Patent Application
20120168527
The present disclosure relates to continuous board manufacturing processes and, more particularly, to an apparatus, system and method for the distribution of an aqueous gypsum slurry.
In a typical continuous gypsum manufacturing process, for example, a process such as those used to manufacture wallboard, water, calcined gypsum (i.e., stucco) and other additives as desired are combined and mixed in a pin mixer. Aqueous foam can be injected either in the mixer or outside the mixer to control the dry board density. Stucco is in the form of calcium sulfate hemihydrate and/or calcium sulfate anhydrite. The slurry is deposited onto a continuously advancing paper web moving on a conveyor. The slurry is allowed to spread over the advancing web of cover sheet material before a second web of cover sheet material is applied to cover the slurry and form a sandwich structure of a continuous wallboard preform, which is subjected to forming, such as at a conventional forming station, to obtain a desired thickness. The calcined gypsum reacts with the water in the preform and sets as the conveyor moves the preform down a manufacturing line. The preform is cut into segments at a point along the line where the preform has set sufficiently, flipped over, dried (e.g., in a kiln) to drive off excess water, and processed to provide the final wallboard product of desired dimensions.
The weight proportion of water relative to stucco that is mixed is referred to in the art as the “water-stucco ratio” (WSR). In the continuous wallboard production process industry, it is strongly desired to reduce the WSR to enhance manufacturing efficiency, for example, by reducing the energy required to dry the final products. However, a reduction of the WSR is not easily attainable. For example, slurry compositions having a higher water content have a lower viscosity, which can help spread the slurry across the width of the cover sheet web as it advances toward the forming station.
Prior apparatus and methods for addressing some of the operational problems associated with the production of gypsum wallboard are disclosed in commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,683,635; 5,643,510; 6,494,609; 6,874,930; 7,007,914; and 7,296,919, which are incorporated herein by reference.
In one aspect, the disclosure describes a slurry distributor for use in a continuous manufacturing process includes an inlet opening and a shaped duct adapted to receive a flow of slurry provided at the inlet opening. The shaped duct has a parabolic guide surface adapted to redirect the flow of slurry. An outlet opening in fluid communication with the shaped duct is adapted to receive the flow of slurry.
In some embodiments, a slurry distributor for use in a continuous manufacturing process includes an entry segment defining an inlet opening, a shaped duct in fluid communication with the inlet opening, and an outlet defining an outlet opening in fluid communication with the shaped duct. The shaped duct includes a parabolic guide surface adapted to redirect a flow of slurry moving from the inlet opening through the shaped duct to the outlet opening from an inlet direction to an outlet direction.
In another aspect, the disclosure describes a method for providing a slurry to an advancing web. The method includes passing a flow of aqueous gypsum slurry through an inlet of a slurry distributor having a shaped duct with a parabolic guide surface adapted to redirect the flow of slurry toward an outlet opening thereof. The flow of aqueous gypsum slurry is discharged through the outlet.
In some embodiments, a method for providing a slurry to an advancing web is provided. A flow of aqueous gypsum slurry is passed in an inlet flow direction through an inlet of a slurry distributor having a shaped duct with a parabolic guide surface such that the parabolic guide surface redirects the flow of slurry from the inlet flow direction to an outlet flow direction toward an outlet opening of the slurry distributor. The flow of the aqueous gypsum slurry is discharged from the outlet in the outlet flow direction upon an advancing web of cover sheet material.
In yet another aspect, the disclosure describes a gypsum slurry mixing and dispensing assembly. The assembly includes a gypsum slurry mixer adapted to agitate water and calcined gypsum to form an aqueous gypsum slurry. A slurry distributor in fluid communication with the gypsum slurry mixer is adapted to receive a flow of aqueous gypsum slurry from the gypsum slurry mixer and distribute the flow of aqueous gypsum slurry onto an advancing web. The slurry distributor includes an inlet opening and a shaped duct adapted to receive the flow of aqueous gypsum slurry provided at the inlet opening. The shaped duct has a parabolic guide surface adapted to redirect the flow of aqueous gypsum slurry. An outlet opening in fluid communication with the shaped duct is adapted to receive the flow of aqueous gypsum slurry.
