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US 5,513,682 AGranted
Vacuum fill system
AssigneeB.A.G. Corp.
InventorNorwin C. Derby
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vacuum fill system for deaerating flowable materials includes a hollow container connected to a plurality of valves, slide gate valves and a vacuum pump for creating a vacuum when filled with flowable materials that causes the flowable materials to deaerate and subsequently compact when atmospheric pressure is restored.
Claims15
A vacuum fill system for deaerating flowable materials for storage in a receiving container disposed beneath the vacuum fill system comprising:
- a hollow, upwardly extending container defining a predetermined cross-sectional area for receiving and holding the flowable materials;
- the hollow container having a top end and a bottom end and consisting solely of an air impervious side wall extending continuously from the top end to the bottom end thereof and comprising the sole connection therebetween;
- a discharge outlet attached to the bottom end of the hollow container and defining an opening having a cross-sectional area at least as large as the largest cross-sectional area defined by the hollow container;
- means for controlling the movement of the flowable material into the hollow container;
- means for creating a vacuum in the hollow container to temporarily suspend the flowable materials to occupy a slightly greater volume than before creation of the vacuum with the suspended materials having a uniform cross-sectional area substantially the same as the cross-sectional area defined by the hollow container;
- means connected to the air impervious side wall in proximity to the top end of the hollow container for returning the pressure in the hollow container to atmospheric pressure substantially instantaneously for compacting the deaerated material into a substantially solid slug of material occupying a cross-sectional area substantially identical to, but slightly smaller than, the cross-sectional area defined by the hollow container;
- means for controlling the movement of the substantially solid slug of deaerated, compacted materials as a unitary form from the bottom end of the hollow container;
- and
- means for pressurizing the hollow container to force the substantially solid slug of deaerated, compacted materials to fall as a unitary form from the bottom end of the hollow container.
6 more elements
A vacuum fill system for deaerating flowable materials for storage in a receiving container disposed beneath the vacuum fill system comprising:
- a hollow, upwardly extending container defining a predetermined cross-sectional area and having top and bottom ends, the bottom end defining a cross-sectional area at least as large as the largest cross-sectional area of the hollow container;
- the hollow container consisting solely of an air impervious side wall extending continuously from the top end to the bottom end thereof and comprising the sole connection therebetween;
- a first gate valve and air cylinder attached to the top end of the hollow container for controlling the movement of the flowable materials into the hollow container;
- at least one vacuum line connected to the hollow container;
- a plurality of valves each connected to the vacuum line;
- vacuum means connected to the vacuum line for creating a vacuum in the hollow container for deaerating the flowable materials to temporarily suspend the flowable materials to occupy a slightly greater volume than before creation of the vacuum with the suspended materials having a uniform cross-sectional area substantially the same as the cross-sectional area defined by the hollow container;
- means connected to the air impervious side wall in proximity to the top end of the hollow container for returning the pressure in the hollow container to atmospheric pressure substantially instantaneously for compacting the deaerated flowable materials into a substantially solid slug of material occupying a cross-sectional area substantially identical to, but slightly smaller than, the cross-sectional area defined by the hollow container;
- a second gate valve and air cylinder attached to the bottom end of the hollow container for controlling the movement of the substantially solid slug of deaerated, compacted materials as a unitary form from the bottom end of the hollow container;
- and
- means for pressurizing the hollow container to force the substantially solid slug of deaerated, compacted materials as a unitary form from the bottom end of the hollow container.
7 more elements
A vacuum fill system for deaerating flowable materials for storage in a receiving container disposed beneath the vacuum fill system comprising:
- a hollow, upwardly extending container defining a predetermined cross-sectional area for receiving and holding the flowable materials;
- the hollow container having a top end and a bottom end and consisting solely of an air impervious side wall extending continuously from the top end to the bottom end thereof and comprising the sole connection therebetween;
- means for creating a vacuum in the hollow container for deaerating the flowable materials to temporarily suspend the flowable materials to occupy a slightly greater volume than before creating of the vacuum with the suspended materials having a uniform cross-sectional area substantially the same as the cross-sectional area defined by the hollow container;
- means connected to the air impervious side wall in proximity to the top end of the hollow container for returning the pressure in the hollow container to atmospheric pressure substantially instantaneously for compacting the deaerated material into a substantially solid slug of material occupying a cross-sectional area substantially identical to, but slightly smaller than, the cross-sectional area defined by the hollow container;
- and
- a discharge outlet in the container having a discharge opening with a cross-sectional area at least as large as the largest cross-sectional area defined by the container for discharging the slug of deaerated, compacted material as a unitary form from the bottom end of the hollow container.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.