Patent Application
20220193948
The disclosure relates in general to industrial mixing, and more particularly, to a mobile industrial mixing apparatus.
Large quantities of bulk powdered material, such as cement or Bentonite, are used in many industrial applications. In many of these industrial applications, this bulk material must be combined with a liquid, such as water, to maintain a desired proportion between the two materials. Typically, such mixing utilizes a stationary industrial mixing apparatus that mixes relatively small batches of a mixture of the bulk powdered material and the liquid. Once a batch of mixture is used up, work is delayed while another batch of the mixture is prepared. These delays significantly impact workflow on a worksite. One such application of such a stationary industrial mixing apparatus is for an industrial trencher.
The disclosure is directed to a mobile industrial mixing apparatus that includes a frame, a mixing chamber, a motor, a storage bin, and a transport mechanism. The mixing chamber is coupled to the frame and includes a housing, a top end, and a bottom end. The mixing chamber includes a mixing mechanism disposed within the mixing chamber, the mixing mechanism mixing an industrial powdered bulk material with a liquid. The mixing chamber further including a discharge opening to allow a mixture of the industrial powdered bulk material and the liquid to leave the mixing chamber. The motor is coupled to the mixing mechanism and drives the mixing mechanism. The storage bin is coupled to the frame and is disposed proximate to the bottom end of the mixing chamber, the storage bin receiving the mixture of the industrial powdered bulk material and the liquid. The transport mechanism is coupled to the frame and transports the mixing chamber and the storage bin.
In some configurations, the industrial powdered bulk material is Bentonite and the liquid is water.
In some configurations, the mixing mechanism is a first mixing mechanism and the mixing chamber is a first mixing chamber, the mobile industrial mixing apparatus further comprising a second mixing mechanism disposed within a second mixing chamber, and a divider to separate the first mixing chamber from the second mixing chamber.
In some configurations, the mixing mechanism includes a rotating shaft that extends from a front of the mixing chamber to a back of the mixing chamber.
In some configurations, the mixing mechanism further includes arms disposed along a length of the rotating shaft, with paddles disposed on ends of the arms, respectively.
In some configurations, the rotating shaft is a first rotating shaft, the mixing mechanism includes a second rotating shaft.
In some configurations, the motor is one of a hydraulic motor, an electric motor, pneumatic motor, gasoline motor, and propane motor, to drive the mixing mechanism.
In some configurations, the discharge opening is a first discharge opening, the storage bin being tapered to funnel the mixture of the industrial powdered bulk material and the liquid to a second discharge opening of the storage bin.
In some configurations, the transport mechanism includes one of wheels and a continuous track.
In some configurations, the mobile industrial mixing apparatus further includes a liquid storage tank, coupled to the frame, to store the liquid during transport of the industrial powdered bulk material, the transport mechanism further transporting the liquid storage tank.
In some configurations, the industrial mixing apparatus further includes a front side and a back side, the liquid storage tank being disposed on the front side of the mobile industrial mixing apparatus.
In some configurations, the mobile industrial mixing apparatus further includes a liquid pump, coupled to the frame, to pump the liquid from the liquid storage tank to the mixing chamber.
In some configurations, a system includes an excavator to receive the mixture of the industrial powdered bulk material and the liquid produced by the mobile industrial mixing.
In some configurations, the excavator is an industrial trencher.
In some configurations, the mobile industrial mixing apparatus further includes a hinged door coupled to the housing, the hinged door providing access to the mixing mechanism disposed within the mixing chamber.
In some configurations, the motor is coupled to the mixing mechanism via a belt.
In some configurations, the mobile industrial mixing apparatus further includes a mixture pump to pump the mixture of the industrial powdered bulk material and the liquid away from the mobile industrial mixing apparatus.
In some configurations, a plurality of spray nozzles are disposed within the mixing chamber to spray the liquid onto the industrial powdered bulk material during mixing of the industrial powdered bulk material and the liquid.
The disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings wherein:
While this disclosure is susceptible of embodiment(s) in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and described herein in detail a specific embodiment(s) with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification and is not intended to be limited to the embodiment(s) illustrated.
It will be understood that like or analogous elements and/or components, referred to herein, may be identified throughout the drawings by like reference characters. In addition, it will be understood that the drawings are merely schematic representations of the invention, and some of the components may have been distorted from actual scale for purposes of pictorial clarity.
