METHOD FOR MEASURING THE QUANTITY OF A DRIED PRODUCT

Abstract: Method for measuring the quantity of a dried product, particularly that of a concentrate dried in a pressure filter. The method comprises the following stages: inserting (1) the product to be dried in the drying apparatus, carrying out the drying (1, 2, 3), and discharging (5) the dried product from the drying apparatus. In order to define the exact quantity of the dried product, the whole drying apparatus is weighed (4) both before discharging the dried product and immediately thereafter. The weighing results are processed in a microprocessor. By means of history recordings of the weighing results, the drying process itself can also be optimized.

Description: METHOD FOR MEASURING THE QUANTITY OF A DRIED PRODUCT The present invention relates to a method for measuring the quantity of the periodically dried product, and particularly the quantity of a concentrate dried in a pressure filter. The method comprises the fol¬ lowing , periodically repeated stages : inserting the product to be dried in the drying apparatus, carrying out the successive drying stages , and discharging the dried product from the drying apparatus. The present invention is particularly well suited to be employed in connection with concentrate drying , but naturally its scope is not lim¬ ited to this one exemplary case only. Such pressure filters that are suited for drying concentrates are manufactured for example by Larox Oy. When drying a concentrate in this type of a pressure filter, problems arise, on one hand as regards the accuracy when measuring the quantity of the concentrate, and on the other hand as regards the optimal adjusting of the drying opera- tion. This is mainly due to the periodical nature of the operation of the pressure filter. Generally the drying operation consists of three stages. During the filtering stage, the slurry is conducted through the filter cloth , so that the cloth separates the solid particles of concentrate from the slurry. After filtration, the slurry flow is interrupted, and the layer of concentrate formed on the filter cloth is squeezed in order to re¬ duce the volume of the filter cake and to remove liquid therefrom. After squeezing , the filter cake is further dried by blowing air through the cake. Thereafter the filter cake is discharged from the pressure filter. The dried concentrare is further transported , pre¬ ferably by means of a conveyor band , to the desired location . A customary method for measuring the concentrate quantity during transport in the band conveyor is to employ a belt weigher. The belt weigher, however, does not function accurately enough owing to the periodical nature of the operation of the pressure filter. In order to avoid . this drawback, the present invention is characterized by the novel features presented in the patent claims . By employing the method of the invention , the concentrate quantity can be measured quickly and accurately and without interfering with the process itself. The capacity of the above described pressure filter is dependent on the length of the respective filtering , squeezing, air-blow drying and discharge stages. The method of the invention also makes it possible to run the pressure filter at optimum readings, in which case the capacity of the pressure filter is utilized more effi- cfently. In the following , the invention is explained in more detail with refer¬ ence to the appended drawing , which is a diagrammatic illustration of an advantageous application of the method of the invention . The diagram of the drawing illustrates the drying of concentrate by employing a pressure filter manufactured by Larox Oy, and to be more precise, it illustrates one drying cycle of the pressure filter. The drying of the concentrate is started in the filtering stage 1 , where the concentrate, in liquid suspension , is filtered by means of the filter cloth . In practice the length of the filtering stage may vary according to the material to be filtered . As an example, the chosen filtering time may be a minute. After filtration , the concentrate flow is interrupted , and the layer of concentrate which is accumulated on the filter cloth undergoes the squeezing stage 2. Squeezing is carried out by means of a rubber film and by utilizing liquid pressure. In practice the length of the squeezing stage may vary as well , and it can be for instance a min¬ ute. After squeezing , the filter cake undergoes air-blow drying 3. The length of the air-blow drying stage is , accordingly, dependent on the qualities of the material in question , but in practice a suitable dura¬ tion is for example five minutes. After air-blow drying , the drying phase proper is completed , and the filter cake is ready to be discharged from the press . Before dis¬ charging , however, the whole press is weighed along with the concen¬ trate contained therein . The weighing 4 is best carried out so that the press apparatus is attached on top of suitable square beams which are for instance 100 mm high . The said beams are provided with measuring sensors , which may be for instance piezoelectric weighing sensors of the commercially available type. They are manufactured for instance by Kouvo Automation under the trade name Micro-cell. From the transmit- ters of the said sensors there is received an electric message between 4 - 20 mA which is comparable to the mass. The obtained weighing re¬ sult is recorded in a process computer of in a special microprocessor 7. After weighing , the concentrate is discharged, 5 , from the press. The obtained concentrate is further transported to the desired location by means of a conveyor band . In practice the duration of the discharge stage is 10 - 12 seconds. Immediately before starting a new filtering stage, a new weighing 6 is carried out. The weighing result is again recorded in the microprocessor 7. The microprocessor carries out the subtraction of the two readings , and the obtained result is the weight of the batch in question . The above described operations are carried out in periods . The micro¬ processor records the reading fed therein , and thus the concentrate quantities are accessible in the desired form and stage. The most re- markable advantage of the invention is that by means of the history recording , the pressure filter may be adjusted to function exactly at the desired optimum readings. This in turn has a direct influence in the capacity of the filter press , and consequently the method of the invention is of considerable economic importance. In the above specification , the invention has been explained with ref¬ erence to one advantageous application only . The invention is not, however, exclusively restricted to the said example, but it can be largely modified within the scope of the following patent claims.

Claims: CLAIMS 1. A method for measuring the quantity of a dried product, particu¬ larly the quantity of concentrate dried in a pressure filter, which method comprises the following stages: inserting (1) the product to be dried in the drying apparatus, carrying out the various drying stages (1,2,3) and discharging (5) the dried product from the drying appa¬ ratus, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the whole drying apparatus is weighed (4) immediately after the drying stage and before dis¬ charging (5) the dried product, as well as after discharging the dried product (6), in which case the difference obtained after subtracting the said weighing results represents the mass of the dried product. 2. The method of claim 1, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the operation is continuously carried out in periods. 3. The method of claim 1 or 2, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the weighing results are recorded in a microprocessor (7), which cal- culates the quantity of the dried product. 4. The method of claim 3, c h a r a c t e r i z e d in that the his¬ tory recorded in the microprocessor (7) is utilized as the basis for ad¬ justing the drying process proper. <

Inventors: REIJONEN SEPPO, VIRTANEN MARKKU, REIJONEN, SEPPO, VIRTANEN, MARKKU
Applicants: OUTOKUMPU OY
Application year: 1986
Main classification: G01G13
IPC codes: G01G13, G01G19, G01G23