Feed system for a conoidal solids separating system and method of separating

A system for separating spherically-shaped solids which tend to roll down an inclined surface from irregularly-shaped solids which tend to slide down an inclined surface comprising:

• a. conically-shaped member with its apex pointing up, said conically-shaped member being adapted to rotate about its vertical axis and having an outer surface inclined from horizontal at an angle at least as great as the static roll angle of the spherically-shaped solids and less than the static slide angle of the irregularly-shaped solids, said outer surface having a circular-shaped lower edge rim;
• b. supply means adapted to feed a mixture of said spherically-shaped solids and said irregularly-shaped solids through an opening onto an upper part of an inclined spreader chute;
• c. said inclined spreader chute having a bottom surface, a lower end and an upper end and being adapted to receive said mixture from said supply means and to pass said mixture from said supply means off said lower end onto an upper part of an inclined breaker plate, said inclined spreader chute having its upper end outside the periphery of said lower edge rim and its lower end inside said periphery, said bottom surface being inclined from horizontal along its longitudinal axis in a manner such that said lower end is further away from said supply means than said upper end and being substantially parallel to horizontal along its lateral axes, said bottom surface being wider at said lower end than it is at said upper end and being substantially wider at said lower end than the width of said opening through which said mixture is fed by said supply means onto said inclined spreader chute, said bottom surface being wide enough to allow said mixture to spread into a vertical monolayer on said bottom surface, said lower end of said bottom surface being above said outer surface of said conically-shaped member by a preselected distance, said distance being at least as great as the size of most of the solids to be separated by said system;
• d. said inclined breaker plate having an upper breaker edge and a lower breaker edge and being adapted to receive said mixture from said inclined spreader chute and to pass said mixture to an impingement area of said outer surface of said conically-shaped member, said inclined breaker plate being inclined from horizontal in a manner such that said lower breaker edge is closer to said supply means than said upper breaker edge and closer to said supply means than said lower end of said inclined spreader chute, said lower breaker edge being at an elevation lower than said lower end of said inclined spreader chute;
• e. means adapted to receive spherically-shaped solids rolling from said outer surface off said lower edge rim;
• f. removal means adapted to remove irregularly-shaped solids from said outer surface off said lower edge rim, and
• g. means adapted to receive irregularly-shaped solids moved from said outer surface off said lower edge rim by said removal means.

A method for separating spherically-shaped solids which tend to roll down an inclined surface from irregularly shaped solids which tend to slide down an inclined surface comprising:

• a rotating a conically-shaped member having its apex pointing up and having an outer surface inclined from horizontal at an angle which is at least as great as the static roll angle of said spherically-shaped solids and which is less than the static slide angle of said irregularly-shaped solids, said outer surface having a circular-shaped lower edge rim;
• b. feeding a mixture of spherically-shaped solids and irregularly-shaped solids at a feed point onto an upper portion of an inclined spreader chute, said upper portion being outside the periphery of said lower edge rim;
• c. passing said mixture from said upper portion of said inclined spreader chute off a lower end of said inclined spreader chute onto an impingement area of said outer surface of said rotating conically-shpaed member;
• d. allowing most of said spherically-shaped solids fed onto said outer surface to roll down off said outer surface;
• e. collecting the spherically-shaped solids which have rolled off said outer surface;
• f. moving a portion of said outer surface with irregularly-shaped solids thereon to a second point located away from said feed point;
• and
• g. at said second point, moving irregularly-shaped solids off said outer surface.