According to examples, an apparatus may include a hopper having side walls, a bed positioned within the side walls, and a porous membrane supported above the bed. The porous membrane may have a plurality of pores having sizes that are between about 5 microns and about 15 microns and having a density of about 10 and about 30 percent of a material forming the porous membrane. A space between the bed and the porous membrane is to be pressurized with a gas and the gas is to flow through the porous membrane to fluidize particulate material provided on the porous membrane. The apparatus may also include a drain opening extending through the porous membrane and a drain aperture extending through the bed.

Fine-bubble-producing aeration units and large-bubble-producing (or other mechanical) mixing units are interspersed with each other in a given body of water to be treated. The two different types of units are independently controlled to independently regulate degrees of aeration and mixing in the given body of water.

The present invention is directed to an applicator having an agricultural product mechanical conveying system which transfers particulate material from one or more source containers to application equipment on demand, and meters the material at the application equipment. The conveying system includes a pneumatic agitation system operably connected to the tanks of the applicator to agitate the particulate material disposed within the tanks in order to reduce the formation of agglomerations and/or bridges of particles within the tanks. The pneumatic agitation system includes a number of nozzle connected to each tank that are in turn connected to a pressurized air source and a controller. The controller is operable to selectively cause pressurized air to flow into the tanks through the nozzles to agitate the particulate material positioned therein, thereby breaking up and agglomerations of material within the tanks.

A blower unit for pneumatic mixers, comprising: a hollow element internally defining a duct, extending between an input section and an output section, for the passage of an air flow between said sections, wherein said input section can be connected to a source of pressurised air and said output section can be connected to a manifold of a pneumatic mixer; a shutter suitable to shut off said airflow through said output section in a controlled manner; an actuator connected to the shutter and configured to regulate the position of the shutter; the hollow element has a first end portion, at said output section, that can be reversibly coupled to a corresponding end portion of the manifold and wherein the blower unit further comprises first reversible connecting means to establish a reciprocal connection between the end portions.

A method of mixing a crosslinking blend in a portable tote for use to crosslink polymer modified asphalts. The method includes providing a portable tote, where the tote includes a tank having a sidewall, a top and a bottom portion. Fixedly positioned partially within the tank interior is an air mixing system that includes a hollow wand that has a distal and a proximal end. The proximal end of the wand exits the tank. The distal end of the tote is connected to at least one accumulator plate, where the accumulator plate is adjacent to the interior bottom portion of the tank. Stored in the interior of the tank is a crosslinking blend suitable for use to crosslink polymer modified asphalts. The method includes the steps of attaching a pulsed gas controller to the proximal end of the wand and coupling a source of compressed gas to the controller, then activating the controller to cause mixing of the crosslinking blend by pulsing gases into the crosslinking blend for a sufficient period of time. After, or during mixing, the crosslinking blend is discharged from the interior of the tank, and the controller is removed from the wand, leaving said wand attached to the tank.

A method of mixing a crosslinking blend in a portable tote for use to crosslink polymer modified asphalts. The method includes providing a portable tote, where the tote includes a tank having a sidewall, a top and a bottom portion. Fixedly positioned partially within the tank interior is an air mixing system that includes a hollow wand that has a distal and a proximal end. The proximal end of the wand exits the tank. The distal end of the tote is connected to at least one accumulator plate, where the accumulator plate is adjacent to the interior bottom portion of the tank. Stored in the interior of the tank is a crosslinking blend suitable for use to crosslink polymer modified asphalts. The method includes the steps of attaching a pulsed gas controller to the proximal end of the wand and coupling a source of compressed gas to the controller, then activating the controller to cause mixing of the crosslinking blend by pulsing gases into the crosslinking blend for a sufficient period of time. After, or during mixing, the crosslinking blend is discharged from the interior of the tank, and the controller is removed from the wand, leaving said wand attached to the tank.

An injection mixer is provided, which includes an injection module, a valve seat module, and an adjusting module. The injection module may be disposed to penetrate one end of a bucket container. The valve seat module may be disposed at the end of the injection module, and the valve seat module may be disposed with at least one fluid supply channel and at least one outlet channel. The adjusting module may be disposed at the valve seat module to penetrate therethrough. The adjusting module may be movably connected to the injection module. When the adjusting module is driven to move the injection module towards or away from the valve seat module, an annular protrusion may approach or move away from the inner wall of the bucket container, and a size of the predetermined gap may be reduced or increased.

The present invention is directed to an applicator having an agricultural product mechanical conveying system which transfers particulate material from one or more source containers to application equipment on demand, and meters the material at the application equipment. The conveying system includes a pneumatic agitation system operably connected to the tanks of the applicator to agitate the particulate material disposed within the tanks in order to reduce the formation of agglomerations and/or bridges of particles within the tanks. The pneumatic agitation system includes a number of nozzle connected to each tank that are in turn connected to a pressurized air source and a controller. The controller is operable to selectively cause pressurized air to flow into the tanks through the nozzles to agitate the particulate material positioned therein, thereby breaking up and agglomerations of material within the tanks.

There is provided a method of measuring a temperature of a gas in a line connected to a gas supply source and a decompressor, the line being divided by a first, a second and a third valve into a first line between the first valve and the second valve and a second line between the second valve and the third valve. A first pressure rise rate of a gas in the first line is measured when introducing a gas at a predetermined flow rate into the first and the second line. A second pressure rise rate of a gas in the first line is measured when introducing a gas at a predetermined flow rate only into the first line. A gas temperature in the first line is calculated based on known inner volume of the second line, the first pressure rise rate, and the second pressure rise rate.

There is provided a method of measuring a temperature of a gas in a line connected to a gas supply source and a decompressor, the line being divided by a first, a second and a third valve into a first line between the first valve and the second valve and a second line between the second valve and the third valve. A first pressure rise rate of a gas in the first line is measured when introducing a gas at a predetermined flow rate into the first and the second line. A second pressure rise rate of a gas in the first line is measured when introducing a gas at a predetermined flow rate only into the first line. A gas temperature in the first line is calculated based on known inner volume of the second line, the first pressure rise rate, and the second pressure rise rate.