Technical Field

The present invention refers to an apparatus for transforming long molecular chain organic matter.

Background Art

As is known, mixtures of organic compounds of low molecular weight are employed in various practical applications and constitute the basic components of the fuels used to power vehicles such as aircraft, automobiles and the like.

To produce such mixtures, it is necessary, according to a procedure also known as "cracking", to cause the transformation of long molecular chain organic matter (to break the chains). Such long chain organic matter is what constitutes the hydrocarbons typically obtained by distilling crude oil, and which undergo the desired transformations in refineries of the known type, according to various methods.

Such organic matter is also available in the form of various waste materials, such as plastic materials, polymeric materials, wood shavings, paper, cardboard, wood, and so on.

For exploitation of such discarded materials, to obtain solid, liquid and gaseous products that can be reused in industrial environments and/or as fuels, processing plants are known in which the carbonaceous bonds are broken by the action of heat, which is applied from the outside to the material to be treated, which is in turn contained in a special transformation chamber.

This methodology, however, has a drawback which limits its application: the application of heat from the outside is often obstructed by the deposition of solid products, following the transformation itself, on the exchange surfaces.

This drawback is remedied by a different type of processing plant, which makes use of shafts that rotate about their axes inside the chamber, which in turn i ^" s rigidly coupled to the ground and typically arranged vertically: the rotating shaft is subjected to the action of a magnetic field capable of generating induced currents that run through it, thus heating it by the Joule effect.

This heating makes it possible to bring heat to the organic matter introduced previously into the transformation chamber, thus raising the temperature to values such as to induce the desired breakage of the long molecular chains.

Such an implementation solution is not, however, without drawbacks.

The adoption of vertical transformation chambers requires high rotation speeds to be maintained for the shaft, to prevent the rapid downfall of the material to be transformed, as such falling would not permit the passage of heat to the matter itself and would therefore represent an obstacle to the transformation.

The high speeds often cause overheating of the organs used to produce the rotation and, more generally, they make it necessary to adopt complex implementation solutions, for which overdimensioning of the elements involved is required in order to bear the considerable stresses imposed by the high-speed rotation.

Even more important it is to note that, as a result of the rotation and the centrifugal forces associated with it, the matter tends to be arranged along the periphery of the transformation chamber, while the zone that is predominantly affected by the heat generated by the induced currents is the central zone (where the shaft bearing the currents is located).

This renders the thermal exchange, and the delivery of heat to the organic matter, rather inefficient since, even if the shaft is heated to a high temperature, a considerable part of the energy produced is dispersed or in any case not immediately transmitted to the organic matter as desired. Disclosure of the Invention

The aim of the present invention is to solve the above mentioned drawbacks, by devising an apparatus that can achieve the transformation of molecular chain organic matter with high thermal exchange efficiency.

Within this aim, an object of the invention is to devise an apparatus with a solution that is simple in structure, without imposing excessive stresses and high operating speeds upon the elements involved.

Another object of the invention is to devise an apparatus that ensures a high level of reliability in operation.

A further object of the invention is to devise an apparatus that can be easily obtained from elements and materials that are readily available on the market.

A further object of the invention is to devise an apparatus that can be made at low cost and applied safely.

This aim and these and other objects, which will become better apparent hereinafter, are achieved by an apparatus for transforming long molecular chain organic matter, comprising at least one transformation chamber provided with at least one inlet, for the introduction of long molecular chain organic matter, and with at least one outlet for short molecular chain organic mixtures, obtained from the transformation of the long chain organic matter, characterised in that it comprises at least one emitter of electromagnetic waves, located outside said chamber in a position facing said chamber and proximate to a peripheral region inside said chamber which is affected by the passage of the organic matter, at least one heating body being located in said internal peripheral region, said heating body being movable by rolling substantially about itself and made of a material selected from a paramagnetic material and a ferromagnetic material, said chamber being provided with the possibility of rotation about one of its axes of symmetry, with the rotation of said chamber, about said axis, said emitter being adapted to generate induced currents in said heating body which is movable, by rolling about itself, within the magnetic field generated by the ^" waves, with its consequent heating to a preset temperature and the consequent transmission of heat to the long chain organic matter, for its transformation into short chain organic mixtures.

Brief description of the drawings

Further characteristics and advantages of the invention will become better apparent from the detailed description that follows of a preferred, but not exclusive, embodiment of the apparatus according to the invention, illustrated by way of non-limiting example in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 schematically illustrates an apparatus according to the invention, in a side elevation view;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of Figure 1, taken along the line I-I.

