Enhancing Cut Tobacco-Stem Blend Uniformity via Suspended Additive Dispersion Device: An Industrial Approach Based on Drop-Height Momentum Control

In cigarette production, the non-uniform blending of cut tobacco and cut tobacco stems (CTS) due to stratified falling during backfilling impairs product consistency. To address this problem, this study proposes a suspended multi-stage deflector plate dispersion system. The falling behavior of CTS particles was analyzed using numerical simulations and high-speed imaging. A triangular support frame was constructed with optimized parameters, such as installation angle (350±20°), width ratio (1:0.8), and vertical gradient, to adjust momentum from falling height. Industrial experiments revealed that the CV of CTS deposition spacing was reduced by 42% (p < 0.01). The CTS blend uniformity improved from 97.23% to 98.14%, meeting the Chinese tobacco industry standard YC/T 426-2012. Under continuous production conditions, the CV of high-quality components decreased by 0.91%, leading to a significant improvement in product consistency.