Feed device for low-density materials
AssigneeCalifornia Pellet Mill Company
InventorEduardo C. de Almeida Thompson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A feed device for low-density particulate materials is disclosed for a pelletizing machine. A fin (25) forming a helicoidal spiral on the outer surface of a tubular dome (24) connected to a drive shaft (23) carries the material to one end of the dome, where the volume of air contained in the bulk material is diverted toward the interior of the dome (24) without causing a flow contrary to the displacement of the material, thus eliminating the problem of flow interruptions caused by air entrapment.
Claims4
A device for feeding low-density gas entraining materials to a processing machine comprising:
- a feed chamber;
- a feed screw within said feed chamber having first and second ends driven from its first end independently of the processing machine and consisting of a hollow radially symmetrical body with one or more helical fins which extend toward the processing machine beyond the second end of the body and are substantially perpendicular to said body;
- and
- means for venting gases from said feed chamber into the second end of said hollow body and out to the atmosphere through said first end, before the material is discharged to the processing machine.
In combination with a machine for processing low density gas entraining materials and an elongate feed chamber therefor, a feed screw comprising:
- a hollow radially symmetrical body having first and second ends and one or more helical fins extending along the exterior surface of said body from said first end to a point beyond said second end;
- means at said first end for rotatively driving said body and for thereby feeding said low density materials beyond said second end into said processing machine;
- and
- means for removing the entrained gases from the low density materials and for expelling said gases through said first end of said body.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.