Ways of carrying out the Invention

With reference to the figures, an apparatus according to the invention, generally designated by the reference numeral 1, is adapted to transform long molecular chain organic matter and comprises at least one transformation chamber 2: inside the chamber 2, according to the methods which will be illustrated below, the breakage of the carbonaceous bonds of the long molecular chains is achieved and this permits the transformation of the introduced organic matter into short molecular chain organic mixtures.

The long molecular chain organic matter that can be transformed by means of the apparatus 1 according to the invention can be any: by way of example, it is possible for it to be substantially constituted by heterogeneous waste materials such as plastic materials, polymeric materials, wood shavings, paper, cardboard, wood, and so on. The possibility of employing the apparatus 1 according to the invention for the transformation of different types of organic matter, according to the specific requirements and necessities, is not excluded.

The chamber 2 is provided with at least one inlet 3, for the introduction of the organic matter, and at least one outlet 4 for the organic mixtures produced, which typically separate by gravity, following the transformation, into the three phases, solid, liquid and gaseous.

It is also advantageous to specify that the chamber 2 is preferably isolated from the atmosphere, for preventing atmospheric oxygen from accidentally penetrating into the chamber 2; in such an eventuality the oxygen could combine with the organic matter undergoing transformation, leading to bursts or explosions.

According to the invention, the apparatus 1 comprises at least one emitter of electromagnetic waves 5, which is located outside the chamber 2 in a position facing the chamber 2 and proximate to a peripheral region inside the chamber 2 which in turn is affected by the passage of the organic matter.

The emitter 5 can be of any type, for example, for purely illustrative and non-limiting purposes, it is possible for the emitter 5 to be constituted by a field generator of the type based on a coil with a current running through it-

In such internal peripheral region, at least one heating body 6 is located that is movable by rolling substantially about itself and is made of a material selected from a paramagnetic material and a ferromagnetic material (for reasons that will be made clear in the next paragraph).

The chamber 2 is provided with the possibility of rotation about one of its axes of symmetry: with the chamber 2 in rotation, the body 6 moves by rolling within the magnetic field generated by the waves; consequently, according to Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction, induced currents are generated inside the body 6 which are capable of heating it (because of the Joule effect) to a preset temperature.

The heating enables the transmission of heat to the long molecular chain organic matter (which travels through the chamber 2 and splashes against the body 6), until its transformation, by scission, into short chain organic mixtures.

In particular, the apparatus 1 according to the invention comprises a plurality of heating bodies 6, which are substantially constituted by spheres made of a material selected from a paramagnetic material and a ferromagnetic material.

According to a preferred embodiment, cited for the purposes of non- limiting illustration of the application of the invention, the chamber 2 has a substantially cylindrical shape with a horizontal axis and the source of electromagnetic waves 5 faces the bottom 2a of the chamber and is proximate thereto. It is therefore inside the bottom 2a that the above mentioned plurality of heating bodies 6 can move, by rolling. These bodies 6 roll, when the chamber 2 is made to rotate about its horizontal axis, on the bottom 2a of the chamber 2 and they maintain their position on the bottom 2a by gravity (and therefore in proximity to the emitter of electromagnetic waves 5).

Usefully, the apparatus 1 according to the invention comprises a first screw feeder 7, which is located substantially coaxially with the chamber 2 and which is adapted to move the organic matter to be transformed along a feeder conduit 8 which feeds the inlet 3.

More precisely, as can be seen from the accompanying figures, the organic matter can be introduced inside a first feeder tank 9 which communicates, at an opening 10 formed in its base 9a, with the feeder conduit 8: the organic matter, introduced at the top 9b of the tank 9, falls into it by gravity, and in this way the matter is introduced, through the opening 10, into the feeder conduit 8, where the first feeder screw 7 pushes it into the transformation chamber 2.

Advantageously (at the end opposite to the feeder conduit 8 and the first feeder screw 7), the apparatus 1 according to the invention comprises a second feeder screw 11, also arranged substantially coaxially with the chamber 2. The second feeder screw 11 substantially extends from the outlet 4 and thus it is able to move the organic mixtures obtained by transformation, in the solid and liquid states, along an evacuation conduit 12. More precisely, at an end section 2b of the chamber 2, which is adjacent to the outlet 4 (as can be seen in Figure 1), the inside ^" walls of the chamber 2 have a plurality of radial paddles 13, pointing inward and rotating integrally with the chamber 2 (because they are fixed to it).

The rotation of the paddles 13 permits them to lift the organic mixtures, obtained by transformation, in the solid and liquid states, and then permits their release onto a first end portion 1 1 a of the second feeder screw 11. The first portion 11a extends inside the chamber 2 at the above mentioned end section 2b, precisely for the purpose of receiving the organic mixtures to be evacuated, by a falling operation.

