Rotary airlock valve

In a rotary airlock for delivering material to a pneumatic pipeline, the airlock having a tubular housing formed about a longitudinal axis, the housing including inlet and outlet ports to receive and discharge material and having end plates that rotatably support opposite ends of a rotor assembly which is located in the housing and rotates about the longitudinal axis, the rotor assembly including multiple vanes spaced a vane clearance distance from the housing and having shrouds on opposite ends of the vanes spaced from the end plates by a gap, the improvement comprising:

• a seal ring mounted between the shroud and the corresponding end plate, said seal ring engaging an exterior surface of said shroud about the longitudinal axis to maintain a sealed relation therewith;
• and
• expandable means for biasing the seal ring toward and against the exterior surface of the shroud, said expandable means expanding radially outward to sealably engage an inner surface of the housing, said housing forming a chamber for receiving said rotor assembly, said chamber and said rotor assembly being tapered along said longitudinal axis, said seal ring and expandable means shifting along said longitudinal axis to maintain said sealed relation as the rotor assembly shifts along said longitudinal axis.

In a rotary airlock for delivering material to a pneumatic pipeline, the airlock having a tubular housing formed about a longitudinal axis, the housing including inlet and outlet ports to receive and discharge material and having end plates that rotatably support opposite ends of a rotor assembly which is located in the housing and rotates about the longitudinal axis, the rotor assembly including multiple vanes spaced a vane clearance distance from the housing and having shrouds on opposite ends of the vanes spaced from the end plates by a gap, the improvement comprising:

• a seal ring mounted between the shroud and the corresponding end plate, said seal ring engaging an exterior surface of said shroud about the longitudinal axis to maintain a sealed relation therewith;
• and
• expandable means for biasing the seal ring toward and against the exterior surface of the shroud, said expandable means including inner, outer, ring seal and end plate faces which sealably engage a ledge upon the end plate, the housing, the seal and the end plate, respectively.