Conveyors: fluid current – Intake to fluid current conveyor – Load receptacle type
Patent
1997-01-17
1998-12-29
Hoge, Gary C.
Conveyors: fluid current
Intake to fluid current conveyor
Load receptacle type
406142, B65G 5342
Patent
active
058532668
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
In our earlier U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,978,251, 4,952,099 and 4,992,006, there are disclosed fluidising units of the kind comprising a supply duct which is arranged to be fed with liquid under pressure, and a discharge duct within the supply duct and projecting beyond the outlet of the supply duct, (hereinafter referred to as of the kind described).
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION--BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This application relates to certain improvement in the fluidising unit of the kind described.
In some applications, it is useful to operate the fluidising unit in orientations in which the supply duct opens upwardly. In such a position, it is possible that particles of the medium in which the fluidising unit is operating will get into the supply duct and block it up.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a fluidising unit of the kind described is characterised in that the end of the supply duct of the fluidising unit is closable when the fluidising unit is not in use.
The supply duct may be closable by a valve member, such as an annular valve member which is slidable on the discharge duct between an open position in which liquid can leave the supply duct, and a closed position in which the valve member seals against the supply duct. The valve member may be arranged to be opened by the pressure of the liquid in the supply duct.
Alternatively, the discharge duct may be provided with a radially projecting flange, and the discharge duct may be axially movable within the supply duct so that the radially projecting flange can be brought into contact with the end of the supply duct to seal the supply duct.
In a second improvement forming a second, independent aspect of the present invention, a fluidising unit of the kind described has a screen which is provided at the outlet of the supply duct of the fluidising unit, the screen having at least one oblique opening positioned so that liquid passing through the supply duct passes through the opening(s) in the screen and is caused to swirl; characterised in that the discharge duct is provided with a radially outwardly projecting annular flange, and the screen is provided between the end of the supply duct and the annular flange.
The swirl of the liquid can be improved if a cowl is provided to surround the screen with an annular gap between the screen and the cowl.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
Examples of fluidising unit constructed in accordance with the various aspects of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a cross section of a known fluidising unit;
FIG. 2 is a cross section of an end of the fluidising unit in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a cross section of an end of a second example of a fluidising unit in accordance with the first aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross section of a fluidising unit included for background interest only.
FIG. 5 is a section through line V--V of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a cross section of a first example of a fluidising unit in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a cross section of a second example of a fluidising unit in accordance with a second aspect of the present invention; and
FIG. 8 is a section through line VIII--VIII of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The fluidising unit 1 shown in FIG. 1 is of the general kind described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,978,251, 4,952,099 and 4,992,006. The fluidising unit 1 comprises a liquid supply duct 2 which consists of a feed line 3 and an annular chamber 4 which has a stepped portion 4A so that the chamber is stepped down to a smaller diameter towards the outlet of the discharge duct. The feed line 3 leads tangentially into the annular chamber 4 to cause the fluid supplied to the annular chamber to swirl. A discharge duct 5 is provided within and projects beyond the end of the annular chamber 4.
In use, the fluidising unit 1 is placed in a medium to
REFERENCES:
patent: 528418 (1894-10-01), Duckham
patent: 2659633 (1953-11-01), McClure
patent: 2800432 (1957-07-01), Weinrich
patent: 2878076 (1959-03-01), Milliken
patent: 3093420 (1963-06-01), Levene et al.
Delves James Edward
Parkinson David John
Hoge Gary C.
Merpro Tortek Limited
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