Pneumatic conveyance device and conveying method employing percolation of gas into flowable bulk material in a feed pipe

In a feed pipe for the pneumatic conveyance of flowable bulk material, viscous substances, sludges and other like products, the improvement comprised in that said feed pipe is constructed as an elongated single chamber which has an undivided cross section, said feed pipe having at least one outlet, product supply means connected to an inlet of said feed pipe for filling the feed pipe over its entire cross section with said product, said product being fed to said inlet by the force of gravity from said product supply means located thereabove, said feed pipe being horizontal or somewhat upwardly sloped from said product inlet to said outlet, gas supply means connected over the length of said feed pipe for permeating the product therein beyond its capacity with gas and therewith expanding the volume occupied by a unit weight of said product in a progressively increasing manner along the length of said feed pipe from said product inlet to said outlet with a corresponding decreasing in product angle of repose until the entire feed pipe is filled with said product, said gas supply means including a gas supply line and a low pressure gas source and a plurality of similar percolation inlets distributed over the length of said feed pipe and which point into the lower area of said feed pipe, said percolation inlets each being connected to said gas supply line and said low pressure gas source, said product supply means and said feed pipe being free of gas inlets in addition to said percolation inlets, the pressure level of said gas source and the size of said percolator inlets being dimensioned such that through said percolation inlets gas is continuously supplied to said feed pipe slowly and without turbulence in such quantity that said product undergoes said permeation beyond its capacity with said gas and said expansion in volume occupied by a unit weight of product progressively along the length of said feed pipe, said percolation inlets including means adjacent the feed pipe for blocking entry of product into said gas line while admitting said gas to said feed pipe.

In a conveying trough, constructed substantially in the form of a pipe, for the pneumatic conveyance of flowable bulk material, sludges and other like products, the improvement comprised in that the conveying trough is constructed as a single chamber pipeline of undivided cross section having at least one product outlet and a product inlet, which pipeline can be loaded over its entire cross section with the product to be conveyed, means supplying said product to the product inlet of the pipeline by the force of gravity, said pipeline being horizontal or somewhat upwardly sloped from its product inlet to its product outlet, said pipeline being provided over its length with individual percolation inlets which point into the lower area of the pipeline, gas supply means including a gas supply line with said percolation inlets connected thereto and dimensioned for continuously supplying the pipeline with percolating gas in such amount that the product to be conveyed is loaded with percolating gas beyond its capacity to cause expansion of the volume occupied by a unit weight of product and a progressive increase in said volume occupied by said unit weight of said product from the product inlet to the product outlet of said pipeline until the entire cross section of said pipeline is filled with said product, said expansion of said volume occupied by said unit weight of product being accompanied by a reduction in the angle of repose of such unit weight of product.