Fluent material handling – with receiver or receiver coacting mea – Fluent charge impelled or fluid current conveyed into receiver
Reexamination Certificate
1999-05-05
2001-01-23
Douglas, Steven O. (Department: 3751)
Fluent material handling, with receiver or receiver coacting mea
Fluent charge impelled or fluid current conveyed into receiver
C141S286000, C239S654000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06176276
ABSTRACT:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This Application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to British Patent Application No. 9809478.2 filed May 5, 1998.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a feeding device for delivering granular material or the like. Particularly, but not exclusively, the invention relates to a device for feeding granular material into a container. More particularly still, the invention in one embodiment provides a device for top entry feeding of granular material such as polymer beads, into containers such as rail cars.
B. Description of the Related Art
It is conventional to transfer granular materials from the end of a process or production line into mobile containers, such as railcars, for transport. Currently transfer of the granular material to the container is essentially a two stage process in which the material is first conveyed to large elevated storage silos using pneumatic pipe lines. Such silos typically have massive steel support structures which must be capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions and even earthquakes. From the silos, the material may then be discharged under gravity to fill mobile containers positioned below. Typically, the material may exit the silo via a delivery system comprising two delivery tubes (forming in appearance an inverted V shape) to deliver material to opposite ends of a trailer in an attempt to maximize filling.
A disadvantage of the conventional systems mentioned above is the relatively high construction cost associated with the provision of multiple large elevated silos. In addition, such systems have limited filling efficiency.
It is an object of the present invention to obviate or mitigate the above disadvantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention there is provided a device for feeding a granular material from an upstream source to a downstream location, the device comprising a conduit for receiving a flow of said granular material the conduit having an outlet for delivering said granular material to said location, means for delivering a stream of gas to the conduit to entrain and accelerate at least a portion of the granular material flowing therethrough, and means for directing the gas stream so that granular material is propelled from the outlet in a plurality of directions.
With the device according to the present invention there is no need to provide large expensive storage silos since material can be continuously fed from a supply line, such as a conventional pneumatic supply line, to a container, or succession of containers. Moreover, because the material is projected from the device in a plurality of directions, container filling efficiency is improved. An embodiment of the present invention may be used to fill a container with a filling efficiency of greater than 96% of the volumetric capacity of the container.
With referred embodiments of the invention material is delivered to the device in a dense phase (e.g. plug flow) at a low velocity (typically less than 8 ms
−1
) which minimizes damage to the material. The material is however distributed by the device in a lean phase, evenly mixed with the gas stream.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5660215 (1997-08-01), Krambrock et al.
patent: 5746258 (1998-05-01), Huck
patent: 5873393 (1999-02-01), Kordt
Destoop Thierry
Maunder Andrew
Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
Douglas Steven O.
NEU Engineering Limited
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