Background Art In general, it has been widely known that in the art of paper, food, chemistry and so forth, raw material in a state of powder should be very often dried. Particularly, moisture contained in powdered food material may cause a fast deterioration to the material, thereby spoiling the same.

Meanwhile, as described above, examples of methods for drying powder material used in the art of paper, food, chemistry and so forth include a solar drying, a hot air drying, a freeze drying and so on. It has, however, been known that the methods have some limitations. That is, the solar drying method has a problem of low productivity because of considerably long drying time period, foreign substances mixed in powder material and consumption of massive labor power.

Also, while the hot air drying and the freeze drying methods have a merit in that a large quantity of the powder material can be dried at one time as compared with time and effort required for drying, they have a problem in that the powder material is lost in unexpectedly large quantities.

A hot air drying method of the prior art is disclosed FIGS.

1A and 1B of Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-255194 <BR> <BR> entitled"Vibrating Separator Having Improved Drying Ability. " Although the method has an effect of roughly removing moisture contained in powder material, it also has a problem in that powder material is lost in considerably great quantities because powder material dispersed by air flowing from one side to the other side is discharged at the same time to a collector on hot air generated by a hot air dryer. Also, a drying effect can be degraded because drying is carried out using hot air, which requires that intensity and quantity of hot air should be increased so as to improve drying effect.

Further, the prior technology disclosed in FIGS. 1A and 1B of Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-255194 has a problem in that a process becomes complicated and facility investment should be excessively conducted.

Disclosure of Invention Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the foregoing problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a direct-contact type dryer having a dryer unit in the form of multi-stages, which injects moisture contained powder material into the center of a dryer plate, to which heating medium including steam, hot water, electric heat and hot oil is provided, to dry the powder material while vibrating and radially transporting the same about the dryer plate, whereby the powder material is successively dried to maximize a drying effect of moisture.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a direct-contact type dryer having a dryer unit in the form of multi-stages, which injects moisture contained powder material into the center of a dryer plate, to which heating medium

including steam, hot water, electric heat and hot oil is provided, to dry the powder material while vibrating and radially transporting the same about the dryer plate, thereby simplifying a drying process.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a direct-contact type dryer having a dryer unit in the form of multi-stages, which injects moisture contained powder material into the center of a dryer plate, to which heating medium including steam, hot water, electric heat and hot oil is provided, to dry the powder material while vibrating and radially transporting the same about the dryer plate, thereby reducing installation cost and maintenance expenses for the installation.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a direct-contact type dryer having a dryer unit in the form of multi-stages, which injects moisture contained powder material into the center of a dryer plate, to which heating medium including steam, hot water, electric heat and hot oil is provided, to dry the powder material while vibrating and radially transporting the same about the dryer plate, thereby maximizing a drying efficiency and minimizing the loss of powder material.

According to an aspect of the invention for realizing the foregoing objects of the present invention, there is provided a direct-contact type dryer including: a vibrating unit having a vibrator mounted therein for generating vibration; a dryer unit detachably mounted on the vibrating unit and having a cylindrical dryer body of a predetermined size, a material guide plate for collecting powder material provided from an upper portion of the cylindrical body on a center apex and downwardly guiding the same, a convex dryer plate mounted under the guide plate in such a manner that a center portion thereof is

protruded upwardly and a periphery portion thereof has a plurality of through-holes so that powder material supplied from the center apex of the guide plate to the center portion of the dryer plate is dried while being moved toward the periphery portion of the dryer plate through vibration generated by the vibrating unit, wherein the dryer plate and the guide plate are Teflon-coated so as to prevent the absorption of powder material thereto, and a heating medium supply unit mounted on an upper surface of the dryer plate to heat powder material supplied and having a heating medium inlet and a heating medium outlet, respectively, at opposite sides of the cylindrical body, wherein the dryer unit is in the form of multi-stages that are detachably connected with each other such that the heating medium inlet on the dryer plate at one dryer unit is connected with the heating medium outlet on the dryer plate at another dryer unit positioned directly under the former dryer unit; and a discharging fan unit connected with a moisture outlet of the dryer body so as to draw moisture from the dryer unit to the outside.

Brief Description of the Drawings The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a direct-contact type dryer according to the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional end view of a direct-contact type dryer according to the present invention; and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a heating medium supply unit mounted in the direct-contact type dryer according to the present invention.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention The present invention will now be described in detail in connection with preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a direct-contact type dryer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional end view of a direct-contact type dryer according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a heating medium supply unit mounted in the direct-contact type dryer according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1 to 3, a direct-contact type dryer 100 of the present invention includes a vibrating unit 140 having a vibrator for generating vibration and a material dryer unit 110 mounted on the vibrating unit 140 for drying powder material 20, which is injected from an upper portion of the material dryer unit 110, while moving the same toward the periphery via vibration generated by the vibrating unit 140. Herein, as shown in FIG. 1, the dryer unit 110 may be in the form of multi-stages that are detachably connected with each other.

