Abstract:
The present invention relates to a dehydrator, and more particularly, to a technology for achieving improved dehydration efficiency as compared to conventional technologies while maintaining a volume, dehydration time, and rotational speed that are nearly the same as those of conventional technologies. To this end, the dehydrator of the present invention comprises: a main body having an installation space therein; a pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated, which is located within the installation space of the main body, one side of which has an inlet hole for items to be dehydrated that is connected to the outside, inside which a supply space connected to the inlet hole for items to be dehydrated is disposed, and the other side of which has an outlet hole connected to the supply space; a dehydration tub, which is rotatably arranged, which surrounds the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated in the installation space, inside which a dehydration space connected to the outlet hole is arranged, the circumferential surface of which has a dehydration hole for interconnecting the dehydration space and the installation space, and one side of which has a discharge port for connecting the dehydration space to the outside; a first driving unit connected to the dehydration tub so as to rotate the dehydration tub; and a discharge guide unit located within the dehydration space so as to move the item to be dehydrated placed in the dehydration space toward the discharge port.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
       [0001]    This application is a National phase of PCT patent Application No. PCT/KR2012/008931 having International filing date of Oct. 29, 2012 which claims the benefit of priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2011-0110529 filed on Oct. 27, 2011. The contents of the above applications are all incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein in their entirety. 
     
    
     TECHNICAL FIELD 
       [0002]    The present invention relates to a dehydrator, and more particularly, to a technology for achieving improved dehydration efficiency as compared to conventional technologies, in which items to be dehydrated are newly input during a dehydrating process and thus input and dehydration of the items to be dehydrated may be continuously performed. 
       BACKGROUND ART 
       [0003]    Generally, sludge generated during a water treatment process or all of by-products generated in a state of containing water in other industrial fields are wasted after a dehydration process which minimizes water during the treatment process. 
         [0004]    In this case, an existing used dehydrator is generally divided into a compression type dehydrating method and a rotatory type dehydrating method. 
         [0005]    In the existing dehydrators, the items to be dehydrated may not be additionally supplied while the dehydration is performed after inputting the items to be dehydrated in a dehydration tub regardless of a dehydration method, and a process of newly inputting the items to be dehydrated after the dehydration is completed and the items to be dehydrated are removed is repeated. 
         [0006]    That is, the dehydrating process and the process of inputting the items to be dehydrated are clearly separately performed. 
         [0007]    As a result, the existing dehydrators have nothing to have space consumption, a manufacturing load problem, and an energy loss problem because a scale of the dehydrator is inevitably manufactured to be large to increase a treatment capacity or a rotation speed of the dehydration tub is increased in order to increase a dehydration amount. 
       DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
     Technical Problem 
       [0008]    The present invention has been made in an effort to provides 
         [0009]    a dehydrator having an advantage of obtaining high treatment efficiency even as a small dehydrator while input of new items to be dehydrated may be continuously performed during a dehydration process. 
       Technical Solution 
       [0010]    An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a dehydrator, including: 
         [0011]    a main body having an installation space therein; a pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated, which is located within the installation space of the main body, one side of which has an inlet hole for items to be dehydrated that is connected to the outside, inside which a supply space connected to the inlet hole for items to be dehydrated is disposed, and the other side of which has an outlet hole connected to the supply space; a dehydration tub, which is rotatably arranged, which surrounds the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated in the installation space, inside which a dehydration space connected to the outlet hole is arranged, the circumferential surface of which has a dehydration hole for interconnecting the dehydration space and the installation space, and one side of which has a discharge port for connecting the dehydration space to the outside; a first driving unit connected to the dehydration tub so as to rotate the dehydration tub; and a discharge guide unit located within the dehydration space so as to move the item to be dehydrated placed in the dehydration space toward the discharge port. 
         [0012]    The dehydrator may further include a second driving unit connected to the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated to rotate the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated, in which the discharge guide unit may have a screw wing form to have a protruding form on the circumferential surface of the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated along the length direction. 
         [0013]    Further, the dehydration tub may include a first hydration pipe covering the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated and a second dehydration pipe covering the first dehydration pipe. 
         [0014]    In addition, the dehydrator may further include a supply guide unit positioned in the supply space and moving the items to be dehydrated inserted through the inlet hole toward the outlet hole. 
