Half round cylindrical configuration for dedusting apparatus
10646902 ยท 2020-05-12
Assignee
Inventors
- Joseph T. Lutz (Lancaster, PA, US)
- Heinz Schneider (Lancaster, PA, US)
- Amit K. Gautam (Lancaster, PA, US)
Cpc classification
B08B5/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B07B7/02
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B07B4/08
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B07B11/06
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B07B11/02
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B07B2201/04
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
B08B5/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B07B4/08
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B07B11/02
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
A half round dedusting apparatus for removes dust and debris from particulate material passing through the dedusting apparatus. The configuration of the dedusting apparatus includes a half round cylindrical housing in which is mounted a partial cone wash deck having a reverse partial cone deflector that is vertically moveable to vary the flow rate of particulate material passing over the wash deck. The product inlet port is preferably circular and directs contaminant-laden particulate material inside the deflector to pass over the surface of the wash deck. The housing has a greater diameter than the maximum diameter of the wash deck to establish a Venturi zone around the circumference of the wash deck. The wash deck and deflector are detachably mounted within the housing to allow removal thereof for ease of cleaning the wash deck and also the interior of the housing.
Claims
1. A dedusting apparatus for cleaning contaminants from contaminate-laden particulate material, comprising: a housing including a semi-cylindrical front housing and a planar back wall, said back wall cooperating with said front housing to form a half-round cylinder configuration; a product inlet port having a product inlet tube through which particulate material is introduced into said housing and a product discharge port through which particulate material is discharged from the housing; a partial-conical wash deck terminating in a tip located in alignment with said product inlet tube to direct the flow of said contaminant-laden particulate material uniformly over the partial-conical wash deck, the wash deck having an outer peripheral bottom edge that is spaced internally from said front housing to define a Venturi zone for the passage of air between said wash deck and said front housing; and said wash deck being formed with a plurality of apertures for the passage of air through the wash deck to separate said contaminants from said contaminant-laden particulate material passing from said product inlet tube over said wash deck.
2. The dedusting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising: an air inlet port passing through said back wall to deliver a supply of air into said wash deck; and an air discharge port to discharge contaminant laden air from said housing.
3. The dedusting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said product inlet port is circular and said product inlet tube is semi-cylindrical, said dedusting apparatus further comprising: a baffle to direct the flow of said particulate material into said product inlet tube.
4. The dedusting apparatus of claim 1 wherein said wash deck is detachably mounted to said back wall.
5. The dedusting apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a deflector member that is vertically movable relative to said wash deck and said product inlet tube to define the flow rate of particulate material passing from said product inlet tube onto said wash deck, said deflector member being connected to an actuator-controlled knife member that affects vertical movement of said deflector member to vary the flow rate of particulate material passing over said wash deck.
6. The dedusting apparatus of claim 1 wherein wash deck is formed with a movable upper portion and a fixed lower portion, said product inlet tube including a partial conical deflector member projecting therefrom and corresponding to the shape of said wash deck with said deflector member being positioned above said wash deck to direct contaminant-laden particulate material over the surface of said wash deck, said product inlet tube further including a knife edge extending below an intersection between said deflector member and said product inlet tube, said upper portion of said wash deck being vertically movable into a raised position that engages said wash deck with said knife edge to stop said contaminant-laden particulate material from moving over said wash deck.
7. The dedusting apparatus of claim 6 wherein said upper portion is connected to a bracket extending through said back wall to be operably connected to a linear actuator for controlling the vertical movement of said upper portion of said wash deck, said upper portion being movable between said raised position and a lowered position where said upper portion of said wash deck is separated from said knife edge to allow the positioning of said upper portion to control the flow rate of contaminate-laden particulate material over said lower portion of said wash deck.
8. A dedusting apparatus for cleaning contaminants from contaminate-laden particulate material, comprising: a housing including a semi-cylindrical front housing and a planar back wall; a product inlet port having a product inlet tube through which said contaminate-laden particulate material is introduced into said housing and a product discharge port through which particulate material is discharged from the housing; a partial-conical wash deck terminating in a tip located at a center of curvature of said product inlet tube against said back wall to direct the flow of said contaminant-laden particulate material uniformly over the partial-conical wash deck, the wash deck having an outer peripheral bottom edge that is spaced internally from said front housing to define a Venturi zone for the passage of air between said wash deck and said front housing; said wash deck being formed with a plurality of apertures for the passage of air through the wash deck to clean contaminants from said contaminant-laden particulate material passing from said product inlet tube over said wash deck.
9. The dedusting apparatus of claim 8 wherein said wash deck further including a bottom member closing a bottom portion of said wash deck assembly except for an opening through which air can pass to move into said Venturi zone.
10. The dedusting apparatus of claim 8 further comprising: an air inlet port passing through said back wall to deliver a supply of air into said wash deck; and an air discharge port to discharge contaminant laden air from said housing.
11. The dedusting apparatus of claim 10 wherein said air discharge port is provided in an elevated portion of said housing and located on opposing sides of an electromagnetic coil surround said product inlet port.
