Method and apparatus using feed conveying fluid for blending the feed and/or separating debris from the feed

A materials blending system comprising:

• a plurality of blending vessels, each for blending a material respectively contained therein, each of said blending vessel having a feed input for receiving a material to be blended together with a material conveying fluid, and a separate fluid input for receiving a fluid used for blending a material, each of said blending vessels including means for separating a feed from the material conveying fluid which is applied to said input and for supplying said conveying fluid, devoid of said material, to a fluid output, and means for blending a material within a blending vessel with fluid supplied to said fluid inlet, each of said blending vessels having an operating cycle which includes a filling stage, a filling/blending stage, a blending stage, a waiting stage and a drain stage;
• means for providing a supply of feed material;
• means for providing a fluid flow which conveys a material to be blended from said supply means to said plurality of blenders;
• a first controllable valve for applying said fluid flow containing said material to be blended from said providing means to a feed input of a selected one of said plurality of blending vessels;
• a second controllable valve for applying a conveying fluid devoid of said material, and present at a fluid output of one of said blending vessels, to the fluid input of a selected one of said plurality of blending vessels;
• and
• means for operatively controlling said first and second controllable valves so that one of said blender vessels is in a filling stage where it receives conveyed material from said providing means as another of said blender vessels, already filled with material, is in a blending stage where it blends a material contained therein using said conveying fluid devoid of said material.

A material blending method comprising the steps of:

• supplying a material to be blended to a blending vessel in a conveying fluid stream;
• separating said material to be blended from said conveying fluid stream and guiding separated material to a feed input of said blending vessel;
• applying said conveying fluid stream having said material separated therefrom to a blending fluid input of said blending vessel;
• and
• blending said separated material in said blending vessel using said conveying fluid stream having said material separated therefrom.

A material blending method comprising the steps of:

• providing a plurality of blending vessels, each for blending a material respectively contained therein, each of said blending vessel having a feed input for receiving a material to be blended together with a material conveying fluid and a separate fluid input for receiving a fluid used for blending a material, each of said blending vessels including means for separating a feed from conveying fluid which is applied to said input and for supplying said conveying fluid devoid of said material to a fluid output, and means for blending a material within said vessel with conveying fluid supplied to said fluid input, each of said blending vessels having an operative cycle which includes a filling stage, a filling/blending stage, a blending stage, a waiting stage and a drain stage;
• applying a conveying fluid containing a material to be blended to a feed input of a selected one of said plurality of blending vessels;
• applying said conveying fluid devoid of said material at a fluid output of said selected one of said blending vessels to the fluid input of another of said plurality of blending vessels;
• and
• operatively controlling said blending vessels so that said one of said blending vessels is in a filling stage where it receives at its feed input a material feed separated from said conveying fluid flow as said another of said blender vessels, already filled with material, is in a blending stage wherein said conveying fluid devoid of said material is applied to the fluid input thereof.