Patent Application
20190039081
This invention relates generally to transport of solids. More particularly, we are interested in transporting solids between zones of differing pressures or other conditions.
Solids handling is required in nearly all industries. One of the great difficulties in these industries is transferring solids across a pressure gradient or other gradients. One common solution is to fluidize the solids. This can be done as a liquid slurry or by aeration of solids in pneumatic transport, as in fluidized beds and lift pipes.
Liquid slurries are excellent solutions, when the solids can be transferred in a liquid. However, in many solid transport processes, this would be a step backwards, as removing liquids is part of earlier processing steps. Further, solids may react or change as they are in the liquid.
Pneumatic transport works well in many cases. For example, transporting fuels into a burner, with the fuels being carried by air for combustion. However, pneumatic transport across a pressure gradient generally requires the solids be passed through lock hoppers or similar in order to step the solids up in pressure. Large amounts of dust are often produced, necessitating complex baghouses for dust suppression. Further, hot solids can be cooled, or cold solids warmed, during pneumatic transport, which can reduce efficiencies of heat exchange processes.
A solids conveyance process to pass solids across pressure gradients with minimal pressure losses and without fluidizing is required.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,001,652, to Schroeder, et al., teaches an apparatus for feeding finely divided solids. The present disclosure differs from this prior art disclosure in that the prior art disclosure requires aeration of solids and the piston involved does not transport the solids in a hollow in the piston. This prior art disclosure is pertinent and may benefit from the devices disclosed herein and is hereby incorporated for reference in its entirety for all that it teaches.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,667,280, to Lane, et al., teaches a method for handling finely divided solid materials. The present disclosure differs from this prior art disclosure in that the prior art disclosure the piston does not transport the solids in a hollow in the piston. Further, the solids are fluidized, being drawn through a check valve into the piston chamber, and then are pushed out through a second check valve. This prior art disclosure is pertinent and may benefit from the devices disclosed herein and is hereby incorporated for reference in its entirety for all that it teaches.
A device and method for transferring solid particles between zones of different ambient conditions is disclosed. A piston chamber comprising a solids inlet, a solids outlet, and a piston is provided. The solids inlet is adjacent to a source of solid particles, the source being at a first ambient condition. The solids outlet is adjacent to a solids receptacle, the solids receptacle being at a second ambient condition. The piston comprises a hollow. The piston traverses back and forth across the piston chamber such that the hollow is moved alternately adjacent to the solids inlet and the solids outlet. The solid particles pass into the hollow as the hollow is adjacent to the solids inlet, and pass out of the hollow as the hollow is adjacent to the solids outlet.
The solid particles may comprise comminuted ores, powders, grains, granulated sugars, powdered grains, salts, sand, cryogenic solids, metal particles, plastics, or combinations thereof.
The piston may rotate as the piston traverses the piston chamber, such that the hollow is inverted.
The piston may compress a gas from the solids receptacle in an end of the piston chamber as the hollow approaches the solids outlet. The gas may provide a force pushing the piston away from the end of the piston chamber as the hollow is adjacent to the solids outlet. The piston chamber may comprise a path for the gas to pass from the end of the piston chamber into the hollow as the hollow is adjacent to the solids outlet, such that the gas blows through the hollow and assists the solid particles to leave the hollow into the solids receptacle.
The source may comprise a hopper, tank, vessel, pipe, chute, or combinations thereof. The solids receptacle may comprise a stockpile, tank, vessel, pipe, chute, or combinations thereof.
A plurality of pistons in a plurality of piston chambers may be provided, radially situated around a central cam, rotation of the cam causing the plurality of pistons to traverse back and forth across the plurality of piston chambers.
The piston may be hydraulically actuated, pneumatically actuated, or mechanically actuated. The hollow may comprise a removable sleeve that allows for a variable volume.
In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings, in which:
It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the Figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, as represented in the Figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of certain examples of presently contemplated embodiments in accordance with the invention.
The ambient conditions referred to herein may comprise differing pressures, temperatures, fluids, lumosity, or combinations thereof. Pressures are used throughout, but may be replaced by any of the other conditions listed.
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In some embodiments, the solid particles comprise comminuted ores, powders, grains, granulated sugars, powdered grains, salts, sand, cryogenic solids, metal particles, plastics, or combinations thereof.
In some embodiments, the piston rotates as the piston traverses the piston chamber, such that the hollow is inverted.
In some embodiments, the piston compresses a gas from the solids receptacle in an end of the piston chamber as the hollow approaches the solids outlet. In one embodiment, the gas provides a force pushing the piston away from the end of the piston chamber as the hollow is adjacent to the solids outlet. In another embodiment, the piston chamber comprises a path for the gas to pass from the end of the piston chamber into the hollow as the hollow is adjacent to the solids outlet, such that the gas blows through the hollow and assists the solid particles to leave the hollow into the solids receptacle.
In some embodiments, the source comprises a hopper, tank, vessel, pipe, chute, or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the solids receptacle comprises a stockpile, tank, vessel, pipe, chute, or combinations thereof.
In some embodiments, a plurality of pistons in a plurality of piston chambers are radially situated around a central cam or shaft, rotation of the cam or shaft causing the plurality of pistons to traverse back and forth across the plurality of piston chambers.
In some embodiments, the piston is hydraulically actuated, pneumatically actuated, or mechanically actuated. In some embodiments, the hollow comprises a removable sleeve that allows for a variable volume.
In some embodiments, the source is caused to vibrate to cause the solid particles to fall into the hollow of the piston.
This invention was made with government support under DE-FE0028697 awarded by The Department of Energy. The government has certain rights in the invention.
