Apparatus and method for conditioning tobacco

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11395504-B2
Application number	US-201616061566-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 22, 2016
Priority date	Dec 17, 2015
Publication date	Jul 26, 2022
Grant date	Jul 26, 2022

Abstract

The present invention is in the field of tobacco conditioning, which is performed generally after curing and before baling. It has been identified that cured tobacco is very brittle and difficult to handle without damaging the tobacco leaf. In order to address this issue an apparatus for post-curing conditioning of tobacco is provided. The apparatus includes a tobacco chamber for storing cured tobacco leaves for conditioning; and an air processing facility which includes: a ventilation system for creating an airflow through the apparatus, wherein said airflow is drawn into the air processing facility, passes from the air processing facility into the tobacco chamber, and subsequently exits the apparatus; a heater for adding heat to the airflow; and a humidity generator for adding moisture to the airflow.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Apparatus for conditioning of tobacco leaves, the apparatus comprising:
a tobacco chamber for storing tobacco leaves, which have already been cured, for conditioning; and
an air processing facility which includes: a ventilation system for creating an airflow through the apparatus, wherein said airflow is drawn into the air processing facility, passes from the air processing facility into the tobacco chamber, and subsequently exits the apparatus;
a heater for adding heat to the airflow; and
a humidity generator for adding moisture to the airflow;
whereby the apparatus performs conditioning of the tobacco leaves in the chamber to a desired moisture level by using the heater to add heat to the airflow if the moisture level of the tobacco leaves in the chamber is above said desired moisture level, and to add moisture to the airflow if the moisture level of the tobacco leaves in the chamber is below said desired moisture level;
wherein the tobacco chamber comprises at least one rack on which the tobacco leaves are placed; and
wherein the airflow passes once through the chamber and then exits the chamber without re-circulation.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the ventilation system comprises a motor and fan arranged to draw air through the air processing facility.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the heater is located upstream of the humidity generator in the air processing facility.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the heater comprises a furnace and a heat exchanger arranged such that the furnace is configured to heat air via the heat exchanger as the air passes through the air processing facility.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the humidity generator comprises a reservoir arranged to store water, and a pump arranged to pump water from the reservoir to an atomiser; wherein the atomiser is arranged to release water into the air processing facility prior to the air passing from the air processing facility to the tobacco chamber.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein air enters the tobacco chamber from the air processing facility below the rack.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein air exits the tobacco chamber above the rack.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the rack is in the form of a wooden grid.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the desired moisture level for the tobacco leaves is approximately 17-18%.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller arranged to selectively operate the heater and/or the humidity generator depending on the current tobacco moisture level.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the controller is arranged to control the humidity generator to alter the amount of moisture introduced into the airflow in the air processing chamber depending on the tobacco moisture level.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10 wherein the controller is arranged to control the heater to increase or decrease the amount of heat introduced into the airflow in the air processing chamber depending on the tobacco moisture level.

13. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a humidity sensor for measuring humidity in the chamber.

14. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a temperature sensor for measuring temperature in the chamber.

Assignees

• British American Tobacco Investments Ltd

Inventors

• Mocelin Riscala
• Menegasso Jaime
• Milak Valdir
• Berger Irving Joseph
• Martins Paula Fabiane
• Braz De Oliveira Vando

Classifications

• A24B9/00 Primary

  Control of the moisture content of tobacco products, e.g. cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco ({final drying of cigars A24C1/383, of cigarettes A24C5/603}; devices for use by the smoker for controlling the moisture content of tobacco products A24F25/00) · CPC title

• A24B1/02

  Arrangements in barns for preparatory treatment of the tobacco, e.g. with devices for drying · CPC title

• A24B3/04

  Humidifying or drying tobacco bunches or cut tobacco (A24B3/12 takes precedence) · CPC title