Milling apparatus

Abstract

Milling apparatus suitable for mechano-chemical breakdown of contaminated media reliant upon housed ball mill units each able to be cradle mounted to receive a rotational drive of a shaft and to feed material downwardly from housing to housing.

Description

Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which

FIG. 1 show a plant schematic suitable for treating a matrix that is a contaminated soil stockpile, the solid arrows showing the soil flow,

FIG. 1A shows the flow of the plant of FIG. 1,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a gang of shafted chambers in accordance with the present invention each operating as a milling apparatus (the balls or other impact elements not being shown) under the operation of a preferred gang drive and within a sound suppressing containment enclosure,

FIG. 3 is a closer detail of a soil and reagent feed hopper each with separate auger feed into the top most shafted chamber,

FIG. 4 is a close up of a shafted chamber showing a top feed point at or adjacent one end and an outlet at the other end from whence there can be a feed down to a feed in part of a reversed but preferably in line milling apparatus of the same kind thereby to reverse the flow direction as the chambers alternate, thereby reducing the footprint of the plant,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 2 showing the drive pulleys preferred in conjunction with an electric motor, the gang of shafted chambers being supported from a tower frame,

FIG. 6 is a closer view of two proximate parts of the gang shown in FIG. 5,

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic section of apparatus of the present invention (not showing the balls for clarity, the balls (e.g. of a size mentioned in the previously mentioned specifications) being at least to about the shaft level when static,

FIG. 8 is a ready to go milling apparatus of a kind coupled in FIG. 7,

FIG. 9 shows the cradle and drive coupler that remains when the apparatus of FIG. 8 has been removed,

FIG. 10 shows the couplet in section (e.g. ATRA-FLEX™ flexible coupling available in New Zealand—www.johnbrooks.co.nz/couplingshtm, and

FIG. 11 shows a flow diagram of a heavy metal stabilising regime for milled soils that can extend the value of the milling to reduce organic contamination.

Claims

1. Milling apparatus comprising or including a shaft having a drive coupling and carrying agitator forms (“agitators”) to rotate with the shaft,a drum or other chamber defining means (“drum”) about the agitators on part of the length of the shaft thereby defining a chamber containing or to contain impact elements to be energised by agitation, the drum having an inlet and an outlet for process stream material(s),a drive having a drive coupling to complement that of the shaft,a support for the shafted drum which enables the drive via the coupled couplings to rotate at least the shaft and its agitators about the shaft axis when it is substantially horizontal, andoptionally the impact elements (e.g. ball, barrels, pins and/or the like masses).

2. Apparatus of claim 1 wherein there is within the drum a partition whereby impact elements to be retained can not access a said outlet but finer material(s) can.

3. Milling apparatus comprising or including a shaft having a drive coupling,agitator forms (“agitators”) sleeved on the shaft to rotate with the shaft,a drum or other chamber defining means (“drum”) about the agitators on part of the length of the shaft thereby defining a chamber containing or to contain impact elements to be energised by agitation, the drum having an inlet and an outlet for process stream material(s),a drive having a drive coupling to complement that of the shaft,a support for the shafted drum which enables the drive via the coupled couplings to rotate at least the shaft and its agitators about the shaft axis when it is substantially horizontal, andoptionally the impact elements (e.g. ball, barrels, pins and/or the like masses).

4. Horizontally Shafted milling apparatus comprising or including a shaft having a drive coupling and carrying agitator forms (“agitators”) to rotate with the shaft,a drum or other chamber defining means (“drum”) about the agitators on part of the length of the shaft thereby defining a chamber containing or to contain impact elements to be energised by agitation, the drum having an inlet and an outlet for process stream material(s),a drive having a drive coupling to complement that of the shaft,a support for the shafted drum which enables the drive via the coupled couplings to rotate at least the shaft and its agitators about the shaft axis, andoptionally the impact elements (e.g. ball, barrels, pins and/or the like masses).

5. Milling apparatus comprising or including a shaft having a drive coupling and carrying agitator forms (“agitators”) to rotate with the shaft,a drum or other chamber defining means (“drum”) about the agitators on part of the length of the shaft thereby defining a chamber containing or to contain impact elements to be energised by agitation, the drum having an inlet and an outlet for process stream material(s),a drive having a drive coupling to complement that of the shaft,a support for the shafted drum which enables the drive via the coupled couplings to rotate at least the shaft and its agitators about the shaft axis, andoptionally the impact elements (e.g. ball, barrels, pins and/or the like masses).

