Oscillatory feeder
AssigneeREC Silicon Inc
InventorRobert J. Geertsen
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An oscillatory feeder operable to convey a flowable solid material has a tubular body and a displaceable body segment. The tubular body has at least one first end, at least one second end opposite the first end and a displaceable body segment between the first and second ends. The displaceable body segment has a first fixable location positionable at a first fixed location and a second fixable location positionable at a second fixed location. The actuator is attached to the displaceable body segment and controllable to cause selected displacement of the body segment and attached actuator and corresponding selected flow of solid material within the displaceable body segment in a feed direction extending generally from the first end to the second end.
Claims24
An oscillatory feeder operable to convey a flowable solid material, comprising:
- a tubular body having at least one first end, at least one second end opposite the first end and a displaceable body segment between the first and second ends and defining a feed direction extending generally from the first end to the second end;
- the displaceable body segment having a first fixable location positionable at a first fixed location and a second fixable location positionable at a second fixed location, the displaceable body segment when installed having defined therein a repose section configured to support accumulated solids at an angle of repose of the solids and to reduce movement of material in the feed direction when the displaceable body segment is at rest;
- an actuator attached to the displaceable body segment and controllable to cause selected displacement of the body segment and attached actuator and corresponding selected flow of solid material within the displaceable body segment from a state of repose within the repose section in the feed direction.
An oscillatory feeder, comprising:
- a tubular body having an inlet end, an outlet end opposite the inlet end and a displaceable body segment along a feeding direction between the inlet end and the outlet end;
- the inlet end being configured for connection to a source of material to be fed by the feeder;
- the outlet end being configured to convey flowable divided solids from the feeder to a location downstream of the feeder, wherein the outlet end is configured for positioning at a lower height than and horizontally offset from the inlet end;
- the displaceable body segment being positionable when installed to have a length longer than a shortest distance between the inlet end and the outlet end and to define a curved profile with at least one inflection point;
- the displaceable body segment when installed defining a repose section configured to support accumulated solids in the displaceable body segment at an angle of repose of the solids and to reduce movement of material in the feeding direction when the displaceable body segment is at rest;
- and
- an actuator connected to the displaceable body segment and having an offset rotating mass, the actuator being controllable to displace the displaceable body segment in an oscillating cycle, the cycle including movement from an at rest position to convey solids in the repose section toward the outlet end, thereby creating a void in upstream accumulated solids, and to receive additional solids from the inlet end to fill the void.
A method of conveying flowable solid material with an oscillatory feeder, comprising:
- receiving solid material at a displaceable tubular body segment of the oscillatory feeder;
- monitoring an amount of the solid material being conveyed with a sensor;
- receiving signals from the sensor at a controller;
- sending control signals from the controller to the oscillatory feeder to control displacement of the displaceable body segment and thereby control a flow rate of the solid material over a flow rate range ratio of greater than 1:50 of a low flow rate to a high flow rate.
A method of conveying flowable polysilicon, comprising:
- receiving flowable silicon from a source into a flexible tubular body of an oscillatory feeder;
- controllably contorting the flexible tubular body through a cyclical trajectory having at least one of a horizontal component and a vertical component to convey the flowable silicon in a flow direction;
- and
- receiving the flowable silicon in a receptacle positioned downstream of the feeder.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.