In some embodiments, a gypsum slurry mixing and dispensing assembly includes a mixer adapted to agitate water and calcined gypsum to form an aqueous calcined gypsum slurry and a slurry distributor in fluid communication with the mixer. The slurry distributor includes an entry segment defining an inlet opening and adapted to receive the flow of aqueous calcined gypsum slurry, a shaped duct in fluid communication with the inlet opening, and an outlet defining an outlet opening in fluid communication with the shaped duct and adapted to discharge the flow of aqueous calcined gypsum slurry from the slurry distributor. The shaped duct includes a parabolic guide surface adapted to redirect the flow of aqueous calcined gypsum slurry moving from the inlet opening through the shaped duct to the outlet opening from an inlet direction to an outlet direction by a change in direction angle within a range of about forty-five degrees to about one hundred fifty degrees.
The disclosure relates to a distribution system for distributing an aqueous gypsum onto an advancing web (e.g., paper or mat) moving on a conveyor during a continuous manufacturing process, such as a wallboard manufacturing process. A slurry distribution system of the present disclosure is aimed at accomplishing wider spreading for slurries at present WSR or slurries having relatively low WSR and, therefore, relatively higher viscosity. In general, the disclosed system and method is suitable for slurries having relatively high viscosity due to low WSR or to special formulations. The spreading is controlled by routing and distributing the slurry using a distribution system as shown and described hereinafter. In the description that follows, features and structures shown and described relative to one embodiment and that are the same or similar to corresponding features and structures of alternate embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals for simplicity.
Embodiments of a slurry distributor constructed in accordance with principles of the present disclosure can advantageously be configured as a retrofit in an existing wallboard manufacturing system to help allow the system to make wallboard using slurries having a typical WSR to a lower WSR. The slurry distributor can be used with components from a conventional discharge conduit, such as in the form of a gate-canister-boot arrangement as known in the art, or an arrangement as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,494,609; 6,874,930; 7,007,914; and/or 7,296,919. For example, the slurry distributor 100 can replace a conventional single or multiple-branch boot or may, alternatively, be attached to one or more mixer outlet conduits.
The gypsum slurry mixer 304 is adapted to agitate water and calcined gypsum to form the aqueous calcined gypsum slurry. It is contemplated that any suitable mixer can be used with the slurry distributor 100. In various embodiments, the mixer 304 can be located above, alongside, or at a distance from the forming table/conveyor comprising the manufacturing line.
The slurry distributor 100 is in fluid communication with the gypsum slurry mixer 304 and is adapted to receive a flow of aqueous gypsum slurry from the gypsum slurry mixer 304 and distribute the flow of aqueous gypsum slurry onto an advancing web 306. In the illustrated embodiment, a delivery conduit 303 is disposed between and in fluid communication with the gypsum slurry mixer 304 and the slurry distributor 100.
The slurry distributor 100 can be connected downstream of one or more flow-modifying elements 308 associated with the delivery conduit 303 to control a flow of the aqueous gypsum slurry. Examples of suitable flow-modifying elements include volume restrictors, pressure reducers, constrictor valves, canisters, etc., including those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,494,609; 6,874,930; 7,007,914; and 7,296,919, for example.
An aqueous foam supply conduit 312 can be in fluid communication with at least one of the gypsum slurry mixer 304 and the delivery conduit 303. An aqueous foam from a source 310 can be added to the constituent materials through the foam conduit 312 at any suitable location downstream of the mixer 304 and/or in the mixer 304 itself to form a foamed gypsum slurry 314 that is provided to the slurry distributor 100.
When the foamed gypsum slurry sets and is dried, the foam dispersed in the slurry produces air voids therein which act to lower the overall density of the wallboard. The amount of foam and/or amount of air in the foam can be varied to adjust the dry board density such that the resulting wallboard product is within a desired weight range.
Any suitable foaming agent can be used. Preferably, the aqueous foam is produced in a continuous manner in which a stream of the mix of foaming agent and water is directed to a foam generator, and a stream of the resultant aqueous foam leaves the generator and is directed to and mixed with the calcined gypsum slurry. Some examples of suitable foaming agents are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,683,635 and 5,643,510, for example.
