Apparatus and method for blending particulate materials

A device for blending particulate materials comprising housing means defining a chamber, said housing having at least two inlet ports for gravity feeding particulate material into said chamber and an outlet port for discharging material therefrom, and flow diverting means disposed in said chamber between said inlet and outlet ports, said flow diverting means having means for intercepting the flow of material through each of said inlet ports for dividing said flow into separate streams, each of said material flow intercepting means including a set of surfaces disposed in diverging relation in the direction of material flow.

A device for blending particulate materials comprising housing means defining a chamber having at least two inlet ports for gravity feeding particulate material into said chamber, an outlet port for discharging material therefrom and an inverted, frusto-conically shaped wall interposed between said inlet ports and said outlet port, and flow diverting means disposed in said chamber, said flow diverting means comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced elements disposed on said frusto-conical wall, each of said elements having angled surfaces positioned to intercept and divide streams of material introduced into said chamber and impinging on said elements.

A method of blending particulate materials comprising gravity feeding the material into a chamber having a plurality of circumferentially spaced inlet ports disposed at an upper end thereof, an outlet port disposed at a lower end thereof and an inverted, frusto-conical wall between said inlet and outlet openings, dividing and diverting the stream of material fed through each of said inlet ports, further dividing and diverting the diverted streams of material impinging upon the frusto-conical wall of said chamber, and imparting a swirling motion to said diverted streams of material impinging on said frusto-conical wall.

A device for blending particulate materials comprising means defining a chamber, said housing having at least two inlet ports for gravity feeding particulate material into said chamber and an outlet port for discharging material therefrom, flow diverting means disposed in said chamber between said inlet and means defining a chamber, said housing having at least outlet ports, said flow diverting means having means for intercepting the flow of material through each of said inlet ports for dividing said flow into separate streams, said housing means including an inverted frusto-conical wall section, said flow diverting means being disposed between said inlet ports and said frusto-conical wall section, and second flow diverting means disposed in said chamber, said second flow diverting means comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced elements disposed on said frusto-conical wall section, each of said elements having angled surfaces positioned to intercept and divide streams of divided material impinging thereon and being helically configured for imparting a swirling motion to said material within said chamber.

A device for blending particulate materials comprising housing means defining a chamber having at least two inlet ports for gravity feeding particulate material into said chamber, an outlet port for discharging material therefrom and an inverted, frusto-conically shaped wall interposed between said inlet ports and said outlet port, and flow diverting means disposed in said chamber, said flow diverting means comprising a plurality of circumferentially spaced elements disposed on said frusto-conical wall, each of said elements having angled surfaces positioned to intercept and divide streams of material introduced into said chamber and impinging on said elements, and being helically configured for imparting a swirling motion to said material.

A method of blending particulate materials comprising gravity feeding the material into a chamber having a plurality of circumferentially spaced inlet ports disposed at an upper end thereof, an outlet port disposed at a lower end thereof and an inverted frusto-conical wall between said inlet and outlet openings, dividing and diverting the stream of material fed through each of said ports, and dividing and diverting the diverted streams of material impinging upon the frusto-conical wall of said chamber.