Usefully, the apparatus 1 according to the invention comprises pneumatic sealing means 14 (such as sleeves, gaskets or the like, of substantially known types) which are located at the inlet 3 and at the outlet 4. The means 14 are operatively associated with the feeder conduit 8 and with the evacuation conduit 12, respectively, to prevent the undesired exit of gases and vapours of various kinds and, in the same way, to prevent the entry of atmospheric oxygen from the outside (an eventuality, as mentioned above, that is extremely hazardous for the entire apparatus 1).

Advantageously, the apparatus 1 comprises an aspiration outlet 15 for the organic mixtures, in the gaseous state, obtained by the transformation. The aspiration outlet 15 feeds the gaseous organic mixtures to a transport channel 16: the channel 16 is substantially parallel and adjacent to the feeder conduit 8, for heating the organic matter to be introduced into the chamber 2, in a counter-current manner.

The possibility of providing the apparatus 1 according to the invention with devices for refrigeration and/or condensation of the gaseous organic mixtures, according to the specific requirements and necessities, is also not excluded. The operation of the apparatus according to the invention is as follows.

The long molecular chain organic matter can be introduced into the apparatus 1 through the tank 9, from which it can fall into the feeder conduit 8 to be pushed subsequently, by the first feeder screw 7, inside the transformation chamber 2.

In this way the organic matter progressively accumulates on the bottom 2a of the chamber 2, where it is subjected to the heating action of the bodies 6, which are located there, up to a temperature that will cause the scission of the long molecular chains and their transformation into short molecular chain organic mixtures.

The heating action of the bodies 6 is due to the generation of induced currents in them, because they are bombarded with electromagnetic waves that propagate from the emitter 5, while they roll on the bottom 2a of the chamber 2 (and it is precisely this rolling that ensures the generation of induced currents of high intensity).

The organic matter to be transformed therefore accumulates precisely at the heating bodies 6 (which are in turn proximate to the emitter 5) and this ensures the minimal dispersion of energy (other than what happens in known apparatuses), because the heat is directly transmitted by the bodies 6 to the organic matter that is in contact with them (or in the immediate vicinity), without requiring transmission between different and distant parts of the chamber 2.

In addition, the adoption of a chamber with a horizontal axis, as well as the high heat exchange efficiency obtained with the selected embodiment, enable low rotation speeds to be maintained for the chamber 2, with consequent possibilities of devising apparatuses 1 which are subjected to reduced stresses, without the risk of dangerous overheating owing to operation at high speed, and in general therefore are rather simple in structure. The organic mixtures obtained, in the solid and liquid states, pushed by the progressive arrival of further organic matter to be transformed, are brought in proximity to the end section 2b of the chamber 2, where the paddles 13 (fixed to the inside walls of the chamber 2 and therefore rotating integrally with it) lift the mixtures and then let them fall into the central zone of the chamber 2, into which the end portion 1 la of the second feeder screw 11 protrudes. The feeder screw 11 can then take the organic mixtures (solid and liquid) and draw them along the evacuation conduit 12, and then deliver them downstream to further collectors or containers, for subsequent treatments or to be sent to the users.

In the meantime, the organic mixtures in the gaseous state obtained by the transformation are evacuated through the aspiration outlet 14 and the transport channel 16, to be sent (possibly after being subjected to refrigeration and/or condensation treatments) to the users as well.

As observed, the transport channel 16 can be located next to the feeder conduit 8, to exploit, under conditions of capacity operation, the heat emanated by the gaseous organic mixtures to preheat the organic matter being introduced into the chamber 2.

In practice it has been found that the apparatus according to the invention fully achieves the intended aim, since the adoption of heating bodies, which roll and are located in a peripheral region inside the transformation chamber affected by the action of an emitter of electromagnetic waves, makes it possible to generate currents in the heating bodies and hence to heat them and cause the consequent transmission of heat, with high heat exchange efficiency, to the long chain organic matter that travels through the chamber, transforming it into short chain organic mixtures.

The invention thus conceived is susceptible of numerous modifications and variations, all of which are within the scope of the appended claims; in addition, all the details may be replaced by other technically equivalent elements.

In the embodiments illustrated, individual characteristics shown in relation to specific examples may in reality be interchanged with other, different characteristics, existing in other embodiments.

In addition, it should be noted that anything found to be already known during the patenting process is understood not to be claimed and to be the subject of a disclaimer.

In practice the materials employed, as well as the dimensions, may be any according to requirements and to the state of the art.

Where technical features mentioned in any claim are followed by reference signs, those reference signs have been included for the sole purpose of increasing the intelligibility of the claims and accordingly, such reference signs do not have any limiting effect on the interpretation of each element identified by way of example by such reference signs.