Air compressor having vacuum and associated methods for loading and extracting materials

An extraction assembly to enhance extraction of material from a material source, the extraction assembly comprising:

• a compressor and vacuum generation assembly comprising:
• a compressor housing,
• one or more compressors in the compressor housing,
• one or more electric motors connected to the one or more compressors,
• one or more vacuum controllers, and
• one or more vacuum generators at least partially contained in the compressor housing and connected to the one or more compressors, the one or more vacuum generators positioned to generate a vacuum flow;
• at least one manifold connected to the material source and positioned to provide a flow path to convey extracted material from the material source to a material collector;
• and
• a sound attenuation chamber including an attenuation housing at least partially defining a chamber interior volume positioned to receive at least a portion of the vacuum flow from the one or more vacuum generators and attenuate sound generated by operation of the one or more vacuum generators.

An extraction assembly to enhance extraction of material from a material source, the extraction assembly comprising:

• a compressor and vacuum generation assembly comprising:
• a compressor housing,
• one or more compressors in the compressor housing,
• one or more electric motors connected to the one or more compressors,
• one or more vacuum controllers, and
• one or more vacuum generators at least partially contained in the compressor housing and connected to the one or more compressors, the one or more vacuum generators comprising a venturi mechanism configured to receive pressurized fluid from the one or more compressors and use a venturi effect to generate a vacuum flow between the material source and the sound attenuation chamber;
• and
• a sound attenuation chamber including an attenuation housing at least partially defining a chamber interior volume positioned to receive at least a portion of the vacuum flow and attenuate sound generated by operation of the one or more vacuum generators.

An extraction assembly to enhance extraction of material from a material source, the extraction assembly comprising:

• a compressor and vacuum generation assembly comprising:
• a compressor housing,
• one or more compressors in the compressor housing, at least one of the one or more compressors comprising a screw compressor,
• one or more electric motors connected to the one or more compressors,
• one or more vacuum controllers, and
• one or more vacuum generators at least partially contained in the compressor housing and connected to the one or more compressors, the one or more vacuum generators positioned to generate a vacuum flow;
• and
• a sound attenuation chamber including an attenuation housing at least partially defining a chamber interior volume positioned to receive at least a portion of the vacuum flow from the one or more vacuum generators and attenuate sound generated by operation of the one or more vacuum generators.

An extraction assembly to enhance extraction of material from a material source, the extraction assembly comprising:

• a compressor and vacuum generation assembly comprising:
• a compressor housing,
• one or more compressors in the compressor housing,
• one or more electric motors connected to the one or more compressors,
• one or more vacuum controllers, and
• one or more vacuum generators at least partially contained in the compressor housing and connected to the one or more compressors, the one or more vacuum generators comprising a venturi mechanism configured to receive pressurized fluid from the one or more compressors and use a venturi effect to generate a vacuum flow between the material source and a material collector configured to collect a portion of material extracted from the material source;
• and
• a sound attenuation chamber including an attenuation housing at least partially defining a chamber interior volume being positioned to receive at least a portion of the vacuum flow and attenuate sound generated by operation of the one or more vacuum generators.

An extraction assembly to enhance extraction of material from a material source, the extraction assembly comprising:

• a compressor and vacuum generation assembly comprising:
• a compressor housing,
• one or more compressors in the compressor housing,
• one or more electric motors connected to the one or more compressors,
• one or more vacuum controllers, and
• one or more vacuum generators at least partially contained in the compressor housing and connected to the one or more compressors, the one or more vacuum generators comprising a first vacuum source and positioned to generate a vacuum flow;
• a manifold connected to the material source and positioned to provide a flow path to convey extracted material from the material source;
• a first material collector connected to the manifold and configured to collect a portion of the extracted material;
• a second material collector connected to the manifold;
• a second vacuum source connected to the second material collector, the first vacuum source, the second vacuum source, the first material collector, and the second material collector configured to increase an extraction rate of the material from the material source;
• and
• a sound attenuation chamber including an attenuation housing at least partially defining a chamber interior volume positioned to receive at least a portion of the vacuum flow from the one or more vacuum generators and attenuate sound generated by operation of the one or more vacuum generators.

An extraction assembly to enhance extraction of material from a material source, the extraction assembly comprising:

• a compressor and vacuum generation assembly comprising:
• a compressor housing,
• one or more compressors in the compressor housing,
• one or more electric motors connected to the one or more compressors,
• one or more vacuum controllers, and
• one or more vacuum generators at least partially contained in the compressor housing and connected to the one or more compressors, the one or more vacuum generators positioned to generate a vacuum flow, and the one or more vacuum controllers configured to control one or more of:
• (a) one or more fluid supply control valves associated with the one or more vacuum generators,
• (b) an exhaust control valve to control a vacuum pressure generated by the one or more vacuum generators,
• (c) one or more operating setpoints of the one or more electric motors, or
• (d) one or more operating setpoints of the one or more compressors;
• and
• a sound attenuation chamber including an attenuation housing at least partially defining a chamber interior volume positioned to receive at least a portion of the vacuum flow from the one or more vacuum generators and attenuate sound generated by operation of the one or more vacuum generators.

An extraction assembly to enhance extraction of material from a material source, the extraction assembly comprising:

• a compressor and vacuum generation assembly comprising:
• a compressor housing,
• one or more compressors in the compressor housing,
• one or more electric motors connected to the one or more compressors,
• one or more vacuum controllers, and
• one or more vacuum generators at least partially contained in the compressor housing and connected to the one or more compressors, the one or more vacuum generators comprising two or more venturis positioned to generate a vacuum flow, the two or more venturis configured to operate in parallel to enhance vacuum pressure generated by the one or more vacuum generators;
• and
• a sound attenuation chamber including an attenuation housing at least partially defining a chamber interior volume positioned to receive at least a portion of the vacuum flow from the one or more vacuum generators and attenuate sound generated by operation of the one or more vacuum generators.

An extraction assembly to enhance extraction of material from a material source, the extraction assembly comprising:

• a compressor and vacuum generation assembly comprising:
• a compressor housing,
• one or more compressors in the compressor housing,
• one or more electric motors connected to the one or more compressors,
• one or more vacuum controllers, and
• one or more vacuum generators at least partially contained in the compressor housing and connected to the one or more compressors, the one or more vacuum generators comprising four or more venturis positioned to generate a vacuum flow, the four or more venturis configured to operate in parallel to enhance vacuum pressure generated by the vacuum source;
• and
• a sound attenuation chamber including an attenuation housing at least partially defining a chamber interior volume positioned to receive at least a portion of the vacuum flow from the one or more vacuum generators and attenuate sound generated by operation of the one or more vacuum generators.

An extraction assembly to enhance extraction of material from a material source, the extraction assembly comprising:

• a compressor and vacuum generation assembly comprising:
• a compressor housing,
• a cooling system in the compressor housing configured to remove heat from an interior of the compressor housing,
• one or more compressors in the compressor housing,
• one or more electric motors connected to the one or more compressors,
• one or more vacuum controllers, and
• one or more vacuum generators at least partially contained in the compressor housing and connected to the one or more compressors, the one or more vacuum generators positioned to generate a vacuum flow;
• and
• a sound attenuation chamber including an attenuation housing at least partially defining a chamber interior volume positioned to receive at least a portion of the vacuum flow from the one or more vacuum generators and attenuate sound generated by operation of the one or more vacuum generators.

An extraction assembly to enhance extraction of material from a material source, the extraction assembly comprising:

• a compressor and vacuum generation assembly comprising:
• a compressor housing,
• one or more compressors in the compressor housing,
• one or more electric motors connected to the one or more compressors,
• one or more vacuum controllers,
• one or more vacuum generators at least partially contained in the compressor housing and connected to the one or more compressors, the one or more vacuum generators positioned to generate a vacuum flow, and
• a moisture separator in the compressor housing configured to remove moisture from the vacuum flow;
• and
• a sound attenuation chamber including an attenuation housing at least partially defining a chamber interior volume positioned to receive at least a portion of the vacuum flow from the one or more vacuum generators and attenuate sound generated by operation of the one or more vacuum generators.