bearing bolt of the other bearing 10 is attached. By adjusting the screw nuts 12, the distance between the two bearings 9, 10 and thus the size of the gap 4 can be scaled up or down.

(13) As depicted in FIG. 4, the eccentric shaft 13 has a first section 23 with a first axis of rotation 22, which is mounted to rotate at two points 24 in the machine frame 1, for example in sliding bearing bushes. Two additional sections 25 with a common second axis of rotation 26 are mounted to rotate in the second ends 7 of the pivot arms 5, for example also in sliding bearing bushes.

(14) The second axis of rotation 26 is parallel to the first axis of rotation 22, causing the additional sections 25 to be eccentric relative to the first section 23.

(15) The second ends 7 of the pivot arms 5 are raised or lowered and simultaneously moved sideways by a rotation of the eccentric shaft 13 using a drive 27, for example a three-phase a.c. motor. The pivot arms 5 are able to execute the lateral movements accompanying the rotation of the eccentric shaft 13 by the connecting elements 8 and the thus formed connections between the pivot arms 5 and the machine frame 1 that in each case have two degrees of freedom.

(16) For example, a preliminary adjustment or a rough adjustment of the gap width can be performed by the connecting elements 8, and an ongoing matching or a fine adjustment of the gap width can be performed by the eccentric shaft 13.

(17) The drive 27 is connected via a transmission gearing, for example a planetary gear, not depicted in detail, to the eccentric shaft 13, and a sensor, in particular a rotary transducer, is arranged on the eccentric shaft 13 or in the drive 27, which sensor measures the rotation of the eccentric shaft 13, by which the width of the gap 4 can be determined.

(18) The outer cylinder has a first axis of rotation 14 and is mounted on either side in the machine frame 1 via two cylindrical roller bearings 17.

(19) The inner cylinder 3 has a second axis of rotation 15 that is parallel to the first axis of rotation 14 and is in each case mounted to rotate via a spherical roller bearing 18 in the pivot arms 5.

(20) In the depiction in FIG. 5, the wedge-shaped gap 4 that can be adjusted as described above has a maximum width above and a minimum width below.

(21) A coupling 19 connects the inner cylinder 3 to a gear 20, which is not depicted in detail in FIG. 3 and can be, for example, a planetary gear. The gear 20 is connected via another coupling 21 to a drive shaft, e.g., a power train, which is not depicted and which is driven by a main drive, also not depicted, causing the inner cylinder 3 to be put into rotation. The outer cylinder 2 rotates because of frictional forces, which develop between the cylinders 2, 3 and the material that is pressed together between them, in the same direction as the inner cylinder.

(22) In an alternative embodiment, not depicted, the outer cylinder 2 is driven and put into rotation with a main drive, whereby the rotation of the inner cylinder 3 is produced because of the frictional forces between the cylinders 2, 3 and the material. Another alternative embodiment provides that both the inner cylinder 3 and the outer cylinder 2 are driven.

(23) The material is introduced in the upper area of the wedge-shaped gap 4 through a fill opening 28 between the cylinders 2, 3 and is moved by the rotation of the same to the lower area of the gap 4 in the area of minimum width.

(24) Both the outer cylinder 2 and the inner cylinder 3 have essentially radially-oriented holes 16, through which the material, in particular crushed biomass, is pressed with the inner cylinder 3 and the outer cylinder 2 rotating in the area of minimum width of the gap 4 and is formed into pellets.

(25) The pellets that are formed from the outer cylinder 2 fall down from the device, for example directly into a collecting tank or onto a conveying system. The pellets formed from the inner cylinder 2 collect in the interior of the inner cylinder 2 and can, since the device and the inner cylinder 2 are open to one side, fall out or be removed laterally from the device.