Patent Application
20220120371
The present invention relates to a universal pipe fitting with a cleaning function. In particular, the invention relates to a fitting or coupling through which pressurized air, water or other cleaning solution is provided to an interior diameter of the pipe to remove blockages or restrictions.
In many manufacturing process, materials, whether liquid or solid, must be delivered from a holding tank or hopper to processing equipment, such as a mixer. The materials is often delivered by means of pipes or conduits which allow the material to flow from the hopper to the processing equipment. However, over time, the pipes may develop blockages or restrictions at various points in the pipe. The blockages or restrictions can cause significant issues in the final product, particularly in applications in which each of the materials must be precisely controlled. Consequently, it is often required to remove the blockages or restrictions manually and periodically. This process time is consuming, inefficient, and costly.
It would, therefore, be beneficial to provide a pipe fitting which can be integrated into the pipe at locations in which the blockage or restriction occurs. It would also be beneficial to provide the pipe fittings with an automated process to remove the blockage or restriction without then need to use the inefficient and costly manual process.
An embodiment is directed to a pipe fitting having a first end portion, a second end portion and a perforated portion extending between the first end portion and the second end portion. The perforated portion has an inner side wall and outer wall spaced from the inner side wall. A fluid receiving cavity extends between the inner side wall and the outer wall. The inner side wall defines a material flow passageway. Openings are provided in the inner side wall of the perforated portion. The openings have ends which open into the fluid receiving cavity. A port extends through the outer wall and into the fluid receiving cavity. In operation, fluid enters the port and flows through the fluid receiving cavity and through the openings into the material flow passageway to clear any material restrictions.
An embodiment is directed to a system for delivering material from a feeding device to a processing device. The system includes a feeding device, a processing device, and a conduit. The feeding device stores and feeds material to the conduit. The processing device receives and processes the material. The conduit delivers the material from the feeding device to the processing device. The conduit has a fitting for cleaning material build-up in the conduit which causes restrictions in the delivery of material. The fitting includes a first end portion, a second end portion and a perforated portion extending between the first end portion and the second end portion. The perforated portion has an inner side wall and outer wall spaced from the inner side wall. A fluid receiving cavity extends between the inner side wall and the outer wall. The inner side wall defines a material flow passageway. Openings are provided in the inner side wall of the perforated portion. The openings have ends which open into the fluid receiving cavity. A port extends through the outer wall and into the fluid receiving cavity. A fluid delivery mechanism delivers pressurized fluid to the port. Wherein the fluid enters the port and flows through the fluid receiving cavity and through the openings into the material flow passageway to clear any material restrictions.
An embodiment is directed to a method for delivering material from a feeding device to a processing device. The method includes: moving material from the feeding device to the processing device through a conduit, the conduit having a fitting provided thereon; providing a pressurized fluid to a port of the fitting; and opening the port allowing the pressurized fluid to move through the port, into a fluid receiving cavity of the fitting, through openings in a perforated portion of the fitting and into a material flow passageway. The pressurized fluid interacts with a restriction in the material flow passageway to break down the restriction and cause the material forming the restriction to freely flow into the processing device.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of the illustrative embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
The description of illustrative embodiments according to principles of the present invention is intended to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to be considered part of the entire written description. In the description of embodiments of the invention disclosed herein, any reference to direction or orientation is merely intended for convenience of description and is not intended in any way to limit the scope of the present invention. Relative terms such as “lower,” “upper,” “horizontal,” “vertical,” “above,” “below,” “up,” “down,” “top” and “bottom” as well as derivative thereof (e.g., “horizontally,” “downwardly,” “upwardly,” etc.) should be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as shown in the drawing under discussion. These relative terms are for convenience of description only and do not require that the apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation unless explicitly indicated as such. Terms such as “attached,” “affixed,” “connected,” “coupled,” “interconnected,” and similar refer to a relationship wherein structures are secured or attached to one another either directly or indirectly through intervening structures, as well as both movable or rigid attachments or relationships, unless expressly described otherwise.
Moreover, the features and benefits of the invention are illustrated by reference to the preferred embodiments. Accordingly, the invention expressly should not be limited to such embodiments illustrating some possible non-limiting combination of features that may exist alone or in other combinations of features, the scope of the invention being defined by the claims appended hereto.
Referring to
The perforated portion 26 has multiple openings 46 which extend through the side wall 28 from the inner diameter 40 to the outer diameter 42. In the embodiment shown, the openings 46 are arranged in rows 48 which extend about the circumference of the side wall 28. Also, in the embodiment shown the openings 46 are positioned in columns 50. However, the arrangement of the openings 46 may vary without departing from the scope of the invention.