It has become appreciated that typical mixing apparatus that are used for mixing bulk powdered material, such as cement or Bentonite, have one or more deficiencies. Such a bulk powdered material is typically mixed with a liquid, such as water, before being used on a worksite. This mixture is typically used throughout the worksite, which typically results in the typical metering apparatus having to be repeatedly moved from one location to another location on the worksite as work progresses. This repeated moving slows work down on the worksite. Additionally, as discussed above typical stationary mixing apparatus make relatively small batches of mixture which requires a worksite to delay work while another batch is prepared. The disclosed embodiment(s) at least mitigate such deficiencies.
Referring now to the drawings and in particular to
The mobile industrial mixing apparatus 100/200 further includes the mixing chamber 120/220. The mixing chamber 120/220 is coupled to the frame 110/210 and includes a housing 112/212, a top end 124/224, and a bottom end 126/226. The mixing chamber 120/220 includes a mixing mechanism 130 disposed within the mixing chamber 120/220 and to mix an industrial powdered bulk material 140 with a liquid 145, such as water. The mixing mechanism 130 can be a shear mixing mechanism, a diffusive mixing mechanism, a convective mixing mechanism, a combination of at least two of these types of mixing mechanism, or any other type of mixing mechanism that provide for mixing of the industrial powdered bulk material 140 with the liquid 145. The mixing chamber 120/220 further includes a discharge opening 125 to allow a mixture 147 of the industrial powdered bulk material 140 and the liquid 145 to leave the mixing chamber 120/220.
In at least one embodiment, as shown in
Dividing the mixing chamber 930 into first and second mixing chambers 932/936 allows for mixing of smaller batches of the mixture 147, which is easier to mix than one larger batch, and/or allows for staggering of batches. For example, when the mixture 147 has a finite time of use requirement once prepared, one batch of the mixture 147 can first be prepared within the first mixing chamber 932. Then, as this first batch of the mixture 147 is being used up on the worksite, another batch of the mixture 147 can be prepared in the second mixing chamber 936. This staggered preparation of the mixture 147 between the first and second mixing chambers 932/936 mitigates wasted mixture 147 that may occur if one larger batch cannot be used within the finite time of use requirement once prepared.
As shown in
In at least one embodiment, to add the liquid 145 to the mixing chamber 220, the mobile industrial mixing apparatus 200 can further include a plurality of spray nozzles 1110 (
In the example of the mobile industrial mixing apparatus 200, four motors 248a/248b/248c/248d are used to drive a mixing mechanism 1030 within the mixing chamber mixing chamber 220, as shown in
In at least one embodiment, the motors 248a/248b/248c/248d can be coupled to the housing 212 of the mixing chamber 220. The motors 248a/248b/248c/248d are coupled to the mixing mechanism via at least one belt 232, as shown in
The mobile industrial mixing apparatus 100/200 further includes a storage bin 150/250. The storage bin 150/250 is also coupled to the frame 110 and is disposed proximate to the bottom end 126/226 of the mixing chamber 150/250. The storage bin 150/250 receives the mixture 147 of the industrial powdered bulk material 140 and the liquid 145. The storage bin 250 can be funnel shaped to direct the mixture 147 toward a center of the storage bin 250, and can include braces disposed along an outside surface of the storage bin 250 to add rigidity to the storage bin 250. The discharge opening 125 is a first discharge opening, the storage bin 150 including a second discharge opening 146.
In at least one embodiment, the storage bin 150/250 is tapered to funnel the mixture 147 of the industrial powdered bulk material 140 and the liquid 145 to a plurality of second discharge openings, such as four discharge openings 865a/865b/865c/865d (
The mobile industrial mixing apparatus 100/200 further includes a transport mechanism 160/260 coupled to the frame 110/210. The transport mechanism 160/260 transports the mixing chamber 120/220 and the storage bin 150/250. The transport mechanism 160 can include wheels 162, a continuous track 262, or any other type of transport mechanism that provide mobility to the mixing chamber 120/220 and the storage bin 150/250, and mobility to any other components of the mobile industrial mixing apparatus 100/200, such as those disclosed herein. In at least one embodiment, a motor (not shown) and/or an engine (not shown) can be coupled to the transport mechanism 160/260 such that the mobile industrial mixing apparatus 100/200 can be driven about a worksite like a typical excavator via operator controls (not shown).