That is, the direct-contact type dryer 100 of the present invention can be formed such that the dryer unit is constituted to have a plurality of drying units, if needed, in consideration with a state or a property of powder material, or with the drying time of powder material.

In the structure of the direct-contact type dryer of the present invention, the construction of the dryer unit 110 will be described as follows.

The dryer unit 110 includes a cylindrical body 112, a material guide plate 114 for collecting powder material 20 provided from an upper portion of the cylindrical body 112 on

its center apex and guiding the same downward, a convex dryer plate 116 mounted under the guide plate 114 in such a manner that a center portion thereof is protruded upward and a periphery portion thereof has a plurality of through-holes 116a so that powder material 20 supplied from the center apex of the guide plate 114 to the center portion of the dryer plate is dried while being moved toward the periphery of the dryer plate through vibration generated by the vibrating unit, and a heating medium supply unit 118 which is mounted in the form of a coil on an upper surface of the dryer plate 116 to heat supplied powder material 20 using supplied heating medium and has a heating medium inlet 118a and a heating medium outlet 118b, respectively, at opposite sides of the cylindrical body 112. Also, moisture in a state of steam formed by the dryer plate 116 is drawn and discharged to an exterior through moisture outlets formed to the cylindrical body at the respective drying units when a moisture discharging fan unit 119 is operated.

When vibration is generated by the vibrating unit 140 and powder material 20 is injected from a hopper 10 having a heater or an upper portion of the dryer unit 110 in a state that heating medium is supplied to the heating medium supply unit 118, the dryer unit 110 as constructed above collects injected powder material on a through-hole at a center apex of the guide plate 114, and discharges the same downward toward a center convex portion of the dryer plate 116 under the guide plate so that powder material dropped on the convex portion of the dryer plate 116 is dried while being moved toward the periphery of the dryer plate through vibration.

Meanwhile, in case that a plurality of dryer units 110 are vertically and multi-connected with each other, the heating medium outlet 118b formed in for example a first dryer unit 110 is connected with the heating medium inlet 118a formed in for

example a second dryer unit 110 positioned directly upward the first dryer unit through an inter-connector 120. Herein, heating medium includes any one of electric heat, steam, hot water and hot oil.

Accordingly, the heating medium supply unit 118 may be of an electric heating coil in case that heating medium is electric heat, or a pipe in case that heating medium is any one of steam, hot water and hot oil. Particularly, the heating medium supply unit 118 of the dryer unit 110 shown in FIG. 2 exemplified as a pipe for flowing steam, hot water or hot oil.

The direct-contact type dryer 100 of the present invention as described above further includes a particle separator 130 for finally sorting dried powder material 20 according to their sizes. Such particle separator 130 comprises a cylindrical separator body 132 having a separated material outlet 132a for discharging powder material 20 sorted according to particle sizes and a screened-out material outlet 132b for discharging screened-out powder material, a screen 134 mounted at an upper portion in the cylindrical separator body 132 so as to sort injected powder material 20 according to particle sizes using vibration, and a guiding plate 136 for guiding powder material, which is passed through the screen 134 and sorted according to particle sizes, toward the separated material outlet 132a using vibration.

Such particle separator 130 as constructed above is mounted between the lowermost dryer unit 110 and the vibrating unit 140 so that powder material dried and discharged from the lowermost dryer unit 110 is sorted according to particle sizes by the screen 134. Then, powder material sorted according to particle sizes is discharged toward the separated-materials outlet 132a through the guiding plate 136 and powder material screened-out on the screen 134 is discharged through the screened-out

material outlet 132b.

The construction of the present invention will be explained in detail as follows.

First, the vibrating unit 140 is a device for vibrating and moving injected powder material 20 in a slant direction using vibration. The vibrating unit 140 has a vibrator therein and constitutes a lowermost section of the direct-contact type dryer 100 of the present invention.

The dryer unit 110 is a device for drying powder material 20 injected from a hopper 10 or an upper portion thereof while moving injected powder material in a slant direction using vibration, which device comprises a dryer body 112, a material guide plate 114, a dryer plate 116 and a heating medium supply unit 118.

The dryer body 112 forms an outer cover, which has a cylindrical shape.

The material guide plate 114 is an element for collecting powder material 20 injected from the hopper 10 or the upper portion of the dryer unit 110 on a through-hole at its center apex, which is in the form of a funnel and is mounted at the upper portion in the dryer body 112.