12. The dedusting apparatus of claim 8 wherein said wash deck is detachably mounted to said back wall.
13. The dedusting apparatus of claim 8 further comprising a deflector member connected to a knife member that is vertically movable relative to said wash deck and said product inlet tube to define the flow rate of particulate material passing from said product inlet tube onto said wash deck, said knife member being mounted on phenolic slides and connected to a linear actuator mounted on an opposing side of said back wall.
14. The dedusting apparatus of claim 8 wherein wash deck is formed with a movable upper portion and a fixed lower portion, said product inlet tube including a partial conical deflector member projecting therefrom and corresponding to the shape of said wash deck with said deflector member being positioned above said wash deck to direct contaminant-laden particulate material over the surface of said wash deck, said product inlet tube further including a knife edge extending below an intersection between said deflector member and said product inlet tube, said upper portion of said wash deck being vertically movable into a raised position that engages said wash deck with said knife edge to stop said contaminant-laden particulate material from moving over said wash deck, said upper portion being operable connected to a linear actuator to control the vertical movement of said upper portion relative to said knife edge.
15. A dedusting apparatus for cleaning contaminants from contaminate-laden particulate material, comprising: a housing including a semi-cylindrical front housing and a planar back wall; a cylindrical product inlet port having a semi-cylindrical product inlet tube through which particulate material is introduced into said housing and a product discharge port through which particulate material is discharged from the housing; a baffle to direct the flow of said particulate material from said product inlet port into said product inlet tube; a partial-conical wash deck detachably mounted to said back wall and terminating in a tip located at a center of curvature of said product inlet tube against said back wall to direct the flow of said contaminant-laden particulate material uniformly over the partial-conical wash deck, said wash deck being formed with a plurality of apertures for the passage of air through the wash deck to clean contaminants from said contaminant-laden particulate material passing from said product inlet tube over said wash deck; and a knife member coupled with a deflector member that is vertically movable relative to said wash deck and said product inlet tube to define the flow rate of particulate material passing from said product inlet tube onto said wash deck, said knife member including a knife edge extending below said deflector member and a pair of laterally extending actuator wings being operably connected to a linear actuator to affect vertical movement of said deflector member and said knife member.
16. The dedusting apparatus of claim 15 wherein said front housing includes a front access door for accessing said wash deck, said wash deck being removable from said housing through said front access door.
17. The dedusting apparatus of claim 15 wherein the wash deck has an outer peripheral bottom edge that is spaced internally from said front housing to define a Venturi zone for the passage of air between said wash deck and said front housing.
18. The dedusting apparatus of claim 15 wherein said wash deck further including a bottom member closing a bottom portion of said wash deck assembly except for an opening through which air can pass to move between a peripheral edge of said wash deck and said housing to form a Venturi zone through which particulate material must pass before reaching said product discharge port.
19. The dedusting apparatus of claim 15 wherein said linear actuator is operatively engaged with a lift rack that extends across a rear side of said back wall to engage both actuator wings of said knife member to affect simultaneous movement of said actuator wings.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) The advantages of this invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed disclosure of the invention, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
(22) Referring to
(23) The dedusting apparatus 10 is generally semi-cylindrical in shape and configuration with a rounded front portion terminated by a back wall 15. The housing 12 includes a front housing 13 that is generally formed as a semi-circular shape, as viewed from above in
(24) The wash deck 20, which is also shown in
(25) The apertures 23 in the wash deck 20 are formed to direct air flow uniformly through the wash deck 20 to remove contaminant particles from the particulate material passing over the wash deck 20 from the particulate material inlet port 30. While the drawings reflect discrete lines of apertures 23 on the wash deck 20, one skilled in the art will recognize that other aperture distribution patterns may provide a different or even a more efficient distribution of air flow through the wash deck 20. Thus, the depiction of the apertures 23 on the wash deck 20 in the drawings is intended to be schematic and representative of an apertured wash deck 20, rather than representing a determinative pattern.
(26) The tip 24 of the wash deck 20 is located adjacent the back wall 15 at the center point of the product inlet tube 33 delivering particulate material from the product inlet port 30. A partial-conical deflector member 34 is shaped to conform to the shape of the wash deck 20 and is mounted to the back wall 15 at the end of the product inlet tube 33 to permit vertical positioning thereof relative to both the wash deck 20 and the product inlet tube 33. The vertical movement of the deflector member 34 changes the dimension of the gap 33a between the deflector member 34 and the outer peripheral surface 22 of the wash deck 20, best seen in
(27) A preferred embodiment of the deflector 34 is best seen in
(28) At the very top of the front housing 13, the back wall 15 is open on the side of the product inlet tube 33, as is best seen in
(29) The particulate material inlet port 30 is located at the top of the dedusting apparatus 10 and includes a circular mounting flange 31 for connecting to a supply hopper (not shown) in a conventional manner to provide a supply of particulate material into the dedusting apparatus 10. Preferably, the top mounting flange 31 is spaced above the housing 12 to provide a mounting location for an electromagnetic coil 32 for generating a magnetic flux field that is operable to neutralize static charges between the particulate material and the contaminant particles and enhance the cleaning operation of the wash deck 20, as is known in the art. The lower portion of the housing 12 terminates at the particulate material discharge port 35 that can incorporate a mounting flange 36 to attach devices for receiving the cleaned particulate material, such as a rotary valve (not shown).
