US 5,772,390 A · Coal loading system and method

Abstract

A method for loading a moving railroad car from front to back with a target weight of particulate material from a loading unit having a silo and first and second weigh bin, which bin means have a combined material weight capacity of less than the target weight, the method comprising the steps of: (a) making a first charge of material into the first bin; (b) discharging a first quantity of material from the first bin into a forward portion of the car; (c) making a second charge of material into the first bin; (d) discharging a second quantity of material from the first bin into a rearward portion of the car, wherein the weights of the first and second quantities are determined and, as a combined weight, is less than the target weight; (e) making a charge of material into the second bin; (f) discharging from the second bin into the car a topping quantity of material equal in weight, to within about 0.5%, to the target weight less the combined weight, to thereby attain, within very close limits, the target weight of material in the car; and (g) wherein either or both of the charging step of (e) and the discharging step of (f) may be initiated at any convenient time during the car loading operation.

Claims17

Dependent claims

The method for loading a moving railroad car from front to back with a target weight of particulate material from a loading unit having a silo means and first and second weigh bin means, which bin means have a combined material weight capacity of less than said target weight, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) making a first charge of material into said first bin means;
(b) discharging a first quantity of material from said first bin means into a forward portion of said car;
(c) making a second charge of material into said first bin means;
(d) discharging a second quantity of material from said first bin means into a rearward portion of said car, wherein the weights of said first and second quantities are determined and, as a combined weight, is less than said target weight;
(e) making a charge of material into said second bin means;
(f) discharging from said second bin means into said car a topping quantity of material equal in weight, to within about 0.5%, to said target weight less said combined weight, to thereby attain, within very close limits, the target weight of material in said car;
and
(g) wherein either or both of the charging step of (e) and the discharging step of (f) may be initiated at any convenient time during the car loading operation.

5 more elements

A method expressed in the form of a charging cycle for achieving markedly increased loading rates for precision loading a predetermined target weight of bulk particulate material into a moving car of a series of moving, connected, open top railroad cars progressively from front to rear thereof from a loading unit having silo means and associated first and second weigh bin means supported above the railroad tracks, each said bin means being independently supported under said silo means and spaced apart from the other along said tracks a distance which is considerably less than the length of said car, wherein space limitations under said silo means require that the combined capacities by weight of both bin means be less than said target weight, wherein said silo means has first and second bin charging gate means, wherein each bin means has a car loading discharge gate means, and wherein said car is moving in a direction which places it first under said first bin means and then under said second bin means, said charging cycle comprising the steps of:

(a) making a first charge of material into said first bin means from said silo means;
(b) obtaining the gross weight of said first bin means;
(c) discharging a first quantity of material from said first bin means into a forward section of said car;
(d) obtaining the net weight of said first quantity;
(e) charge of material into said first bin means from said silo means;
(f) obtaining the gross weight of said first bin means;
(g) discharging a second quantity of material from said first bin means into a section of said car rearwardly of said forward section;
(h) obtaining the net weight of said second quantity;
(i) prior to complete discharge of said second quantity into said car, beginning discharging a topping quantity of predetermined weight of material from said second bin means into said car, said predetermined weight being calculated by subtracting the combined first and second net weights from said target weight;
and wherein
(j) said discharging of said topping quantity is performed in a highly controlled manner by adjustment of the position of the discharge gate means as a function of the rate of flow of said topping quantity into said car.

8 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Coal loading system and method

Life of this patent

Coal loading system and method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims17