Dispensing – With discharge assistant – Movable or conveyer-type trap chamber
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-06
2001-03-27
Jacyna, J. Casimer (Department: 3751)
Dispensing
With discharge assistant
Movable or conveyer-type trap chamber
C414S219000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06206247
ABSTRACT:
This invention relates to rotary valves and more particularly to rotary valves used as metering devices, feeders and rotary airlocks for dry, free flowing particulate materials of various sizes and shapes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the handling and processing of dry, free flowing particulate materials such as powder, granules, chips, flakes, cubes and pellets, rotary valves commonly are used in metering and feeding such materials. They normally are used with bins, tanks, mixers, silos, classifiers, dryers, collectors, hoppers, cyclone separators, dust collectors and other equipment for pneumatic systems and process operations in various industries. Such valves typically consist of a housing having a cylindrical chamber provided with a material inlet opening and a material outlet opening, a shaft journaled in the housing and extending through the chamber and a rotor mounted on the shaft adapted to receive product fed through the material inlet opening and discharge such material through the outlet opening. The rotor generally consists of a pair of end walls or shrouds and a plurality of radially disposed, circumferentially spaced vanes cooperating with the end walls thereof to form a plurality of pockets which receive material through the inlet opening, convey the material through the rotor chamber and discharge it through the outlet opening. Such valves typically are installed between material holding vessels and pneumatic conveying systems for metering or otherwise feeding amounts of materials from a vessel into a material conveying line.
In the use of such valves, it has been found that a certain amount of the material being fed through the valve, and particularly materials having large particle sizes, become drawn by the rotors between ends of the rotor vanes and the cylindrical wall of the rotor chamber which results either in the shearing of the material particles or, in more severe cases, a jamming of the rotor thus interfering with the operation of the valves.
Many attempts have been made to redesign the feed arrangements of such valves to eliminate such shearing of the material being processed and/or prevent the jamming of such valves but such designs have not proven to be entirely satisfactory. It thus is the principal object of the present invention to provide a rotary valve of the type described in which the shearing of material particles being processed and the jamming of the rotors of such valves by particles trapped between the rotor vanes and the cylindrical wall of the rotor chamber are avoided.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The shortcomings of the type of valve as described have been found to be overcome by a rotary valve consisting generally of a housing have a cylindrical chamber provided with radially disposed particulate material inlet and outlet passageways; a shaft journaled in such housing extending through and disposed coaxially relative to the rotor chamber; and a rotor mounted on the shaft within the rotor chamber having a first set of circumferentially spaced material receiving pockets communicable with the inlet and outlet passageways for receiving material through the inlet passageway, conveying the material through the rotor chamber and discharging the material through the outlet passageway, and a second set of circumferentially spaced material receiving pockets communicable with the outlet passageway for discharging particulate material through the outlet passageway. The cylindrical wall of the rotor chamber is provided with a passageway having an inlet communicating with a leading side of the inlet passageway and an outlet communicable with the second set of pockets for guiding material received through the inlet passageway and not received within the first set of pockets, to the second set of pockets. The guide passageway intercommunicating the material inlet passageway and the second set of material receiving pockets includes a wall disposed at an angle relative to a plane disposed perpendicular to the axis of the rotor. In such a configuration, particles of material fed through the material inlet passageway and deposited on material filling the pockets of the first set of pockets and otherwise engaging a leading edge of the inlet passageway and becoming sheared by the outer edges of the vanes of the first set of pockets as they pass across the edge of the leading side of the material inlet passageway in close proximity to the cylindrical wall of the rotor chamber or becoming jammed between the edges of the vanes of the first set of pockets and the cylindrical wall of the rotor chamber, will be caused to be received within the guide passageway and guided toward and into the second set of pockets to be conveyed through the rotor chamber and discharged through the material outlet passageway. Preferably, the material inlet passageway is provided with a baffle having a lower edge spaced from the ends of the vanes defining the first set of material receiving pockets, sufficiently to permit particles of materials fed through the material inlet passageway and not received within the first set of pockets to be fed at a controlled rate into and through the guide passageway to the second set of pockets of the rotor. Such baffle arrangement further assures an even and controlled feed rate of material conveyed through the guide passageway to the second set of pockets of the rotor.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4427135 (1984-01-01), MacKay et al.
patent: 5037014 (1991-08-01), Bliss
patent: 5620116 (1997-04-01), Klunger et al.
Jacyna J. Casimer
Lalos Peter N.
Lalos & Keegan
Lau Michael N.
Young Industries, Inc.
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