Apparatus and method for transporting and agitating a substance
AssigneeThe Maitland Company
InventorRobert M. Rumph
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus and method is disclosed for transporting and agitating a substance having solid and liquid constituents. The apparatus includes a mobile wheeled chassis having a pressure vessel mounted thereon. The vessel has a floor and at least one wall with an inner surface defining a vessel interior space for containing the substance. A plurality of supports are located within the interior space and mounted to the inner surface. A plurality of motors each having a shaft are located and mounted to a respective support. A plurality of agitator blades are each coupled to a respective shaft and rotated about a substantially vertical axis for directing the substance toward the floor.
Claims25
A method of transporting a substance having solid and liquid constituents, the method comprising the steps of:
- conveying a substance into a pressure vessel having a plurality of agitators located therein, each agitator including a motor, a substantially vertically oriented shaft, and a blade, the shaft having opposing ends entirely contained within the pressure vessel and the motor being located entirely within the pressure vessel and being capable of operation within the pressure vessel when pressurized;
- transporting the vessel to a destination and permitting at least some of the solids to settle and form a sediment on a floor portion of the pressure vessel;
- rotating the blades with the motors to drive liquid toward the floor to agitate the sediment and causing the sediment to mix with the liquid, thereby forming a substantially uniform mixture of solids and liquids in the pressure vessel;
- pressurizing the pressure vessel;
- and
- offloading the substance by opening a port in the pressure vessel when the vessel is pressurized.
An apparatus for transporting and agitating a substance having solid and liquid constituents, the apparatus comprising:
- a chassis having rotatable wheels;
- a pressure vessel mounted on the chassis, the vessel including a shell defining an interior space for containing the substance, the shell having a ceiling, a floor, and an intermediate region between the ceiling and floor, and a discharge passage located in said shell, the discharge passage being operable between an open position and a closed position, the vessel being constructed and pressure sealed to permit off-loading of the substance through said discharge passage by internal pressurization of said vessel when the discharge passage is opened;
- a support mounted within the vessel interior space;
- a motor connected to the support and located entirely within the pressure vessel interior space, the motor having a shaft positioned in a substantially vertical orientation and being operational in a pressurized environment;
- and
- an agitator blade located in the vessel interior space and coupled to the shaft, the agitator blade being rotatable about a substantially vertical axis for directing the substance from the intermediate region toward the floor.
An apparatus for transporting and agitating a substance having solid and liquid constituents, the apparatus comprising:
- a mobile wheeled chassis;
- a pressure vessel mounted on the chassis and having at least one wall with an inner surface defining a vessel interior space for containing the substance, the vessel having a ceiling, a floor, and an intermediate region positioned above the floor;
- a plurality of supports located within the interior space above the floor;
- a plurality of motors located within the vessel interior space, each of the motors being capable of operation within a pressurized environment in a pressure vessel;
- a plurality of motor driven shafts, each associated with one of said plurality of motors and each being rotatable about a substantially vertical axis;
- and
- a plurality of agitator blades, each of said shafts having at least one of said plurality of blades rotatable therewith within the vessel interior space, such that each rotating blade has a tip end defining a perimeter of a circular path of blade travel, and wherein the agitator blades are oriented so that when the blades are rotated, substantially the entire floor is covered by rotating blades and substance in the intermediate region is directed towards the floor.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.