6. An assembly providing part or to provide parts of a milling apparatus comprising or including a shaft having a drive coupling and carrying agitator forms (“agitators”) to rotate with the shaft, anda drum or other chamber defining means (“drum”) about the agitators on part of the length of the shaft thereby defining a chamber containing or to contain impact elements to be energised by agitation, the drum having an inlet and an outlet for process stream material(s),the shaft preferably to be rotated substantially horizontally.

7. Milling apparatus comprising or including a shaft having a drive coupling and carrying agitator forms (“agitators”) to rotate with the shaft,a drum or other chamber defining means (“drum”) about the agitators on part of the length of the shaft thereby defining a chamber containing or to contain impact elements to be energised by agitation, the drum having an inlet to receive a feed from above to discharge to below when appropriately operated with the shaft at least substantially horizontal and an outlet,a drive having a drive coupling to complement that of the shaft,a support for the shafted drum which enables the drive via the coupled couplings to rotate at least the shaft and its agitators about the shaft axis, andoptionally the impact elements (e.g. ball, barrels, pins and/or the like masses).

8. A gang of milling apparatus where at least one feeds material to another, at least one or more milling apparatus comprising or including a shaft having a drive coupling and carrying agitator forms (“agitators”) to rotate with the shaft,a drum or other chamber defining means (“drum”) about the agitators on part of the length of the shaft thereby defining a chamber containing or to contain impact elements to be energised by agitation, the drum having an inlet and an outlet for process stream material(s), andoptionally the impact elements (e.g. ball, barrels, pins and/or the like masses).

9. Milling apparatus comprising or including a plurality shafted chambers containing impact masses capable of being energised by agitator formations carried by each shaft when rotated, each chamber having an inlet and an outlet, anda drive or drives to rotate the shafts,wherein an inlet of a first said chamber can receive a solids stream and its outlet can discharge to an inlet of a second said chamber and the outlet of that second chamber can discharge either (I) for harvesting the out put or (II) to an inlet of a third said chamber, etc.

10. In combination, a shafted housing having, or to have, balls or the like therein, ball mill,a mount to cradle the housing yet to allow shaft rotation when and/or if the housing is fixed in the cradle, anda coupler of a drive to couple to the shaft so as to drive, in use, the cradle mounted ball mill by rotating the coupled shaft.

11. Milling apparatus comprising or including a plurality shafted chambers of impact masses capable of being energised by agitator formations carried by each shaft when rotated, each chamber having an inlet and an outlet, anda ganged drive to rotate the shafts,wherein an inlet of a first said chamber can receive a solids stream and its outlet can discharge to an inlet of a second said chamber and the outlet of that second chamber can discharge either (I) for harvesting the out put or (II) to an inlet of a third said chamber, etc.

12. In combination, a ball mill having a housing and a shaft,a mount to cradle the housing yet to allow shaft rotation when and/or if the housing is fixed in the cradle, anda coupler of a drive to couple to the shaft so as to drive, in use, the cradle mounted ball mill by rotating the coupled shaft.

13. Milling apparatus comprising or including a plurality shafted chambers or drums (“chambers”) of impact masses capable of being energised by agitator formations carried by each shaft when rotated, each chamber having an inlet and an outlet, anda drive or drives to rotate each of the shafts via a drive input,wherein an inlet of a first said chamber can receive a solids stream and its outlet can discharge to an inlet of a second said chamber and the outlet of that second chamber can discharge either (I) for harvesting the out put or (II) to an inlet of a third said chamber, etc,and wherein each shaft can be disconnected for removal (preferably with its chamber) from its drive input.

14. In combination, a ball mill having a housing and a shaft,a mount to cradle the housing yet to allow shaft rotation when and/or if the housing is fixed in the cradle, anda coupler of a drive to couple to the shaft so as to drive, in use, the cradle mounted ball mill by rotating the coupled shaft.

15. Milling apparatus comprising or including a plurality shafted chambers of impact masses capable of being energised by agitator formations carried by each shaft when rotated, each chamber having an inlet and an outlet, anda drive or drives to rotate the shafts,wherein an inlet of a first said chamber can receive a solids stream and its outlet can discharge to an inlet of a second said chamber and the outlet of that second chamber can discharge either (I) for harvesting the out put or (II) to an inlet of a third said chamber, etc,and wherein each shafted chamber as a unit can be replaced by uncradling and/or disconnection from its drive input.