JP6558674B2 - Microwave / heater combined dryer and drying method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a microwave / heater combined dryer capable of supporting drying of an object to be dried at a high temperature, and a drying method for the object to be dried, which is performed by using the microwave / heater combined dryer.

Generally, in a microwave dryer using both a microwave and another heating source, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 below, an inner wall temperature raising means (heater) for raising the temperature of the inner wall of the drying chamber to a temperature close to the boiling point temperature. There is a microwave drying apparatus. Although this thing can raise the temperature of a to-be-dried material uniformly, the to-be-dried material in a container is not dried using a microwave.
In addition, as disclosed in Patent Document 2 below, there is a microwave drying apparatus that includes a microwave source that supplies a microwave to an object to be dried and a heated gas source that supplies a heated gas. Although this thing uses a microwave source and a heated gas source together, it does not dry the to-be-dried material in a container using a microwave.
In addition, as disclosed in Patent Document 3 below, the object to be dried is irradiated with microwaves from the microwave irradiation means at the drying position, and infrared rays from the infrared irradiation means (heater) from a different direction from the microwave irradiation apparatus. There is a drying device that irradiates. Although this thing can raise the temperature of a to-be-dried material uniformly, the to-be-dried material in a container is not dried using a microwave.
In general, in a microwave dryer that dries an object to be dried in a container using a microwave and another heating source in combination, the microwave permeability is high as disclosed in Patent Document 4 below. A resin container formed of a resin material such as FRP (unsaturated polyester resin) is used. And to-be-dried material is accommodated in this resin container, it dries, and the dried product is manufactured.
In addition, when the material to be dried is, for example, moisture-absorbing silica gel, it is necessary to heat at a temperature of 150 ° C. or higher. In the case of adsorbed powder (hereinafter referred to as inorganic catalyst powder), it is necessary to heat at a high temperature of 300 ° C. or higher. Therefore, when the resin container is used for drying performed at such a high temperature, the resin container is thermally deformed.

Moreover, in the following Patent Document 4, a dryer using both a microwave and an electric heater is disclosed. In addition, this dryer achieves efficient and safe drying of objects to be dried that contain a lot of moisture, such as garbage, by using a microwave and an electric heater together, which are difficult to dry uniformly. doing.
Specifically, if you continue to irradiate the object to be dried after microwave drying, it may ignite, so stop microwave irradiation and switch to drying with an electric heater when the end of drying is approaching. This prevents ignition of the object to be dried.

JP 2008-39348 A JP 2012-86559 A JP 2012-106484 A JP-A-5-338705

In this case, if the container for storing the object to be dried is changed to a metal container such as stainless steel that does not transmit microwaves, the container can withstand the heating at the high temperature and the container is not thermally deformed.
However, as in Patent Documents 1 to 3, a metal container having an opening at the top contains a material to be dried containing moisture, irradiated with microwaves, and heated by a heater disposed on the surrounding wall surface, Even when heated air is supplied from a heated gas source and heated with hot air, the drying object is prevented from lowering the drying temperature at the part in contact with the inner and bottom surfaces of the container, and the object to be dried is evenly and efficiently. It is difficult to dry well.
In addition, by using a microwave and an electric heater in combination as in Patent Document 4, it is conceivable that drying of a portion that is difficult to dry with only the microwave is compensated with radiant heat from the electric heater. In this case, the relationship between the microwave irradiation direction, the heating direction of the electric heater, and the heating range is important.
However, Patent Document 4 adopts a configuration in which the microwave irradiation direction and the heating direction of the electric heater are set in the same direction, and the microwave is irradiated and transmitted through the bottom surface of the container for drying. Therefore, when a metal container is used, the microwave is reflected on the bottom surface of the container, so that a desired dry state of the object to be dried cannot be obtained.
In general, it is known that when a dried object containing moisture is stored in a metal container having an upper opening and irradiated with microwaves, the temperature of the part in contact with the metal part of the container is unlikely to rise.
That is, the power loss P that changes to heat in the dielectric when a microwave electric field is applied to the dielectric is obtained by the following equation.

  In the above formula, the electric field strength E of the microwave energy is “0” because it is short-circuited on the metal surface. Therefore, when an object to be dried containing moisture is put in a metal container and microwaves are irradiated from above, the electric field strength E of the above equation is “0” in the portion in contact with the inner surface or the bottom surface of the metal container. Therefore, the temperature rise of the object to be dried becomes very slow at the metal part, and it takes a long time to raise the object to be dried to a predetermined temperature to a predetermined amount of moisture. Become.

  The present invention has been made on the basis of such points, and the object of the present invention is to prevent the container from being thermally deformed even when the object to be dried is dried at a high temperature. A microwave / heater combined dryer and a microwave / heater combined dryer capable of uniformly and efficiently drying the material to be dried uniformly by preventing a decrease in the drying temperature of the material to be dried in contact with It is providing the drying method of the to-be-dried material performed by using.

In order to achieve the above object, a microwave / heater combination dryer according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a metal container for storing an object to be dried,
A drying chamber main body having at least one opening, which serves as an entrance when setting or carrying in / out the metal container;
Opening and closing means attached to the opening so as to be openable and closable, and forming a shielding space in the drying chamber main body when closed,
A microwave irradiation device that is attached to the drying chamber body and irradiates the object to be dried accommodated in the drying chamber body to dry the object to be dried;
A heater unit that is installed in the drying chamber body and dries an object to be dried by heating the bottom surface of the metal container with an electric heater;
Inside the drying chamber body is provided with a hanging wall extending from the portion where the microwave irradiation port of the microwave irradiation device is formed toward the metal container so as to surround the irradiation port,
The metal container side end of the hanging wall is provided in an approaching state so as to face the peripheral part of the metal container that is set or moved inside the drying chamber body,
Between the metal container side end of the hanging wall and the peripheral edge of the metal container, the first choke and the second choke are continuously arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction, respectively. In addition, a microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a double choke integrated structure is arranged .

Further, the microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 2 is a metal container for storing an object to be dried;
A drying chamber body having an opening for setting the metal container;
An opening / closing door that is attached to the opening so as to be openable and closable, and forms a shielded space in the drying chamber main body when closed,
A microwave irradiation device that is attached to the drying chamber body and irradiates the object to be dried accommodated in the drying chamber body to dry the object to be dried;
A heater unit that is installed in the drying chamber body and dries an object to be dried by heating the bottom surface of the metal container with an electric heater;
Inside the drying chamber body is provided with a hanging wall extending from the portion where the microwave irradiation port of the microwave irradiation device is formed toward the metal container so as to surround the irradiation port,
The metal container side end of the hanging wall is provided in an approaching state so as to face the peripheral edge of the metal container set inside the drying chamber body,
Between the metal container side end of the hanging wall and the peripheral edge of the metal container, the first choke and the second choke are continuously arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction, respectively. In addition, a microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a double choke integrated structure is arranged .

Moreover, the microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 3 is a metal container for storing an object to be dried;
A drying chamber body having an opening for carrying in and out the metal container;
An opening / closing shutter that is attached to the opening in an openable / closable state and forms a shielded space in the drying chamber main body when closed;
A microwave irradiation device that is attached to the drying chamber body and irradiates the object to be dried accommodated in the drying chamber body to dry the object to be dried;
A heater unit that is installed in the drying chamber body and dries an object to be dried by heating the bottom surface of the metal container with an electric heater,
Conveying means for carrying the metal container into the drying chamber main body and conveying it in the conveying direction;
In the drying chamber main body, a plurality of microwave / heater combined drying units constituted by the microwave irradiation device and the heater unit are arranged along the conveying direction of the metal container, and the object to be dried is The drying is performed while sequentially moving the region where these multiple sets of microwave and heater combined drying units exist,
Inside the drying chamber body is provided with a hanging wall extending from the portion where the microwave irradiation port of the microwave irradiation device is formed toward the metal container so as to surround the irradiation port,
The metal container side end of the hanging wall is provided in an approaching state so as to face the peripheral edge of the metal container moving inside the drying chamber body,
Between the metal container side end of the hanging wall and the peripheral edge of the metal container, the first choke and the second choke are continuously arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction, respectively. In addition, a microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a double choke integrated structure is arranged .

The microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 4 is the microwave / heater combined dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heater unit conducts heat to a bottom surface of the metal container. Or a plurality of electric heaters arranged to act radiant heat,
A heat insulating material arranged to wrap around the electric heater, excluding the heat conduction or radiant heat acting surface of the electric heater;
And a heat insulating material cover disposed outside the heat insulating material so as to surround the heat insulating material except the heat conduction or radiant heat acting surface of the electric heater.

Further, the microwave / heater combination dryer according to claim 5 is the microwave / heater combination dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heater unit is an effect of heat conduction or radiation heat of the electric heater. A thermocouple that measures the temperature near the surface;
And a control device that controls the heater output of the electric heater based on the temperature measured by the thermocouple.

Further, the microwave heater in combination dryer of claim 6, in a microwave heater in combination dryer of claim 1, wherein, between the closing means for closing the opening and the opening of the drying chamber body The microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a double choke integrated structure, in which the first choke and the second choke face each other continuously at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction, is disposed. It is.

Further, the microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 7 is the microwave / heater combined dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein the drying chamber main body includes an article to be dried. A radiation thermometer that measures temperature;
And a control device for controlling the microwave output irradiated from the microwave irradiation device based on the product temperature of the object to be dried measured by the radiation thermometer.

The microwave / heater combination dryer according to claim 8 is the microwave / heater combination dryer according to any one of claims 1 to 7 , wherein air is introduced into the drying chamber body in the drying chamber body. And an exhaust port for exhausting the air containing moisture inside the drying chamber body to the outside of the drying chamber body, and either or both of the intake port and the exhaust port are heated by heating. Blowing means for discharging steam generated from the object to be dried out of the drying chamber body is connected,
The intake port and the exhaust port are provided with a punching plate having a vent hole that allows passage of air but does not allow passage of microwaves.

Further, the microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 9 is the microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the drying chamber body is depressurized while the opening is closed by the opening / closing means. It has an airtight structure and a pressure resistant structure that can withstand use in an atmosphere,
The drying chamber main body is connected to a decompression device for making the inside of the drying chamber main body a decompressed atmosphere in a state where the opening is closed.

The microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 10 is the microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 1, wherein the metal container includes a box-shaped container body having an open upper surface, and the container body. A peripheral portion provided around the opened upper surface portion, and
Of the peripheral portions, the front surface and the rear surface of the side edge portions of the left and right of the container body have been opened, with respect to the support portion which is provided inside of the drying chamber body, set extraction direction to carry The left and right side edge portions are installed in an engaged state that is movable in the front-rear direction along the carry-out direction.

Further, the microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 11 is the microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 10 , wherein the first portion is provided between the support base of the support portion and the peripheral portion of the metal container. A microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a double choke integrated structure is disposed so that the choke and the second choke face each other continuously at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction.

Further, the microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 12 is the microwave / heater combined dryer according to claim 3, wherein the support table is provided by a support rail laid along the conveying direction of the metal container. Configured,
The transporting means acts on all or a part of the plurality of metal containers arranged in alignment on the support rail and applies a feeding force to the metal container; and
An operation rod that holds the locking claw and moves the locking claw in a predetermined stroke, a feed direction and a return direction;
A drive motor as a drive source;
A swing crank mechanism that converts rotation of the output shaft of the drive motor into linear motion in the feed direction or return direction of the operation rod,
The locking claw is rotatably connected to the operation rod via a rotation connection pin. When the operation rod is moved in the return direction, the locking claw is locked to the metal container. When shifting to the unlocking position to be released and moving the operating rod in the feed direction, the locking claw is configured to shift to the locking position at which locking to the metal container is executed. It is a feature.

And the following effects are acquired by the said means.
First, in the microwave / heater combined dryer according to the present invention, since a metal container is applied as a container for storing an object to be dried, the container is used even when drying at a high temperature is required, such as silica gel or inorganic catalyst powder described above. No thermal deformation or the like occurs.
In addition, the microwave irradiation device and the heater unit are used in combination, and by adopting a configuration in which these are arranged at appropriate locations where efficient drying of the object to be dried is achieved, drying becomes difficult only with the microwave irradiation device. A good dry state of the object to be dried can be obtained even at the portion in contact with the inner side surface and the bottom surface of the metal container. Therefore, the drying efficiency of the object to be dried is improved, and the drying time can be shortened.

In addition, when the above configuration is applied to a batch type microwave / heater combined dryer with an opening / closing door attached to the opening, it is relatively simple in structure and does not take up much space. It is possible to provide a microwave / heater combination dryer that can be used.
In addition, when the above-described configuration is applied to a continuous microwave / heater combined dryer equipped with an opening / closing shutter and a conveying means, a large amount of objects to be dried can be continuously dried at a high temperature. It is possible to provide a microwave / heater combined dryer having excellent drying processing capability.

In addition, when the heater unit is configured by including an electric heater, a heat insulating material, and a heat insulating material cover, the heat conduction or radiant heat of the electric heater is applied to the bottom surface of the metal container, and only the microwave is used for drying. Therefore, it is possible to compensate for the drying of the portion where it was difficult to obtain a good dry state of the material to be dried.
Further, by enclosing the periphery of the electric heater with a heat insulating material, the heat conduction or radiant heat of the electric heater can be efficiently concentrated and acted on a necessary portion. Further, by providing the heat insulating material cover, it is possible to prevent the heat insulating material from falling off from the electric heater or scattering to the outside.

  When the heater unit is further provided with a thermocouple and a control device for controlling the heater output of the electric heater, the electric heater is based on temperature information in the vicinity of the radiant heat acting surface obtained by the thermocouple. It is possible to keep the heating temperature of the electric heater constant at all times by switching ON / OFF of the heater output and finely adjusting the heater output.

In addition, when a microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a double choke integrated structure is disposed between the opening of the drying chamber main body and the opening / closing means, microwave leakage from the opening of the drying chamber main body is at a high level. This is prevented by high frequency circuits.
In addition, when a seal structure is provided at the same part, deterioration of the seal member caused by exposure of the seal structure to microwaves is reduced, and the airtightness in the drying chamber body is maintained for a long time. Will come to be.

In addition, when a dripping wall is provided inside the drying chamber main body so as to surround the irradiation port of the microwave irradiation device in a state where the metal container side end portion approaches the peripheral portion of the metal container. Can prevent the microwave irradiated from the microwave irradiation device from being scattered to the outside, and can guide the microwave into the metal container to improve the drying efficiency of the object to be dried.
In addition, when a microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a double choke integrated structure is disposed between the metal container side end of the hanging wall and the peripheral edge of the metal container, the gap between the hanging wall and the metal container Therefore, it is possible to prevent the microwave from leaking into the outside space of the hanging wall. Accordingly, microwave leakage is further reduced.

  In addition, when a radiation thermometer that measures the product temperature of the object to be dried and a controller that controls the microwave output based on the measured product temperature, the drying quality of the object to be dried Changes in the temperature of the object to be dried, which greatly affects the appearance, are detected, and drying of the object to be dried is performed while adjusting the microwave output and heater output as needed so that the temperature of the object to be dried always falls within a certain range. It becomes possible to do.

In addition, when a microwave / heater combination dryer having an intake port and an exhaust port, and a blower means connected to one or both of the intake port and the exhaust port, microwaves and electric heat are used. Drying is possible while discharging steam generated from the object to be dried by heat conduction or radiant heat from the heater to the outside of the drying chamber body.
Therefore, the reattachment of moisture to the object to be dried is prevented, and the object to be dried can be efficiently dried.
Further, when a punching plate is provided for the intake port and the exhaust port provided for the drying chamber main body, leakage of the microwaves outside the drying chamber main body is further prevented.

In addition, when a dryer with a microwave / heater is used that has a drying chamber body with an airtight structure and a pressure-resistant structure, and a decompression device connected to the drying chamber body, keep the temperature inside the drying chamber body low. Thus, it is possible to obtain a dry product having a high quality and an excellent appearance without destroying the flavor or components of the material to be dried.
Further, the metal container includes a container body having an open upper surface, and a peripheral portion provided around the upper surface portion of the container body, and front end surfaces of left and right side edges of the container body; When the rear end surface is opened and the support unit in the drying chamber main body is installed in an engagement state that is movable in the front-rear direction, the metal container can be easily set and taken out and carried in and out. To be done.