As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, one or both of the webs of cover sheet material can be pre-treated with a very thin relatively denser layer of gypsum slurry (relative to the gypsum slurry comprising the core), often referred to as a skim coat in the art, over the field of the web and/or at least one denser stream of gypsum slurry at the edges of the web to produce hard edges, if desired. To that end, the mixer 304 can include a first auxiliary conduit that is adapted to deposit a stream of dense aqueous calcined gypsum slurry that is relatively denser (i.e., a “face skim coat/hard edge stream”) than the stream of aqueous calcined gypsum slurry delivered to the slurry distributor 100. The first auxiliary conduit can deposit the face skim coat/hard edge stream upon the advancing web 306 of cover sheet material upstream of a skim coat roller (itself upstream of the slurry distributor 100) that is adapted to apply a skim coat layer to the advancing web 306 of cover sheet material and to define hard edges at the periphery of the moving web 306 by virtue of the width of the roller being less than the width of the moving web as is known in the art. Hard edges can be formed from the same dense slurry that forms the thin dense layer by directing portions of the dense slurry around the ends of the roller used to apply the dense layer to the web 306.
The mixer 304 can also include a second auxiliary conduit adapted to deposit a stream of dense aqueous calcined gypsum slurry that is relatively denser (i.e., a “back skim coat stream”) than the stream of aqueous calcined gypsum slurry delivered to the slurry distributor 100. The second auxiliary conduit can deposit the back skim coat stream upon a second moving web of cover sheet material upstream (in the direction of movement of the second web) of a skim coat roller that is adapted to apply a skim coat layer to the second moving web of cover sheet material as is known in the art. The second web can be applied to cover the slurry and to form a sandwich structure of a continuous wallboard preform.
In other embodiments, separate auxiliary conduits can be connected to the mixer 304 to deliver one or more separate edge streams to the advancing web 306 of cover sheet material. Other suitable equipment (such as auxiliary mixers) can be provided in the auxiliary conduits to help make the slurry therein denser, such as by mechanically breaking up foam in the slurry and/or by chemically breaking down the foam through use of a suitable de-foaming agent.
In the illustrated embodiment of
The slurry inlet 102 is formed at an end of a hollow and generally straight and cylindrical entry segment 106. The generally straight entry segment 106 is connected to a connector segment 108 that includes a round-to-rectangular cross section transition segment 110, as is best shown in
The duct 112 further includes an adjustable outlet frame 114 that defines the outlet opening 104. As shown, the outlet frame 114 is generally rectangular but other shapes may be used that are consistent with the shape of the duct 112.
The shaped duct 112 is thus fluidly connected to the entry segment 106 and forms the outlet opening 104 to thereby provide fluid communication between the inlet opening 102 and the outlet opening 104 such that a flow of slurry entering the inlet opening 102 travels through the cylindrical entry segment 106, the connector segment 108, the transition segment 110, and the shaped duct 112 and is discharged from the slurry distributor 100 through the outlet opening 104.
The duct 112 has a generally rectangular cross section and a generally curved outer wall that defines a parabolic guide surface 220. The curved or parabolic guide surface 220 is configured such that a flow of slurry entering the slurry distributor 100 through the inlet opening 102 is redirected by a change in direction angle θ before exiting through the outlet opening 104. For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the flow of slurry is redirected from the inlet flow direction 52 along the cross-machine direction 53 through a direction angle θ of about ninety degrees about the vertical axis 57 to the outlet flow direction 54 along the machine direction 55. In some embodiments, the flow of slurry can be redirected from an inlet flow direction 52 through a change in direction angle θ about the vertical axis 57 within a range of about forty-five degrees to about one hundred fifty degrees to the outlet flow direction 54.
In some embodiments, the outlet flow direction is substantially parallel to a plane 56 defined by the machine direction 55 and the transverse cross-machine direction 53 of the system transporting the advancing web 306 of cover sheet material. In other embodiments, the inlet flow direction 52 and the outlet flow direction are both substantially parallel to the plane 56 defined by the machine direction 55 and the transverse cross-machine direction 53 of the system transporting the advancing web 306 of cover sheet material. In some embodiments, the slurry outlet opening 104 can be substantially parallel to the plane 56 defined by the machine direction 55 and the transverse cross-machine direction 53. In some embodiments, the slurry distributor can be adapted and arranged with respect to the forming table such that the flow of slurry is redirected in the slurry distributor from the inlet flow direction 52 to the outlet flow direction 54 without undergoing substantial flow redirection by rotating about the cross-machine direction 53. In some embodiments, the slurry distributor can be adapted and arranged with respect to the forming table such that the flow of slurry is redirected in the slurry distributor from the inlet flow direction 52, which includes a velocity profile having at least about twenty-five percent of its movement in the cross-machine direction 53, to the outlet flow direction 54, which includes a velocity profile having at least about eighty percent of its movement in the machine direction 55.
