A material-conveying system comprises a main conveyor for conveying material, a swing conveyor for conveying the material to the main conveyor and a processor for controlling a speed of the swing conveyor based on a feedback signal. The feedback signal may be indicative of a speed of the swing conveyor and/or a speed of a main conveyor. The feedback signal may be indicative of material level, belt slippage, flow rate, belt angle and/or material rollback.

A bin sweep auger unplugging system for unplugging a central unloading sump in a storage bin. The bin sweep auger unplugging system generally includes an auger having a driven shaft with auger fighting, a drive unit having a drive shaft, and a clutch connected between the drive shaft and the driven shaft. The clutch selectively transfers the rotation of the drive shaft to the driven shaft of the auger. The drive shaft includes a clump breakup component that breaks up the clump of granular material above the unloading sump when the drive shaft is rotated. The clutch is disengaged when breaking up a clump of granular material to prevent the rotation of the auger.

A storage bin sweep system including a sweep assembly having an inboard end, an outboard end, a forward side and a rearward side and including a sweep housing extending between the inboard and outboard ends, a plurality of paddles movable on a path extending along at least a portion of the sweep assembly between the inboard and outboard ends, and an endless loop member mounted on the sweep housing and on which the plurality of paddles are mounted at spaced locations along the endless loop member. At least one of the paddles may have a front surface contoured in a manner to urge particles located forward of the paddle toward the rearward side of the sweep assembly as the paddle moves toward the inboard end of the sweep assembly.

An apparatus and method for breaking up clumps of grain encountered during the emptying of a grain bin includes a beater assembly having a shaft with a plurality of knives extending radially therefrom. The beater assembly is adapted to be attached to or unattached from an end of a sweep auger. The beater assembly is positioned to overlay a gated opening in the floor of the grain bin through which grain flows during unloading thereof. The same motor used to drive the bin's discharge auger located below the bins floor also is made to drive the beater assembly located above the floor by linking the shaft of the discharge auger through a pair of right angle gear boxes to the shaft of the beater assembly.

The disclosure describes an apparatus including a bin sweep arm, a floor support in contact with a floor surface, and a vertical adjustment assembly positioned between floor support and the bin sweep arm and connected to the floor support and the bin sweep arm, wherein the vertical adjustment assembly automatically raises the bin sweep arm off the floor surface and automatically lowers the bin sweep arm to the floor surface in response to changes in weight disposed on the bin sweep arm.

The present invention includes a method for emptying a reactor containing at least one bed of spent catalyst particles and that comprises at least one dump tube, which opens into the reactor in the bottom portion of the bed of particles or underneath the latter. The method comprises the following: a first step of causing a proportion of the catalyst bed to flow out of the reactor via said dump tube; then a second step of expelling out of the reactor the catalyst remainder, by driving towards the opening of the dump tube the catalyst particles remaining in the reactor at the end of the first step, this step being performed by means of a removable device introduced into the reactor via the dump tube,
and is characterised in that said removable device comprises an articulated arm bearing one or more protuberances spirally disposed about a rotary axis.

An apparatus and method for breaking up clumps of grain encountered during the emptying of a grain bin includes a beater assembly having a shaft with a plurality of knives extending radially therefrom. The beater assembly is adapted to be attached to or unattached from an end of a sweep auger. The beater assembly is positioned to overlay a gated opening in the floor of the grain bin through which grain flows during unloading thereof. The same motor used to drive the bin's discharge auger located below the bins floor also is made to drive the beater assembly located above the floor by linking the shaft of the discharge auger through a pair of right angle gear boxes to the shaft of the beater assembly.

A sweep auger system having a driveshaft with auger flighting and a backboard extending a length from an inward end to an outward end. An input of a gearbox is connected to an outward end of the drive shaft and a sweep wheel having a plurality of notches, arms and feet is connected to an output of the gearbox. A drive shield is placed around a rearward side of the sweep wheel that forms a channel that is configured to capture grain agitated by the drive wheel. A guide plate is connected to the gearbox and covers a portion of the gearbox. The guide plate angles from an upper outward edge downward and forward to a lower inward edge that is configured to urge the grain captured within the channel of the drive shield to move in front of the sweep auger system reducing grain left in the grain bin.

An auger feeder includes a hopper having an inner hopper wall and an outer hopper wall where the inner hopper wall includes an air permeable surface. A space is positioned between the inner and outer hopper walls. A heater is coupled to an outside edge of the inner hopper wall or an outside edge of the outer hopper wall while a feed screw is positioned along an inside edge of the inner hopper wall. The auger feeder additionally includes an evacuator coupled to a vacuum port that is positioned in the outer hopper wall. The auger feeder also includes an aperture exit positioned at a bottom of the inner and outer hopper walls.

A sweep auger system having a driveshaft with auger flighting and a backboard extending a length from an inward end to an outward end. An input of a gearbox is connected to an outward end of the drive shaft and a sweep wheel having a plurality of notches, arms and feet is connected to an output of the gearbox. A drive shield is placed around a rearward side of the sweep wheel that forms a channel that is configured to capture grain agitated by the drive wheel. A guide plate is connected to the gearbox and covers a portion of the gearbox. The guide plate angles from an upper outward edge downward and forward to a lower inward edge that is configured to urge the grain captured within the channel of the drive shield to move in front of the sweep auger system reducing grain left in the grain bin.