A roll-formed steel slat for use in a reciprocating floor slat conveyor system. The roll-formed steel slat is formed in a manner so as to have an upper, load-carrying surface, and a pair of downwardly depending side legs. Each side leg terminates in a foot. One foot is vertically offset from the other to provide a hold-down function that prevents the slat from vertically rising as the slat reciprocates back-and-forth.

A loading tray device having a movable floor includes a frame that receives a juxtaposition of at least one first blade and one second blade that are mounted so as to be movable in longitudinal translation. Each blade has a lower beam and a covering plate attached to the upper edges of side walls. The first and second walls respectively include a first flange and a second flange that extend laterally to and outside of the beam. The second wall of each blade has a height that is less than the height of the first wall by the thickness of the first flange, such that the first flange of the second blade abuts the second flange of the first blade.

A skip hoist particle lift system for a particle-based high-temperature power tower plant includes a pre-skip subsystem, an upper hopper disposed above the pre-skip subsystem and separated therefrom, a plurality of elongated guide rails connecting the pre-skip subsystem and the upper hopper to one another, and a skip mounted on the elongated guide rails and configured to be moved therealong between the pre-skip subsystem and the upper hopper. The pre-skip subsystem includes a container configured to accumulate an amount of hot particles therein and to automatically discharge the hot particles into the skip upon arrival of the skip in a loading area of the pre-skip subsystem. The skip is configured to transport the loaded particles upwardly toward the hopper and to subsequently discharge the particles inside of the hopper. Then, the emptied skip is returned to the pre-skip subsystem to repeat the process.

A conveying apparatus conveys an article between a wait position and a processing position. The conveying apparatus includes a plurality of arms that sandwiches the article between leading ends of the arms located on opposite sides of the article and that is provided to enable base ends of the arms to turn so as to move the leading ends in an up-down direction, and a control apparatus that turns the arms to lift the article located at one of the wait position and the processing position and sandwiched between the arms and that moves the arms with the article kept lifted thereby to the other of the wait position and the processing position, the control apparatus turning the arms to lower and mount the article at the other of the wait position and the processing position.

A conveying apparatus conveys an article between a wait position and a processing position. The conveying apparatus includes a plurality of arms that sandwiches the article between leading ends of the arms located on opposite sides of the article and that is provided to enable base ends of the arms to turn so as to move the leading ends in an up-down direction, and a control apparatus that turns the arms to lift the article located at one of the wait position and the processing position and sandwiched between the arms and that moves the arms with the article kept lifted thereby to the other of the wait position and the processing position, the control apparatus turning the arms to lower and mount the article at the other of the wait position and the processing position.

A roll-formed steel slat for use in a reciprocating floor slat conveyor system. The roll-formed steel slat is formed in a manner so as to have an upper, load-carrying surface, and a pair of downwardly depending side legs. Each side leg terminates in a foot. One foot is vertically offset from the other to provide a hold-down function that prevents the slat from vertically rising as the slat reciprocates back-and-forth.

An exemplary suspension member for a reciprocating conveyor has a horizontally oriented resilient spring member, two bases, and a support. The spring member has a main body, two ends, and a center with a mounting portion. Each base has a retention portion for retaining an end of the spring member. The support supports a tray disposed on top of the mounting portion and has at least one support member extending downward to engage the mounting portion.

An exemplary suspension member for a reciprocating conveyor has a horizontally oriented resilient spring member, two bases, and a support. The spring member has a main body, two ends, and a center with a mounting portion. Each base has a retention portion for retaining an end of the spring member. The support supports a tray disposed on top of the mounting portion and has at least one support member extending downward to engage the mounting portion.

A tray supplier which performs supplying and collecting of trays includes a supply-side tray storage unit, a collection-side tray storage unit, a first tray placer and a second tray placer on which the trays are placed, and a first placer mover and a second placer mover which respectively move the tray placers between the supply-side tray storage unit and the collection-side tray storage unit, in which a first movement shaft of the first placer mover and a second movement shaft of the second placer mover are disposed parallel to each other, lifting and lowering units which lift or lower the first tray placer and the second tray placer are provided, and interference between the placer movers does not occur.

A tray supplier which performs supplying and collecting of trays includes a supply-side tray storage unit, a collection-side tray storage unit, a first tray placer and a second tray placer on which the trays are placed, and a first placer mover and a second placer mover which respectively move the tray placers between the supply-side tray storage unit and the collection-side tray storage unit, in which a first movement shaft of the first placer mover and a second movement shaft of the second placer mover are disposed parallel to each other, lifting and lowering units which lift or lower the first tray placer and the second tray placer are provided, and interference between the placer movers does not occur.