         [0015]    Further, the dehydrator may further include: a sorting case positioned at one side of the dehydration tub, having a discharge space connected with the discharge port, and having a sorting hole connecting the discharge space and the outside at one side; and a sorting guide unit rotatably installed in the discharge space and moving the items to be dehydrated discharged through the discharge hole toward the sorting hole. 
         [0016]    In addition, the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated may pass through the sorting space, the discharge hole may be formed around a passing point of the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated of the dehydration tub, and the sorting guide unit may be radially installed toward the outside based on the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated to have a rotary wing form. 
         [0017]    Further, the dehydrator may further include a water discharge port formed at one side of the dehydration tub to connect the installation space and the outside. 
       Advantageous Effects 
       [0018]    According to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, 
         [0019]    the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated is inserted into the dehydrated tub and thus the dehydration space and the supply space of the items to be dehydrated are separately formed in the dehydration tub, and while the dehydration of the items to be dehydrated is performed, the items to be dehydrated are automatically discharged by the discharge guide unit. 
         [0020]    As a result, unlike the related art, during the dehydration process, since the items to be dehydrated may be continuously supplied, there is an advantage of having a significantly high dehydration amount even by a small-sized dehydrator. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS 
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is an overall cross-sectional view. 
           [0022]      FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view of line A-A′ illustrating a structure of a sorting case and a sorting guide unit. 
           [0023]      FIG. 3  is a cross-sectional view of line B-B′ illustrating a structure of a pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated, a dehydration tub, and a main body, and a discharge path of water. 
           [0024]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state where items to be dehydrated are initially input to the pipe for supplying the items to be dehydrated. 
           [0025]      FIG. 5  is an overall cross-sectional view illustrating a form in which water and solids are separated to each other to be discharged through a dehydration process after the items to be dehydrated are supplied to the dehydration tub through the pipe for supplying the items to be dehydrated. 
           [0026]      FIG. 6  is an overall cross-sectional view illustrating a case where a separate cleaning unit is further installed. 
       
    
    
     BEST MODE 
       [0027]    Hereinafter, detailed configurations and effects of the present invention will be described with reference to exemplary embodiments illustrated in the drawings. 
         [0028]    As illustrated in  FIG. 1 , a dehydrator of the present invention is largely configured by including a main body  100 , a pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated  300 , a first driving unit  400 , a supply guide unit  500 , a dehydration tub  700 , and a second driving unit  800 . 
         [0029]    First, the main body  100  serves as an overall frame of the present invention and is configured by a connection structure between frames such as a plurality of H beams. 
         [0030]    In this case, a partition  112  for serving as a support plate of other constituent elements to be described below is formed in the main body  100 . 
         [0031]    In addition, a coupling hole  110  in which an inlet hopper  200  to be described below is installed is formed at an upper center of the main body  100 . 
         [0032]    Referentially, the structure of the main body  100  is not limited to the configuration in the drawing, but any structure which may serve to support each constituent element to be described below may be modified. 
         [0033]    The pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated  300  is installed in the main body  100 . 
         [0034]    The pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated serves as a supply path of the items to be dehydrated and an operation source of a discharge guide unit to be described below, in which a lower portion is entirely blocked and has a hollow pipe with a supply space  310  therein, a first driving shaft  350  connected to the lower portion passes through the central bottom of the partition  112 , and an upper portion is installed to be inserted into the coupling hole  110  of the main body  100 . 
         [0035]    In this case, a first bearing B 1  is installed between the first driving shaft  350  and the partition  112 , and a second bearing B 2  is installed between the upper portion of the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated and the coupling hole  112 , and as a result, the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated is rotatably installed on the main body  100 . 
         [0036]    In addition, outlet holes  340  to which the items to be dehydrated in the supply space  310  are discharged to the dehydration space of the dehydration tub to be described below are formed at both lower sides of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated. 
         [0037]    The first driving unit  400  is connected to the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated which is installed above. 
         [0038]    The first driving unit  400  serves as a driving source required for rotation of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated, and is configured by a first driving motor  410  and a first power transferring unit  420  again. 
         [0039]    The first driving motor  410  is positioned in a space below the partition of the main body  100 , and the first power transferring unit  420  is generally configured by a belt, a sprocket, and a gear structure to be connected with the first driving shaft  350  of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated. 
         [0040]    As a result, driving force of the first driving motor  410  is transferred to the first driving shaft  350  through the first power transferring unit  420  to have structure in which the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated is rotated. 
