Abstract
A vibrator separator system has a vibrator separator position and a vibratory basket, a screen assembly positioned in the vibratory separator, and a vibration amplifier coupled to the vibratory separator. The vibratory basket has sides arranged in spaced relation to each other. The vibratory separator has at least one motor affixed thereto. The screen assembly extends between an inlet end and a discharge end of the vibratory basket. The motor is cooperative with the screen assembly so as to impart a vibration frequency to the screen assembly. The vibration amplifier is positioned beneath the screen assembly. The vibration amplifier is cooperative with the screen assembly so as to exert a force against a portion of an underside of the screen assembly.
Claims
1. A vibrator separator system comprising: a vibratory separator positioned in a vibratory basket, the vibratory basket having sides arranged in spaced relation to each other, said vibratory separator having at least one motor affixed thereto, said vibratory basket having an inlet end and a discharge end; a screen assembly positioned in said vibratory separator, said screen assembly extending between the inlet end and the discharge end of the vibratory basket, the at least one motor being cooperative with said screen assembly so as to impart a vibratory frequency to said screen assembly; and a vibration amplifier coupled to said vibratory separator, said vibration amplifier positioned beneath said screen assembly, said vibration amplifier cooperative with said screen assembly so as to exert a force against a portion of an underside of said screen assembly, said vibratory separator having a screen deck positioned in said vibratory basket, the screen deck receiving said screen assembly therein, said vibration amplifier comprising: a housing coupled to said vibratory separator; a flexible mass mounted inside said housing; and a beater bar coupled to said flexible mass.
2. The vibratory separator system of claim 1, the at least one motor being an electric motor or a hydraulic motor.
3. The vibratory separator system of claim 2, the at least one motor comprising a pair of motors affixed to the vibratory basket so as to exert vibrations to said screen assembly positioned in said vibratory separator.
4. The vibratory separator system of claim 1, further comprising: at least one pressure wedge clamping said screen assembly to said vibratory separator.
5. The vibratory separator system of claim 4, said screen assembly comprising a plurality of screen assemblies arranged in end-to-end relation within the vibratory basket, said at least one pressure wedge comprising a plurality of pressure wedges respectively clamping the plurality of screen assemblies to said vibratory separator.
6. The vibrator separator system of claim 1, said screen assembly comprising: a pre-tensioned frame clamped to said vibratory separator; and a screen affixed within said pre-tensioned frame.
7. The vibrator separator system of claim 6, said pre-tensioned frame having a pair of side bars in spaced parallel relation to each other and a pair of end bars extending between the pair of side bars and positioned at opposite ends of said pre-tensioned frame, said pre-tensioned frame having no ribs extending between the pair of side bars in an area between the pair of end bars.
8. The vibrator separator system of claim 1, said vibration amplifier being in contact with a central portion of said screen assembly, said beater bar contacting or bearing against the screen assembly so as to keep the screen assembly under tension.
9. The vibrator separator system of claim 1, said vibration amplifier extending over no more than 40% of a total area of said screen assembly.
10. The vibrator separator system of claim 1, the screen deck having a support, said housing being affixed with fasteners to the support.
11. The vibrator separator system of claim 1, wherein said housing has a mounting base that is secured to a mount bolted to a frame of the vibratory basket.
12. The vibrator separator system of claim 1, said flexible mass having a thickness of between one and four inches, said flexible mass formed of a material selected from the group consisting of an elastomer, a plastic, and a seal material.
13. The vibrator separator system of claim 1, further comprising: a rigid center piece positioned within a hollow interior of said flexible mass.
14. The vibrator separator system of claim 13, further comprising: an additional weight removably affixed to said rigid center piece.
15. The vibrator separator system of claim 1, wherein said beater bar is mounted to a top of a rigid plate connected to said flexible mass, said beater bar being retained by a fastener and spaced from the rigid plate.
16. The vibrator separator system of claim 1, wherein said beater bar has at least a pair of flexible strips retained by rivets or bolts and glued to said beater bar.
17. The vibrator separator system of claim 16, said beater bar comprising a pair of rigid bars extending in parallel relation to each other, the at least a pair of flexible strips being respectively affixed to a top of the pair of rigid bars.
18. The vibrator separator system of claim 1, said screen assembly having a pre-tensioned frame, the pre-tensioned frame being adapted to resist a striking force of said beater bar at G forces in a range of between ten and thirty G's.
19. A vibrator separator system comprising: a vibratory separator positioned in a vibratory basket, the vibratory basket having sides arranged in spaced relation to each other, said vibratory separator having at least one motor affixed thereto, said vibratory basket having an inlet end and a discharge end; a screen assembly positioned in said vibratory separator, said screen assembly extending between the inlet end and the discharge end of the vibratory basket, the at least one motor being cooperative with said screen assembly so as to impart a vibratory frequency to said screen assembly; and a vibration amplifier coupled to said vibratory separator, said vibration amplifier positioned beneath said screen assembly, said vibration amplifier cooperative with said screen assembly so as to exert a force against a portion of an underside of said screen assembly, said vibration amplifier having a vibration frequency in phase with the vibration frequency of said vibratory separator.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the vibratory separator apparatus in accordance with the present invention.
