Inlet tube, rock drilling rig and method of sampling
AssigneeSandvik Mining and Construction Oy
InventorsMaunu Manttari, Pekka Koivukunnas, Lasse Tuominen, Rami Raute
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An inlet tube of a sampling device, a rock drilling rig, and a method for taking samples is provided. The inlet tube is mountable to a dust collecting system of a rock drilling rig and is provided with at least one actively controllable homogenizing element forming a physical element for generating disturbance in flow and to thereby homogenize particle distribution of the drilling cuttings in the flow.
Claims7
An inlet tube of and a sample taking arrangement of a rock drilling rig, the inlet tube being configured to direct a flow of drilling cuttings and air to a sampling point, the inlet tube comprising:
- a cross-sectional inner shape and dimensions;
- and
- a homogenizing section, wherein an inner cross-section of the inlet tube includes at least one homogenizing element forming a physical point of discontinuity, wherein shape and dimensions of the inner cross-section differ locally from sections prior and after the homogenizing section and which homogenizing element is configured to generate a disturbance in the flow and to thereby homogenize particle distribution of the drilling cuttings in the flow at the section after the homogenizing section and prior to the sampling point, wherein the homogenizing element is an active controllable element providing the homogenizing section selectively with the physical point of discontinuity, wherein the homogenizing element is a selectively expandable element.
A rock drilling rig comprising:
- a movable carrier;
- at least one drilling boom mounted on the carrier and including a rock drilling unit provided with a rock drilling machine;
- a dust collecting system arranged for removing drilling cuttings from an opening of a drilled hole, wherein the dust collecting system is provided with a suction unit, dust collecting tubing, and at least one separator for separating solid particles from flow containing air and the drilling cuttings;
- at least one sampling point for taking samples of the flow, wherein the sampling point is located prior to the separator so that the flow is still unseparated at the sampling point;
- and
- an inlet tube, the inlet tube being configured to direct a flow of the drilling cuttings and air to the at least one sampling point, the inlet tube having a cross-sectional inner shape and dimensions, and a homogenizing section, wherein an inner cross-section of the inlet tube includes at least one actively controllable homogenizing element in the dust collecting system preceding the sampling point, the homogenizing element forming a physical point of discontinuity, wherein shape and dimensions of the inner cross-section differ locally from sections prior and after the homogenizing section and which homogenizing element is configured to generate a disturbance in the flow and to thereby homogenize particle distribution of the drilling cuttings in the flow at the section after the homogenizing section and prior to the sampling point, wherein the homogenizing element is an active controllable element providing the homogenizing section selectively with the physical point of discontinuity.
A method of sampling in a rock drilling rig, the method comprising:
- drilling drill holes in a rock surface;
- collecting produced drilling cuttings from an opening of the drill holes during the drilling by a dust collecting system;
- taking samples of flow containing air and drilling cuttings at a sampling point of the dust collecting system during the drilling;
- providing the dust collecting system with an inlet tube before the sampling point;
- and
- changing actively a cross-sectional inner shape and dimensions of the inlet tube locally for spreading drilling cutting particles in the flow evenly across the inner cross-section of the inlet tube, whereby the samples are taken downstream of the mentioned particle spreading.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.