Domestic drying equipment lacks basic research

In China, the application of drying equipment has a history of several decades. In the past 20 years, the drying equipment industry has developed rapidly. Through the efforts of a large number of engineering and technical personnel, most of the industrialized models can be manufactured in China, basically reversing the situation in which drying equipment relies on imports, and a large number of drying equipment manufacturers have also emerged. It is estimated that there are currently more than 500 drying equipment manufacturers in China, with annual sales exceeding 3 billion yuan. In terms of quantity, China is regarded as the world's largest producer of dry equipment. However, most of the drying equipment manufacturers in China have low technical standards, and some do not even have the technology to speak of. A group of “unfamiliar brands” with low investment and low technology content squeezed the market with a large amount of low-quality, low-cost equipment, which not only affected the overall image of China’s drying equipment, but also caused “neutral” prices for domestic drying equipment, which in turn made China The overall competitiveness of the drying industry is difficult to play.

Insufficient R&D Constraints The development of China's drying equipment differs greatly from foreign advanced levels in the level of automation control, appearance quality, completeness of packages, and functional composition. The main problems are the inability of technological innovation and regional concentration.

The lack of theoretical research is a major bottleneck restricting the development of drying equipment. The physical properties of the materials to be dried are varied, and only a few drying equipments cannot meet the needs of production. Theoretical research is the basis for the development of new dryers. With the development of drying technology in China, it is necessary to cultivate a group of theoretical research and drying technology development workers to improve the technical content of drying equipment in China. In recent years, although some colleges and universities or scientific research units in China are doing this work, the input of human and material resources is far from enough. In terms of theoretical research, there is still a big gap between China and Denmark, Canada, Japan and other countries.

At the same time, each drying equipment company still lacks a qualified experimental process. So far, neither the drying plant nor the theoretical research unit has a perfect experimental base. Drying is a very experimental technique. No matter whether it is theoretical research or manufacturing of drying equipment, experimental methods are indispensable. Through experiments, theorists can summarize many laws in the drying process, and equipment manufacturers determine various process parameters through experiments. However, many units just ignore the importance of experimentation. Some equipment factories do not even have a set of experimental devices. They have great blindness in the design of equipment.

At present, the weak experimental methods are mainly in these aspects. First, the equipment manufacturers have insufficient knowledge of the experimental process and consider it dispensable. The second is that there are many types of experimental devices and the investment is huge. The non-general enterprises can afford it. The establishment of a sound experimental base is a top priority for China's drying technology research. The third is the lack of experimental personnel, the analysis of experimental results is weak. Some companies do not have a technical person, and they do not even have drawings during the production process. They rely on the estimation and experience of the mechanical processing personnel to produce equipment worth hundreds of thousands and millions of dollars. This phenomenon is not uncommon in the drying equipment industry. .

The other reason that restricts the development of the industry is that although there are numerous drying equipment factories in China, these plants are mainly concentrated in several regions. An important reason for the concentration of a large number of low-level companies is to facilitate imitation. Dozens or even nearly 100 companies produce the same model, causing you to do what I can do. You can't do it or I can't do it. The brochures and promotional materials of each company are exactly the same, the contents are strikingly similar, and patented products are rare. The result of this situation can be imagined.

Self-innovation is the only antidote to “knowing whether or not to stop afterwards.” To solve the existing problems in the industry, the whole industry will be able to escape from the costly mimicry and the price war, and it will only be possible to study the basic theory wholeheartedly. Starting from the fields of automation technology, we are meticulously cultivating our own independent innovation capabilities.

Basic theoretical research is the basis for the development of new technologies. Only the development of drying technology can promote the progress of drying equipment.

China should set up a basic research base for drying in universities and research institutes. In-depth study of the drying mechanism will lay a theoretical foundation for technological development. Only in this way will our country's drying equipment gradually embark on the road of independent innovation.

The low level of automatization of domestically produced drying equipment and the backwardness of control means are common problems. As far as the current level of automation is concerned, it is not difficult to solve the control problem in the drying equipment, but the lack of a reasonable combination of automatic control technology and drying equipment. As mentioned earlier, different materials have different requirements for dryers. Similarly, there are major differences in the requirements for control methods for different materials. The role of automatic control in the dryer is well-known, but its one-time investment is also the issue that people are most concerned about. Sometimes the investment in control equipment even exceeds the investment in the mechanical part of the dryer. It is also the subject that research should be carried out to determine a reasonable control plan for the dryer and drying process requirements and to determine the appropriate control method for the specific drying project.

In addition, we should also pay attention to the scaling up of drying equipment. The enlargement involves disciplines such as fluid mechanics, mechanics, thermodynamics, heat transfer, materials science, dust removal, corrosion protection, electrical appliances, and control. It is very likely that some problems will arise during the amplification process. Therefore, the amplification of the drying device is by no means a simple geometrical enlargement. In this respect, it largely depends on the experience of industrialization, the mastery of the physical properties of materials, and the understanding of drying equipment. The phenomena that may occur during the enlargement process should be predicted rationally and objectively, and corresponding solutions can be proposed. The so-called research amplification effect is to grasp the drying theory and drying technology while paying attention to accumulating practical experience, summing up the amplification law of the equipment and accumulating experience for engineering design.