Blender with feed rate control
AssigneeFuller Company
InventorKermit D. Paul
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An integrated process blending apparatus which blends particulate material and is also adaptable to store blender inventory to thereby integrate process feed with the blending function. The apparatus comprises a fluidized bed blending means to preblend that raw feed which is not send directly to the gravity blender. Overflow from the fluidized bed means is directed into a storage chamber means from which it can be withdrawn upon demand and sent into the blender. The blender is also made more effective by dividing it into vertical compartments with separators which have angled portions preferably in their lower regions to cause different downward flow velocities in each compartment, and by creating a multistage blender by stacking sets of offset compartments one on top of another.
Claims14
In a particulate material blender of the type which includes a vertically oriented vessel with a top and a bottom, the vessel being constructed with an upper section which includes the top of the vessel, a source of pressurized gas attached to the vessel at a gas entry near the bottom of the vessel, a source of fresh feed for particulate material in fluid communication with the vessel, and a lift pipe supported within the vessel and extending from a location near the top of the vessel to a location above the gas entry, the improvement comprising:
- a. a fluidized bed blender means located adjacent to the vessel and interconnected with:
- (i) the vessel to thereby introduce material from said fluidized bed blender means into said vessel;
- (ii) the source of fresh feed;
- and
- (iii) a storage bed means for receiving excess material from said fluidized bed blender means;
- b. diverter means positioned to divert a predetermined portion of the fresh feed to the fluidized bed blender and the remaining portion of the fresh feed to the vessel;
- and
- c. withdrawal means for withdrawing material from the storage bed means and transferring said material to the vessel.
In a particulate material blender of the type which includes a vertically oriented vessel with a top and a bottom, the vessel being constructed with an upper section which includes the top of the vessel, a source of pressurized gas attached to the vessel at a gas entry near the bottom of the vessel, a source of fresh feed for particulate material in fluid communication with the vessel, and a lift pipe supported within the vessel and extending from a location near the top of the vessel to a location above the gas entry, the improvement comprising:
- a. a fluidized bed blender means located adjacent to the vessel and interconnected with:
- (i) the vessel to thereby introduce material from said fluidized bed blender means into said vessel;
- (ii) the source of fresh feed;
- and
- (iii) a storage bed means for receiving excess material from said fluidized bed blender means;
- b. diverter means positioned to divert a predetermined portion of the fresh feed to the fluidized bed blender means and the remaining portion of the fresh feed to the vessel;
- c. means for withdrawing material from the storage bed means and transferring said material to the vessel;
- d. an exit pipe attached to and extending above the lift pipe and out of the vessel;
- e. a first opening in the lift pipe located within the lift pipe near the top of the vessel and above the top surface of the material within the vessel;
- f. an adjustable deflector located adjacent to the first opening in the lift pipe and shaped to divert a portion of the gas and material moving in the lift pipe into the exit pipe and a portion of the material moving in the lift pipe out of the lift pipe through the first opening into the fluidized bed blender means;
- and
- g. a second opening in the lift pipe located to permit gas to enter into the lift pipe from the region of the vessel which is above the top surface of the material within the vessel.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.