A method of conveying fuel, such as bulk material, into a gasification reactor that has a lateral infeed opening can be practiced with device for conveying fuels into a gasification reactor comprising a bulk material container, a conveying pipe, into which a discharge of the bulk material container opens and which can be connected to a lateral infeed opening of the gasification reactor, and a mechanical conveying apparatus disposed in the conveying pipe, the conveying apparatus is formed by a hydraulically drivable plunger, which is movably guided in a first, cylindrical section of the conveying pipe, and in that the conveying pipe has an internal cross-section which decreases continuously in the conveying direction of the fuel in order to form a compacting cone in a second axial section that is downstream of the first section, wherein the second section is configured as an exchangeable pipe portion with another exchangeable pipe portion.

A cyclone type receiver can be used in a pneumatic conveyor system for accurately delivering a wide variety of particulate materials. A receiver may include a cylindrical body configured to hold a filter. The top end of the cylindrical body may include an air inlet for receiving a ducted air stream filled with a particulate material, and may be configured to convey the ducted air stream helically toward a conical section attached to the cylindrical section. The conical section may be configured to route the ducted air in a helical manner to remove the particulate material from the ducted air. In such a configuration, the filter and the conical section may remove particulate material, thereby preferably increasing the transfer accuracy of the system and reducing the footprint of a traditional pneumatic conveyor system.

A cyclone type receiver can be used in a pneumatic conveyor system for accurately delivering a wide variety of particulate materials. A receiver may include a cylindrical body configured to hold a filter. The top end of the cylindrical body may include an air inlet for receiving a ducted air stream filled with a particulate material, and may be configured to convey the ducted air stream helically toward a conical section attached to the cylindrical section. The conical section may be configured to route the ducted air in a helical manner to remove the particulate material from the ducted air. In such a configuration, the filter and the conical section may remove particulate material, thereby preferably increasing the transfer accuracy of the system and reducing the footprint of a traditional pneumatic conveyor system.

A proximity detector includes a sensor providing a proximity reading. The proximity detector is capable of comparing the reading to a rising threshold level and a falling threshold level, wherein the falling threshold level is less than the rising threshold level. The proximity detector continuously stores a minimum reading value for the proximity reading. The proximity detector will report the presence of granular material only if the proximity reading remains less than the falling threshold level and within an epsilon value of the minimum reading value for a predetermined period of time.

A method and a device for transporting a plurality of insects from a chamber to a location via a channel, wherein the insects are transported by means of an apparatus for producing a medium flow, and wherein a transport additive is added to the medium flow during transport, the amount of the transport additive being set in accordance with the amount of insects moved.

A method and a device for transporting a plurality of insects from a chamber to a location via a channel, wherein the insects are transported by means of an apparatus for producing a medium flow, and wherein a transport additive is added to the medium flow during transport, the amount of the transport additive being set in accordance with the amount of insects moved.

A system for conveying pasty material through a conduit has an eccentric screw pump having a stator, a rotor that rotates in the stator, a housing with an intake port, and an output port connected to the conduit. A drive rotates the rotor and thereby draws the pasty material in through the intake port and expels the drawn-in material as a compressed-material strand into the conduit. A valve supplies gas pulses to the conduit at time intervals for separating the compressed-material strand into material plugs of limited length traveling through the conduit.

A system for conveying pasty material through a conduit has an eccentric screw pump having a stator, a rotor that rotates in the stator, a housing with an intake port, and an output port connected to the conduit. A drive rotates the rotor and thereby draws the pasty material in through the intake port and expels the drawn-in material as a compressed-material strand into the conduit. A valve supplies gas pulses to the conduit at time intervals for separating the compressed-material strand into material plugs of limited length traveling through the conduit.

A method of conveying fuel, such as bulk material, into a gasification reactor that has a lateral infeed opening can be practiced with device for conveying fuels into a gasification reactor comprising a bulk material container,a conveying pipe, into which a discharge of the bulk material container opens and which can be connected to a lateral infeed opening of the gasification reactor, and a mechanical conveying apparatus disposed in the conveying pipe, the conveying apparatus is formed by a hydraulically drivable plunger, which is movably guided in a first, cylindrical section of the conveying pipe, and in that the conveying pipe has an internal cross-section which decreases continuously in the conveying direction of the fuel in order to form a compacting cone in a second axial section that is downstream of the first section, wherein the second section is configured as an exchangeable pipe portion with another exchangeable pipe portion.

A deformable feeding membrane for an apparatus that pneumatically conveys solid or semi-solid materials, e.g., gravel or crushed rock. The deformable feeding membrane includes a tubular portion adjacent an inlet feed auger. The sidewalls of the tubular portion includes sidewalls that are outwardly deformable, so that gravel or rocks that might otherwise become pinched or stuck between an inner sidewall of the feeding membrane tube and a flyte of a screw auger can pass through the membrane tube, with sufficient space provided by the deflection of the feeding membrane tube wall. In an embodiment, the tubular portion may be provided sufficiently elastic so that the flexible tubular sidewall may be operably displaced a distance delta (), wherein the distance delta () may be at least as large as the thickness of the sidewalls of the tubular portion.