In some embodiments, the slurry distributor can be adapted and arranged with respect to the forming table such that the flow of slurry is redirected in the slurry distributor from the inlet flow direction 52 to the outlet flow direction 54 by redirecting the slurry by rotating about the cross-machine direction 53 over an angle of about forty-five degrees or less. Such a rotation can be accomplished in some embodiments by adapting the slurry distributor such that the slurry inlet opening 102 and the inlet flow direction 52 are disposed at a vertical offset angle ω with respect to the plane 56 formed by the machine axis 55 and the cross-machine axis 53 and a vertical axis 57, which is mutually perpendicular to the machine axis 55 and the cross-machine axis 53. In embodiments, the slurry inlet opening 102 and the inlet flow direction 52 can be disposed at a vertical offset angle ω within a range from zero to about sixty degrees such that the flow of slurry is redirected about the machine axis 55 and moves along the vertical axis 57 in the slurry distributor from the inlet flow direction 52 to the outlet flow direction 54. In embodiments, at least one of the entry segment 106, the connector segment 108, the transition segment 110, and the shaped duct 112 can be adapted to facilitate the redirection of the slurry about the machine axis 55 and along the vertical axis 57. In embodiments the flow of slurry can be redirected from an inlet flow direction 52 through a change in direction angle θ about an axis substantially perpendicular to vertical offset angle ω and/or one or more other rotational axes within a range of about forty-five degrees to about one hundred fifty degrees to the outlet flow direction 54 such that the outlet flow direction 54 is generally aligned with the machine direction 55.
The duct 112 has a cross sectional flow area that increases in a direction 221 from the inlet opening 102 toward the outlet opening 104 such that the flow of slurry is decelerated as it passes through the duct 112. In the illustrated embodiment, for example, the cross sectional area of the slurry distributor 100 increases at the outlet 104 by about 340% relative to the inlet 102, but any suitable variation is contemplated. For example, in some embodiments, the increase in cross-sectional area can vary over a range from greater than 0% to about 400% increase. In other embodiments, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of the inlet 102 to the outlet 104 can be varied based upon one or more factors, including the speed of the manufacturing line, the viscosity of the slurry being distributed by the distributor 100, the width of the board product being made with the distributor 100, etc.
During operation, a flow of slurry is provided at the slurry inlet 102 from the mixer 304. The flow of slurry passes through the internal portions of the various distributor segments 106, 108, 112 before exiting through the slurry outlet 104. The cross sectional area of the slurry distributor 100 gradually increases along the slurry path from the inlet 102 to the outlet 104 such that the flow of slurry passing therethrough decelerates before exiting the outlet 104. The slurry 314 is deposited from the slurry distributor 100 onto an advancing web 306 of cover sheet material and a second web of cover sheet material is applied over the deposited slurry to form wall board preforms. As one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate, board products are typically formed “face down” such that the advancing web 306 serves as the “face” liner of the board after it is installed.
By use of the distributor 100, the deceleration and directional manipulation of the slurry through the appropriate shaping of the transition segment 110 and the shaped duct 112 enables use of more viscous slurries having lower WSRs with reduced air-slurry separation and with acceptable and controllable material distribution at the outlet 104. As used herein, air-slurry separation is meant to describe conditions in which air pockets form in the slurry, which can cause high and low pressure areas within the slurry and that may result in detrimental density variations in the finished product.
Referring to
In the transition segment 110, the cross section of the slurry distributor 200 gradually changes from circular to generally rectangular in the direction of flow from the inlet 102 to the outlet 104. The transition segment 110 is at least partially defined by an outer straight wall 240 along at least a part of the length 208 and by an inner curved wall 242 having an inside radius of curvature 212, which in the illustrated embodiment is about thirteen inches. At this point, the cross sectional area of the slurry distributor 200 has increased by about 70% relative to the inlet opening 102. The inlet portion of the transition segment 112 has a generally-rectangular cross-sectional shape with a height 214 (see
The transition segment 110 is connected to the shaped duct 112, which redirects the flow direction of the slurry stream by about 90 degrees. The duct 112 has a generally rectangular cross section, as is best shown in
The duct 112 is at least partially defined by an outer curved wall or parabolic guide surface 220 and by an inner slanted wall 222 with curvature. The curved or parabolic guide surface 220 is configured to redirect the flow of slurry from an inlet direction 250 to an outlet direction 252. For example, the flow of slurry can be redirected such that the inlet direction 250 and the outlet direction 252 are generally perpendicular to each other and define an angle of about ninety degrees.