(2) FIG. 2A is a side cross-sectional view of the screen separator of FIG. 1 showing the vibration amplifier system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
(3) FIG. 2B is a side cross-sectional view of the screen separator of FIG. 1 showing the vibration amplifier system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
(4) FIG. 3 is a cut-away view of the screen separator of FIG. 1 showing the vibration amplifier system in accordance with the one embodiment of the present invention.
(5) FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the screen separator shown in FIG. 1 and, in particular, showing the vibration amplifier system and the screen assembly in accordance with this one embodiment of the present invention.
(6) FIG. 5 is an isometric view from a top of the vibration amplifier system in accordance with the present invention.
(7) FIG. 6 is an isometric view from the bottom of the vibration amplifier system in accordance with the present invention.
(8) FIG. 7 is a plan view of a beater bar with an elliptical shape in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the present invention.
(9) FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the beater bar with a rectangular shape in accordance with a further alternative embodiment of the present invention.
(10) FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a screen assembly in accordance with the prior art.
(11) FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the screen assembly in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
(12) Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown the vibratory separator system 1 in accordance with the teachings of the preferred embodiment of the present invention. This vibratory separator system 1 can be extensively used in the industry for diverse applications in mineral processing, food, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, environmental and chemical industries. Typical size separations range from 300 millimeters down to 30 micrometers. Dry operation is generally limited to material above five millimeters in sizes. Wet operations down to around 70 micrometers is common. In FIG. 1, the vibratory separator system 1 of the present invention includes a vibratory basket 10, vibrating motors 11a and 11b and the vibration amplifier 12. The vibratory separator system 1 receives a slurry via an inlet end 13. The slurry is transferred and separated along the screen assembly 14 by a vibratory motion. The solids larger than the size of the screen openings are discharged from the discharge end 15. The remaining portions of the slurry are discharged from the bottom of the vibratory basket 10.
(13) In FIG. 1, it can be seen that the vibratory basket 10 has sides 13aa and 13b arranged in parallel planar relationship to each other. Each of the sides 13a and 13b extends from the inlet end 13 toward the discharge end 15. The screen material will similarly extend from the inlet end 13 toward the discharge end 15. For the purposes of illustration, a portion of the screen 15 has been omitted so as to more clearly illustrate the vibration amplifier 12. The vibratory basket 10 is positioned on a skid 14d. Skid 14d facilitates the ability for the vibratory separator system 1 to be transported to a desired location. Motors 11a and 11b are conventional vibratory screen motors which are designed with out-of-center weights on a shaft on an interior thereof. The motors 11a and 11b can be mounted to the side 13b of the vibratory basket 10 so as to impart vibratory motion to the basket 10 and to the screen 14 positioned therein.
(14) FIG. 2A shows the vibratory basket 10 having a generally flat screen assembly 14 therein. Screen assembly 14 is comprised of multiple sections 14d and 14b (along with additional screen sections), as necessary. Screen sections 14d and 14b are positioned in end-to-end relationship with screen section 14b slightly lower than screen section 14d. A slurry will enter the inlet end 13 of the vibratory basket 10 and will be processed over the screen assembly 14. Each of the sections 14d and 14b of screen assembly 14 are fastened to the vibratory basket 10 with pressure wedges 16a and 16b. The vibratory basket 10 is provided with one or more vibration amplifiers 12 located below the screen assembly 14 in order to amplify the G-forces on the screen assembly 14.
(15) In particular, FIG. 2A shows vibration amplifier 12 as having specific vibration amplifiers 12a, 12b and 12c. It can be seen that vibration amplifier 12b will act on the screen assembly 14b. Vibration amplifier 12c will act on screen assembly 14d. Vibration amplifier 12a is illustrated as away from any of the screen assemblies. Typically, when in use, another screen assembly would be placed upon a screen deck 17. Another pressure wedge (such as pressure wedges 16a and 16b) would be would bear against such a screen by way of an angled strut 17a. Any number of flat screens can be used depending on upon the requirements of the vibratory basket 10. The present invention operates equally well regardless of the number of such screen assemblies.
(16) FIG. 2A also shows the location of the motors 11a and 11b as positioned at an upper location on the vibratory basket 10. The vibratory screen apparatus 10 of the present invention is further illustrated as mounted on skid 14.
(17) As shown in FIG. 2B, a screen 14d is particularly illustrated. The configuration of the remaining screens would be similar to that shown in FIG. 2B. Screen 14d is provided with vibration amplifier 12c for applying a high G-force beneath a portion of the screen 14d. A clamping system, such as pressure wedge 16a, secures the screen assembly 14d to the vibratory basket 10. The vibration amplifier 12c is designed to strike the underside of the screen assembly 14d to increase the efficiency of operation as fluids and particles pass over the screen assembly 14d. A high G-force, in the range of ten to thirty G's, encourages the passage of fluids and particles smaller than the screen openings. The length of a beater bar 17 is designed to strike a relatively small area on the underside of the screen assembly 14d. The area of contact between the beater bar 17 and the screen assembly 14d should be less than 40% of the total area of the screen assembly 14d, and preferably in the order of 20% to 30% of the total screen area. The vibration amplifier 12c is coupled to the frame 18 and is preferably bolted thereto.