(30) The air inlet port 40 delivers a supply of clean air under pressure through the back wall 15 and into the back side of the wash deck 20 to be passed through the apertures 23 in the wash deck 20 to remove contaminant particles from the particulate material passing over the wash deck 20. The air flow through the wash deck 20 moves upwardly with the contaminant particles entrained therein for removal from the dedusting apparatus 10 through the openings in the back wall 15 and outwardly through the air discharge port 45. Air also flows through the opening 27 in the bottom member 26 of the wash deck 20 to flow around the bottom member 26 and pass upwardly through the gap between the bottom periphery of the wash deck 20 and the front housing 13, as is best seen in
(31) Because the wash deck 20 is shaped as a half cone and the particulate material is passing through a circular mounting flange 31 to be introduced into the dedusting apparatus 10 for cleaning, the inlet structure of the dedusting apparatus 10 can direct the flow of particulate material into a semi-circular opening that is the product inlet tube 33. While this semi-circular inlet opening is an acceptable configuration to match the partial conical configuration of the wash deck, a full circular inlet opening, as described in greater detail below, would be preferable. To accomplish that task, the inlet structure between the mounting flange 31 and the housing 12, corresponding to the positioning of the magnetic coil 32, is provided with a baffle 37 that directs the flow of particulate material to be cleaned into the product inlet tube 33 to be dispersed over the outer surface 22 of the wash deck 20. As can be seen in
(32) For purposes of cleaning and maintenance of the dedusting apparatus 10, the wash deck 20 is removable from the back wall 15, as is the deflector member 34, and removable through the front access door 14 to permit cleaning separately from the housing 12. With the internal structure 20, 34 removed, the interior of the housing 12 from the product inlet tube 33 to the product discharge opening 35 can be cleaned easily.
(33) In operation, the contaminant-laden particulate material is fed into the product inlet structure 30 through the mounting flange 31 and onto the baffle 37 where the particulate material is fed into the semi-cylindrical product inlet tube 33. With the tip 24 of the wash deck 20 positioned on the back wall 15 at the center of curvature of the product inlet tube 33, the particulate material is evenly spread across the entire outer peripheral surface 22 of the wash deck 20 beneath the deflector member 34. The positioning of the deflector member 34 relative to the wash deck 20 defines the flow rate of the particulate material over the wash deck 20, but also controls the movement of the particulates so that the flow of particulate material over the outer surface 22 of the wash deck 20 is laminar.
(34) As the flow of particulate material passes over the wash deck 20, the flow of cleansing air passes through the apertures 23 and then through the flow of particulate material to remove dust, debris and other contaminants from the particulate material. Ultimately, the particulate material reaches the bottom of the wash deck 20 and falls off of the wash deck into the Venturi zone 25 where an additional flow of cleansing air passes through the falling particulate material to remove any remaining contaminant material. After passing through the Venturi zone 25, the cleaned particulate material is funneled into the product discharge port 35 for subsequent utilization. The contaminant laden air passing through the wash deck 20 and the Venturi zone 25 continues to the top of the housing 12 due to the pressure differential between the air inlet port 30 and the air discharge port 35 and carries the contaminants through the openings at the top of the back wall 15, into the manifold 46 and out through the air discharge port 35.
(35) An alternative configuration for the flow control mechanism 50 can best be seen in
(36) The actuator mechanism 55 is best seen in
(37) As is seen in
(38) Referring now to
(39) As depicted in
(40) Preferably, the fixed lower portion 73 of the wash deck 20 is preferably closed at the upper boundary thereof so that particulate material cannot move in some manner around the upper portion 72 into the gap between the upper and lower portions 72, 73 and, thereby, bypass the cleaning thereof by passing over the outer surface of the wash deck 20. The lower peripheral edge of the upper portion 72 could be formed with a slight overlap with the lower portion 73 or with a slightly curled lip that moves particulate material away from the gap between the upper and lower portions 72, 73 to further assure that particulates will not enter the gap between the upper and lower portions 72, 73. This knife edge 71 could also be incorporated into the alternate flow control mechanism 50 that is shown and described in greater detail above to provide a positive engagement edge against the wash deck 20.
(41) It will be understood that changes in the details, materials, steps and arrangements of parts, which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention will occur to and may be made by those skilled in the art upon a reading of this disclosure within the principles of the scope of the invention. The foregoing description illustrates the preferred embodiment of the invention; however, concepts, as based upon the description may be employed in other embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are intended to protect the invention broadly, as well as in the specific form shown.