Device for circulating grain products

European).

DESCRIPTION

The invention relates to a device according to the preamble of claim 1. 1. Such devices are used in the cereal industry, especially during drying and / or storage of grain.

Freshly harvested grain has a high moisture content, which does not allow it to be stored without losses. Moist grain causes bigger and bigger heat nests, which destroy grain. In addition, vermin strongly nests there, which contributes to the destruction of the grain. Before proper storage, freshly harvested grain must therefore be sufficiently dried, which is usually carried out in silo dryers. Freshly harvested grain is fed in one cycle or continuously from above to the silo dryer, while dry and warm air is blown from below into the silo dryer. Dry air draws a certain amount of moisture from the grain and escapes as exhaust air from the top of the silo dryer. In order to speed up the drying process, the grain is constantly pressed and mixed. It is generally known for this purpose to use a circulating pumping device supported in the upper part of the silo dryer. Such a conveying device is equipped with a plurality of side by side and driven conveyors

- 2 augers, which enter into the stored grain and force it from bottom to top. Due to the rotational movement of the forcing device and due to the radial change of position of individual screw conveyors, they get to all areas of stored grain. After a sufficient drying process, the grain for storage is placed in a suitable round storage silo or in flat storage halls, where it must be constantly ventilated and / or pumped. This prevents the formation of heat sockets. A suitable conveying device for storing grain in a round storage silo is described, for example, in DE-OS 27 21 782. Such a conveying stored device is located in the middle of the storage silo, is rigidly connected to this storage silo and consists essentially of a conveying cylinder and an driven screw conveyor . The stored grain slides over the conical bottom into the area of ​​the screw conveyor and is forced by this screw conveyor through a transport cylinder to the upper part of the storage silo and is again deposited on the stored grain. This creates a continuous cycle. Such a device for pumping the stored grain is made as a fixed component of the storage silo and is therefore intended only for this single application. The use in flat warehouses is completely excluded due to the limited area of ​​operation, which greatly limits the scope of use of such a device for pumping stored grain. Such a device for pumping stored grain is also very expensive to manufacture and has a complicated construction due to the expensive pumping cylinder.

- 3 As a rule, after drying, however, the grain is placed in large storage areas where it is spread flat. Pumping here is usually done by manual layering, which is physically difficult and requires considerable labor force. It is also generally known to use a difficult handling technique for pumping grain, which, however, is not possible everywhere and is usually very expensive. From DE 35 00 881 A1 a drill screw is known for turning and loosening the grain, which essentially consists of a hand drill and a screw conveyor mounted in it. The screw conveyor has a length that corresponds to the height of the grain to be spread. In order to set the auger on the bottom of the silo, the top of the auger is equipped with a ball. Such auger screw is suitable for use in round storage silos and in flat warehouse halls, however, the effect - especially in warehouse halls - is relatively small. In order to overcome the resistance to the screw conveyor rotating in the grain, significant physical forces need to be applied to keep the drill screw during operation in the working position and move it locally in a translational motion. Therefore, such augers can only be moved for a very short time, which practically excludes use in flat warehouses. From US-A 4 491 422 a similar device is known for pumping grain from the lower to the upper part of the warehouse, which with the same construction is equipped with an additional braking plate, which counteracts the mass forces and forces of the conveyor and prevents the sinking of the device in the grain.

US-A 5 980 100 describes a device for treating liquids, for example for mixing or aerating sewage. these

- The 4th device consists of a worm wheel and a drive assembly for this worm wheel. The drive unit and the worm wheel are connected to each other via a clutch assembly. Such a device should swirl the wastewater in the area of ​​the worm wheel and in special cases introduce atmospheric air into the water through the conduit.

It is therefore the object of the invention to provide this type of grain-lifting device that is suitable for use without a time limit and does not require the force of the hands to pump. This task was solved by the characteristic features of claim 1. The preferred embodiments of this device result from subordinate claims 2-10.

This new device in both embodiments removes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art. The special advantage of this device is that the device is supported by grain. As a result, all stationary supports and connections to a silo dryer or storage silo fall off with a stationary device. Thanks to this, the stationary device is independent of the type of silo, which widens its scope of application. A stationary device supported by grain does not require any permanent service worker who must start and stop this device. This clearly simplifies the use of the device.

The scope of application is further expanded by the fact that such a device is made as a mobile device. They can then also be used in large-scale grain embankments, such as in flat grain warehouses. The mobile device is driven by damming forces

- 5 returnable transported grains occurring in the filled space. Thanks to this, mechanical drive units used to move the device are unnecessary. A particular advantage is that the filling space of the mobile device can be easily closed, so that the mobile device can also be used and used in stationary work. This further extends the scope of application of the device.

The invention will be explained in more detail on the basis of two embodiments. They show:

Fig. 1: Side view of the stationary device with the support body open upwards, Fig. 2: Top view of the device of Fig. 1, Fig. 3: Stationary device in side view with the support body open downwards, Fig. 4 : side view of the stationary device with closed and hollow support body, Fig. 5: side view of the stationary device with plate support body, Fig. 6: side view of the mobile device, Fig. 7: different side view of the mobile device, Fig. 8: top view of the mobile device, and FIG. 9: side view of the mobile device with a special transport screw.

The stationary grain-lifting device according to Figs. 1-5 consists essentially of a screw conveyor 1 and a drive unit 2 of this conveyor 1. The screw conveyor 1 and the drive unit 2 are releasably connected together by a clutch unit 3 so that, depending on the application, use a screw conveyor

- 6 1 of selected length. The screw conveyor 1 preferably has an internal guide channel 4 with radial outlet openings 5 ​​which are connected to the air or liquid supply assembly 7 via a supply hose 6. The drive unit 2, preferably electrically driven, is rigidly connected to the support body 9 by means of fastening elements 8. According to FIGS. 1 and 2, the support body 9 has the shape of a pot and has a bottom plate 10 and a peripheral wall 11. The bottom plate 10 is round, polygonal or streamlined. The open side of the pot support body 9 is located at the top. The bottom plate 10 is perpendicular to the axis of the screw conveyor 1 and has dimensions adapted to the pumping capacity of the screw conveyor 1. The dimensions of the bottom plate 10 are selected in such a way that the lifting forces of the supporting body 9 hold the device on the surface of the grain. Due to the open side of the pot supporting body 9 upwards, the drive assembly 2 is inserted into the supporting body 9 and attached to the bottom plate 10. The bottom plate 10 also has a braking plate 12 which is arranged parallel to the axis of the screw conveyor 1 and is positioned radially. to the axis of the screw conveyor 1. The size of the braking surface of the plate 12 is adapted to the torque value on the screw conveyor 1. The braking plate 12 is preferably vertically adjustable and fixed in different positions in the bottom plate 10 to allow setting the appropriate torque value on the screw conveyor 1. Fig. 3 shows the same device also with a pot-like supporting body 9, which, however, it is facing down. Here, too, the braking plate 12 is made with the possibility of adjustment and locking. In Fig. 4

7 a grain-lifting device is shown which is again composed of a screw conveyor 1, driving unit 2 and support body 9, the support body 9 being formed as a closed hollow body. Due to the additional forces of air buoyancy enclosed within the hollow body, the support body _9 may have a smaller radial dimension. The braking plate 12 is rigidly attached to the bottom side of the hollow support body 9. Preferably, the braking plate 12 is welded to the support body 9. According to Fig. 5, the support body 9 of the grain-lifting device is plate-shaped, and the braking plate 12 is again welded to its lower side.

Operation of the stationary embodiment of the grain pumping device is relatively simple and results from the drawing shown in Figs. 1-5. The device lies with the screw conveyor 1 horizontally on the grain, the free end of the screw conveyor 1 contacts the grain. Then the drive unit 2 is turned on so that the screw conveyor digs into the grain. The screw conveyor 1 should be kept in a vertical position. The excavation is completed when the support body 9 is completely flat on the grain. Now the pumping of grain begins, at which the grain located in the screw threads of the conveyor 1 is moved upwards along the thread turns and is deposited on the surface of the stored grain. New grains are always taken over only in the lowest thread turns, as the higher thread turns no longer have any free space for receiving the grain. As a result, the lowest grains are still transported down to the surface, while the intermediate layers only slide into the lower and empty spaces. By downloading

- 8 grains from the bottom and deposition at the top and by slipping unprocessed grain creates a closed circuit inside the stored grain, which moves the warmer layers of grain up, and the colder layers of grain down. Since no radial forces act on the device, the device always stays in the same place during operation. The device also remains stationary because the peripheral forces resulting from the rotational movement of the screw conveyor 1 are absorbed by the recessed brake plate 12 in the grain. Therefore, only the screw conveyor 1 rotates and the device remains in place of use. In a special way in this pumping process, hot or cold air or liquids from the air or liquid supply assembly 7 can be added through the supply hose 6 to the guide channel 4 and to the radial outlet openings 5. By supplying air, the grain is additionally dried or cooled, and With the help of a suitable liquid, insects found in the grain are fought or the durability of e.g. fodder grain is improved.

The mobile grain lifting device according to Figs. 6-9 is particularly suitable for flat warehouses and consists of a bottom plate 13 on the bottom side and a screw conveyor 1 already known from the first embodiment. This screw conveyor 1 runs through the center of the bottom side of the support plate 13 perpendicularly or with such an inclination to the support plate 13 that the support plate 13 in the front area is raised by the vertical screw conveyor T. This slope can be adjusted. Located on the bottom side, the support plate 13 has a circular surface with an open trapezoidal surface segment. Above this open surface segment

A charging chamber 14 forms on the bottom side of the support plate 1. It has a prismatic shape corresponding to the open trapezoidal segment of the bottom surface of the support plate 13. This charging chamber 14 is delimited by a front wall 15, two side walls 16, 16 'and a support plate 17 located on the cover side. At the same time, both the front wall 15 and the side walls 16, 16 'extend perpendicular to the bottom plate 13 located on the bottom side, and the side plate 17 located on the cover side runs parallel to the support plate 13. The charging chamber 14 forms covered by the side cover. support plate 17 and covered by side walls 16, 16 ', horizontally open push area 18. The side walls 16, 16 'on the side distant from the front wall 15 and facing the push area 18 are tilted around a vertical axis of rotation. As a result, the side walls 16, 16 'are divided into a fixed and tilting area 19, 19'. In the facing position, the tilting areas 19, 19 'of the side walls 16, 16' form the minimum push area 18, and in the spaced apart position the tilting areas 19, 19 'of the side walls 16, 16' form the maximum push area 18. One or both of the tilting regions 19, 19 'can be made in such a way that they close the charging area 14. This prevents pushing out the grain and interrupts the drive of the device during pumping. On each of the tilting areas 19, 19 'of the side walls 16, 16', an additional support 20, 20 'is arranged horizontally and directly above the bottom support plate 13 located on the bottom side. It has such dimensions and shape that it closes the charging chamber 14 at the bottom as soon as the tilting areas 19, 19 'of the side walls 16, 16' tilt relative to each other and the charging chamber 14 and the push area 18

- 10 will decrease or close. Both the open surface segment in the support plate 13 located on the bottom side and the support plate 17 located on the lid side have dimensions adapted to the maximum filling volume. The skilled person is free to make a support plate 13 located on the bottom side and a support plate 17 located on the cover side in the pattern of the support body 9 of the stationary device and integrate the charging chamber necessary for driving in them. The support plate 13 situated on the bottom side also has a high guide plate 21 on one side. This guide plate 21 runs parallel to the direction of the device. The dimensions and positioning of the guide plate 21 are such that it can support itself on an already imposed grain shaft. The dimensions, shape and angle of the guide plate 21 are adjusted accordingly. The skilled person is free to use one or more additional guide plates 21 Two vertically adjustable brake plates 22, 22 'pass through the bottom support plate 13. Each of them is located laterally outside the charging chamber 14 and has dimensions and shape adapted to stop the rotation of the device. The vertical adjustment of the braking plates 22, 22 'can be carried out independently of each other manually or automatically by means of a motor in accordance with certain parameters. Inside the charging chamber 14 by dividing in the middle the ejection area 18 on the plate 17 located on the side of the support cover, a rear, immersed in grain, control device 23 is mounted, which is rotatable around a vertical axis of rotation. The size of the effective surface of the rear control device 23 is adapted to control the device. In line with the rear control device 23 and opposite it below the support plate 13 located on the side

The bottom 11 is located at the front, also immersed in the grain of control device 24, which is also rotatable about a vertical axis of rotation. The dimensions of the effective surface of the front control device 24 roughly correspond to the dimensions of the rear control device 23. Both the front control device 24 and the rear control device 23 are used to control the direction and can be independently moved manually or automatically by means of a motor in accordance with certain parameters. The use of braking plates 22, 22 ', the use of rear control device 23 as well as front control device 24 is optional. The screw conveyor 1 is pivotally connected to the drive unit 2, the drive unit 2 'being mounted on the plate 17 on the support cover side by means of a handle 25. The drive unit 2_ is driven by electricity or is designed as a combustion engine. At its output, the rotational speed is approximately 250 - 750 min '¹. The screw conveyor 1 is commercially available and has a screw diameter of approximately 50-100 mm. Both the screw diameter and the pitch of the screw conveyor 1 as well as the rotation speed of the screw conveyor 1 are adapted to the amount of grain pumped. The length of the screw conveyor is also variable and amounts to approximately 1000 - 4000 mm, with its lower end entering the grain pile.

