Layered vibratory material conditioning apparatus
AssigneeM-I L.L.C.
InventorEric Johnson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vibratory conditioner includes a plurality of screens having a planar surface through which there is a material feed opening, wherein each screen is retained in vertical alignment such that all planar surfaces are parallel, a chamber within which the parallel screens are retained, means for conditioning air within the chamber to a predetermined temperature and a predetermined humidity level, and a vibratory generator operable to vibrate the chamber and fluidize particles of material retained on a top surface of each screen and to move the fluidized particles in a first direction.
Claims24
A vibratory conditioner comprising:
- a plurality of screens having a planar surface through which there is a material feed opening, wherein each screen is retained in vertical alignment such that all planar surfaces are parallel;
- a chamber within which the parallel screens are retained;
- means for conditioning air within the chamber to a predetermined temperature and a predetermined humidity level;
- and
- a vibratory generator operable to vibrate the chamber and fluidize particles of material retained on a top surface of each screen and to move the fluidized particles in a first direction.
An apparatus for conditioning and classifying material comprising:
- a chamber;
- a plurality of screens retained within the chamber, wherein each screen has a center orifice and an outer edge, with a material feed opening radially extending through the screen, wherein each porous element has a plurality of pores of a unique predetermined pore size;
- a cylindrical connector affixed within the center orifice of each of the plurality of screens, wherein each connector interconnects with adjacent cylindrical connectors to retain each screen in a fixed rotational alignment such that the material feed opening through adjacent screens are offset by a fixed offset angle;
- a vibratory generator operable to vibrate the chamber and fluidize the material on each screen, thereby causing it to move in a first direction;
- and
- means for conditioning air within the chamber.
A method for conditioning and classifying particles comprising:
- conditioning air in a chamber to a predetermined temperature and a predetermined humidity level;
- circulating the conditioned air within the chamber;
- dispensing a plurality of particles into the chamber and onto a first of a plurality of vertically adjacent screens, wherein each porous element has a plurality of pores of a unique predetermined size and a radially extending material feed opening, and wherein the material feed opening of adjacent screens are offset from each other;
- vibrating the screens to separate particles having a particle size greater than a desired minimum particle size from particles having a particle size less than the desired minimum particle size;
- directing the particles having a particle size greater than the desired minimum particle size to subsequent screens through the material feed opening in each porous element;
- collecting the particles having a particle size less than the desired minimum particle size at a bottom portion of the chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.