Treatment Fluid Guidance in a Film Stretching Plant
20180056575 ยท 2018-03-01
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
B29C35/0288
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
Abstract
A film stretching plant is described, which comprises a furnace (3), which consists of several treatment zones (1, 1a) which each respectively comprise a ventilation unit (2). The film (4) is suppliable to the furnace (3) through a film inlet region (5) and is thermally treatable zone-wise in the treatment zones (1, 1a). The treatment fluid (6) supplied to the film stretching plant flows over the film (4) on its upper surface and its lower surface in the treatment zones (1, 1a). In the film stretching plant according to the invention, the treatment fluid (6) is circulatable in the respective treatment zone (1, a) by its associated respective ventilation unit (2) for the thermal treatment of the film (4), and a portion (6a) of the treatment fluid (6) is conveyed from the respective treatment zone (1) to the process-technically following treatment zone (1a). This portion (6a) of the treatment fluid (6) that is conveyed into the following treatment zone (1a) is conveyed decoupled from the passage region of the film (4) in the treatment zones (1, 1a), wherein the respective treatment zones (1, 1a) are equipped with a heat exchanger, by means of which the portion (6a) of the treatment fluid (6) conveyed to it is adaptable to the temperature that is process-technically required in this treatment zone for the thermal treatment of the film (4).
Claims
1. Film stretching plant with a furnace (3) consisting of several treatment zones (1) respectively comprising a ventilation unit (2), to which furnace a film (4) is suppliable via a film inlet region (5), wherein the film (4) is thermally treatable zone-wise in the treatment zones (1), and treatment fluid (6) flows over the film (4) on its upper surface and its lower surface in the treatment zones (1), characterized in that a) the treatment fluid (6) is circulatable in the respective treatment zone (1) by its respective ventilation unit (2) for the thermal treatment of the film (4), and a portion (6a) of the treatment fluid (6) is conveyed from the respective treatment zone (1) to the process-technically following treatment zone (1a), b) the portion (6a) of the treatment fluid (6) that is conveyed from the treatment zone (1) into the following treatment zone (1a) is conveyed decoupled from the passage region (7) of the film (4) in the treatment zones (1), and c) the respective treatment zone (1) is equipped with a heat exchanger, by means of which the portion (6a) of the treatment fluid (6) conveyed to it is adaptable to the temperature that is process-technically required in this treatment zone for the thermal treatment of m the film (4).
2. Film stretching plant according to claim 1, characterized in that treatment fluid (6) is conveyable to the furnace (3) in the film inlet region (5) and in a film outlet region (8) in such a manner so that the treatment fluid (6), with regard to its flow direction and the film motion direction, flows from the film inlet region (5) in unidirectional or parallel flow and flows from the film outlet region (8) in counterflow.
3. Film stretching plant according to claim 1, characterized in that the treatment fluid (6) is particularly air, and the portion (6a) thereof that is conveyed to the respective treatment zone (1a) as well as the heat exchanger are regulatable in such a manner so that in the respective treatment zone (1a) a defined temperature profile on the thermally treated film is adjustedly settable.
4. Film stretching plant according to claim 1, characterized in that a removal location (9) for the removal of treatment fluid (6) is provided process-technically after the film inlet region (5).
5. Film stretching plant according to claim 4, characterized in that the removal of treatment fluid (6) occurs through the removal location (9) at at least one treatment zone (1), or the removal occurs through respectively one removal location at two treatment zones (1, 1a) arranged adjacent to one another with treatment temperatures that are higher than those in the remaining treatment zones.
6. Film stretching plant according to claim 5, characterized in that the removed treatment fluid is conveyed through a catalyzer (14) which is arranged externally from the treatment zones (1) and catalytically treats the removed treatment fluid.
7. Film stretching plant according to claim 6, characterized in that a filter (15) for filtering the catalytically treated treatment fluid is allocated to the catalyzer (14) in the throughflow direction after the catalyzer.
8. Film stretching plant according to claim 6, characterized in that a heat recovery device (16) is arranged after the catalyzer (14) in the throughflow direction, wherein the recovered heat energy of the heat recovery device is conveyable again to the furnace (3) and/or from which heat recovery device the treatment fluid (6) is conveyable again to selected treatment zones (1).