In an application where access to the liquid 145 (e.g., water) on a worksite may be limited, it may be convenient to have the liquid 145 local to the mixing mechanism 130/230. In such an application, the mobile industrial mixing apparatus 100/200 can further include a liquid storage tank 270 (
The trencher 1210 can be of the type developed by DeWind Corporation. The trencher 1210 can be of the type that uses one-pass trenching technology, such as model MT2000 or MT3500. These trenchers install various types of systems deeper, faster, safer, and at less cost than most conventional alternatives. The MT 3500 (e.g., with up to 3,500 horse power) can reach depths of up to 125′ feet below grade for “Mix In Place” walls, such as soil Bentonite Walls, and soil cement Bentonite wall installations. The trencher 1210 can be a one-pass trencher that can mixed-in-place soil Bentonite and soil, cement Bentonite into a completely homogenized wall from top to bottom and from start to finish. These one-pass trenchers utilize a continuous vertical mixing that eliminates possibility for window or voids in the wall. One-pass barrier walls are evenly and consistently mixed throughout. These one-pass trenchers can mix a heavy high slump mix in place. This ability to mix a super heavy slump makes one-pass ideal for dam and levee repair. The mobile industrial mixing apparatus 100/200 can be used as a metered Bentonite delivery system.
These one-pass trenchers can use underground water injection nozzles, pre-mixed slurry injection ports, speed controls for both the mixing chain and track speeds, GPS mapping and laser guides to control depth. Engineers who use these one-pass trenchers prefer them to conventional excavator installation methods because of the completely homogenized soils from top to bottom, secure key into confining layer, no possibility for voids in the wall, precise laser installations, no messing mixing ponds, ability to work in tight sites, no open excavation and fast installation rates with a precise mapping of the alignment for future use. These one-pass trenchers can build trenches that are 125′+ deep, are 12″-48″ wide, and can build 200-500 linear feet per day.
In at least one embodiment, the industrial powdered bulk material 140 can be comprised of Bentonite which is an absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite. It was named by Wilbur C. Knight in 1898 after the Cretaceous Benton Shale near Rock River, Wyo. The different types of Bentonite are each named after the respective dominant element, such as potassium (K), sodium (Na), calcium (Ca), and aluminium (Al). Bentonite usually forms from weathering of volcanic ash, most often in the presence of water. However, the term Bentonite, as well as a similar clay called tonstein, has been used to describe clay beds of uncertain origin. For industrial purposes, two main classes of Bentonite exist: sodium and calcium Bentonite. In stratigraphy and tephrochronology, completely devitrified (weathered volcanic glass) ash-fall beds are commonly referred to as K-Bentonites when the dominant clay species is illite. In addition to montmorillonite and illite, another common clay species that is sometimes dominant is kaolinite. Kaolinite-dominated clays are commonly referred to as tonsteins and are typically associated with coal.
The property of swelling on contact with water makes sodium Bentonite useful as a sealant, since it provides a self-sealing, low-permeability barrier. It is used to line the base of landfills to prevent migration of leachate, for quarantining metal pollutants of groundwater, and for the sealing of subsurface disposal systems for spent nuclear fuel.[10] Similar uses include making slurry walls, waterproofing of below-grade walls, and forming other impermeable barriers, e.g., to seal off the annulus of a water well, to plug old wells.
Bentonite can also be “sandwiched” between synthetic materials to create geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) for the aforementioned purposes. This technique allows for more convenient transport and installation, and it greatly reduces the volume of bentonite required. It is also used to form a barrier around newly planted trees to constrain root growth so as to prevent damage to nearby pipes, footpaths and other infrastructure. Farmers use bentonite to seal retention ponds and line canals.
The foregoing description merely explains and illustrates the disclosure and the disclosure is not limited thereto except insofar as the appended claims are so limited, as those skilled in the art who have the disclosure before them will be able to make modifications without departing from the scope of the disclosure.
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63/128,631 filed on Dec. 21, 2020, entitled “MOBILE INDUSTRIAL MIXING APPARATUS”, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63128631 | Dec 2020 | US |