  In addition, when a microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a double choke integrated structure is disposed between the support base in the support portion and the peripheral edge portion of the metal container, microwaves are generated from the gap between the support base and the metal container. It is possible to prevent a situation in which the air leaks and goes around to the heater unit side. Therefore, deterioration of the wiring coating and electrical adverse effects caused by exposure to microwaves are further reduced.

  Further, the support base is configured by a support rail laid along the transport direction of the metal container, and the transport means is configured to include a locking claw, an operating rod, a drive motor, and a swinging crank mechanism. Provides a transport means that can withstand use at high temperatures and enables stable and smooth feeding of metal containers when the claw is rotated to switch between the locking position and the locking release position. It becomes possible to do.

  As described above, according to the microwave / heater combination dryer of the present invention, even when the object to be dried is dried at a high temperature of 150 ° C. to 300 ° C., the container for storing the object to be dried may be thermally deformed. Absent. Moreover, since the fall of the drying temperature of the to-be-dried object in the part which contact | connects the inner surface and bottom face of metal containers can be prevented, it becomes possible to dry to-be-dried object uniformly and efficiently.

It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and is a front view which shows the dryer combined with a microwave and a heater. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a left view which shows the dryer combined with a microwave and a heater. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a top view which shows the dryer combined with a microwave and a heater. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a vertical front view which shows the outline of the internal structure of a microwave and heater combined use dryer. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a vertical front view which expands and shows a heater unit. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention and is principal part sectional drawing which shows the installation state of metal containers. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a front view which shows the metal container applied to a microwave / heater combined use dryer, and its periphery site | part. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a top view which shows the metal containers applied to a dryer combined with a microwave and a heater. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a front view which expands and shows a part of microwave leakage prevention mechanism applied to a microwave and heater combined use dryer. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of this invention, and is a sectional side view which expands and shows a part of microwave leakage prevention mechanism applied to a microwave and heater combined use dryer. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a front view which shows the dryer combined with a microwave and a heater. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a left view which shows the dryer combined with a microwave and a heater. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a top view which shows the dryer combined with a microwave and a heater. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is a vertical front view which shows the outline of the internal structure of a microwave and heater combined use dryer. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the pressure reduction apparatus applied to a microwave and heater combined use dryer. It is a figure which shows the 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and is a block diagram which shows each process which comprises the drying method of the to-be-dried object of this invention. It is a figure which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and is a front view which shows the dryer combined with a microwave and a heater. It is a figure which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and is a right view which shows the microwave / heater combined use dryer. It is a figure which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and is a top view which shows the dryer combined with a microwave and a heater. It is a figure which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and is a vertical front view which shows the internal structure of a microwave and heater combined use dryer. It is a figure which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and is a vertical front view which shows the metal container applied to a microwave and heater combined use dryer, and its periphery site | part. It is a figure which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and is a right view (a) which expands and shows a part of conveyance means, and explanatory drawing (b) (c) which shows operation | movement of a latching claw. It is a figure which shows the 4th Embodiment of this invention, and is a top view (a) which expands and shows a part of conveyance means, and explanatory drawing (b) (c) which shows operation | movement of a latching claw. It is a figure which shows progress of the comparative test done in order to try the effect of a heater unit, and is a graph which shows the relationship between the drying time of the state which stopped the operation | movement of the heater unit, and the temperature of a container bottom face part. It is a figure which shows progress of the comparative test done in order to test the effect of a heater unit, and is a graph which shows the relationship between the drying time in the state which actuated the heater unit, and the temperature of a container bottom face part.

Hereinafter, taking the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 as an example, the configuration and operation of the microwave / heater combined dryer of the present invention will be described first, and then the partial configuration will be different. The configuration of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 11 to FIG. 15 will be described, and then the contents of each step constituting the drying method of the object to be dried of the present invention will be described as the third embodiment based on FIG. To do.
Next, the configuration and operation mode of the microwave / heater combined dryer according to the fourth embodiment shown in FIGS. 17 to 23 will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment. The contents and results of a comparative test performed to test the effect of the heater unit based on FIG. 25 will be described.

(1) 1st Embodiment (refer FIGS. 1-10)
The microwave / heater combined dryer 1 according to the present invention has a metal container 59 for storing an object A to be dried and at least one opening serving as an entrance when the metal container 59 is set, or is loaded / unloaded. A drying chamber main body 5 provided with a section 3; an opening / closing means 7 that is attached to the opening 3 so as to be openable and closable; and that forms a shielding space in the drying chamber main body 5 when closed; And a microwave irradiation device 9 for irradiating the object to be dried A accommodated in the drying chamber body 5 with microwaves to dry the object to be dried A, and installed in the drying chamber body 5. Basically, the apparatus includes a heater unit 71 that dries the object to be dried A by heating the bottom surface portion 59b of the metal container 59 by heat conduction or radiant heat of the electric heater 75.

The microwave / heater combined dryer 1A according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 is a so-called batch-type microwave / heater combined dryer, and assembles angle materials and the like into a rectangular frame shape. And a drying chamber 25 including an opening / closing door 7a which is an example of the drying chamber main body 5 and the opening / closing means 7 is disposed at the center of the left side of the front chamber of the supporting frame 23. Has been.
In addition, on the top of the drying chamber body 5, a microwave oscillation device 10 having a variable output of 3000 W as an example, which is a main component of the microwave irradiation device 9, is disposed.
A stirrer fan (not shown) and a motor for driving the stirrer fan may be appropriately arranged.

An exhaust fan 55 connected to an exhaust pipe 54 extending from the drying chamber body 5 is attached to the upper right of the top plate of the front chamber.
Also, a control box 31 in which a monitor and various operation buttons are disposed on the front surface and a control device 32 that performs various controls is disposed in the central portion on the right side of the front room.
As an example, the open / close door 7 is configured by a single-open rectangular plate-like door that rotates with a hinge 43 disposed on the right side as a fulcrum. Two hinge portions 43 are provided on the upper and lower sides, and the dryer body 5 and the open / close door 7 are connected via the hinge portions 43 so as to be able to rotate over a range of about 180 °. .

Further, an inspection window 39 is provided in the center of the front surface of the open / close door 7 so that the state of the object A to be dried during drying can be observed from the outside.
In addition, a grip 41 serving as a clue when opening and closing the door 7 is provided at the center in the height direction near the free end on the left side of the door 7, and the upper and lower edges of the door 7. As an example, a rotary lock handle 45 is provided.

In the lock handle 45, a locking claw 47 provided at the tip is locked by a locking hook 49 provided at the center of the upper edge and the lower edge of the opening 3 of the drying chamber body 5. Thus, the closed state of the door 7 can be locked.
Further, a microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21 is provided on the outer periphery of the back surface of the open / close door 7 as shown by a broken line in FIG. 1, and further, the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21 has an outer periphery as shown in FIG. Thus, when the open / close door 7 is closed, a seal structure 13 including a seal member 11 formed of a ring-shaped rubber packing is provided as an example of contact with the seal surface 61 around the opening 3 of the drying chamber body 5. It has been.

The microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21 is provided on an intermediate path 63 between the opening 3 and the seal structure 13, and includes a first choke 17 located on the opening 3 side and a position on the seal structure 13 side. The double choke 19 has a double choke integrated seal structure continuously arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction so that the second choke 19 faces each other.
Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10, the base end portion 69 is vertically raised from one end edge of the shielding plate 65 arranged along the back surface of the open / close door 7, and the tip end of the base end portion 69 is 90 °. The first choke 17 having an L-shaped cross section is provided by forming the tip portion 67 by bending inward.
Similarly, a second choke 19 having the same shape and size as the first choke 17 is provided on the other end edge of the shielding plate 65, and the first choke 17 and the second choke 19 are disposed at positions facing each other. A microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21 is configured.

A gap G is formed between the tip portion 67 of the first choke 17 and the tip portion 67 of the second choke 19, and the first choke 17 and the second choke 19 are formed from the middle point O of the gap G. The distance L1 from the front end portion 67 to the connection point B of the base end portion 69 is the distance L2 from the middle point O to the contact point C between the perpendicular drawn to the shielding plate 65 side and the opposing surface of the shielding plate 65. The length is set to be approximately equal to about 1/4 of the wavelength λ of the microwave used together.
Incidentally, by adopting such a dimension setting, a detour having a length of ¼ of the wavelength λ is formed in the intermediate path 63, and the reflected wave at the detour and the connection point B to the middle are formed. The phase difference from the wave toward the point O becomes half of the wavelength λ and cancels each other, and the leakage of the microwave to the outside of the drying chamber 25 is prevented.

Next, the internal structure of the drying chamber body 5 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, as described above, the microwave oscillating device 10 of the microwave irradiation device 9 is attached to the top plate as an example of the drying chamber main body 5, and is formed as an example on the top plate of the drying chamber main body 5. The microwave is irradiated from the irradiation port 15 to the inside of the drying chamber body 5.
Further, a sheet T made of polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon (registered trademark)) is attached to the irradiation port 15 as an example, and microwaves oscillated from the microwave oscillating device 10 pass through, but are dried. This prevents the evaporated water generated from the material A to be dried from entering the microwave oscillator 10 side.

Moreover, in this Embodiment, the support plate 81a with which the center part was opened which partitions the inside of the drying chamber main body 5 up and down is provided. As an example, a rail-like support base 81b extending in the front-rear direction is disposed on the upper surface of the peripheral edge of the opening of the support plate 81a, and the support base 81b is also applied to the open / close door 7 described above. A microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21A having a double choke integrated structure shown in FIG. 9 is applied.
The support plate 81a and the support base 81b constitute a support portion 81 for setting a metal container 59, which will be described later, in the drying chamber body 5 or for transporting it in the transport direction Y. As described later in this embodiment, 81b functions as a support member for supporting the metal container 59, and sets the metal container 59 in the drying chamber body 5 or takes it out from the drying chamber body 5. It has a function as a guide member.
Further, in the present embodiment, it is possible to dispose a rail-like support base 81b extending in the front-rear direction on the rear edge side and the front edge side, which is the periphery of the opening of the support plate 81a (as an example, the front edge side). For example, a configuration in which the open / close door 7 is used and the front edge 83a and the rear edge 83b of the peripheral edge 83 are inserted into the upper surface side of the support base 81b is considered). The microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21A having a double choke integrated structure shown in FIG. 9 similar to that applied to the open / close door 7 described above can also be applied.

  In addition, the heater unit 71, which is one of the characteristic configurations of the present invention, is arranged so that radiant heat acts on the bottom surface portion 59b of the metal container 59 to be described later. An electric heater 75, a heat insulating material 77 arranged so as to wrap around the electric heater 75 excluding an upper surface serving as an action surface of radiant heat emitted from the electric heater 75, and an action of radiant heat emitted from the electric heater 75. A heat insulating material cover 78 disposed outside the heat insulating material 77 so as to surround the heat insulating material 77 excluding the upper surface serving as a surface is basically configured.

In the present embodiment, a thermocouple 73 that measures the temperature around the electric heater 75, and a control device 32 that controls the heater output of the electric heater 75 based on the temperature measured by the thermocouple 73, Are further provided.
As the electric heater 75, an infrared irradiation type electric heater can be used. As an example, a heater that can be heated up to about 1000 ° C. with a rated output of 0.75 kw and arranged in parallel at a predetermined pitch is applied.

As the heat insulating material 77, a cotton-like or sheet-like ceramic fiber, which is an inorganic fiber heat insulating material that can withstand use at high temperatures, can be applied as an example. As the heat insulating material cover 78, for example, a cover having a shape as shown in the figure formed in a container shape with a stainless steel plate can be applied.
Incidentally, by providing the heat insulating material 77, it becomes possible to efficiently concentrate the radiant heat emitted from the electric heater 75 on a necessary portion and to act on it. By providing the heat insulating material cover 78, the heat insulating material 77 It is possible to prevent the electric heater 75 from dropping off or scattering to the outside.

  Further, it is desirable to provide a gap of about 10 mm between the electric heater 75 and the lower surface of the bottom surface portion 59b of the metal container 59. By providing such a gap, an excessive temperature rise of the bottom surface portion 59b of the metal container 59 is prevented, and necessary radiant heat to be applied to the bottom surface portion 59b and the side surface portion 59a connected to the bottom surface portion 59b is obtained. I am trying to do it.

As the thermocouple 73, various types of thermometers that can measure the high temperature around the electric heater 75 that can be heated up to about 1000 ° C. can be applied.
The thermocouple 73 and the wiring 74 extending from the electric heater 75 are pulled out to the outside of the drying chamber body 5 through an opening formed in the bottom plate portion of the drying chamber body 5 as an example, and the control box 31 described above. It is connected to the internal control device 32.

In the present embodiment, a hanging wall 93 extending downward is provided so as to surround the irradiation port 15 from the top plate portion of the drying chamber body 5 where the irradiation port 15 is formed.
The drooping wall 93 is formed of a stainless steel rectangular tube member as an example, and the lower end portion of the dripping wall 93 serving as the end portion on the metal container 59 side is supported by the support portion 81 described later. It is provided in an approaching state so as to face the peripheral portion 83 of the metal container 59 to be operated.

Further, between the lower end portion of the drooping wall 93 and the peripheral portion 83 of the metal container 59, the double choke integrated structure similar to that provided in the open / close door 7 is provided, similar to the support base 81 b described above. As an example, the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21 </ b> B is provided using a flange portion 95 formed at the lower end portion of the hanging wall 93.
The microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21A applied to the support base 81b described above and the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21B provided at the lower end portion of the hanging wall 93 include the first choke 17 and the second choke 19 respectively. The gaps between the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21 </ b> B and the peripheral portion 83 of the metal container 59 are set to be about 10 mm, and are arranged in the hanging wall 93. The air is allowed to enter, but has a size capable of preventing leakage of microwaves outside the hanging wall 93.

In the present embodiment, a radiation thermometer 79 for measuring the product temperature of the object A to be dried is provided on the top plate as an example of the drying chamber body 5. The measured product temperature information of the material to be dried A is sent to the control device 32, and based on this product temperature information, the microwave output irradiated from the microwave irradiation device 9 can be controlled. Yes.
In addition, the left side plate portion as an example of the drying chamber main body 5 is provided with an air inlet 52a for introducing air into the drying chamber main body 5. The top plate portion as an example of the drying chamber main body 5 includes the drying chamber. An exhaust port 53 a is provided for exhausting the air containing moisture in the main body 5 to the outside of the drying chamber main body 5.
The intake port 52 a is located outside the drooping wall 93, and the exhaust port 53 a is located inside the drooping wall 93. As a result, the air that has flowed into the drying chamber main body 5 from the air inlet 52a becomes a gap between the lower end portion of the hanging wall 93 and the peripheral portion 83 of the metal container 59 (the microwave leakage prevention mechanism described above in this gap). 21B is provided) and flows into the hanging wall 93 through the exhaust port 53a and exhausted to the outside of the drying chamber body 5.

Further, the intake port 52a and the exhaust port 53a are provided with a punching plate 57 having a vent 57a having a diameter of about 2 mm which allows passage of air but does not allow passage of microwaves. Multiple leaks of microwaves to the outside are prevented.
In addition, an intake cylinder 52 is provided at the intake port 52a so as to protrude outward from the drying chamber body 5, and a metal mesh 58 is attached to the outer end of the intake cylinder 52 to dry the intake cylinder 52. Foreign matter is prevented from entering the chamber body 5.

Further, similarly to the intake cylinder 52, an exhaust cylinder 53 is provided at the exhaust port 53 a so as to protrude outward from the drying chamber body 5. A metal mesh 58 is also attached to the outer end of the exhaust tube 53 to prevent foreign matter from entering the drying chamber body 5.
Further, one end of an exhaust pipe line 54 is connected to the exhaust pipe 53, and the other end of the exhaust pipe line 54 is connected to an exhaust fan 55 which is an example of a blowing means.

Next, based on FIG.7 and FIG.8, the metal container 59 which is one of the characteristic structures of this invention is demonstrated. The metal container 59 is made of stainless steel, and is configured by including a box-shaped container body 82 whose upper surface is opened and a peripheral edge portion 83 provided around the opened upper surface portion of the container body 82. Yes.
The container body 82 is a shallow box-like member whose bottom surface 59b is somewhat narrower than the top surface, and the inner size of the bottom surface 59b is about 400 mm × 400 mm as described above. The member has a size of about 90 mm.

Further, the peripheral portion 83 includes at least a front edge portion 83a, a rear edge portion 83b, a left edge portion 83c, a right edge portion 83d, (a left edge portion 83c and a right edge portion 83d, each having a horizontal support surface. , Each having a cross-sectional gate shape) are assembled in a rectangular frame shape, and the width dimensions of the left and right side edge portions 83c and 83d are the front edge portion 83a and the front edge portion 83a arranged in a direction orthogonal to these. It is set wider than the rear edge 83b.
Further, the front and rear end surfaces of the left and right side edge portions 83c and 83d are open, and the support portion 81 provided inside the drying chamber main body 5 along the setting / removing direction or the loading / unloading direction is provided. The left and right side edge portions 83c and 83d are configured to be installed in an engaged state movable in the front-rear direction with respect to the support base 81b.

  Further, as described above, the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21 having a double choke integrated structure is also provided on the back surface of the opening / closing door 7 provided in the opening 3 of the drying chamber body 5, and the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21 is opened and closed by the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21. Microwave leakage from the door 7 side is prevented. In addition, the height position of the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21 provided on the back surface of the open / close door 7 is set to a position with a margin that does not obstruct the opening / closing of the open / close door 7.

As an object to be dried A accommodated in the metal container 59, bead-shaped silica gel widely used as a desiccant for foods and the like that dislike moisture can be applied as an example. Silica gel is a physical desiccant mainly composed of silicon dioxide, and the substance is not changed by a chemical reaction or the like, and dehumidification is performed by adsorbing water vapor into the pores of the silica gel.
Silica gel has excellent moisture absorption ability, is safe, is relatively inexpensive and can be regenerated by heating, and is also economical. And in this Embodiment, the silica gel which absorbed moisture by use is dried as to-be-dried material A, 150A or more necessary for drying of silica gel is used by using the microwave / heater combined dryer 1A for regeneration of the silica gel described above. Drying at high temperature is realized.

  And according to the microwave / heater combined dryer 1A according to the present embodiment configured as described above, even if the material A to be dried is dried at a high temperature of 150 ° C. or higher, the container may be thermally deformed. In addition, it is possible to uniformly and efficiently dry the material to be dried A evenly by preventing a decrease in the drying temperature of the material to be dried A in contact with the inner and bottom surfaces of the container, which was difficult to dry only with microwaves. It becomes possible.

(2) Second embodiment (see FIGS. 11 to 15)
The microwave / heater combination dryer 1B according to the second embodiment of the present invention is a batch-type microwave / heater combination dryer as in the first embodiment. And it has the structure fundamentally the same as 1 A of microwave / heater combined use dryer by 1st Embodiment mentioned above, and the structure has reached in part. Therefore, the description of the same configuration as that of the present embodiment already described in the first embodiment is omitted here, and the configuration unique to the second embodiment will be mainly described.

That is, in the present embodiment, the drying chamber main body 5 is provided with an airtight structure and a pressure resistant structure that can withstand use in a reduced-pressure atmosphere with the opening 3 closed by the open / close door 7. And the decompression device 301 is connected to the drying chamber 25, and it is comprised so that drying in a decompression atmosphere can be performed.
In FIG. 14, a conceptual pressure reducing device 301A including only the vacuum connector 329, the vacuum pump 331, the vacuum path 333, and the control valve 335 is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited to the pressure reducing device 301A having such a configuration. It is possible to employ various configurations of the decompression device 301 that exhibits the decompression action.
For example, a decompression device 301B as shown in FIG. 15 can be employed.

The decompression device 301B is basically configured by including a water-sealed vacuum pump 305 and a circulation type water supply / drainage device 307, and a water supply path 309 and a drainage path 311 are further provided therebetween.
The water-sealed vacuum pump 305 is a pump used for exhausting gas containing water vapor or water droplets, and forms a water-sealing ring on the inner wall of the cylinder using the rotation of an impeller attached eccentrically to the cylinder. The pumping action is performed by utilizing the volume change of the space surrounded by the sealing ring and the impeller blades.

The circulation type water supply / drainage device 307 is configured as an example by including an upper tank 313 and a lower tank 315 inside the support frame 303, and a water supply nozzle 317 for supplying water from the outside to the upper tank 313, A ball tap 319 for measuring the water level in the upper tank 313 and a temperature sensor 321 for measuring the water temperature in the upper tank 313 are arranged.
On the other hand, a submersible pump 323 is disposed in the lower tank 315, and the upper tank is pumped up the water discharged from the water-sealed vacuum pump 305 and stored in the lower tank 315 through the discharge path 311. It can be supplied to 313.

A three-way valve 327 driven by a motor is disposed as an example in the middle of a circulation path 325 connecting the submersible pump 323 and the upper tank 313. By switching the three-way valve 327 as appropriate, The water pumped up by the pump 323 is supplied into the upper tank 313 or drained to the outside.
Further, the above-described water supply path 309 extends from the bottom of the upper tank 313, and the other end of the water supply path 309 is connected to the above-described water-sealed vacuum pump 305. Furthermore, a needle valve 247 that takes in air from the outside and adjusts the pressure in the path is disposed in the middle of the discharge path 235 that connects the drying chamber body 5 and the water-sealed vacuum pump 305.

Further, in the present embodiment, the constituent members such as the intake cylinder 52, the exhaust cylinder 53, the exhaust pipe 54, and the exhaust fan 55 provided in the first embodiment are not provided, but they are replaced. The following constituent members are provided as the constituent members.
That is, as an example of the drying chamber main body 5, two sets of gas introducing portions 35 for filling the drying chamber 25 with nitrogen gas for transportation or the like are provided on the left side surface. A gas introduction pipe 36 is connected to each gas introduction section 35, and a gas introduction adjustment valve 37 for adjusting the amount of gas introduction is arranged in the middle of each gas introduction pipe 36.

  The microwave / heater combined dryer 1B according to the second embodiment configured as described above has the same functions and effects as the microwave / heater combined dryer 1A according to the first embodiment. Dehydrated food made from fruits such as strawberries and the like, which are exhibited and, in the present embodiment, can be dried at a low temperature in a reduced-pressure atmosphere, so that the quality, appearance, flavor, etc. of the dried product D after drying are problematic It is also possible to use the microwave / heater combined dryer 1B in the manufacture of the above.

(3) Third embodiment (see FIG. 16)
The drying method of the present invention includes a drying preparation step S1 in which the object A is accommodated in a metal container 59 and set or carried into the drying chamber body 5, and is set or carried into the drying chamber body 5. The microwave drying process S2 for irradiating the object to be dried A with microwaves to dry the object to be dried A, and the bottom 59b of the metal container 59 set or carried in the drying chamber body 5 are electrically heated. The heater drying process S3 which dries the to-be-dried object A by heating by 75 is comprised fundamentally.

And in this invention, it is comprised so that the to-be-dried material A may be dried by performing the said microwave drying process S2 and heater drying process S3 simultaneously.
Further, in the present embodiment, the silica gel that has absorbed moisture is used as an object to be dried A as an example, and the object to be dried that is executed by using the microwave / heater combined dryer 1A according to the first embodiment described above. Shows the drying method. Hereinafter, the contents of each process constituting the drying method of the material to be dried will be specifically described in two stages: (a) preparation for drying and (b) execution of drying.

(A) Preparation for drying First, in the drying preparation step S1, a predetermined amount of the material to be dried A, which is moisture absorption by use, is accommodated in the metal container 59 described above. Next, the grip 41 is grasped to open the opening / closing door 7 so that the opening 3 of the drying chamber body 5 is opened, and functions as the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21B and the support base 81b at the lower end of the hanging wall 93. The left and right side edges 83c and 83d of the metal container 59 are inserted into the gap between the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21A and pushed into the back side to set the metal container 59 in the drying chamber body 5.
Subsequently, the grip 41 is gripped again to close the door 7, and the lock handle 45 is turned in a predetermined direction to lock the door 7.

(B) Execution of Drying Next, the operation buttons on the front surface of the control box 31 are operated to activate the microwave irradiation device 9, the heater unit 71, and the exhaust fan 55 to start operation. The microwave irradiated by the microwave irradiation device 9 flows into the drying chamber main body 5 through the irradiation port 15.
The microwave that has flowed into the drying chamber body 5 is restricted from moving outward by the drooping wall 93, and the microwave leakage prevention mechanism 21 </ b> B at the end on the metal container 59 side causes high-frequency leakage of the microwave. It is prevented and reaches the inside of the metal container 59, is irradiated to the moisture-absorbing silica gel as the material to be dried A, and the heating by the efficient microwave is executed to dry the silica gel. The microwave output during drying is controlled by the control device 32 based on the product temperature information of the material A to be dried measured by the radiation thermometer 79.

Further, simultaneously with the heating by the microwave, the heater heating by the heater unit 71 is executed. That is, on the basis of the temperature around the electric heater 75 measured by the thermocouple 73, the controller 32 executes control for switching the heater output of the electric heater 75 on and off, or finely adjusting the heater output. The heating temperature by 71 is maintained so as to be a substantially constant temperature. In this way, it is possible to manage the temperature of the electric heater 75 and provide an ideal temperature to the bottom surface of the metal container 59.
Thereby, the drying of the object A to be dried in the portion in contact with the inner side surface and the bottom surface of the metal container 59, which is difficult to dry only by the microwave irradiation device 9, is in a good state due to the heat conduction or radiant heat of the electric heater 75. Is executed.

Therefore, the object A to be dried in the metal container 59 is always heated while being maintained in a dry state at a high temperature of about 150 ° C., and the water evaporation of the object to be dried A is carried out actively in the metal container 59 to improve efficiency. And uniform and uniform drying.
Further, the steam generated from the object to be dried A is carried on the conveying wind generated by the exhaust fan 55 and is carried to the exhaust port 53a of the top plate portion of the drying chamber body 5, and the punching plate 57, the exhaust cylinder 53, the exhaust pipe It is discharged to the outside through the path 54.
Then, the operation is stopped with the passage of a preset time, and a series of drying operations using the microwave / heater combined dryer 1A is completed.

(4) Fourth embodiment (see FIGS. 17 to 23)
The microwave / heater combination dryer 1C according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention is a continuous microwave / heater combination dryer for drying a large amount of the material A to be dried.
Therefore, the structure which enables continuous drying of the to-be-dried object A is added, and it is larger than the microwave / heater combined use dryer 1A by 1st Embodiment mentioned above, and its processing capacity is large, for example, inorganic It is a microwave / heater combined dryer that can be used for catalyst powder production lines.

The basic configuration required for the microwave / heater combined dryer 1C is the microwave / heater combined dryer 1A according to the first embodiment and the microwave / heater combined dryer according to the second embodiment. It is the same as the machine 1B.
Accordingly, the description of the configurations already described in the first embodiment and the second embodiment is omitted here, and the configuration newly provided in the present embodiment and the configuration change from the above embodiment are omitted. The explanation will focus on the points.

First, in the present embodiment, the metal container 59A is wider than the metal container 59 shown in FIG. 8 used in the above-described embodiment, and the left and right side edges 83c and 83d are exemplified as a plan view gate. A metal container 59A provided with mold-shaped handles 85, 85 is employed.
The drying chamber body 5 has, for example, a rectangular tube shape that is long in the transport direction Y and is large enough to accommodate the 11 metal containers 59A, and carries the metal container 59A on the front end surface thereof. An opening 3A for carrying out the metal container 59A is formed on the rear end surface.

In addition, opening / closing shutters 7b and 7b, which are examples of the opening / closing means 7, are attached to the openings 3A and 3B, respectively. Although not shown in the figure, the same micro between the two openings 3A and 3B and the two open / close shutters 7b and 7b is provided between the opening 3 and the open / close door 7a. It is desirable that a wave leakage prevention mechanism 21 is provided.
The drying chamber body 5 is divided into 11 regions corresponding to the 11 metal containers 59A described above, and in each of these regions, as an example, four microwaves with a microwave output of 1.9 kw are provided. A microwave / heater combined drying unit U configured by the wave irradiation device 9 and a pair of heater units 71 is disposed.

Also, below the drying chamber body 5, a support frame 23 that is also long in the transport direction Y of the metal container 59A is provided, and from the rear of the support frame 23 to the inside thereof, and further to the space above the drying chamber body 5 11 sets of air exhaust units W are similarly provided at positions corresponding to the 11 sets of microwave / heater combined drying units U. The exhaust air unit W extends from the intake hot air fan 103 and the intake hot air fan 103, which is an example of air blowing means disposed behind the support frame 23, and passes through the inside of the support frame 23. As an example of the drying chamber body 5, an air duct 107 connected to the air inlet 106 of the bottom plate portion is provided.
Further, as an example of the drying chamber body 5, an exhaust port 109 is formed in the top plate portion, and an exhaust air amount adjustment damper 111 connected to the exhaust port 109 and an exhaust air duct 113 extending from the upper side to the rear side. By providing, the wind exhaust unit W is comprised.

Further, a transport means 115 is provided for transporting the metal container 59 </ b> A into the drying chamber body 5 and transporting it in the transport direction Y using the support frame 23. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the support base 81b is configured by a support rail 81c laid along the transport direction Y of the metal container 59A.
The transport means 115 is a means for moving a plurality (for example, 11) of metal containers 59A arranged in alignment on the support rail 81c in the transport direction Y. In the present embodiment, As an example, a triangular plate-like locking claw 117 and two locking claws 117 are held by acting on the handle 85 of the metal container 59A at two places to give a feeding force F to the metal container 59A. A chain drive transmission mechanism taking as an example the rotation of the two operating rods 119 that move together in a predetermined stroke, the feed direction Y1 and the return direction Y2, the drive motor 121 as a drive source, and the output shaft of the drive motor 121 And a swing crank mechanism 123 that converts the operation rod 119 into a linear motion in the feed direction Y1 or the return direction Y2.
In addition, as the conveyance means 115, it is not restricted to the thing of said embodiment, For example, the conveyance means using a chain conveyor, etc. are also employable.

Further, the microwave irradiation device 9 of the three sets of microwave / heater combined drying unit U on the downstream side in the transport direction Y is provided with a waveguide 125 longer than the other microwave irradiation devices 9. In order to prevent the reflected wave of the microwave from returning to the microwave oscillating device 10 because the reflected wave of the microwave increases at the end of the waveguide 125 near the microwave oscillating device 10 as the drying proceeds. The isolator 127 is arranged.
Then, when drying the inorganic catalyst powder that is the material to be dried A, for example, by the microwave / heater combined dryer 1C configured in this way, a predetermined amount of the material to be dried A is put in the metal container 59A. , And set on the support rail 81c. Next, the opening / closing shutter 7b that closes the opening 3A is opened, and the drive motor 121 of the transport means 115 is driven.

The output shaft of the drive motor 121 is transmitted to the swing crank mechanism 123 via a chain drive transmission mechanism. Then, the force converted into the linear motion by the swing crank mechanism 123 is transmitted to the operation rod 119, and the operation rod 119 is moved by a predetermined stroke in the feed direction Y1 together with the locking claw 117.
Accordingly, in the metal container 59A that is waiting in front of the opening 3A on the carry-in side of the drying chamber main body 5, the locking claw 117 rotates around the rotation connection pin 118 and shifts to the locking position. The feed force F is applied by being locked to the handle 85. The metal container 59 </ b> A enters the drying chamber body 5 through the opening 3 </ b> A and stops at the first drying region on the upstream side in the drying chamber body 5.

