Hydraulic spray nozzle for hydroseeding systems
AssigneeDHG, Inc.
InventorAaron Kime
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hydraulic spray nozzle, a hydroseeding system and a method of dispersing bulk material with a hydraulic spray nozzle. The hydraulic spray nozzle may further include one or more of an inlet, a diffuser cone, an expansion chamber, one or more interior surface vanes, a converging nozzle and an outlet that fluidly cooperate with one another in order to increase the dispersal distance of the bulk material as it exits the hydraulic spray nozzle. In one form, the hydraulic spray nozzle is incorporated into a hydroseeding system or other bulk material dispersing system in order to apply seeds, mulch, fertilizer or related bulk materials over large swaths of land.
Claims15
A hydraulic spray nozzle for use in a bulk material dispersing system, the hydraulic spray nozzle comprising:
- an outer tube defining a housing;
- and
- a series of components each arranged within the outer tube and defining a flowpath within the outer tube, the series of components disposed within the outer tube, the series of components comprising:
- an inlet;
- a diffuser cone in downstream fluid communication with the inlet;
- an expansion chamber, comprising a plurality of modular subsections positionable relative to one another to provide a customizable flow profile, in a downstream fluid communication with the diffuser cone;
- a converging nozzle in downstream fluid communication with the expansion chamber;
- an outlet in downstream fluid communication with the converging nozzle;
- and
- at least one vane disposed within at least one of the diffuser cone, the expansion chamber and the converging nozzle, the at least one vane extending toward and spaced from a flowpath centerline of the flowpath, the series of components fluidly cooperative with one another such that upon a flow of bulk material through the flowpath along a flow direction, a tangential velocity profile that is present within the flow as a result of the bulk material being conveyed to the hydraulic spray nozzle from a bulk material dispersing system is reduced.
A hydroseeding system comprising:
- a hydraulic spray nozzle;
- a raw material hopper configured to contain a slurry,
- a motor;
- at least one piping run;
- and
- a pump responsive to power from the motor to convey the slurry with the at least one piping run to the a hydraulic spray nozzle, wherein the hydraulic spray nozzle comprises:
- an outer tube defining a housing;
- and
- a series of components each arranged within the outer tube and defining a flowpath within the outer tube, the series of components disposed within the outer tube, the series of components comprising:
- an inlet;
- a diffuser cone in downstream fluid communication with the inlet;
- an expansion chamber, comprising a plurality of modular subsections positionable relative to one another to provide a customizable flow profile, in a downstream fluid communication with the diffuser cone;
- a converging nozzle in downstream fluid communication with the expansion chamber;
- an outlet in downstream fluid communication with the converging nozzle;
- and
- at least one vane disposed within at least one of the diffuser cone, expansion chamber and converging nozzle, the at least one vane extending toward and spaced from a flowpath centerline of the flowpath, the series of components fluidly cooperative with one another and the hydraulic spray nozzle, raw material hopper, pump, motor and at least one piping run such that upon a flow of bulk material through the hydraulic spray nozzle, a tangential velocity profile that is present within the flowpath is reduced.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.