The outer curved wall or parabolic guide surface 220 has a generally parabolic shape in the plane of the cross section shown in
As shown in
The inner slanted wall 222 extends at an obtuse angle 228 relative to an outlet plane defined by the outlet opening 104. In the illustrated embodiment, the inner slanted wall 222 has a length 226 as shown in
The slurry distributor 200 of
In embodiments of a slurry distributor including a second inlet opening 232 in fluid communication with a shaped duct 112 (see
Although the deceleration and flow shaping of the slurry passing through the slurry distributor is effective in helping to inhibit air separation in the slurry, additional features of the slurry distributor 100, 200 may be used to improve the distribution of the slurry after it exits the outlet of the spreader in a continuous manufacturing process. In the illustrated embodiments, the slurry distributor 100, 200 can be made of a plastically formable or deformable material that can be shaped into desired shapes. These shapes can be maintained and the plastic formability characteristics of the material may be configured to insure that the desired shape of certain sections of the spreader can be retained during operation of the spreader. Accordingly, different devices or shaping molds may be used to shape sections of the spreader or, alternatively, the spreader may be shaped manually using an iterative process.
In the illustrated embodiments, the distributor 100, 200 is made of a sheet metal, such as steel, which permits the forming of the portion of the spreader, for example, the frame 114 that surrounds the opening 104. The forming of the frame 114 may be accomplished manually by an operator or may alternatively be defined and secured by the attachment of an appropriately contoured plate (not shown) that is attached around at least a portion of the frame 114. In such an embodiment, the material of the frame 114 can be formed by being pushed into or otherwise urged into the various desired contour features of the contoured plate.
When determining a non-rectangular shape for the outlet opening 104, various aspects can be considered that can influence the final shape of the outlet to improve slurry distribution. For example, the positioning of the slurry outlet 104 relative to the centerline of an advancing web of backing material 306 in a continuous wall board manufacturing process (as shown in
A shaped opening 504 is shown in
An additional shaped opening 604 is shown in
Referring to
The adjustment bolts 774 are in regular, spaced relationship to each other along the width of the outlet 730. The adjustment bolts 774 are threadedly engaged with the plate 770. The adjustment bolts 774 are independently adjustable to allow the bolts to act upon the exterior surface of the outlet 730 to locally vary the size and/or shape of the opening 704 of the outlet 730. The outlet 730 is made from a resiliently flexible material such that its shape is adapted to be variable along its width in the transverse cross-machine direction, such as by the adjustment bolts 774, 775, for example.
The profiling system 732 can be used to locally vary the outlet 730 so as to alter the flow pattern of the aqueous calcined gypsum slurry being distributed from the slurry distributor 700. For example, the mid-line adjustment bolt 775 can be tightened down to constrict a transverse central midpoint 794 of the outlet 730 along the cross-machine direction 53 to increase the edge flow angle away from the perpendicular machine direction 55 to facilitate spreading as well as to improve the slurry flow uniformity in the cross-machine axis 53.
The profiling system 732 can be used to vary the size of the outlet 730 along the transverse cross-machine axis 53 and maintain the outlet 730 in the new shape. The plate 770 can be made from a material that is suitably strong such that the plate 770 can withstand opposing forces exerted by the adjustment bolts 774, 775 in response to adjustments made by the adjustment bolts 774, 775 in urging the outlet 730 into a new shape. The profiling system 732 can be used to help even out variations in the flow profile of the slurry being discharged from the outlet 730 such that the exit pattern of the slurry from the slurry distributor 700 is more uniform.
In other embodiments, the number of adjustment bolts can be varied such that the spacing between adjacent adjustment bolts changes. In other embodiments where the width of the distribution outlet 730 is different, the number of adjustment bolts can also be varied to achieve a desired adjacent bolt spacing. In yet other embodiments, the spacing between adjacent bolts can vary along the transverse axis 53, for example to provide greater locally-varying control at the side edges 797, 798 of the distribution outlet 730.