(18) FIG. 2B shows that the pressure wedge for 16a will bear against the screen assembly 14d. Angled strut 17b will engage with a top surface 16d of the pressure wedge 14 so as to cause pressure wedge 16a to forcibly bear against the screen assembly 14d.
(19) FIG. 3 shows the vibratory basket 10 of the vibratory separator apparatus 1 as having side walls 13a and 13b. There are one or more screen decks between the side walls 13a and 13b. There are supports 22 for the vibration amplifier 12. The vibratory basket 10 includes a pair of rigid longitudinally extending side beams 23. A pair of transverse end beams 24 lie in respective planes parallel to each other so as to bridge the ends of the longitudinal side beams 23. As such, the frame is basically rectangular. The ends of the supports 22 are rigidly secured, normally by welding, to the side walls 13a and 13b.
(20) As can be seen in FIG. 4, the screen assembly 14 is placed on top of the beater bar 17. The distance between the screen assembly 14 and the beater bar 17 should be zero in order to keep screen assembly 14 under tension so that the frequency of the vibration amplifier 12 is in phase with the frequency of the vibratory basket 10. The screen assembly 14 is preferably a pre-tensioned screen so that the amplified vibration is effectively transmitted to the solids slurry and the solids are conveyed easily downstream.
(21) FIG. 5 shows the vibration amplifier 12 as having a rigid housing 25 and beater bars 17a and 17b. The rigid housing 25 has an inner case mounting base 26 including holes 27. Holes 27 enable the vibration amplifier 12 to be secured to mounts bolted to the frame of the vibratory basket 10. The rigid housing 25 has a flexible mass 28 mounted inside the rigid housing 25. The flexible mass 28 has a thickness in the range of one to four inches and is made of a shock-absorbing material, such as an elastomer, a soft plastic, and a seal material. The flexible mass 28 has a hollow interior 28a suitable for receiving a rigid center piece 29. The beater bars 17a and 17b are mounted on top of the rigid center piece 29. The beater bars 17a and 17b are retained by bolt 30 and spaced from the rigid plate 29 with bolt or set screws 31 and locking nuts (not illustrated). The beater bars 17a and 17b have respective flexible strips 32a and 32b which are retained by respective rivets or bolts 33. The flexible strips 32a and 32b can be glued to the beater bars 17a and 17b. The flexible strips 32a and 32b are made of a shock-absorbing material, such as an elastomer or plastic.
(22) FIG. 6 shows an underside of the vibration amplifier 12. In particular, it can be seen that additional weights 34 can be coupled to the rigid bottom plate 29. A nut or bolt 35 is used to secure the additional weights 34. This additional weight can be applied to increase the G-forces on the screen assembly, as required. Additionally, FIG. 4 further illustrates the flexible member 28 as extending around the periphery of the bottom rigid plate 29. The rigid housing 25 extends to mounting base 26.
(23) FIG. 7 shows an alternative embodiment of a beater bar 50. As can be seen, beater bar 50 has a generally overall or elliptical configuration. A central portion 52 engages the peripheral beater bar portion 54. The beater bar portion 54 can engage with the underside of the screen assembly for providing the requisite forces thereto.
(24) FIG. 8 shows an alternative embodiment 60 of the beater bar 62 of the vibration amplifier. It can be seen that the beater bar portion 62 in the embodiment 60 has a generally rectangular configuration. The rectangular configuration includes a central strut 64 and a transverse strut 66 that are secured together by a bolt 68. It should be noted that the beater bar portion of the vibration amplifier can take on a wide variety of other configurations.
(25) FIG. 9 illustrates a prior art screen assembly 70. Screen assembly 70 has one, two or three layers of screening mesh or screen cloth 72 which can be bonded together and supported on a four-sided support or metal frame 74 with a perforated plate used between the mesh or cloth. The frame 74 can include one or more cross members 76 extending across the frame 74 and connected at the ends to sides of the frame. The screen assembly 70 is designed to withstand G-forces in the range of five to seven G's. They must be capable of transmitting the G-forces to the feed slurry or solids.
(26) FIG. 10 shows the pre-tensioned screen assembly 80 in accordance with the teachings of the present invention. This pre-tensioned screen assembly 80 should resist the striking force of the beater bar at higher G-forces in the range of ten to thirty G's. It can be seen that there is a screen material 82 that is retained within a screen frame 84. The screen frame 74 and screen 82 has to be very rigid and lightweight. The ribs (as shown in FIG. 9) have been removed so that they will not interfere with the striking force of the beater bar. The frame 84 will be formed of a high-strength steel.
(27) The foregoing disclosure and description of the invention is illustrative and explanatory thereof. Various changes in the details of the illustrated construction can be made within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the true spirit of the invention. The present invention should only be limited by the following claims and their legal equivalents.
