An apparatus for filling a container with bulk material, in particular sand, comprises a storage container for the bulk material with a closable lid and an outlet, a metering device arranged beneath the storage container and a pneumatic feeding device arranged under the metering device for feeding the bulk material into the container to be filled with the aid of compressed air via a feed hose. The feeding device has an injector with a plurality of, preferably at least five, holes for the compressed air.

A powder feeder according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a powder feeding device that feeds powder from a feeder to a nozzle. The powder feeding device includes a cartridge configured to store the powder in an airtight condition, and includes the feeder. The cartridge includes a port from which the powder is stored and withdrawn, and an open/close valve for opening and closing the port. The feeder includes a connection portion to which the cartridge is removably connected, a supply port configured to supply the powder in the cartridge connected to the connection portion into the feeder, and an opening/closing valve for opening and closing the supply port. The feeder is configured to insert the powder supplied from the supply port to the feeder into the nozzle, and the cartridge and the feeder are configured to form an enclosed space between the port and the supply port in response to the cartridge being connected to the connection portion.

A powder feeder according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a powder feeding device that feeds powder from a feeder to a nozzle. The powder feeding device includes a cartridge configured to store the powder in an airtight condition, and includes the feeder. The cartridge includes a port from which the powder is stored and withdrawn, and an open/close valve for opening and closing the port. The feeder includes a connection portion to which the cartridge is removably connected, a supply port configured to supply the powder in the cartridge connected to the connection portion into the feeder, and an opening/closing valve for opening and closing the supply port. The feeder is configured to insert the powder supplied from the supply port to the feeder into the nozzle, and the cartridge and the feeder are configured to form an enclosed space between the port and the supply port in response to the cartridge being connected to the connection portion.

A material conveying system, comprising: one or more material sources for providing material to be transferred; one or more destination locations for receiving material from the one or more material sources; one or more material conveying lines; one or more vacuum pumps wherein each vacuum pump is operatively connected to one or more of the one or more destination locations via one or more vacuum source lines; a sensor disposed on, in or near each of the one or more material conveying lines; a programmable electronic control unit (ECU) connected, via wires or wirelessly, to each component of the material conveying system including the one or more material sources, the one or more destination locations, the one or more vacuum pumps and to the one or more sensors; wherein the ECU uses data from the one or more sensors to (i) determine flow patterns and/or stream density of the material being conveyed through the one or more material conveying lines; and (ii) make automatic adjustments for optimizing and maintaining the material flow patterns in the one or more material conveying lines based on data provided by the one or more sensors.

A material conveying system, comprising: one or more material sources for providing material to be transferred; one or more destination locations for receiving material from the one or more material sources; one or more material conveying lines; one or more vacuum pumps wherein each vacuum pump is operatively connected to one or more of the one or more destination locations via one or more vacuum source lines; a sensor disposed on, in or near each of the one or more material conveying lines; a programmable electronic control unit (ECU) connected, via wires or wirelessly, to each component of the material conveying system including the one or more material sources, the one or more destination locations, the one or more vacuum pumps and to the one or more sensors; wherein the ECU uses data from the one or more sensors to (i) determine flow patterns and/or stream density of the material being conveyed through the one or more material conveying lines; and (ii) make automatic adjustments for optimizing and maintaining the material flow patterns in the one or more material conveying lines based on data provided by the one or more sensors.

A conveying system for conveying a conveyable material from a hopper where the system includes a fluid port located below the hopper outlet and in a vertical flow path into hopper outlet that can be momentarily opened for an on the go release of a charge of compressed air directly upward into the hopper outlet and into the underside of the bridge in the hopper to either disintegrate or unlock the bridged particles from each other thereby causing the bridged material to fall into the hopper outlet and into the conveying system where the material can be transported to a remote location or to remove any material that may be adhering to the wall during an emptying phase.

A conveying system for conveying a conveyable material from a hopper where the system includes a fluid port located below the hopper outlet and in a vertical flow path into hopper outlet that can be momentarily opened for an on the go release of a charge of compressed air directly upward into the hopper outlet and into the underside of the bridge in the hopper to either disintegrate or unlock the bridged particles from each other thereby causing the bridged material to fall into the hopper outlet and into the conveying system where the material can be transported to a remote location or to remove any material that may be adhering to the wall during an emptying phase.

A silo system includes a storage chamber, an intake pathway associated with the chamber, and a discharge pathway associated with the chamber. The system further includes one or more material sensors associated with the chamber, a plurality of actuators, and a controller that is communicatively coupled to the one or more material sensors and to the one or more actuators. The plurality of actuators enable a deposit of additional material from a transport container into the chamber through the intake pathway at least partially simultaneous with a discharge of material from the chamber through the discharge pathway into an operational silo. The material sensors provide indications of the amount of bulk material in the chamber and the controller is configured to control the one or more actuators in response to sensor data from the one or more material sensors to provide for deposit of material simultaneous with discharge of material.

A powder container (10) comprising a pressure vessel (12) for containing a quantity of powder (14) and a quantity of pressurised gas (32), an outlet through which, in use, the powder (14) can flow out of the pressure vessel (12), and an outlet valve (24) for selectively opening and closing the outlet, wherein the container (10) further comprises a data sensing and/or logging means (56, 58, 60, 62, 64) adapted to monitor and/or log various parameters of the powder (14) and/or the pressurised gas (32) and further comprising a control unit (54) adapted record and log the sensor readings either continuously, or at intervals, the control unit (54) comprising a communications module adapted to relay sensor readings, or log files, to a remote monitoring station.

An assembly to distribute flowable particulate material, the assembly including: a conduit to which the material is delivered and to which an airstream is supplied to move the material along the conduit to a delivery downstream destination; material delivery means connected to the conduit for delivery of material to the downstream destination; control means operatively associated with the material delivery means to selectively deliver a pre-determined rate of the material to a separator to engage the airstream to concentrate the material in a portion of the airstream, the separator being positioned within the conduit upstream of the material delivery means; air distribution means in constant fluid communication with the separator and the material delivery means to control airflow to the material delivery means.