9. Film stretching plant according to claim 2, characterized in that treatment fluid (6) is removed out of the treatment zones that are arranged at the end of the unidirectional or parallel flow region (10) and at the end of the counterflow region (11).
10. Film stretching plant according to claim 1, characterized in that a bridging device (12) is arranged for transferring treatment fluid (6) over a treatment-free neutral zone (13) to the process-technically following treatment zone.
11. Film stretching plant according to claim 10, characterized in that the bridging devices (12) are regulatable with respect to the treatment fluid volume flow.
12. Film stretching plant according to claim 1, characterized in that the furnace (3) comprises treatment zones (1) in the form of inlet zone, stretching zones, fixing zones and outlet zone, particularly also heating zones, cooling zones and neutral zones (13).
13. Film stretching plant according to claim 1, characterized in that the portion (6a) of the treatment fluid (6) is conveyed through a connecting channel (2e, 2f; 17) from treatment zone (1) to treatment zone (1a), which is separated flow-technically from the passage region (7) of the film (4) through the treatment zones (1).
14. Film stretching plant according to claim 13, characterized in that the connecting channel (2e, 2f; 17) is arranged between two ventilation units (2) or two treatment zones (1) or one ventilation unit (2) and one treatment zone (1).
15. Film stretching plant according to claim 13, characterized in that the flow of the treatment fluid (6) through the connecting channel (2e, 2f; 17) is regulatable and/or controllable.
Description
[0029] Further details and embodiments of the invention are now described in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings under description of a preferred example embodiment. In the drawing it is shown by:
[0030]
[0031]
[0032]
[0033]
[0034]
[0035]
[0036]
[0037] In
[0038] Before the film enters into the furnace 3 through the film inlet region 5, the plastic material mass, which exists as a raw starting material generally in the form of a granulate, must first be prepared. For that, generally a plastic granulate is supplied from a supply container to a container in the manner of a silo, from which the granulate is supplied to an extruder. In the extruder, which is similarly not illustrated, the plastic is melted and is applied with a correspondingly arranged nozzle onto a cooling roller, which is similarly not illustrated, so that the molten material rigidifies or hardens sufficiently so that a film of a defined width and thickness arises. In an adjoining longitudinal stretching region of the entire film stretching plant, a roller system is provided, of which the process-technically subsequently arranged rollers are driven with a defined higher rotational speed than the rollers that are located process-technically therebefore, so that the film is stretched in the longitudinal direction due to the rotational speed differences.
[0039] After the film 4 has entered through the film inlet region into the furnace 3 with its numerous treatment zones, during its treatment the film 4 is thermally treated in various different treatment zones and simultaneously stretched in the width. Thereby the film 4 at the film outlet region 8 of the furnace 3 comprises a significantly larger width than at the film inlet region 5. At the film outlet region 8, the film 4 is thermally treated and stretched into its final state. After a similarly non-illustrated edge trimming, the film is rolled up on a roll in the sense of a goods beam via a roller system that is not illustrated. This non-illustrated roller system is also referred to as a film drawing-off region or film winding region.
[0040] The furnace illustrated in
[0041] This known embodiment avoids, already to a considerable extent, a longitudinal air or longitudinal flow that is detrimental for a uniform temperature profile or for a uniform temperature for the treatment of the film in the individual zones. However, for this known plant, a relatively high energy consumption is necessary, wherein the relatively low longitudinal flow of treatment fluid is attained at the expense of an extensive or voluminous pipeline system.
[0042] In this known plant, the film is treated in the respective treatment zones in the through-flow or passage direction of the film through the furnace. However, for ensuring a uniform temperature profile or a high temperature uniformity or a low temperature difference in the individual treatment zones, it is important that the longitudinal flow of treatment fluid through the furnace is controlled. In this known plant, this is already relatively quite well possible due to the extensively constructed pipe system, but the structural effort and therewith the costs for such a plant as well as also the energy consumption for such a plant are high.