The guide plate 114 as constructed above collects powder material 20 injected from a hopper 10 or an upper portion of the dryer unit 110 on the through-hole at its center apex, and discharges the same downward.

The dryer plate 116 is an element for drying injected powder material 20, which is mounted under the material guide plate 114 in the dryer body 112. Herein, the dryer plate 116 has a convex shape such that a center portion thereof is slanted downward toward the periphery thereof.

The dryer plate 116 as constricted above dries powder material 20 dropped from the through-hole at the center apex of

the guide plate 114 onto the center apex portion of the dryer plate while moving injected powder material toward the periphery portion thereof using vibration. Herein, moisture contained in powder material is discharged outside through a discharging fan unit 119 connected to the dryer body. Powder material 20 moved onto the periphery portion of the dryer plate 116 of one dryer unit is dropped onto the guide plate 114 of the direct lower side dryer unit 110 through the through-holes 116a formed at the periphery portion of the former dryer unit, or otherwise onto the screen 134 of the particle separator 130.

The heating medium supply unit 118 is an element for heating powder material 20 using heating medium as a heating source. The heating medium supply unit 118 includes a heating medium inlet 118a and a heating medium outlet 118b, respectively, at opposite sides of the dryer body 112, and a heating medium circulating portion extended between the inlet and outlet 118a and 118b. The heating medium circulating portion is formed in the shape of a coil on the upper surface of the dryer plate 116 as shown in FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the heating medium inlet and outlet 118a and 118b of the heating medium supply unit 118 are connected with each other in such a manner that the inlet 118a of the heating medium supply unit 118 on one dryer unit is connected with the outlet 118b of the heating medium supply unit 118 on the direct lower side dryer unit 110.

Meanwhile, as described before, heating medium supplied from the heating medium supply unit 118 as constructed above includes any one of electric heat, steam, hot water and hot oil.

Herein, the heating medium supply unit 118 may be an electric heating coil in case that heating medium is electric heat, or a pipe in case that heating medium is any one of steam, hot water and hot oil.

The inter-connector 120 is an element for connecting the heating medium inlet 118a at an upper side dryer unit 110 with the heating medium outlet 118b at a lower side dryer unit 110 and vice versa. When heating medium is electric heat, the inter- connector 120 is an electric heating connector for connecting electric heating lines. Also, when heating medium is steam or hot water, the inter-connector 120 is a pipe connector for connecting pipes.

The dryer plate 116 and the guide plate 114 of the direct- contact type dryer are coated with Teflon. The Teflon coating may be obtained by a common coating method, which may be a fluororesin coating using inherent properties of Teflon such as non-adherent property, heat-resistance, chemical-resistance, and wear-resistance, wherein Teflon (fluororesin) is coated on existing materials such as iron, stainless steel, aluminum, copper, glass, rubber, ceramic, or plastic according to various processes such as spraying and electrostatic coating, drying, heating and firing.

According to the present invention as described above, the dryer units are multi-connected with each other thus to repeatedly dry powder material so that any kind of powder material may be dried.

Also, the direct-contact type dryer of the present invention dries injected material while moving the same along the slant face by use of vibration from the vibrator 140 so that powder material can be easily dried while being mixed together.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the particular illustrative embodiments, it is not to be restricted by the embodiments but only by the appended claims. It is to be appreciated that those skilled in the art can change or modify the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability As described above, the present invention provides the direct-contact type dryer having a dryer unit in the form of multi-stages, which injects moisture contained powder material into the center of a dryer plate, to which heating medium including steam, hot water, electric heat and hot oil is provided, to dry the powder material while vibrating and radially transporting the same about the dryer plate, whereby powder material is successively dried to maximize a drying effect of moisture.

Also, the present invention provides direct-contact type dryer having a dryer unit in the form of multi-stages, which injects moisture contained powder material into the center of a dryer plate, to which heating medium including steam, hot water, electric heat and hot oil is provided, to dry the powder material while vibrating and radially transporting the same about the dryer plate, thereby improving a drying effect and minimizing loss of powder material due to hot air drying.

In addition, the present invention provides direct-contact type dryer having a dryer unit in the form of multi-stages, which injects moisture contained powder material into the center of a dryer plate, to which heating medium including steam, hot water, electric heat and hot oil is provided, to dry the powder material while vibrating and radially transporting the same about the dryer plate, thereby reducing installation cost and maintenance expenses for the installation.

Moreover, the present invention provides a direct-contact type dryer in which the upper surfaces of a dryer plate and a material guide plate are Teflon-coated thus to prevent an absorption of powder material thereto.