         [0041]    The insertion hopper  200  is installed in the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated which is installed above. 
         [0042]    The insertion hopper  200  is a portion for supplying external items 1 to be dehydrated to the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated, and configured by a general hopper structure, and the lower portion is inserted into a supply hole of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated while being positioned on the upper surface of the main body  100 . 
         [0043]    The items 1 to be dehydrated supplied through the insertion hopper  200  by the structure directly flow into the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated. 
         [0044]    The supply guide unit  500  is installed in the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated while installed up to the insertion hopper  200 . 
         [0045]    The supply guide unit  500  moves the items to be dehydrated which are supplied into the insertion hopper  200  and the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated to the outlet hole  340  to be smoothly supplied to the dehydration tub  700  to be described below. 
         [0046]    The supply guide unit  500  has a general stirring screw structure, that is, a structure in which a screw wing  510  is formed in a spiral shape in a length direction of the rotation shaft  520 . 
         [0047]    The supply guide unit  500  is entirely inserted into the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated through the insertion hopper  200 . 
         [0048]    In this case, in the supply guide unit  500 , a lower section of a middle point is inserted into the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated in the length direction, and an upper section thereof is positioned in the insertion hopper  200 . 
         [0049]    In this state, the upper end of the supply guide unit  500  is connected with a motor M of the upper surface of the insertion hopper, and the lower end is rotatably connected to a bottom center of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated. 
         [0050]    In this case, the lower portion of the supply guide unit  500  and the bottom surface of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated are connected to each other through a bearing, and the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated and the supply guide unit  500  are independently rotated. 
         [0051]    In this state, the dehydration tub  700  is installed in the main body  100 . 
         [0052]    The dehydration tub  700  is a portion in which dehydration of the items to be dehydrated discharged through the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated is substantially performed, and configured by a first dehydration pipe  710  and a second dehydration pipe  720 . 
         [0053]    The first dehydration pipe  710  serves to primarily filter out water and dehydrated solids during the dehydration process, and has a hollow-pipe shape in which an inner diameter is larger than an external diameter of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated and is installed to cover the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated. 
         [0054]    That is, the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated is installed to be inserted into the first dehydration pipe  710 . 
         [0055]    The second dehydration pipe  720  may be entirely formed in a mesh structure or formed in a structure in which minute holes are formed on a metal plate. 
         [0056]    In addition, the second dehydration pipe  720  serves to secondarily separate the water and the solids passing through the first dehydration pipe  710 , and entirely has a hollow-pipe shape and is installed to cover the first dehydration pipe  710 . 
         [0057]    The second dehydration pipe  720  is entirely formed in a filter shape such as a non-woven fabric to filter out dehydrated solids having minute sizes, and manufactured to have pores through only the water may pass. 
         [0058]    In this case, the second dehydration pipe  720  is manufactured so that the inner diameter of the second dehydration pipe  720  and the outer diameter of the first dehydration pipe  710  are substantially the same as each other to have a structure in which the inner surface of the second dehydration pipe  720  contacts and covers the outer surface of the first dehydration pipe  710 , and has a structure with a plurality of dehydration holes  700   a  due to the holes of the first dehydration pipe  710  and the minute pores of the second dehydration pipe  720  on a circumferential surface. 
         [0059]    For reference, the dehydration tub  700  may be formed by not only a double-pipe structure of the first dehydration pipe and the second dehydration pipe  720  but also only one of the two pipes in any structure in which the water and foreign substances may be smoothly separated. 
         [0060]    The dehydrated tub formed by the double pipe structure of the first dehydration pipe  710  and the second dehydration pipe  720  has a structure in which a dehydration space  700   b  is formed therein due to a difference in diameter from the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated, and the supplying items to be dehydrated is inserted into the dehydration space  700   b.    
         [0061]    A bottom plate  730  of the dehydration tub  700  is manufactured to have a larger diameter than the diameter of the dehydration tub  700  to have a fringe form. 
         [0062]    In addition, an upper plate  740  of the dehydration tub  700  has a flange form with a slightly larger diameter than the bottom plate  730 , a slide rail  742  for coupling with a sorting case  1300  to be described below is formed at an upper edge of the upper plate  740  to have a circular form along an edge circumference. 