The openings 46 in each pipe fitting 20 are generally consistent. The preferred diameter of the openings 46 for a particular pipe fitting 20 is determined based on many variables, including, but not limited to, the size of the pipe fitting, the amount and the type of material which flows through the material flow passageway 44, and/or the type of cleaning fluid used.
As shown in
Rows 48a of openings 46 are spaced apart a distance 56. Rows 48b of openings 46 are spaced apart a distance 58. In the embodiment shown distance 56 and distance 58 are equal, however, in other embodiments the distances 56, 58 may be different. In the embodiment shown, the distance 60 between a bottom row of the two rows 48b and a top row of the three rows 48a is greater than the distances 56, 58. However, in other embodiments, the distance 60 may be equal or less than one or more for the distances 56, 58.
In the illustrative embodiment shown, the openings 46 are spaced apart approximately 30 degrees from each other, thereby providing 12 openings 46 in each row 48 of openings 46. However, other spacing and other numbers of openings 46 may be provided in each row 48 without departing from the scope of the invention.
The perforated portion 26 has a fluid receiving flange or member 62 which extends from and integrally attached to the side wall 28 of the perforated portion 26. The fluid receiving member 62 has an outer wall 64 with an inner surface 66 and an outer surface 68. End walls 70 extend from the inner surface 66 of the outer wall 64 in a direction away from the outer surface 68. The end walls 70 engage are integrally attached to the side wall 28. The outer wall 64 is spaced from the side wall 28 to form a fluid receiving cavity 72 therebetween.
One or more ports 74 extend through the outer wall 64 and into the fluid receiving cavity 72. Each port 74 is configured to allow fluid, such as, but not limited to, air or water, to flow through the port 74 and into the fluid receiving cavity 72 when an appropriate source 92 is connected to the port 74 by flexible or rigid hoses 94 or the like (
The fluid receiving cavity 72 extends about the entire circumference of the perforated portion 26. Each of the openings 46 has an end which opens into the fluid receiving cavity 72.
In the illustrative embodiment shown in
In the illustrative embodiment shown in
In use, material flows from the holding tank or hopper 12 through the pipes or conduits 16 and into the processing device 14. Material generally passes through the pipes or conduits 16 freely, as not blockage or restriction is provided in the interior of the pipes or conduits 16. However, in areas where the pipes bend or where there is a joint, such as such as represented by joint or bend 86, the rate of flow of material across the entire cross-section of the pipe or conduit 16 is not consistent, which may cause material to accumulate to form a blockage or restriction, similar to that shown as 76 in
Similarly, in areas where the pipe end, such as represented by end 90, the rate of flow of material across the entire cross-section of the pipe or conduit 16 may not be consistent, which may cause material to accumulate to form a blockage or restriction, such as shown at 76. In addition, as the processing device 14 is operated, material may be forced back toward the end 90, causing material to accumulate as the end 90, as shown as 76 in
The accumulation of material results in the pathway from the holding tank or hopper 12 to the processing device 14 being blocked or restricted. Any such restriction prevents the proper amount of material from being presented to the processing device 14, which can cause the processed material from having improper quantities of material, which in turn can cause the final product produced from the processed material to fail. It is, therefore, important to provide a device and method for keeping the pathway from the tank or hopper 12 to the processing device 14 free of significant accumulation of material. The use of the pipe fitting 20 of the present invention prevents the significant accumulation of material in the pipe or conduit 16.
As shown in
As periodic times or intervals, the ports 74 are opened to allow the pressurized fluid 98, as represented by the arrows 98 in
In order to prevent significant blockages or restrictions, and in order to ensure that all of the material from the tank or hopper 12 is moved to the processing device 14, the ports 74 may be opened one or more times as the material flows through the material flow passageway 44 to allow the liquid 98 to interact and clean any restrictions that may be forming. In so doing, any blockages or restrictions are prevented.
Referring to
The perforated portion 26′ has a fluid receiving flange or member 62′ which extends from and integrally attached to the side wall 28′ of the perforated portion 26′. One or more ports 74′ extend from the fluid receiving flange or member 62′.
The operation of the first alternate illustrative pipe fitting 20′ is similar to that described above with respect to the pipe fitting 20.
Referring to
The perforated portion 26″ has a fluid receiving flange or member 62″ which extends from and integrally attached to the side wall 28″ of the perforated portion 26″. One or more ports 74″ extend from the fluid receiving flange or member 62″.
The operation of the first alternate illustrative pipe fitting 20″ is similar to that described above with respect to the pipe fitting 20.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the accompanying claims. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may be used with many modifications of structure, arrangement, proportions, sizes, materials and components and otherwise used in the practice of the invention, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from the principles of the present invention. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims, and not limited to the foregoing description or embodiments.
