Apparatus and method for pneumatically conveying bulk materials
AssigneeThe Young Industries, Inc.
InventorsRobert D. Heyl, John R. Havrilla
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bulk material conveying system includes a closed chamber having an inlet and an outlet and a conveyor communicating with the chamber outlet for receiving bulk material from the chamber. A pressurized gas is supplied to the upper portion of the chamber and to the conveyor to provide a pressure differential in the chamber which causes the bulk material in the chamber to flow through the outlet and conveyed through the conveyor. A pressure regulator is provided for automatically maintaining the pressure in the upper portion of the chamber at a predetermined value not to exceed a pressure sufficient to maintain the pressure differential during normal material flow rate conditions.
Claims20
A bulk material conveying system comprising:
- means defining a closed chamber having a bulk material inlet and a bulk material outlet, said chamber including an upper portion;
- bulk material conveying means communicating with said bulk material outlet of said chamber for receiving material therefrom and conveying said material downstream from said chamber, said upper portion being isolated from a portion of said conveying means downstream from said chamber except at said bulk material outlet;
- means for supplying gas under pressure to said upper portion of said chamber to pressurize said upper portion at an upper chamber pressure and to said conveying means to pressurize said conveying means at a conveying means pressure so as to provide a pressure differential in said chamber between said upper chamber pressure and a pressure at said bulk material outlet causing said material therein to flow through said bulk material outlet and be conveyed through said conveying means at a predetermined flow rate;
- and
- means disposed in and communicating with said supplying means for automatically maintaining said upper chamber pressure at a predetermined pressure regardless of said bulk material outlet pressure while said pressure differential varies solely in response to flow conditions of said material in said conveying means whereby upon a decrease in a flow rate of said material in said conveying means below said predetermined flow rate and a corresponding decrease in said bulk material outlet pressure, said pressure differential shall automatically increase to correspondingly increase the flow rate of said material fed into said conveying means, and upon an overfeeding condition resulting in an increase in the flow rate of said material in said conveying means above said predetermined flow rate and a correspondingly increase in said bulk material outlet pressure, said pressure differential shall automatically decrease to correspondingly decrease the flow rate of said material being fed into said conveying means.
A method of conveying bulk material in a material transport system including means defining a closed chamber and means for pneumatically conveying said material communicating with said chamber for receiving said material therefrom, comprising:
- introducing a batch of said material to be conveyed into said chamber;
- supplying gas under pressure to said conveying means at a first pressure sufficient to cause a flow of said material received from said chamber along said conveying means to a remote location;
- supplying a supply of gas under pressure to an upper portion of said chamber to pressurize said chamber to a second pressure above said first pressure to provide a pressure differential causing said material in said chamber to be force-fed into said conveying means;
- and
- restricting the supply of gas under pressure to the upper portion of said chamber via a restricting means disposed in and communicating with the supply of gas under pressure to prevent a pressure in the upper portion of said chamber from exceeding said second pressure while permitting said pressure differential to vary solely in response to the flow conditions in the conveying means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.