Waste heat recovery apparatus having hollow screw shaft and method for the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9891010-B2
Application number	US-201514827061-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 14, 2015
Priority date	Aug 15, 2014
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

A waste heat recovery apparatus includes a waste processing module and a heat recovery module. The waste processing module includes a heat exchange unit and a drive unit. The heat exchange unit includes a hollow tubular structure having at least one material inlet, at least one material outlet and a screw mounted axially thereinside. The drive unit rotates the screw to extrude the waste material. The heat recovery module includes a heat storage unit, at least one conveying pipeline and a compression unit. The heat storage unit contains a heat-storing medium for storing thermal energy. The conveying pipeline connected to the heat exchange unit and the heat storage unit allows a working medium to flow through the heat exchange unit and the heat storage unit. The compression unit coupled to the conveying pipeline circulates the working medium to flow in the conveying pipeline.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A waste heat recovery apparatus, comprising:
a waste processing module, comprising:
a heat exchange unit, further comprising:
a hollow tubular structure configured to have two opposing open ends and a first material chamber formed therein;
at least one material inlet located exteriorly on a first end of the hollow tubular structure and communicated with the first material chamber of the hollow tubular structure for supplying a waste material to the hollow tubular structure;
at least one material outlet located exteriorly on a second end of the hollow tubular structure and communicated with the first material chamber of the hollow tubular structure for allowing the waste material to leave the hollow tubular structure;
at least one screw, mounted axially inside the hollow tubular structure with two opposing ends extending out of the hollow tubular structure, each screw comprising:
a hollow screw shaft configured to have both opposing ends extending out of the hollow tubular structure, a first opening and a second opening being located respectively at the corresponding opposing ends, and a second material chamber communicated with the first and the second openings for allowing a working medium flowing therethrough; and
a helical blade, formed externally around the screw shaft with a predetermined pitch, wherein the helical blade further includes:
a plurality of radial grooves formed on a surface of the helical blade; and
a plurality of heat-conductive blocks, each of which is located inside one of the grooves, wherein at least one heat-conductive stud is formed at the inner end of the heat-conductive block adjacent to the screw shaft and penetrates through the shaft to fix the heat-conductive block;
a drive unit, located exteriorly of the hollow tubular structure for rotating the at least one screw to extrude the waste material to move forward; and
a heat recovery module, located exteriorly of the waste processing module, further comprising:
a heat storage unit configured to contain thereinside a heat-storing medium for storing thermal energy;
a first conveying pipeline in communication with the heat exchange unit and the heat storage unit, the first conveying pipeline being divided into a first front section for conveying the working medium from the heat exchange unit to the heat storage unit and a first tail section for conveying the working medium from the heat storage unit back to the heat exchange unit; and
a compression unit coupled to the first conveying pipeline for driving the working medium to flow within the first conveying pipeline.

2. The waste heat recovery apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the waste processing module further including:
a pipe connector assembly, selectively engaged to respective open ends of the hollow tubular structure for enclosing the hollow tubular structure and supporting the at least one screw;
an elevation-adjusting assembly configured to include a base, a first support member and a second support member, wherein the lower ends of the first support member and the second support member are selectively coupled to the base, and the upper ends of the first support member and the second support member are coupled with the hollow tubular structure;
a heat-insulation cover configured to wrap around the hollow tubular structure for preventing the thermal energy from being dissipated to the atmosphere;
wherein the lengths of the first support member and the second support member can be separately adjusted for changing the relative height and potential difference between the material inlet and outlet.

3. The waste heat recovery apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat exchange unit further comprises:
a working medium conveying pipe configured as a hollow pipe with a third opening and a fourth opening for accommodating the hollow tubular structure and have a third material chamber formed therein to communicate with the third opening and the fourth opening;
wherein the working medium conveying pipe is wrapped by a heat-insulation cover.

4. The waste heat recovery apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the hollow tubular structure is shaped as one of a hollow cylindrical pipe, a hollow conical pipe, and a combination of the aforesaid two pipes.

5. The waste heat recovery apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the working medium conveying pipe is made of a material selected from the group of an SUS304 stainless steel, an SUS310 stainless steel, an SUS316 stainless steel and an Inconel.

6. The waste heat recovery apparatus of claim 1 , wherein
a cross section of each groove is selected from a group of a concave shape, a U shape, a V shape and a round shape, a cross-sectional profile of each heat-conductive block is fitted with a cross-sectional profile of the groove, a cross section of each heat-conductive stud is selected from the group of a rectangular shape, a diamond shape, a circle, an oval shape, and an O shape, the heat-conductive block and the heat-conductive stud are made of a material having a high thermal conductivity coefficient, the screw is one of a single-thread screw, a double-thread screw and a multi-thread screw, and the helical blade has a cross section selected from the group of a rectangular cross section and a triangular cross section.

7. The waste heat recovery apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the drive unit has a motor and a bearing assembly coupled with the screw shaft and the motor being one of a step motor and a servo motor.

8. The waste heat recovery apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the heat recovery module further comprises:
an energy output apparatus coupled with the heat storage unit for receiving the thermal energy transferred from the heat-storing medium inside the heat storage unit by at least one of thermal conduction and thermal convection, and selectively configured to operate in one of outputting the thermal energy directly, or transforming the thermal energy and outputting the transformed thermal energy, wherein the energy output apparatus is selected from the group of a hot water supply apparatus, a generator, a warm-air providing apparatus, a steam generator and a burning apparatus.

9. The waste heat recovery apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the heat-storing medium inside the heat storage unit is selected from the group of a steam, a molten salt, a heat-conductive oil, a metallic material and a ceramic material.

10. The waste heat recovery apparatus of claim 1 , wherein one end of the first front section of the first conveying pipeline is coupled with the second opening and one end of the first tail section of the first conveying pipeline is coupled with the first opening, wherein the heat storage unit further includes:
a first connection channel configured to have a first channel end connected with the front section and a second channel end connected with the heat storage unit; and
a second connection channel configured to have a third channel end connected with the tail section and a fourth channel end connected with the heat storage unit.

11. The waste heat recovery apparatus of claim 3 , further including a second conveying pipeline being divided into a second front section for conveying the working medium from the working medium conveying pipe via a fourth opening of the working medium conveying pipe to the heat storage unit and a second tail section for conveying the working medium from the heat storage unit back to the working medium conveying pipe via a third opening of the working medium conveying pipe, the heat storage unit further including:
a third connection channel configured to have a first channel end connected with the second front section and a second channel end connected with the heat storage un

Assignees

• Iner Aec Executive Yuan

Inventors

• Chyou Yau Pin
• Chen Yi Shun
• Li Shu Che
• Lin Jhe Yu
• Hsu Hung Te

Classifications

• B09B3/32

  Compressing or compacting · CPC title

• F28F5/06 Primary

  Hollow screw conveyors · CPC title

• F01K15/00

  Adaptations of plants for special use {(F01K7/02 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• Y02E60/142

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F01K17/005

  by means of a heat pump (heat pumps systems per se F25B) · CPC title