In general, the overall dimensions of the various embodiments for slurry distributors as disclosed herein can be scaled up or down depending on the type of product being manufactured, for example, the thickness and/or width of manufactured product, the speed of the manufacturing line being used, the rate of deposition of the slurry through the distributor, and the like. For example, in the illustrated embodiments, the width 218 of the rectangular slurry outlet (
A slurry distributor constructed in accordance with principles of the present disclosure can comprise any suitable material. In some embodiments, a slurry distributor can comprise any suitable substantially rigid material which can include a suitable material which can allow the size and shape of the outlet to be modified using a profile system, for example. For example, a suitably rigid plastic, such as ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) plastic or metal can be used. In other embodiments, a slurry distributor constructed in accordance with principles of the present disclosure can be made from a flexible material, such as a suitable flexible plastic material, including poly vinyl chloride (PVC) or urethane, for example.
Any suitable technique for making a slurry distributor constructed in accordance with principles of the present disclosure can be used. For example, in embodiments where the slurry distributor is made from a flexible material, such as PVC or urethane, a multi-piece mold can be used. The exterior surface of the multi-piece mold can define the internal flow geometry of the slurry distributor. The multi-piece mold can be made from any suitable material, such as aluminum, for example. The mold can be dipped in a heated solution of flexible material, such as PVC or urethane. The mold can then be removed from the dipped material.
By making the mold out of multiple separate aluminum pieces that have been designed to fit together to provide the desired geometries, the mold pieces can be disengaged from each other and pulled out from the solution while it is still warm. At sufficiently-high temperatures, the flexible material is pliable enough to pull larger mold pieces through smaller areas of the molded slurry distributor without tearing it. In some embodiments, the mold piece areas are about 115%, and in other embodiments about 110%, or less than the area of the molded slurry distributor through which the mold piece is being pulled during removal. Connecting bolts can be placed to interlock and align the mold pieces so flashing at the joints is reduced and so the bolts can be removed to disassemble the multi-piece mold during removal of the mold from the interior of the molded slurry distributor.
A slurry distributor constructed in accordance with principles of the present disclosure can be used in a variety of manufacturing processes. For example, in one embodiment, a method for providing a slurry to an advancing web can be performed using a slurry distributor according to principles of the present disclosure. A flow of aqueous gypsum slurry is passed through an inlet of the slurry distributor which includes a shaped duct having a curved guide surface adapted to redirect the flow of slurry toward an outlet opening thereof. For example, the flow of slurry can be redirected by about 90 degrees so that the flow of slurry is redirected from a direction generally transverse to a line of travel of the web to a direction substantially parallel to the line of travel of the web. In other embodiments, the flow of slurry can be redirected from an inlet flow direction 52 through a change in direction angle θ within a range of about forty-five degrees to about one hundred fifty degrees to the outlet flow direction 54. The flow of slurry can decelerate while it passes through the shaped duct by configuring the shaped duct to have an increasing cross sectional flow area along at least a portion of a flow path from the inlet to the outlet. In some embodiments, at least one additional flow of slurry can be passed through the shaped duct through a secondary inlet of the shaped duct.
The flow of the aqueous gypsum slurry is discharged through the outlet such that it is deposited upon the web. The outlet flow direction 54 can be generally along the line of travel of the advancing web. The shape of the outlet opening can be adjusted to vary the flow of aqueous gypsum slurry discharging through the outlet in the cross machine direction.
All references cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.
The use of the terms “a” and “an” and “the” and similar referents in the context of describing the invention (especially in the context of the following claims) are to be construed to cover both the singular and the plural, unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by context. The terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and “containing” are to be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning “including, but not limited to,”) unless otherwise noted. Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context. The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to better illuminate the invention and does not pose a limitation on the scope of the invention unless otherwise claimed. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the invention.
Preferred embodiments of this invention are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the invention. Variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect skilled artisans to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the invention to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, this invention includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Moreover, any combination of the above-described elements in all possible variations thereof is encompassed by the invention unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.
This patent application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 61/428,706, filed Dec. 30, 2010, and entitled, “Slurry Distributor, System and Method for Using Same”; 61/428,736, filed Dec. 30, 2010, and entitled, “Slurry Distribution System and Method”; and 61/550,827, filed Oct. 24, 2011, and entitled, “Slurry Distributor, System, Method for Using, and Method for Making Same,” which are incorporated in their entireties herein by this reference.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 61428706 | Dec 2010 | US | |
| 61428736 | Dec 2010 | US | |
| 61550827 | Oct 2011 | US |
