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US 11,400,490 B2Granted
Air wash abrasive and contaminants separator apparatus
OwnerJames W. Cernyinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An air wash abrasive particle separator apparatus which separates contaminants from previously-used abrasive particles contained in a contaminated abrasive particle mixture such that the abrasive particles may be re-used multiple times, the apparatus being in combination a contaminated abrasive particle mixture delivery device, an accumulator hopper assembly, a volume sensing device, an automatic flow control valve, a separator assembly and an air transfer device.
Claims20
An air wash abrasive and contaminants separator apparatus comprising:
- a delivery device delivering a contaminated abrasive particle mixture containing contaminants and abrasive particles;
- an accumulator hopper assembly receiving the contaminated abrasive particle mixture from said delivery device;
- a separator assembly receiving the contaminated abrasive particle mixture from said accumulator hopper assembly;
- an air transfer device delivering air through the contaminated abrasive particle mixture within said separator assembly such that the contaminants are separated from the abrasive particles;
- an automatic flow control valve disposed between said accumulator hopper assembly and said separator assembly, said automatic flow control valve controlling a flow of the contaminated abrasive particle mixture from said accumulator hopper assembly to said separator assembly, wherein said automatic flow control valve is a butterfly valve;
- and
- a volume sensing device sensing a volume of the contaminated abrasive particle mixture within said accumulator hopper assembly and controlling an operation of said automatic flow control valve, whereby the flow of the contaminated abrasive particle mixture from said accumulator hopper assembly is stopped by said automatic flow control valve when the volume of the contaminated abrasive particle mixture within the accumulator hopper assembly falls below a predetermined minimum volume.
4 more elements
An air wash abrasive and contaminants separator apparatus comprising:
- a delivery device delivering a contaminated abrasive particle mixture containing contaminants and abrasive particles;
- an accumulator hopper assembly receiving the contaminated abrasive particle mixture from said delivery device;
- a separator assembly receiving the contaminated abrasive particle mixture from said accumulator hopper assembly, said separator assembly comprising a contaminant discharge chute, an abrasive particle discharge chute, and a pair of angled feed walls defining a feed gap through which the contaminated abrasive particle mixture passes, wherein one of said pair of angled feed walls comprises an edge over which the contaminated abrasive particle mixture cascades in the form of a curtain into a separation zone;
- a conduit connecting said accumulator hopper assembly to said separator assembly;
- an air transfer device delivering air through the contaminated abrasive particle mixture within said separation zone of said separator assembly such that the contaminants are separated from the abrasive particles;
- an automatic flow control valve disposed in said conduit between said accumulator hopper assembly and said separator assembly, said automatic flow control valve controlling a flow of the contaminated abrasive particle mixture from said accumulator hopper assembly to said separator assembly, wherein said automatic flow control valve is a butterfly valve;
- and
- a volume sensing device sensing a volume of the contaminated abrasive particle mixture within said accumulator hopper assembly and controlling an operation of said automatic flow control valve, whereby the flow of the contaminated abrasive particle mixture from said accumulator hopper assembly is stopped by said automatic flow control valve when the volume of the contaminated abrasive particle mixture within the accumulator hopper assembly falls below a predetermined minimum volume.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.