Powder cleaning systems and methods
AssigneeHamilton Sundstrand Corporation
InventorsRandolph Carlton McGee, Ying She
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A powder cleaning system can include a fluidized bed reactor configured to retain powder and fluidize the powder to remove adsorbate and/or other contaminants from the powder, and one or more gas sources configured to be in selective fluid communication with the fluidized bed reactor via at least one inlet line to selectively provide an inlet flow having one or more gases to the fluidized bed reactor to fluidize the powder with the one or more gases within the fluidized bed reactor. The system can include at least one outlet line in fluid communication with the fluidized bed reactor and configured to allow removal of outlet flow which comprises the adsorbate and/or other contaminants from the fluidized bed reactor.
Claims11
A method for cleaning a powder, comprising:
- fluidizing powder in a fluidizing bed reactor with an inlet gas to remove adsorbate and/or other contaminants to produce cleaned powder;
- providing at least one inlet line;
- providing one or more gas sources configured to be in selective fluid communication with the fluidized bed reactor via the at least one inlet line to selectively provide an inlet flow having one or more gases to the fluidized bed reactor to fluidize the powder with the one or more gases within the fluidized bed reactor;
- and
- providing at least one outlet line in fluid communication with the fluidized bed reactor and configured to allow removal of outlet flow which comprises the adsorbate and/or other contaminants from the fluidized bed reactor;
- wherein a bypass line is configured to fluidly connect the inlet line and a liquid trap to allow at least some gas in the inlet line to flow to a vent, wherein the bypass line includes a bypass valve configured to selectively allow bypass flow, and
- wherein a pressure release valve is disposed in the inlet line to allow bleeding of pressure above a threshold pressure, wherein the pressure release valve is disposed downstream of the bypass line.
A method for cleaning a powder, comprising:
- performing powder characterization to characterize a powder;
- fluidizing the powder in a fluidizing bed reactor with an inlet gas to remove adsorbate and/or other contaminants to produce cleaned powder, wherein fluidizing the powder is performed after powder characterization;
- providing at least one inlet line;
- providing one or more gas sources configured to be in selective fluid communication with the fluidized bed reactor via the at least one inlet line to selectively provide an inlet flow having one or more gases to the fluidized bed reactor to fluidize the powder with the one or more gases within the fluidized bed reactor;
- and
- providing at least one outlet line in fluid communication with the fluidized bed reactor and configured to allow removal of outlet flow which comprises the adsorbate and/or other contaminants from the fluidized bed reactor;
- wherein a bypass line is configured to fluidly connect the inlet line and a liquid trap to allow at least some gas in the inlet line to flow to a vent, wherein the bypass line includes a bypass valve configured to selectively allow bypass flow, and
- wherein a pressure release valve is disposed in the inlet line to allow bleeding of pressure above a threshold pressure, wherein the pressure release valve is disposed downstream of the bypass line.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.