Screw conveyor arrangement with support unit
AssigneeTetra Laval Holdings & Finance S.A.
InventorElie Barbereau
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A screw conveyor arrangement is configured to convey a material, for example a food powder, in a processing plant. The screw conveyor arrangement comprises a casing with an internal channel, and a helical screw in the channel. A drive unit is releasably connected to a first portion of the casing to engage the helical screw. A support unit is attached to the casing and the drive unit to define a pivoting movement of the drive unit away from the first portion when the drive unit has been released from the casing. The support unit facilitates handling of the drive unit during maintenance and service, for example cleaning, and allows the drive unit to be swung away to provide access to the helical screw and the channel. The support unit may be provided for attachment to existing screw conveyors.
Claims10
A screw conveyor arrangement, comprising:
- a casing that defines an elongate channel,
- a helical screw which is arranged in the channel to extend from a first portion of the casing to a second portion of the casing,
- a drive unit, which is releasably connected to the casing at the first portion and arranged to engage the helical screw, and
- a support unit which is attached to the casing and to the drive unit and configured to define a pivoting movement of the drive unit away from the first portion when the drive unit has been released from the casing;
- wherein the support unit comprises a hinge element that defines a pivot axis for the pivoting movement;
- wherein the support unit comprises a first sub-unit for attachment to the casing, and a second sub-unit for attachment to the drive unit, wherein the first and second sub-units are joined by the hinge element;
- wherein the first sub-unit comprises a base element for attachment to the casing, and a slider element which is arranged for sliding movement relative to the base element in a direction substantially transverse to gravity, wherein the slider element is joined to the second sub-unit by the hinge element;
- wherein the slider element comprises a support rod which is arranged for sliding movement in spaced apart holders on the base element;
- and
- wherein the slider element comprises a further support rod, which is arranged for sliding movement in spaced apart further holders on the base element, wherein the support rod and the further support rod are mutually parallel and connected to the hinge element.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.