         [0063]    Further, a separate support rod  750  is installed between the upper plate  740  and the bottom plate  730 , and the upper plate  740  and the bottom plate  730  are connected to each other through the support rod  750 . 
         [0064]    In this case, the upper portion of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated passes through the center of the upper plate  740 , and a discharge hole  744  is formed in a ring shape around the passing point of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated. 
         [0065]    Further, a second driving shaft  790  protrudes from the lower center of the bottom plat  730  of the dehydration tub to rotatably pass through the partition of the main body  100 . In this case, a third bearing B- 3  is installed at the passing point of the second driving shaft  790  in the partition to guide smooth rotation of the second driving shaft  790 . 
         [0066]    In this case, the second driving shaft  790  has a hollow-pipe form to be installed to cover the first driving shaft  350  of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated. 
         [0067]    Accordingly, the first driving shaft  350  and the second driving shaft  790  are separately rotatable. That is, the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated and the dehydration tub  700  have a separately rotatable structure. 
         [0068]    A second driving unit  800  is connected to the dehydration tub  700 . 
         [0069]    The second driving unit  800  serves as a driving source required for rotation of the dehydration tub  700 , and is configured by a second driving motor  810  and a second power transferring unit  820  again. 
         [0070]    The second driving motor  810  is positioned in a space below the partition of the main body  100 , and the second power transferring unit  820  is generally configured by a belt, a sprocket, and a gear structure to be connected with the second driving shaft  790  of the dehydration tub  700  like the first power transferring unit. 
         [0071]    As a result, the driving force of the second driving motor  810  is transferred to the second driving shaft  790  through the second power transferring unit  820  to rotate the bottom plate  730 , and accordingly, the first and second dehydration pipes  710  and  720  and the upper plate  740  are simultaneously rotated. 
         [0072]    In addition, the case unit  760  serves to collect the water discharged through the dehydration tub  720  and case the entire dehydration tub, and entirely has a hollow pipe form, the lower portion is seated and fixed on the partition of the main body  100  while covering up to the bottom plate of the dehydration tub, and the upper end is installed to be minutely separated from the lower surface of the upper plate  740  of the dehydration tub. 
         [0073]    In this case, as the inner diameter of the case unit  760  is formed to be larger than the bottom plate of the dehydration tub, a drain gap  770  is formed between an inner wall of the case unit  760  and an edge of the bottom plate  730  of the dehydration tub, and a drain space  780  is formed between the inner wall of the case unit  760  and an outer wall of the second dehydration pipe. 
         [0074]    In this state, a drain pipe D for discharging the dehydrated water to the outside is installed at a point below the drain gap  770  of the partition  112  of the main body  100 . 
         [0075]    In addition, a separate drain guide piece  900  is formed between the bottom plate  730  of the dehydration tub  700  and the partition of the main body  100 , and installed to cover the second driving shaft  790  of the dehydration tub in a circular ring form. 
         [0076]    The water separated from the upper surface of the partition through the drain gap  770  does not move toward the second driving shaft  790  by the drain guide piece  900 , but is positioned between the case unit and the drain guide piece to be discharged through the drain pipe D. 
         [0077]    A sorting unit  1000  for sorting the dehydrated solids outside is formed on the upper surface of the upper plate  740  of the installed dehydration tub  700 . 
         [0078]    The sorting unit has a structure, in which a sorting case  1300  where a sorting space  1100  is formed therein, and a sorting hole  1200  connecting the sorting space  1100  and the outside is formed is seated and installed. 
         [0079]    In this case, while the outside of the sorting case  1300  is connected with the main body  100  and fixed, a lower edge is inserted into the slide rail  742  formed on the upper plate of the dehydration tub  700  to be maintained in the fixed state without rotating together when the dehydration tub  700  rotates. 
         [0080]    The sorting guide unit  1400  is further installed on the installed sorting case  1300 . 
         [0081]    The sorting guide unit  1400  serves to guide movement to the sorting hole  780  after discharging the items to be dehydrated to the sorting space through the discharge hole  744  of the dehydration tub  700 , entirely has an impeller form like  FIG. 2 , and radially disposed on a circumferential surface of the point passing through the upper plate of the dehydration tub  700  of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated. 
         [0082]    Accordingly, during rotation of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated, the sorting guide unit  1400  rotates together, and in this process, the items to be dehydrated discharged through the discharge hole  744  is guided toward the sorting hole  1200  by rotation force of the sorting guide unit  1400 . 