Next, the opening / closing shutter 7b is closed to close the opening 3A on the carry-in side. At this time, the opening 3B on the carry-out side remains closed by the opening / closing shutter 7b.
Next, the microwave irradiation device 9 and the heater unit 71 are driven to perform microwave drying at a predetermined output determined based on the weight of the object A to be dried and the drying temperature of about 300 ° C. for about 5 minutes. Perform heater drying at the same time. Furthermore, the exhaust air unit W is driven, and the drying chamber main body 5 takes in air of a predetermined flow rate (for example, about 5.5 m ³ / min) heated to a predetermined temperature (for example, about 200 ° C.) by the heater 105 and is dried. The temperature at the upstream position of an exhaust collecting duct (not shown) connected to the exhaust duct 113 is 80 ° C. and the relative humidity is slightly lower than 100% so that the steam in the drying chamber body 5 generated by the Exhaust air flow adjustment damper 111 adjusts the air volume and exhausts the air from exhaust duct 113 to the outside.

Note that the air heated by the heater 105 sent into the drying chamber body 5 through the air duct 107 passes through the gap between the support members in the drying chamber body 5 as shown in FIG. It flows into the upper space of 81 and further flows into the inner space of the hanging wall 93 through the gap between the hanging wall 93 and the metal container 59A. And with the vapor | steam generate | occur | produced in the drooping wall 93, it discharges | emits outside through the exhaust duct 109 from the said exhaust port 109. FIG.
In addition, using the drying time, the drive motor 121 of the transport unit 115 rotates in the reverse direction to move the operation rod 119 in the return direction Y2. Accordingly, the locking claw 117 rotates a predetermined angle around the rotation connecting pin 118 and reaches the locking release position. Thereafter, when the same operation is repeated a predetermined number of times, the material A to be dried reaches the drying area at the most downstream position in the transport direction Y, and microwave drying and heater drying for about 5 minutes are similarly performed. Therefore, in this embodiment, the total drying time is about 55 minutes.
As described above, the amount of water evaporation in each region divided into 11 as an example is not uniform, and the moisture in the material to be dried A is changed from room temperature to the boiling point in the first and second regions. The temperature is raised (thus the amount of evaporation is small). Evaporation is active from the next third region, and evaporation is most active in the fourth to seventh regions. Then, evaporation is drastically reduced from the eighth region, and the target is to reduce the water content to zero in the last eleventh region.

  In the present embodiment, the weight of the material A to be dried before drying is measured by a load cell or the like (not shown), and the microwave output or microwave irradiation time is set based on the measured weight. Therefore, if the weight of the material A to be dried is 10% less, drying is performed with different settings, such as shortening the microwave irradiation time by 10% to 4.5 minutes, or reducing the microwave output by 10%. On the other hand, the electric heater 71 performs ON / OFF switching of the heater output and fine adjustment of the heater output based on the temperature information measured by the thermocouple 73 so that the drying temperature of about 300 ° C. is always maintained.

After completion of the drying, the opening / closing shutter 7b that has closed the unloading side opening 3B is opened, and the drive motor 121 of the transport means 115 is driven to move the metal container 59A in the predetermined stroke and transport direction Y. The metal container 59A is carried out of the drying chamber body 5 through the opening 3B.
As described above, the drying of the article to be dried A is completed, and a dried product D whose drying is increased to a predetermined moisture content is obtained. In addition, the dried product D obtained here moves to the firing step of the next step, and a firing process is executed in the firing step to be processed into an inorganic catalyst powder that is a fired product.

Also, the microwave / heater combined dryer 1C according to the fourth embodiment configured as described above has the same operations and effects as the microwave / heater combined dryer 1A according to the first embodiment. Demonstrated.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the continuous microwave / heater combined dryer is used, the dried product D is manufactured sequentially at intervals of about 5 minutes, so that the material to be dried is extremely efficient and suitable for mass production. A drying process at a high temperature of A is performed.

(5) Verification of the effect of the heater unit (see FIGS. 24 and 25)
Next, the contents and results of a comparative test performed to test the effect of the heater unit 71 will be described.
In this comparative test, the microwave unit / heater combined dryer 1A according to the first embodiment is used and the heater unit 71 is not operated and when the heater unit 71 is operated, the bottom surface portion 59b of the metal container 59 is not operated. The difference in temperature was compared while measuring the temperature around the electric heater 75 with a thermocouple 73 while comparing the time until the set heating temperature reached 90 ° C.

The results of the comparison test are as shown in FIGS. 24 and 25. When the heater unit 71 is not operated, the gradient of the temperature rise at 40 ° C. or higher is gentle as shown in FIG. It takes about an hour to reach
On the other hand, when the heater unit 71 is operated, as shown in FIG. 25, the gradient of the temperature rise at 40 ° C. or more becomes steep and reaches the set heating temperature 90 ° C. in about 40 minutes. Therefore, by providing and operating the heater unit 71, the heating of the side surface portion 59a and the bottom surface portion 59b of the metal container 59, which has been difficult to dry only by the microwave, is compensated by the heater unit 71, and the object to be dried A It has been demonstrated that the drying of the water is carried out uniformly and efficiently.

Note that the microwave / heater combined dryer 1 and the method for drying an object to be dried of the present invention are not limited to those of the above-described embodiment, and can be changed within the gist of the present invention.
For example, instead of the infrared irradiation type electric heater 75 adopted as a heating source of the heater unit 71, other types of electric heaters, gas burners, IH (induction heating) heaters, heaters using steam heating, etc. may be adopted, It is possible to use a plurality of heaters of different types in combination.
In addition, the heater unit 71 is disposed so as to cause heat conduction to act on the bottom surface portion 59b of the metal container 59 instead of the configuration disposed so that radiant heat acts on the bottom surface portion 59b of the metal container 59. Is possible. Specifically, the electric heater 75 is in direct contact with the bottom surface portion 59b of the metal container 59. Also in this case, a necessary amount of heat can be applied to the bottom surface portion 59b of the metal container 59.
Also, the shape of the heater unit 71 and the position and range where the heater unit 71 is installed are arbitrary, and the installation position can be only the bottom surface part, and it can be installed in a range including not only the bottom surface part but also the side surface part. Is possible.

In addition, the capacity and number of the microwave oscillator 10 and the size and number of the output of the electric heater 75 can be appropriately adjusted according to the difference in the amount and type of the object A to be dried or the size of the drying chamber body 5. . Further, the size of the metal container 59 described above is not limited to the size specified in the above description. For example, the width is changed to 700 mm, the depth is 400 mm, the depth is 150 mm, the width is 500 mm, the depth is 400 mm, The depth can be changed to an appropriate size, for example, 150 mm.
Furthermore, the metal container 59 may have another shape such as a shallow cylindrical shape.
In addition, the means for removing the steam generated in the drying chamber 25 is not limited to the air flow introduction method employed in the first embodiment, but may be a cold trap method. Not only the method but also a double-opening method or a slide opening / closing method may be used.

  The microwave / heater combined dryer and drying method of the present invention can be used at the drying site of the drying object that is drying at a high temperature of 150 ° C. or more, and particularly prevents thermal deformation of the container. Therefore, the present invention has applicability when it is desired to efficiently and inexpensively perform uniform drying without unevenness of an object to be dried.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Dryer combined with microwave and heater 3 Opening 5 Drying chamber body 7 Opening / closing means 7a Opening / closing door 7b Opening / closing shutter 9 Microwave irradiation device 10 Microwave oscillation device 11 Seal member 13 Sealing structure 15 Irradiation port 17 First choke 19 Second Choke 21 Microwave leakage prevention mechanism 23 Support base 25 Drying chamber 31 Control box 32 Control device 35 Gas introduction part 36 Gas introduction pipe 37 Gas introduction adjustment valve 39 Inspection window 41 Grip 43 Hinge part 45 Lock handle 47 Locking claw 49 Locking Hook 52 Intake cylinder 52a Inlet 53 Exhaust cylinder 53a Exhaust outlet 54 Exhaust duct 55 Ventilator (air blowing means)
57 punching plate 57a vent 58 wire mesh 59 metal container 59a side surface 59b bottom surface 61 sealing surface 63 intermediate path 65 shielding plate 67 distal end 69 base end 71 heater unit 73 thermocouple 74 wiring 75 electric heater 77 heat insulating material 78 heat insulating material Material cover 79 Radiation thermometer 81 Support part 81a Support plate 81b Support base 81c Support rail 82 Container body 83 Peripheral part 83a Front edge part 83b Rear edge part 83c Left edge part 83d Right edge part 85 Handle 93 Hanging wall 95 Flange part 103 Intake Hot air fan (fan)
105 Heater 106 Inlet 107 Inlet 107 Outlet 111 Exhaust air volume adjustment damper 113 Exhaust air duct 115 Conveying means 117 Locking claw 118 Rotating connection pin 119 Operation rod 121 Drive motor 123 Oscillating crank mechanism 125 Waveguide 127 Isolator 235 Discharge path 247 Needle valve 301 Pressure reducing device 303 Support base 305 Water-sealed vacuum pump 307 Circulating water supply / drainage device 309 Water supply path 311 Drainage path 313 Upper tank 315 Lower tank 317 Water supply nozzle 319 Ball tap 321 Temperature sensor 323 Submersible pump 325 Circulation path 327 Three-way Valve 329 Vacuum connector 331 Vacuum pump 333 Vacuum path 335 Control valve A Dry object G Gap O Middle point B Connection point C Contact point L Distance D Dry product S1 Drying preparation step S2 Microwave drying step S3 Heat Drying T sheet Y conveyance direction Y1 feed direction Y2 return direction U microwave heater in combination drying unit W exhaust air unit F feed force

