A method for detecting mentholated tobacco, comprising irradiating tobacco containing menthol and a fluorescent taggant with radiation and observing the tobacco for fluorescence from the taggant. A system and method for detecting and separating mentholated tobacco from non-mentholated tobacco within a product stream is also provided.

A method for detecting mentholated tobacco, comprising irradiating tobacco containing menthol and a fluorescent taggant with radiation and observing the tobacco for fluorescence from the taggant. A system and method for detecting and separating mentholated tobacco from non-mentholated tobacco within a product stream is also provided.

A method of estimating cumulative damage of a vibrating machine with a base and a movable part movable relative to the base including the steps of: providing a computational model which estimates mechanical stress on a portion of the vibrating machine which uses the machine mass, and weight mass and load distribution of feed material, and acceleration to determine the estimated mechanical stress; estimating weight mass and load distribution of feed material; estimating measuring acceleration; providing the mass of the movable part, estimated weight mass and load distribution on the moving part and the estimated acceleration of the moveable part to the model obtaining estimated mechanical stress of the portion of the vibrating machine; recording the estimated mechanical stress of the portion of the vibrating machine over time; and estimating cumulative damage to the portion of the vibrating machine based on two or more successive recorded mechanical stress estimations.

A fluid removal system for removing fluid from a product stream is described herein. The fluid removal system comprises a table, a permeable conveyor to transport the product stream across a top surface of the table and a plenum disposed below the permeable conveyor to draw the fluid from the product stream through the permeable conveyor. At least one vibration inducing mechanism is mounted to the table to provide vibratory motion directly to the table and indirectly to the conveyor. The table is supported by oscillating mounts that provide oscillatory motion to the table.

A fluid removal system for removing fluid from a product stream is described herein. The fluid removal system comprises a table, a permeable conveyor to transport the product stream across a top surface of the table and a plenum disposed below the permeable conveyor to draw the fluid from the product stream through the permeable conveyor. At least one vibration inducing mechanism is mounted to the table to provide vibratory motion directly to the table and indirectly to the conveyor. The table is supported by oscillating mounts that provide oscillatory motion to the table.

A contaminated drill cuttings weighing and distributing apparatus includes a frame dimensioned to accept a cuttings skip. One or more vibration members are removably attached to the frame, the vibration members able to exert vibrations sufficient to substantially level contaminated drill cuttings in the contaminated cuttings skip. Load cells are placed in or on the frame and configured to send signals representative of local load on the frame to logic controllers that receive the signals from the load cells and send signals to the vibration members to vibrate the frame. Systems include lifting slings or chains and an enclosed skip. Methods of weighing and distributing contaminated drill cuttings in an enclosed cuttings skip.

A contaminated drill cuttings weighing and distributing apparatus includes a frame dimensioned to accept a cuttings skip. One or more vibration members are removably attached to the frame, the vibration members able to exert vibrations sufficient to substantially level contaminated drill cuttings in the contaminated cuttings skip. Load cells are placed in or on the frame and configured to send signals representative of local load on the frame to logic controllers that receive the signals from the load cells and send signals to the vibration members to vibrate the frame. Systems include lifting slings or chains and an enclosed skip. Methods of weighing and distributing contaminated drill cuttings in an enclosed cuttings skip.

Methods and systems for controlling a vibratory feeder are disclosed. In some embodiments, the methods and systems include the following: a controller module including a graphical user interface for selecting operating parameters to be communicated to a bowl drive that causes a feeder bowl to move, monitoring algorithms stored in non-transitory memory for processing motion data to monitor motion of the feeder bowl, and adjustment algorithms stored in non-transitory memory for determining and automatically adjusting the operating parameters, and a motion sensor module configured to mount with and sense motion of the bowl drive, the motion sensor module including an accelerometer, a digital signal processor (DSP) microcontroller, and a transmitter. The DSP microcontroller samples output data from the accelerometer, determines motion data of the motion of the bowl drive, and transmits the motion data via the transmitter to the controller module.

The hopper body has a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall that face each other in a second direction intersecting with the first direction and that connect between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, and a first corner portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the third sidewall and a second corner portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the fourth sidewall are bent in direction away from the distal end portion of the trough and also a first edge portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the first corner portion and a second edge portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the second corner portion are bent in direction closer to the distal end portion of the trough.

The hopper body has a third sidewall and a fourth sidewall that face each other in a second direction intersecting with the first direction and that connect between the first sidewall and the second sidewall, and a first corner portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the third sidewall and a second corner portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the fourth sidewall are bent in direction away from the distal end portion of the trough and also a first edge portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the first corner portion and a second edge portion adjacent to the distal end portion of the trough in the second corner portion are bent in direction closer to the distal end portion of the trough.