Patent Publication Number: US-2012043285-A1

Title: Manure separator

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention relates to separation of solids from liquids in materials such as manure or the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to a press for squeezing moisture out of materials such as manure or the like, for separating the solids and liquids from the material. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     Previous machines used to separate solids out of materials such as manure using rollers either are bulky, complex and requiring regular maintenance or do not squeeze out enough liquid from the material. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,980 discloses an apparatus for extracting liquids from a slurry formed of liquids and fibers, like diluted manure or paper mills residue. The apparatus has a rotatable drum covered with a resilient layer and two draining rolls which are pressed against the drum so that the slurry passing in between is squeezed. Each draining roll has a hollow cylindrical shell with a uniform distribution of openings. The apparatus also has a pair of wipers in order to wipe the fibers out of the draining rolls and guide the liquids collected in the shells towards a liquids outlet. A reservoir can be mounted above the drum and upper draining roll for receiving the slurry, storing it to build-up a constant pressure, and supplying it in a continuous manner. The apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 6,044,980 is substantially vertical and the draining rolls are not linked together, therefore, susceptible to stall. 
     It is necessary to provide for a device useful for separating moisture out of materials such as manure that are simple and designed to be a “walk away” unit meaning that once it is installed it does not require regular maintenance. 
     It is therefore an object of the invention to obviate or minimize the disadvantages of the known presses, and to provide a machine in which stalls are avoided. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     In one aspect, the present invention relates to a device for separating moisture out of a material, such as manure, paper pulp or the like, said device comprising: 
     (a) two or more perforated draining rollers having a main longitudinal axis, wherein said draining rollers are linked together by a first linking means;
 
(b) two or more pressing rolls having an axis parallel to the main longitudinal axis of the draining rollers, wherein said pressing rolls are linked together by a second linking means; and
 
(c) a positive drive system for rotating the draining rollers about the main longitudinal axis by engaging the first linking means,
 
wherein each pressing roll is pressed against only one draining roller thereby forming a pressing way between the pressing rolls and the draining rollers to press the moisture out of the material flowing through the pressing way, and wherein the pressing rolls are driven by a friction with the draining rollers, thereby ensuring that the device does not stall.
 
     In another aspect of the present invention, the press device for separating moisture out of a material further comprises an elongated frame inclined longitudinally, said frame including a bottom portion and an upper portion, wherein the draining rollers are mounted to the bottom portion of the frame and the pressing rolls are mounted to the upper portion of the frame. 
     In a further aspect, the device of the present invention further comprises a spray cleaning system for cleaning the draining rollers and pressing rolls. 
     In yet a further aspect, the device of the present invention further includes a draining pipe for discharging the moisture separated out of the material. 
     Advantages of the device of the present invention include a device that is simple, small, and designed for easy maintenance. The linking of the rollers ensures that the device does not stall, plug or over flow. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein and from the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and do not limit the intended scope of the invention. 
         FIG. 1   a  illustrates a side view according to one aspect of the device of the invention. 
         FIG. 1   b  illustrates a bottom view according to one aspect of the device of the invention. 
         FIG. 1   c  illustrates a bottom view according to one aspect of the device of the invention 
         FIG. 1   d  illustrates a bottom perspective view according to one aspect of the device of the invention. 
         FIGS. 2   a, b  and  c  illustrate a torsion arm in front, side and top views according to one aspect of the device of the invention. 
         FIG. 3   a  illustrates an upper view of a frame according to one aspect of the device of the invention. 
         FIG. 3   b  illustrates a side view of a frame according to one aspect of the device of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a stripping means assembly. 
         FIG. 5   a  illustrates a cross section along the longitudinal axis of a pressing roll according to one aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 5   b  illustrates a cross section of a pressing roll according to one aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6   a  illustrates a cross section of a draining roller according to one aspect of the present invention. 
         FIG. 6   b  illustrates a cross section along the longitudinal axis of a draining roller according to one aspect of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is useful, without limitation, in livestock industries to receive animal waste usually carried in a slurry with water, to separate liquids from the solids within the waste. The liquids can then be used for further wash purposes or fertilizer. The solids can be sufficiently dried for further use, for example, as bedding. The present invention is also useful in the paper industry for separating moisture out of paper pulp. 
     The present invention relates to a device for separating moisture out of a material, such as manure, paper pulp or the like, said device comprising: 
     (a) two or more perforated draining rollers having a main longitudinal axis, wherein said draining rollers are linked together by a first linking means;
 
(b) two or more pressing rolls having an axis parallel to the main longitudinal axis of the draining rollers, wherein said pressing rolls are linked together by a second linking means; and
 
(c) a positive drive system for rotating the draining rollers about the main longitudinal axis,
 
wherein each pressing roll is pressed against only one draining roller thereby forming a pressing way between the pressing rolls and the draining rollers to press the moisture out of the material flowing through the pressing way, and wherein the pressing rolls are driven by a friction with the draining rollers, thereby ensuring that the device does not stall.
 