[0043] For clarifying the great effort and expense of pipelines for this known plant,
[0044] In the example embodiment according of the invention according to
[0045] A furnace as a central part of the film stretching plant according to the invention with the novel guidance or conveyance of treatment fluid is now illustrated in a principle schematic illustration in
[0046] These ventilation units ensure that in principle 100% of the treatment fluid is circulated within a treatment zone, so that the film to be treated is flowed-around on its upper surface and on its lower surface, without giving rise to the laminar flow or longitudinal flow in the transport direction of the film, which is to be avoided in the treatment zone. Each treatment zone is therefore more or less autonomous or independent, which does justice to the realization of its purpose or object of the thermal treatment of the film in this treatment zone.
[0047] It is now provided that only a portion 6a of the treatment fluid 6 from a treatment zone 1 with a defined treatment temperature is guided or conveyed into the process-technically following treatment zone 1a of a higher treatment temperature. This portion 6a of the treatment fluid is controllable and/or regulatable with respect to its quantity, so that on the one hand the total throughput of treatment fluid through the furnace in the longitudinal direction can be reduced, and moreover that the further conveyance of the portion 6a of the treatment fluid 6 takes place in the interior of the furnace, that is to say in the interior of the modular treatment regions consisting of treatment zone and ventilation unit. Thereby, overall considerable quantities of external pipelines and therewith invested costs are saved, which moreover are no longer to be provided on the exterior of the furnace region. This also leads to a reduced heat introduction into the building in which the plant is standing, and to a reduction of the demand for electrical energy, because ventilator energy is similarly saved. Moreover, with the solution according to the invention, a clearly improved, more exact temperature guidance or control can be realized, and in comparison with the known solutions enables an operationally secure or reliable as well as targeted feedback of recovered energy into the system.
[0048] Treatment zones between which a neutral zone 13 is arranged, are bridged over by external bridgings 12, so that treatment fluid can also be further conveyed or transferred passing over neutral zones 13. A treatment zone that process-technically follows a neutral zone 13 is also regarded as a process-technically following or subsequent treatment zone 1a. Due to the special type of the further conveyance of treatment fluid between the treatment zones, in any event due to the supply of treatment fluid for example in the first treatment zone which comprises the film inlet region 5, a unidirectional or parallel flow region 10 arises in this region of the furnace, relative to the conveying direction of the film through the furnace 3.
[0049] In the present example embodiment, treatment fluid is also fed into a treatment zone located in the end region of the furnace 3, so that a counterflow region 11 is formed from there to the end of the parallel flow region. In the area of the meeting or confluence of parallel flow region 10 and counterflow region 11, a removal location 9 for removing treatment fluid 6 is provided, wherein this removal location 9 is unified or formed in common of both of the treatment zones that are arranged adjacent to one another at that location.
[0050] In principle it is of course also possible that depending on the profile of requirements, a furnace of a film stretching plant according to the invention comprises only a parallel or unidirectional flow region. Supply 18 of treatment fluid is illustrated by a dashed line, and the removal 19 thereof is illustrated by a solid continuous line.
[0051] The film stretching plant with the novel treatment fluid guidance or conveyance on the one hand serves to reduce the energy consumption in the conveyance of large quantities of fresh treatment fluid as well as in the heating of the air that is preferably used as treatment fluid in the treatment zones for the thermal treatment of the film, and on the other hand serves to constantly branch off such a portion of air so that an optimal contaminant removal in the plant is possible. The disadvantageous influence of contaminants evaporated or volatilized out of the film plays at most a subordinate role in the treatment zones in which the temperature profile for the treatment of the film is raised from treatment zone to treatment zone. This is essentially the case in the region of the unidirectional or parallel flow 10. In the rear part of the furnace, in which a counterflow region 11 of the conveyance of the treatment fluid is provided in the present example embodiment according to
[0052] A single treatment zone with the ventilation unit 2 arranged thereon is illustrated in
[0053]
[0054] The S-bend 29 guides or conveys the treatment fluid from a central arrangement of the connecting channel 17 to a lateral arrangement into the ventilation unit, in which region the heat exchanger is located. Preferably additional guide vanes or guide plates are provided in the S-bend 29, in order to optimally guide and direct the flow to the heat exchanger in the ventilation unit. The perforated metal sheet 27 located on the end face of the T-piece 30 of the connecting channel 17 ensures an additional air supply out of the furnace, that is to say out of the treatment zone. This perforated metal sheet is preferably adjustable with respect to the size of the openings, so that the quantity of the treatment fluid supplied via the perforated metal sheet to the connecting channel 17 can be controlled in an adjustable manner.
