A depressurisation apparatus (120) for a solid phase pneumatic system (100) comprises an inlet (121) to the system and an outlet (130). A particulate filter (127) is disposed between the inlet (121) and the outlet (130) and a volume flow rate controller (132) or restrictor is disposed between the outlet and the particulate filter. The actual pressurised volume flow rate through the depressurisation system (120) remains approximately constant during depressurisation, and the particulate filter (127) is able to operate at the pressure within the solid phase pneumatic system (100). This allows use of a smaller filter areas and apparatus and dispenses with the requirement for the use of a separate dust-tight vessel or associated dust containing conduits to depressurise the solid phase pneumatic system.
Disclosed is a system for conveying particulate material, in which particulate material is conveyed along a conveying pipeline (117) by a flow of a conveying gas. A plurality of injector arrangements (121) are positioned along the conveying pipeline, for injecting a continuous flow of conveying gas into the pipeline. The system includes pressure differential apparatus for detecting whether a pressure differential in the pipeline between an injector arrangement and an adjacent injector arrangement is above or below a threshold value. In use each injector arrangement is operable to increase the flow rate at which conveying gas is injected into the pipeline when a pressure differential rises above the threshold value is detected between adjacent injection locations along the pipeline. The present invention provides a continuous flow of conveying gas at each of the plurality of injector arrangements, reducing the risk of blockage. Pressure differentials along the conveying pipeline are reduced. Together this facilitates stable and predictable conveying of the particulate material and reduced conveying gas usage.
There is herein described a valve closure device. There is also described a valve closure device capable of opening and closing a valve for pneumatic conveying systems or similar bulk solid handling processes where a valve is required to operate at high pressure and/or high temperature
F16K 31/52 - Mechanical actuating means with crank, eccentric, or cam
F16K 1/24 - Lift valves, i.e. cut-off apparatus with closure members having at least a component of their opening and closing motion perpendicular to the closing faces with valve members that, on opening of the valve, are initially lifted from the seat and next are turned around an axis parallel to the seat
An apparatus for drying material or for conveying material. More particularly, for drying conveyed material such as pneumatically conveyed material or for conveying oversized material.
F26B 3/10 - Drying solid materials or objects by processes involving the application of heat by convection, i.e. heat being conveyed from a heat source to the materials or objects to be dried by a gas or vapour, e.g. air the gas or vapour carrying the materials or objects to be dried with it
B07B 7/086 - Selective separation of solid materials carried by, or dispersed in, gas currents using centrifugal force generated by the winding course of the gas stream
B02C 23/08 - Separating or sorting of material, associated with crushing or disintegrating
F26B 17/10 - Machines or apparatus for drying materials in loose, plastic, or fluidised form, e.g. granules, staple fibres, with progressive movement with movement performed by fluid currents, e.g. issuing from a nozzle
5.
ADJUSTABLE MULTI-HOLE ORIFICE PLATE IN A PNEUMATIC CONVEYING APPARATUS
There is herein described an adjustable multi-hole orifice plate (10) in a pneumatic conveying apparatus (300). More particularly, there is described an adjustable multi-hole orifice plate (10) which can be used in a pneumatic conveying apparatus (300) to assist in the discharge of material.
A pneumatic conveying apparatus operable to transport material from a supply source to a process which requires a rate of change of feed rate far in excess of what is possible from a typical pneumatic conveying system and pipeline alone, and for a process where storage of large volumes of material directly adjacent to the process feed point is either not possible or disadvantageous. The pneumatic conveying apparatus (100; 101;102) comprises at least one conduit (11) and a compression device (8) operable to supply and transport pneumatic media through at least one conduit (11). The supply source (1) may be a feed hopper and is operable to discharge material into the pneumatic conveying system downstream of the supply source. In the pneumatic conveying system at least one vessel (9; 9A, 9B; 20) is arranged to receive material from the supply source (1) and to discharge material to at least one conduit (11). The system also includes a filter receiver (4), which is configured to simultaneously receive and discharge material and pneumatic media from at least conduit. The filter receiver has a working volume or capacity which is very small in relation to the feed rate, typically 1 to 2 minutes storage when operating at the maximum discharge rate, and with a volume typically 1/2th to 1/8th of the volume of the vessels feeding material into the start of the pneumatic conveying pipeline. The filter receiver is equipped with a discharge device operable to increase the discharge rate to the process from the minimum feed rate to the maximum feed rate in a time period of 2 to 30 seconds. The filter receiver (4) is configured and operable to separate material and pneumatic media such that the material can be discharged from the filter receiver to the downstream process (2), in order to separate the conveying apparatus from the process and provide further advantages described within the invention. The apparatus includes a control system (19) that is operable to maintain a target weight and / or level within the filter receiver, and recover the target weight and / or level in the filter receiver, by measuring the weight and / or level and the rate of change of weight or level, of all storage vessels discharging material to the pneumatic conveying pipeline and process and incorporating aspects of closed loop control methodologies.
B65G 53/66 - Use of indicator or control devices, e.g. for controlling gas pressure, for controlling proportions of material and gas, for indicating or preventing jamming of material
patents