Placer recovery of particles and related systems, methods, and devices
OwnerJerry Pledgerinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Placer recovery systems, material collection devices, and related methods are disclosed. A placer recovery system includes a material intake device and a material collection device configured to receive material and fluid from the material intake device. The material collection device includes a filter tube and a collector. The collector is secured to a plurality of annular structures spaced along the filter tube to maintain the collector in a substantially horizontal orientation under the filter tube regardless of an orientation of the material collection device.
Claims20
A material collection device, comprising:
- a filter tube including:
- a wall defining apertures;
- an inlet through which fluid and material enter the filter tube;
- protrusions extending inwardly from the wall of the filter tube, the protrusions in front of the apertures from a perspective of the inlet;
- and
- an outlet through which the fluid and material exit the filter tube;
- a plurality of annular structures spaced along the filter tube, each annular structure of the plurality of annular structures defining an opening, the filter tube extending through the opening of each annular structure of the plurality of annular structures, each annular structure of the plurality of annular structures configured to rotate about the filter tube;
- a collector secured to the plurality of annular structures below the filter tube to maintain the collector in a substantially horizontal orientation under the filter tube regardless of an orientation of the material collection device, the collector configured to collect particles of the material that exit the filter tube through the apertures;
- and
- a shell defining a collection chamber, the filter tube extending through the collection chamber, the collector positioned within the collection chamber.
A method of operating a placer recovery system, the method comprising:
- coupling a collector to a plurality of annular structures spaced along a filter tube within a material collection device;
- intake, by a material intake device, material and fluid;
- delivering the material and the fluid from the material intake device to the material collection device;
- collecting first particles on the collector, the first particles sufficiently dense to exit the filter tube through one or more apertures having protrusions in front of the one or more apertures;
- discarding, through an outlet of the material collection device, second particles of the material;
- and
- rotating the collector to a substantially horizontal position under the filter tube responsive to a gravitational force acting on a mass of the collector.
A placer recovery system, comprising:
- a material intake device;
- and
- a material collection device configured to receive material and fluid from the material intake device, the material collection device including a filter tube and a collector, the collector secured to a plurality of annular structures spaced along the filter tube to maintain the collector in a substantially horizontal orientation under the filter tube regardless of an orientation of the material collection device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.