However, based on the stationary device according to Figs. 1-5, the screw conveyor 1 can be made as a hollow shaft which is connected to the air or liquid supply assembly 7. According to Fig. 6, the screw conveyor 1 may have an eccentric weight in the area of ​​the charging chamber 14, so that it generates additional pulses due to the rotational speed of the screw conveyor

The corresponding weight 28 is mounted on the screw conveyor Γ in such a way that the translation pulses act perpendicularly to both the front wall 15 and the push area 18. In Fig. 9 a screw conveyor przedstawiony is shown which has a stroke which increases in a continuous direction towards the drive. As a result, different pumping areas are created between the tooth flanks, which are increasingly larger towards the drive unit 2? As a result, grain is collected not only from the lower areas, but from all the surrounding auger conveyor and 1 layers of loose grain. As a result of grain collection along the entire length of the screw conveyor 1, the lateral grain resistance acting on the screw conveyor zmniejsza decreases. This makes it easier for the screw conveyor to move through the grain. This device is preferably in the area of ​​the support plate 17 located on the cover side equipped with side, front and rear clutch assemblies 26 which, through a suitable spacer, enable coupling of a plurality of mobile devices. Thanks to this, it is possible to combine the formation of many devices, covering a larger grain surface. Such a formation may, for example, consist of at least two rows of devices arranged next to each other, which are moreover oriented at intervals between each other. The change in the direction of the formation can be controlled in such a way that the pumping capacity of the screw conveyors a, and thus the driving speed of one or more devices located outside is switched off or reduced, so that switching off or throttling of the devices is oriented with respect to the axis of rotation of the entire formation.

The mobile device is furthermore at its rear end equipped with a temperature sensor 27 which measures the temperature

- 13 of ejected grain, and then, through appropriate controls, sets the speed of driving the device. If the pressed grain has a higher temperature, then the drive speed is reduced, and if the temperature of the pressed grain is lower, then the drive speed is increased. Thanks to this, the most thermally efficient operation is possible.

The operation of the mobile device in intermittent operation when combating heat nests in a flat warehouse filled with grain will be described below. For this purpose, the device is placed on the surface of the grain in a previously detected place, where a heat nest is located 1 - 2 m below the surface. It is advantageous here when the device itself and the screw conveyor 1 are transported separately due to their length. Then the upper end of the screw conveyor 1 connects seamlessly to the driving side of the drive assembly 2 and lies flat on the grain. Then the drive unit 21 is switched on, whereby the screw conveyor 1 automatically buries into the grain, changing its position from horizontal to vertical. Depending on its rotational speed, diameter and stroke, the screw conveyor 12 transports grain to the charging chamber 14. After reaching the maximum filling volume in the charging chamber 14, a corresponding filling pressure is created, which - pressing against the front wall 15 and the side walls 16, 16 '- discharges towards the ejection area 18, so that further pressing pushes the grain out of the charging chamber 18. The outflow of grain from the charging chamber 14 towards the ejection area 18 also generates an opposing force that acts on the front wall of the charging chamber 14 and moves the entire device in the working direction. As a result, the device moves supported on

- 14 grain in the working direction, at the same time the grain transported from the heat nest area is pushed out of the charging chamber 14 and is deposited in the grain shaft being formed. Due to the length of the screw conveyor 1, it introduces, as well as the drive assembly 2 itself, into the device pulsed vibrations that promote its movement in the working direction. In addition to the operation of the control devices 23 and 24, the operating direction of this device may be slightly influenced by the operator by moving or turning in one direction or the other.

However, such a mobile device is also suitable for continuous operation in a grain-filled flat warehouse to mix the grain during drying. To this end, the device is first positioned by the operator so that the ejected grain forms a straight shaft running in the center of the warehouse surface. Then the device is positioned so that with its guide plate 21 it adheres to the ejected shaft. In the next pass, the device is supported by the guide plate 21 using the torque in the direction of the guide plate 21 on the last produced grain shaft, respectively, and is thus guided along the ejected shaft. At the end of each section, the device is moved by the operator in the opposite direction. In this way, the whole area of ​​the warehouse hall is continuously covered by the device operation. Continuous operation of the mobile device can also be carried out automatically. To this end, the device is equipped with appropriate sensors, sensors and actuators and is connected to a suitable data processing device. The device sends its current x- and y- coordinates as well as z-coordinates to this device at appropriate intervals

- 15 data processing that processes these coordinates using the appropriate program. For its part, the data processing device sends parameters to the pumping device by means of which, for example, the braking plates 22, 221, the rear control device 23 and / or the front control device 24 are adjusted. The automatic operation of the device according to the invention is optimized in the sense that properly installed sensors detect the heat nest in the grain stack, send the x-, y and z-coordinates of the heat nest to the data processing device, and then intentionally lead this device through the flat warehouse to the heat nest. Sensors for detecting heat sockets can be sensors for temperature measurement, density measurement, oxygen content or sensors measuring carbon dioxide content.

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- 17 27 weight sensor