Claims (12)

A metal container for storing the object to be dried;
A drying chamber main body having at least one opening, which serves as an entrance when setting or carrying in / out the metal container;
Opening and closing means attached to the opening so as to be openable and closable, and forming a shielding space in the drying chamber main body when closed,
A microwave irradiation device that is attached to the drying chamber body and irradiates the object to be dried accommodated in the drying chamber body to dry the object to be dried;
A heater unit that is installed in the drying chamber body and dries an object to be dried by heating the bottom surface of the metal container with an electric heater;
Inside the drying chamber body is provided with a hanging wall extending from the portion where the microwave irradiation port of the microwave irradiation device is formed toward the metal container so as to surround the irradiation port,
The metal container side end of the hanging wall is provided in an approaching state so as to face the peripheral part of the metal container that is set or moved inside the drying chamber body,
Between the metal container side end of the hanging wall and the peripheral edge of the metal container, the first choke and the second choke are continuously arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction, respectively. A microwave / heater combined dryer characterized in that a microwave leakage prevention mechanism with a double choke integrated structure is arranged . A metal container for storing the object to be dried;
A drying chamber body having an opening for setting the metal container;
An opening / closing door that is attached to the opening so as to be openable and closable, and forms a shielded space in the drying chamber main body when closed,
A microwave irradiation device that is attached to the drying chamber body and irradiates the object to be dried accommodated in the drying chamber body to dry the object to be dried;
A heater unit that is installed in the drying chamber body and dries an object to be dried by heating the bottom surface of the metal container with an electric heater;
Inside the drying chamber body is provided with a hanging wall extending from the portion where the microwave irradiation port of the microwave irradiation device is formed toward the metal container so as to surround the irradiation port,
The metal container side end of the hanging wall is provided in an approaching state so as to face the peripheral edge of the metal container set inside the drying chamber body,
Between the metal container side end of the hanging wall and the peripheral edge of the metal container, the first choke and the second choke are continuously arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction, respectively. A microwave / heater combined dryer characterized in that a microwave leakage prevention mechanism with a double choke integrated structure is arranged . A metal container for storing the object to be dried;
A drying chamber body having an opening for carrying in and out the metal container;
An opening / closing shutter that is attached to the opening in an openable / closable state and forms a shielded space in the drying chamber main body when closed;
A microwave irradiation device that is attached to the drying chamber body and irradiates the object to be dried accommodated in the drying chamber body to dry the object to be dried;
A heater unit that is installed in the drying chamber body and dries an object to be dried by heating the bottom surface of the metal container with an electric heater,
Conveying means for carrying the metal container into the drying chamber main body and conveying it in the conveying direction;
In the drying chamber main body, a plurality of microwave / heater combined drying units constituted by the microwave irradiation device and the heater unit are arranged along the conveying direction of the metal container, and the object to be dried is The drying is performed while sequentially moving the region where these multiple sets of microwave and heater combined drying units exist,
Inside the drying chamber body is provided with a hanging wall extending from the portion where the microwave irradiation port of the microwave irradiation device is formed toward the metal container so as to surround the irradiation port,
The metal container side end of the hanging wall is provided in an approaching state so as to face the peripheral edge of the metal container moving inside the drying chamber body,
Between the metal container side end of the hanging wall and the peripheral edge of the metal container, the first choke and the second choke are continuously arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction, respectively. A microwave / heater combined dryer characterized in that a microwave leakage prevention mechanism with a double choke integrated structure is arranged . The heater unit includes a plurality of electric heaters arranged to cause heat conduction or radiant heat to act on the bottom surface of the metal container,
A heat insulating material arranged to wrap around the electric heater, excluding the heat conduction or radiant heat acting surface of the electric heater;
The heat insulating material cover arrange | positioned on the outer side so that the circumference | surroundings of the said heat insulating material except the heat conductive or radiant heat working surface of the said electric heater may be provided, The 1-3 of Claim 1-3 characterized by the above-mentioned. The microwave / heater combination dryer according to any one of the above. The heater unit is a thermocouple that measures the temperature near the working surface of heat conduction or radiant heat of the electric heater,
The microwave / heater combined drying according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising: a control device that controls a heater output of the electric heater based on a temperature measured by the thermocouple. Machine. Between the opening of the drying chamber main body and the opening / closing means for closing the opening, the first choke and the second choke are continuously arranged at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction so as to face each other. Microwave heater combination dryer of claim 1, wherein the microwave leakage prevention mechanism of double choke integral structure is disposed. In the drying chamber main body, a radiation thermometer for measuring the temperature of an object to be dried during drying,
Claim, characterized in that it and a control unit for controlling the microwave power radiated from the microwave irradiation apparatus based on the product temperature of the material to be dried, which is measured by the radiation thermometer 1-6 The microwave / heater combined dryer according to any one of the above. The drying chamber body is provided with an intake port for introducing air into the drying chamber body, and an exhaust port for discharging air containing moisture in the drying chamber body to the outside of the drying chamber body. Either or both of the outlet and the exhaust outlet are connected to a blowing means for discharging steam generated from the object to be dried by heating out of the drying chamber main body,
The aforementioned inlet and outlet, the passage of air is permitted, the passage of microwaves according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that punching plate having a vent that does not permit is provided Dryer with microwave and heater. The drying chamber body has an airtight structure and a pressure resistant structure that can withstand use in a reduced pressure atmosphere with the opening closed by the opening and closing means,
7. The microwave / heater combined drying according to claim 1 or 6, wherein the drying chamber main body is connected to a decompression device for making the inside of the drying chamber main body a decompressed atmosphere while the opening is closed. Machine. The metal container includes a box-shaped container body whose upper surface is opened, and a peripheral edge portion provided around the opened upper surface portion of the container body.
Of the peripheral portions, the front surface and the rear surface of the side edge portions of the left and right of the container body have been opened, with respect to the support portion which is provided inside of the drying chamber body, set extraction direction to carry Microwave heater combination dryer of claim 1, wherein the side edges of the right and left engagement movable in the longitudinal direction along the unloading direction is characterized in that it is installed. A double choke integrated between the support base in the support portion and the peripheral edge portion of the metal container and continuously disposed at a predetermined pitch in the circumferential direction so that the first choke and the second choke face each other. The microwave / heater combination dryer according to claim 10 , wherein a microwave leakage prevention mechanism having a structure is disposed. The support base is constituted by a support rail laid along the transport direction of the metal container,
The transporting means acts on all or a part of the plurality of metal containers arranged in alignment on the support rail and applies a feeding force to the metal container; and
An operation rod that holds the locking claw and moves the locking claw in a predetermined stroke, a feed direction and a return direction;
A drive motor as a drive source;
A swing crank mechanism that converts rotation of the output shaft of the drive motor into linear motion in the feed direction or return direction of the operation rod,
The locking claw is rotatably connected to the operation rod via a rotation connection pin. When the operation rod is moved in the return direction, the locking claw is locked to the metal container. When shifting to the unlocking position to be released and moving the operating rod in the feed direction, the locking claw is configured to shift to the locking position at which locking to the metal container is executed. The microwave / heater combination dryer according to claim 3 .

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