Blow-through rotary valve

A blow-through rotary valve comprising:

• a housing having an inlet for receiving material and an outlet for releasing the material;
• a rotor assembly comprising:
• a drive shaft defining a drive axis along a length thereof;
• and
• at least one chamber operatively connected to the drive shaft, the at least one chamber comprising:
• a first end wall and second end wall, the first and second end walls axially spaced along the drive axis;
• and
• a first side wall and second side wall, the first and second side walls extending substantially laterally from the drive axis, the first and second side walls extending substantially parallel to the drive axis,
• wherein the at least one chamber is asymmetric along a plane containing the drive axis and defining an opening at or towards a radial outer portion of the at least one chamber,
• wherein the rotor assembly is configured to rotate about the drive axis so that the at least one chamber defines:
• a loading configuration in which the opening of the at least one chamber is operatively connected to the housing inlet;
• and
• an unloading configuration in which the opening of the at least one chamber is operatively connected to the housing outlet;
• a pressurized gas inlet;
• and
• a trough for conveying material released from the rotor assembly,
• wherein the rotor assembly is disposed inside the housing such that the first end wall of the at least one chamber is disposed adjacent to the pressurized gas inlet when the at least one chamber is in the unloading configuration such that, in the unloading configuration, at least a portion of the pressurized gas flow is configured to contact the first end wall of the at least one chamber enter the at least one chamber and follow the surface of the at least one chamber from the first end wall to the second end wall deviating from the gas axis and creating a vortex inside the at least one chamber so that material is substantially removed from the walls of the at least one chamber and delivered to the trough.

A method of conveying material in a pneumatic pipeline, the method comprising:

• providing a blow-through rotary valve comprising:
• a housing having an inlet for receiving material and an outlet for releasing the material;
• a rotor assembly comprising:
• a drive shaft defining a drive axis along a length thereof;
• and at least one chamber operatively connected to the drive shaft, the at least one chamber comprising:
• a first end wall and second end wall, the first and second end walls being axially spaced along the drive axis;
• and a first side wall and a second side wall extending substantially laterally from the drive axis and extending substantially parallel to the drive axis;
• and the at least one chamber being asymmetric along a plane containing the drive axis and defining an opening at or towards a radial outer portion of the at least one chamber, wherein the rotor assembly is configured to rotate about the drive axis so that the at least one chamber defines a loading configuration in which the opening of the at least one chamber is operatively connected to the housing inlet and an unloading configuration in which the opening of the at least one chamber is operatively connected to the housing outlet;
• a pressurized gas inlet;
• and a trough for conveying material released from the rotor assembly;
• connecting the trough of the blow-through rotary valve with a pneumatic pipeline;
• inserting material through the inlet of the blow-through rotary valve such that the material is loaded in the at least one chamber of the rotor assembly when the blow-through rotary valve is in the loading configuration;
• rotating the rotor assembly so that the at least one chamber is operatively connected to the outlet of the housing in the unloading configuration;
• providing pressurized gas flow via the pressurized gas inlet, wherein when the at least one chamber is in the unloading configuration, at least a portion of the pressurized gas flow contacts the first end wall of the at least one chamber enters the at least one chamber and follows a surface of the at least one chamber from the first end wall to the second end wall so that the at least a portion of gas flow deviates from the gas axis and creates a vortex inside the at least one chamber, the vortex substantially removing material from the walls of the at least one chamber and delivering the material to the trough;
• and
• conveying the material from the trough to the pneumatic pipeline with pressurized gas.