Method and apparatus for continuous feeding, mixing and blending

An apparatus for homogeneously mixing and blending two or more particulate materials comprising

• a mixing chamber, said mixing chamber being generally cylindrical with an open top and a radially inwardly and downwardly sloping bottom, said bottom terminating at its center in an open port,
• a housing for said chamber,
• a central flow tube having an upper and lower end positioned within said housing, said tube being longitudinally co-axial with said chamber and port, and having its lower end adjacent said port,
• support means on said housing for rotatably fixing said tube within said housing,
• drive means to rotate said tube upon its axis,
• at least one lateral opening in said tube adjacent its lower end,
• flow deflecting means transversely fixed within said tube adjacent said lower end,
• at least one blade fixed to said tube for agitating materials in said chamber,
• a first feed hopper on said housing, said first hopper communicating with said tube to admit, via gravity feed, primary material to said chamber for mixing,
• a second hopper for secondary material,
• an auger feed tube for metering said secondary material into said chamber from said second hopper, said auger feed tube extending substantially horizontally through said housing with its distal end above the mixing level maintained in said chamber,
• discharge means for said chamber, said discharge means being below said port,
• whereby said primary material flowing through said rotating tube and said secondary material being metered into said chamber reach an equilibrium level in said chamber when said discharge means is in operation.

An apparatus for homogenously mixing and blending two or more particulate materials comprising

• a mixing and blending chamber, said chamber having a downwardly sloping bottom wall,
• a port at the lower end of said bottom wall,
• a vertical flow tube having an upper and lower end, said tube having a vertical axis,
• support means for supporting said tube within said chamber,
• agitating means for agitating materials in said chamber,
• an opening in said tube at its lower end,
• deflecting means adjacent the lower end of said tube for radially deflecting material toward said agitating means,
• a first source of primary feed material communicating with said tube to admit primary material to said chamber for mixing,
• a second source of secondary feed material communicating with said chamber at a point above said opening in said tube,
• means for metering said secondary material into said chamber,
• discharge means for receiving and feeding said first and secondary feed materials away from said chamber, said discharge means being below said port,
• whereby said primary material flowing through said tube and said secondary material being metered into said chamber are mixed together within said chamber prior to flowing through said port to said discharge means.

An apparatus for feeding solid particulate material, comprising:

• a chamber, said chamber having a downwardly sloping bottom wall,
• a port at the lower end of said bottom wall,
• a vertical flow tube having an upper and lower end, said tube having a vertical axis,
• an opening in said tube at its lower end,
• a source of primary feed material communicating with said tube to admit said primary material to said chamber for feeding,
• discharge means for receiving and feeding said primary material from said chamber, said discharge means being below said port,
• means for establishing an equilibrium level of solid particulate material within said chamber above the level of said opening in said lower end of said tube so that after establishment of said equilibrium level material flows through said flow tube into said chamber only in response to the removal of material from said chamber by said discharge means.

A material flow regulator for particulate material, comprising

• a chamber,
• a discharge means for said chamber,
• a source of primary feed material,
• a source of additive material,
• a tube, said tube extending above said discharge means and below said primary source of material, such that material in said primary source may flow relatively unobstructed from said primary source through said tube and to said discharge means via gravity, said tube extending within said chamber,
• means for admitting said additive material to the chamber, and
• means for establishing an equilibrium level of particulate material in said chamber, such that after establishment of said equilibrium level said primary material flows through said tube only in response to the removal of material from said chamber by said discharge means.

The method for homogeneously mixing and blending particulate said materials in a chamber, said chamber having a downwardly sloping bottom terminating in a discharge port and discharge means located below said port, comprising the steps of

• providing a vertical flow tube axially centered in said chamber, said flow tube having agitating means at its lower end,
• charging a primary material into said tube from a source,
• laterally displacing said primary material from said tube at its lower end into said chamber,
• metering secondary material at a controlled rate into said chamber above the level of mixing maintained within said chamber,
• rotating said tube about its longitudinal axis,
• discharging mixed material from said chamber,
• whereby said primary and secondary materials reach an equilibrium level in said chamber, said gravity fed material thereby being charged into said chamber only in response to the discharge of material from said chamber.

An apparatus for feeding solid particulate material, comprising:

• a chamber, said chamber having a downwardly sloping bottom wall,
• a port at the lower end of said bottom wall,
• a vertical flow tube having an upper and lower end, said tube having a vertical axis,
• an opening in said tube at its lower end,
• a source of primary feed material communicating with said tube to admit said primary material to said chamber for feeding,
• discharge means for receiving and feeding said primary material from said chamber, said discharge means being below said port whereby said primary material flowing through said tube into said chamber reaches an equilibrium level within said chamber,
• agitating means for agitating materials in said chamber,
• support means for rotatably supporting said tube for rotation about said axis within said chamber, and
• drive means to rotate said tube about said axis.

An apparatus for feeding solid particulate material, comprising:

• a chamber, said chamber having a downwardly sloping bottom wall,
• a port at the lower end of said bottom wall,
• a vertical flow tube having an upper and lower end, said tube having a vertical axis,
• an opening in said tube at its lower end,
• a source of primary feed material communicating with said tube to admit said primary material to said chamber for feeding,
• discharge means for receiving and feeding said primary material from said chamber, said discharge means being below said port whereby said primary material flowing through said tube into said chamber reaches an equilibrium level within said chamber,
• a second source of secondary feed material communicating with said chamber at a point above said opening in said tube at its lower end, and
• means for metering said secondary material into said chamber, whereby said primary material and said secondary material reach an equilibrium level within said chamber.

A material flow regulator for a source of particulate material, comprising,

• a chamber,
• discharge means for said chamber,
• a tube, said tube extending above said discharge means and below said source, such that material in said source may flow relatively unobstructed from said source through said tube and to said discharge means via gravity, said tube extending within said chamber, whereby said material reaches an equilibrium level in said chamber, said material thereafter flowing through said tube only in response to the removal of material from said chamber by said discharge means,
• a second source of additive particulate material, said second source communicating with said chamber at a point above said equilibrium level, and
• means for metering said second source of additive material into said chamber, whereby said particulate materials combine to make said equilibrium level.

The method for continuously feeding solid particulate material from a source of particulate material into a chamber, said chamber having a discharge mechanism, comprising the steps of

• providing a flow tube for said source, said flow tube extending above said discharge mechanism and below said source,
• supplying material to said tube from said source in a continuous manner, said material flowing through said tube into said chamber and to said discharge mechanism via gravity,
• whereby said material reaches an equilibrium level in said chamber, said material thereafter flowing through said tube only in response to the removal of material from said chamber by said discharge means, and
• metering a second particulate material into said chamber, said second material being metered into said chamber at a point above said equilibrium level.