Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means – Interlocked discharge means – support and/or coupling
Reexamination Certificate
2000-01-27
2001-10-23
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Filling means with receiver or receiver coacting means
Interlocked discharge means, support and/or coupling
C141S301000, C141S067000, C141S065000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06305443
ABSTRACT:
The invention relates to an apparatus and a system for handling material, particularly the flow of or transfer of a flowable particulate material from one station to another.
It is often necessary to transfer material such as powder from one station which may be a process station or a storage station to another location such as a point of use or for transport to another location or station entirely. The one station can be a silo, hopper or the like and the other station may be an Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC). In prior systems, mating surfaces of the silo and IBC are brought together, there being alpha-beta flanges to keep the mating surfaces clean. Like all such physical systems there is a limitation in that the fine outer edge of a transfer valve will often have a fraction of a gramme of powder material or product retained on it after use and thus the next time an IBC is brought into position for a transfer of material from the silo, this trace of product could dislodge and fall onto the top surface of the IBC, thereby contaminating it, and therefore potentially the surrounding environment.
For most applications this tiny amount of product on the bottom edge of the transfer valve is well within the acceptable limits of material in the atmosphere. However, for some industries and sensitive applications such as the secondary pharmaceutical industries where the product may contain active ingredient, even this tiny level of exposed product and the risk of it dislodging from a valve onto the top surface of the IBC is not acceptable.
It is accordingly an object of the invention to seek to mitigate this disadvantage.
According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided apparatus for handling flow of flowable particulate material from one station to another, comprising a chamber adapted for mounting in association with the one station and having an orifice through which the another station and the one station are operatively connectible for transfer of material, there being a device which in one position closes the orifice and which is operable to remove a closure element of the another station for transfer, and means to extract material from the chamber, the arrangement being such that particulate material in the chamber is extracted therefrom by the extraction means so that the exterior of the stations remain in use free of the material.
The device may be adapted to engage and lift a closure element of the another station therefrom. This provides a relatively simple yet efficient apparatus.
The device may have means to lock it to the closure element for lifting thereof. This provides for a safe lift, particularly where the locking means may be a suction means. This construction provides for a positive “in-off” lift.
The suction means may comprise a vacuum means whereby the device and the closure element may be in use vacuum locked together. The device may be reciprocably movable from the one position to a second position remote from the orifice whereby to obturate and expose the orifice.
This provides a compact construction.
The device may be slewible in a plane transverse to a major axis of the orifice to expose the orifice. This, again, provides a compact structure, and an efficient use of space.
The device may be complementary in shape to the external profile of the closure element. This construction provides for positive engagement and an efficient lifting of the closure element.
The device may have a concave dished shape in transverse section.
The extraction means may comprise means to admit a flow of cleaning gas into the chamber. This is an efficient way of removing particles which become entrained in the gas, which may for preference be air which may provide a continuous air flow sweep through the chamber.
Alternatively, the extraction means may comprise a suction means such as for example a fan or fans.
According to a second aspect of the invention, there is provided a system for transferring flowable particulate material from one station to another, comprising a first station and a second station having respective outlets and inlets which are substantially in line, and apparatus as hereinbefore defined.
The first and second stations may be substantially vertically arranged and the apparatus may be engaged round the outlet of the first station. This provides for efficient transfer of a material using gravity.
The apparatus may be slidably mounted with respect to the first station. This provides for sealing of the system whilst allowing relative movement between the respective parts thereof.
There may be means to raise and lower the second station with respect to the first station. This provides the relative movement, and a relatively simple, controllable operation, particularly where the means may comprise a lifting table.
The second station may have a lid comprising a first closure element and a second closure element and the apparatus may be operable to remove and replace the first closure element for a transfer operation. This provides for containment of material.
The first and second closure elements of the second station may be operative to close a filling aperture of the second station, the second closure element being in use in the aperture.
The second closure element may be supported by a flexible and resilient annular seal member. This is essentially a lip seal which is operative to retain material in the second station.
The first station may comprise means to obturate and expose the aperture of the second station. This is a relatively simple yet efficient construction as the operative parts are self-contained, particularly when there may be a device for raising and lowering the second closure element of the second station.
The device may comprise a suction device, which itself may be raisable and lowerable with a valve device which is operative to obturate and open the outlet of the first station. As before this construction provides a self-contained system.
The valve may comprise a conical or frusto-conical valve device of the first station.
The apparatus may comprise a plenum chamber which may enclose the outlet and inlet during transfer.
An apparatus and a system embodying the invention, for transfer or flow of a particulate flowable material from one station to another or second station are hereinafter described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4825913 (1989-05-01), Stott
patent: 5263521 (1993-11-01), Brossard et al.
patent: 5490546 (1996-02-01), Lhoest
patent: 5775544 (1998-07-01), Semenenko
patent: 5810060 (1998-09-01), Bolz et al.
Douglas Steven O.
Matcon (R&D) Limited
Miles & Stockbridge P.C.
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