     With reference to  FIGS. 1 to 6  the press device  1  according to the present invention comprises of a frame having a bottom portion on which draining rollers  10  are mounted, and an upper portion on which pressing rolls  20  are mounted. The number of draining rollers and pressing rolls may vary. In one aspect of the present invention, the number of pressing rolls is equal to the number of draining rollers. 
     With reference to  FIG. 5 , a pressing roll  20  is depicted. The pressing roll comprises of a shaft  227  and a drum  220 . The drum  220  may take the form of a cylinder having an outer surface  222 , two opposite ends  223  and a bore  224  running through the drum  220  along the longitudinal rotating axis X of the upper drum assembly from one end to the other. The shaft  227  runs along the bore  224  and extends beyond the ends  223  of the drum  220  to form the drum&#39;s  220  extensions  228 . The extensions  228  of the shaft  227  serve to mount the pressing roll to the frame  300 . The outer surface  222  is coated with a resilient film, such as a rubber film. In one aspect, the pressing roll is a gum roller, wherein the surface is coated with a gum coating. 
     With reference to  FIG. 6 , a draining roller is depicted. Each draining roller comprises of a shaft  127  and a hollow drum  120  having perforations  125  on its outer surface  122 . The hollow drum  120  may take the form of a cylinder having two opposite ends  123  and a bore  124  running along the longitudinal rotating axis  126  of the drum. The shaft  127  runs along the bore  124  and extends beyond the two ends of the drum to form the shaft&#39;s extensions  128 . The extensions  128  of the shaft  127  serve to mount the draining rollers to the bottom portion of the frame  300 . The perforations  125  should be of a size that allows the liquid squeezed from the material being pressed into the draining rollers, while retaining in the descending way the dry components of the material. 
     Each pressing roll is pressed against only one draining roller, and the main longitudinal axis of pressing rolls  20  is parallel to the main longitudinal axis of the draining rollers  10 . 
     The draining rollers are mounted and extend on a same first plane, while the pressing rolls are mounted and extend on a same second plane, wherein the first plane is parallel and below the second plane. This means that a pressing way is formed between the pressing rolls on the upper portion of the frame  300  and the draining rolls on the bottom portion of the frame  300 . 
     The draining rollers  10  are linked together by a first linking means and their rotation is driven by a positive drive system, such as a motor. Linking means include chains, belts or the like forms of linking. Alternatively, the perforated drums may be linked directly to the positive drive system. 
     While the pressing rolls  20  are also linked together by a second linking means, the pressing rolls  20  are not driven by a positive system. The pressing rolls  20  are driven by a friction with the inner drums driving by the positive system. This arrangement of the press device of the current invention ensures that press device does not stall and it allows for the material to be pressed to flow between the pressing rolls  20  and the draining rollers  10  and the liquid is pressed out from the material to be pressed. The liquid departs from the material being pressed, through the perforations in the inner drums and out of the press device  1 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 3 , the draining rollers  10  and pressing rolls  20  are mounted to an elongated frame  300 . The frame  300  can be better described as a frame inclined longitudinally between a top end  310  and a lower end  320 . The top end  310  includes an in-feed opening for feeding the material to be pressed into the press device  1 . A substantially parallel discharge opening is included in the lower end  320  of the frame  1  and serves for discharging a substantially dried material. A longitudinal descending way formed between the top end  310  and the lower end  320 , runs between the press rolls  20  on the upper portion of the frame  300  and the draining rollers  10  on the bottom portion to the frame, communicates the in-feed opening with the discharge opening. 
     The frame  300  includes a bottom floor  340  and two sidewalls  350 . A series of main slots  360  are defined in the sidewalls  350 . The main slots  360  run down the sidewalls, from and perpendicular to the top of the sidewalls  350 . The bottom end of said main slot  360  serves to accommodate the shaft extensions  228  of the draining rollers. About an upper portion of the main slot  360  a retaining groove  362  is defined. The retainer groove  362  serves to accommodate shaft extensions  128  of the pressing rolls. A series of secondary slots  365  are connected to the main slots  360  and serve to accommodate torsion arms  40 . The bottom floor  340  may include one or more draining pipes  370 . 
     With reference to  FIG. 4 , the press device may also include a stripping means  50  for stripping the draining rollers  10  off the material being processed by the press device  1 . The stripping means  50  may extend across the frame from one sidewall to the other sidewall to engage the main slots  360  formed on said sidewalls and being longitudinally movable relative to said sidewalls by an actuator connected to said stripping means  50 . 
     The bottom floor of the frame  300  may also include a draining pipe for discharging the liquid or moisture separated out from the material. 
     The press device  1  may also include a spray cleaning system for cleaning the draining rollers and press rolls. 
     In operation, material dropped to the infeed opening will be guided to the descending longitudinal way. A first set of a rotating pressing roll and draining roller then compress the material received between their converging surfaces and squeeze the contained moisture, liquids through the perforations on the outer surface of the draining roller. The material then continues on to a second, third or more sets of pressing rolls and draining rollers along the longitudinal descending way  330 , and at each set more liquid is squeezed out of the material and drained through the draining roller. The dried material then continues downwardly to the discharge opening to drop gravitationally therefrom. 
     The above disclosure generally describes the present invention. Changes in form and substitution of equivalents are contemplated as circumstances may suggest or render expedient. Although specific terms have been employed herein, such terms are intended in a descriptive sense and not for purposes of limitation.