         [0083]    In this case, a guide piece  1500  is formed in the sorting hole  1200  so that the items to be dehydrated moving through the sorting guide unit does not pass the sorting hole. 
         [0084]    In the structure, the discharge guide unit  600  is installed in the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated. 
         [0085]    The discharge guide unit  600  serves to move toward the discharge hole by lifting the items to be dehydrated upward during the dehydration process, and has only a simple screw wing form unlike the supply guide unit, and is formed in a spirally protruding structure in a vertical direction on the circumferential surface of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated. 
         [0086]    That is, in the discharge guide unit  600 , the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated serves as the driving source, and in this case, spiral directions of the discharge guide unit  600  and the supply guide unit  500  are opposite to each other. 
       Mode for Carrying Out the Invention 
       [0087]    Hereinafter, functions of the present invention by the configuration and specific effects generated during the process will be described. 
         [0088]    First, like  FIG. 4 , after the external items 1 to be dehydrated are supplied to the insertion hopper  200  and then received in the supply space  310  of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated, and in this process, as the supply guide unit  500  rotates, the items 1 to be dehydrated in the insertion hopper  200  forcibly descend downward. 
         [0089]    In addition, the items 1 to be dehydrated descending up to the lower end of the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated are discharged to the dehydration space  700   a  through the outlet hole  340 . 
         [0090]    In this process, the pipe  300  for supplying items to be dehydrated is rotated by the first driving motor  410 , and as a result, as the discharge guide unit  600  is rotated together, the items to be dehydrated in the dehydration space rise upward by the rotation of the discharge guide unit. 
         [0091]    In this process, since the dehydration tub  700  is rotated by the second driving unit  800 , while the items to be dehydrated are lifted, the items to be dehydrated are lifted by centrifugal force acted by the rotation of the dehydration tub in a contact with the inner wall of the dehydration tub. 
         [0092]    In this process, like  FIG. 5 , the water of the items to be dehydrated is discharged to the drain space through the dehydration hole of the dehydration tub and then flows into the drain pipe through drain gap to be discharged to the outside. 
         [0093]    In this case, the water discharged from the dehydration tub moves along the inner wall of the case unit by the centrifugal force like  FIG. 4  and then is discharged to the drain pipe, and in this process, the water collected on the partition  112  does not move toward the second driving shaft by the drain guide piece  900 . 
         [0094]    In addition, the items to be dehydrated which have the dehydrated solid form continuously ascend, and then flow into the sorting space  1100  of the sorting case  1300  through the discharge hole and move by the rotation force of the sorting guide unit  1400  to be discharged to the outside through the sorting hole  1200 . 
         [0095]    While the items to be dehydrated rise and are dehydrated and discharged in the dehydration tub, new items to be dehydrated are supplied to the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated and supplied into the dehydration tub from the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated by an amount of the internal items to be dehydrated are discharged to the outside, and then the above process is continuously repeated. 
         [0096]    That is, during the dehydration and discharging process, as the new items to be dehydrated are continuously supplied, there is an advantage of having much more dehydration amount under the same scale and dehydration time as the related art. 
         [0097]      FIG. 6  is a diagram illustrating a modified example of the present invention, and basic constituent elements are same as the structure described above, but there is a difference in a configuration to clean foreign substances stained on the dehydration hole of the dehydration tub  700  through cleaning water discharged through a cleaning pipe  1600  by forming a separate cleaning pipe  1600 . 
         [0098]    In this case, in a state where a spray nozzle of the dehydration pipe is installed only at one side of the case unit, when cleaning is performed in a process of rotating the dehydration tub, the cleaning of the entire circumferential surface of the dehydration tub may be performed. 
         [0099]    Accordingly, it is possible to prevent dehydration efficiency from deteriorating by removing the foreign substances of the dehydration hole. 
         [0100]    Many features of the present invention described above may be performed by various modifications and combinations by those skilled in the art, but the modifications and the combinations have a multi-pipe form of the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated and the dehydration tub. In addition, the modifications and the combinations are related with the configurations and the objects so that the dehydration is performed to obtain more dehydration amount even in the same scale as the related art, while the items to be dehydrated move from the lower end to the upper end of the dehydration tub after moving from the upper end to the lower end of the pipe for supplying items to be dehydrated, the modifications and the combinations should be determined to belong to the scope of the present invention.