[0055] The guidance or conveyance of the treatment fluid through the ventilation unit 2 is illustrated in a principle or schematic arrangement in
[0056] Above all in narrower plants it can possibly, if applicable, be problematic to accommodate, with regard to the required space, the variant of a rectangular connecting channel 17 (see
[0057] However,
[0058] And finally
[0059] According to the plant schematic illustrated in
[0060] The arrangement of catalyzers makes sense everywhere where the process temperatures lie above 200 C. For example, for polypropylene films, which are primarily utilized for packagings, the maximum temperatures in the region of 165 C. that arise in such a furnace of a film stretching plant are not high enough so that the use of catalyzers would be worthwhile. The use of catalyzers is thus dependent on the type of the film product that is to be produced. Catalyzers and/or filters in connection with heat recovery devices, are, however, recommendable for films of polyester for packagings, polyester as a thick film or as an optical film, as well as also for polyamide films.
[0061] In the present novel treatment fluid guidance or conveyance with very few or preferably only a single removal location, with a considerably reduced treatment fluid quantity that is to be sent through the entire plant, it is for example also possible to heat the treatment fluid from for example 165 C. in polypropylene plants to over 200 C., and thereby make it accessible to an effective catalytic treatment. Thereby the exhaust gas load or quantity can be significantly reduced, or a portion of the treatment fluid can be reused. Thereby the additional energy demand for heating up to over 200 C. can be compensated. Then also, the significantly cleaner air can be conveyed to a heat exchanger in a significantly more operationally secure or reliable manner. This heat exchanger then will become soiled or contaminated significantly less often, whereby the cleaning effort for such a plant is also reduced. Moreover an advantage exists in that the catalyzers, with good dimensioning, can absolutely remove up to 95% of the contaminants.
[0062] Energy balance calculations for comparing conventional plants with plants according to the invention, and particularly, both with respect to plants without as well as plants with heat recovery, disclose that considerable energy savings can be achieved with the film stretching plant according to the invention with the novel guidance or conveyance of treatment fluid. Thus, 25 to approximately 30% of energy can be saved in a novel system in comparison to a known system with heat recovery. A comparison of the novel system with a known system without heat recovery finally leads to energy savings in the range from 35 to 40%. If in contrast to that, a novel system with heat recovery is compared with a known system without heat recovery, energy savings arise that can absolutely lie in the region of 50%.
[0063] A further advantage relating to the structural or construction technology arises above all in that significant quantities of pipelines that would have to be mounted on the outside in the area of the furnace of the film stretching plant can be saved.
REFERENCE NUMBER LIST
[0064] 1 treatment zone [0065] 1a following or subsequent treatment zone [0066] 2 ventilation unit [0067] 2a first flow region [0068] 2b second flow region [0069] 2c third flow region [0070] 2d opening [0071] 2e pipe-shaped connecting channel [0072] 2f pipe-shaped connecting channel [0073] 3 furnace of oven [0074] 4 film [0075] 5 film inlet region [0076] 6 treatment fluid [0077] 6a portion of the treatment fluid [0078] 7 passage region of the film [0079] 8 film outlet region [0080] 9 removal location [0081] 10 parallel or unidirectional flow region [0082] 11 counterflow region [0083] 12 bridging device [0084] 13 neutral zone [0085] 14 catalyzer [0086] 15 filter [0087] 16 heat recovery device [0088] 17 connecting channel [0089] 18 supply [0090] 19 removal [0091] 21 filter in ventilation unit [0092] 22 pipeline [0093] 23 blower/ventilator [0094] 24 ventilator [0095] 25 drive motor [0096] 26 adjusting slider [0097] 27 perforated metal sheet [0098] 28 middle piece/cover [0099] 29 S-bend [0100] 30 T-piece [0101] 31 heat exchanger