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US 7,451,880 B2Granted
Debris removal from fluidized sand bed
AssigneeGeneral Electric Company
InventorsRick Allen Burnett, Bradley Howard Foreman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Apparatus for removing debris from a fluidized sand bed. One or more troughs extend radially from a vertical shaft. Associated with each trough is a perforated chute. The apparatus is placed into the fluidized bed of sand, and rotated. As the apparatus rotates, the perforated chute sifts, or separates, debris from the fluidized sand. That is, the fluidized sand flows through the perforations, but the debris does not. When the apparatus is removed from the fluidized bed, the debris tumbles down the chute, into the troughs, if it has not already done so, and is captured.
Claims8
Apparatus, comprising:
- a) a shaft;
- b) a first trough
- i) extending radially from the shaft, and
- ii) having an open top, and
- c) a perforated chute extending radially from the shaft and sharing a common edge with the first trough, where the chute is aligned so as to, during rotation of the shaft:
- i) catch debris which moves across the top of the first trough, and
- ii) deliver the debris to the first trough;
- and wherein the first trough is aligned so as to retain therein debris received from the chute.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.