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US 2003/0190199 A1Published application
Pneumatic conveying
AssigneeCleanCut Technologies Limited
InventorBrian Snowdon
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AssigneeCleanCut Technologies Limited
InventorBrian Snowdon
Estimating the term…
A method for conveying a non-free flowing paste where the non-free flowing paste is loaded into a vessel or container having a conical lower portion designed to provide mass flow of the paste. A gas is applied to the vessel to cause the paste to flow out. The paste may be transported to another vessel having a mass flow conical lower portion where it may be stored. The paste may then be discharged using a gas to transport the paste to a third vessel having a mass flow conical lower portion where the loaded vessel itself may be transported, such as by boat, to another destination, such as the shore. The third vessel may be disposed vertically or horizontally on the boat. Thereafter, the paste may be transported to a fourth vessel for further transport or the third vessel may be moved from the boat to a truck for further transport. A frame, the size of a shipping container may enclose a vessel or the frame enclosed vessel may be coupled to other frame enclosed vessels.
A method of conveying a non-free flowing paste comprising loading the paste into a vessel and applying a compressed gas to the vessel to cause the material to flow out of the vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
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Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for transfer at sea between ships or between ships and off-shore structures: using pipe-lines
Arrangement of ship-based loading or unloading equipment for cargo or passengers: of pipe-lines
With pneumatic injection of the materials by the propelling gas: the gas flow acting directly on the materials in a reservoir
Details: arrangements of containers
Term end not estimated
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Not applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
FIG. 1 is an elevation showing the operation of a first method in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an elevation showing the operation of a second method in accordance with the present invention;
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of examples only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Referring to FIG. 1 of the accompanying drawings, an off shore oil rig 1 has located on its platform 3 a pressure vessel 5 into which is loaded the screened drill cuttings arising from the drilling process. This pressure vessel 5 includes an upper material inlet and a lower material outlet as well as means for supplying compressed air to the interior of the vessel. The material inlet includes a valve assembly similar to that described in GB-A-1539079 and the entire vessel may be similar to that manufactured and sold by Clyde Materials Handling Limited (Clyde).
In operation the pneumatic conveying system, including the pressure vessel 5, follows a cycle of filling and discharging material from the pressure vessel. At the start of the cycle, the material inlet valve (in the Clyde system this valve includes a part spherical closure member) is closed. A vent valve is opened to equalise vessel pressure to ambient air. The inlet valve is opened and the oil cuttings/oil mixture is fed into the pressurised vessel. The vent valve is opened to vent displaced air from the vessel. When the pressurised vessel is full, the inlet valve closes. The vent valve also closes and the vessel is now sealed. An air inlet valve is opened and the material is conveyed in the form of a semi solid slug along pipe 7.