Pneumatic pump

A pneumatic pump including:

• a pressure vessel having a lower transfer port and an upper ventilation port;
• a transfer assembly communicating with said transfer port and including an inlet for pumpable material, and a delivery outlet, said inlet and outlet incorporating a rotatable valve assembly facilitating selective flow therethrough;
• a venturi assembly having a suction side communicating with said ventilation port and a closable exhaust vent selectively operable to cycle said ventilation port between a suction phase and a pressurized phase;
• and
• a controller adapted to selectively close the exhaust vent,
• wherein the rotatable valve assembly includes:
• a first valve body forming at least part of the pneumatic pump inlet and a second valve body forming at least part of the pneumatic pump outlet, the first and second valve bodies having respective rotation chambers interposed between respective valve inlets and valve outlets;
• first and second rotatable valves located within the respective rotation chambers;
• and
• a valve actuator connected with the first and second rotatable valves, wherein the valve actuator is convertible between:
• a first configuration wherein the first rotatable valve is open and flowable substance can pass between the first valve inlet and the first valve outlet, and the second rotatable valve is closed and flowable substance is constrained or prevented from passing between the second valve inlet and the second valve outlet;
• and
• a second configuration wherein the second rotatable valve is open and flowable substance can pass between the second valve inlet and the second valve outlet, and the first rotatable valve is closed and flowable substance is constrained or prevented from passing between the first valve inlet and the first valve outlet.

A method of pneumatically pumping a flowable substance including the step of passing the flowable substance through one or more conduits connected with a rotatable valve apparatus, the rotatable valve apparatus including:

• first and second valve bodies having respective rotation chambers interposed between respective valve body inlets and valve body outlets;
• first and second rotatable valves located within the respective rotation chambers;
• and
• a valve actuator connected with the first and second rotatable valves, wherein the valve actuator is configurable between:
• a first configuration wherein the first rotatable valve is open and flowable substance can pass between the first valve body inlet and the first valve body outlet, and the second rotatable valve is closed and flowable substance is constrained or prevented from passing between the second valve body inlet and the second valve body outlet;
• and
• a second configuration wherein the second rotatable valve is open and flowable substance can pass between the second valve body inlet and the second valve body outlet, and the first rotatable valve is closed and flowable substance is constrained or prevented from passing between the first valve body inlet and the first valve body outlet,
• to thereby pump the flowable substance.