Integral melter and pump system for the application of bituminous adhesives and highway crack-sealing materials, and a method of making the same
09771691 ยท 2017-09-26
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
F27B14/0806
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
E01C11/24
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
B05C5/001
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F27B2014/002
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
E01C19/08
FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
B05C5/02
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F27B14/143
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B05C11/1042
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
International classification
B67D7/80
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
B05C5/00
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
F27B14/08
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
F27B14/14
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
B05C5/02
PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
Abstract
An integral melter and pump assembly or system, and a method of making the same, is disclosed wherein the pump assembly comprises a melter housing having a melter container defined within the melter housing. A pump mounting plate is integrally mounted within a side wall portion of the melter container and an output dispensing supply pump is mounted directly upon an external surface portion of the pump mounting plate in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat generated internally within the melter container is effectively transferred by conduction from the melter container and through the pump mounting plate such that the temperature level of the output pump is elevated to, and maintained at, a predeterminedly desired level even when the pump, is not disposed in its output dispensing mode. In addition, since the output dispensing or material supply pump is disposed externally of the melter container and the melter housing, the output dispensing or material supply pump is easily and readily accessible in case maintenance becomes necessary. Optionally, an oil jacket or chamber can surround the melter container so as to more evenly or consistently provide heating of the melter container.
Claims
1. An integral melter and pump system, comprising: a melter container for containing melted material to be dispensed, and comprising a floor member and a first annular wall member integrally connected to said floor member and having an inner peripheral surface facing an interior portion of said melter container and an outer peripheral surface external of said melter container; a burner for providing heat to said melter container for melting material charged into said melter container such that the material charged into said melter container is melted by the heat from said burner; a burner chamber disposed beneath said floor member of said melter container and disposed in fluidic communication with said burner such that heat from said burner is transmitted into said burner chamber such that the heat present within said burner chamber heats said floor member of said melter container; a second annular wall member radially spaced from said first annular wall member and surrounding said first annular wall member so as to define with said first annular wall member an annular heating chamber fluidically connected to said burner chamber so as to receive heat from said burner chamber which will thereby heat said first annular wall member of said melter container; and an output dispensing supply pump mounted directly upon said outer peripheral surface of said first annular wall member of said melter container in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat from said interior portion of said melter container is transmitted, by conduction, through said first annular wall member of said melter container and to said output dispensing supply pump in order to constantly maintain said output dispensing supply pump in a heated state.
2. The integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 1, wherein: a planar pump mounting plate is integrally affixed within said first annular wall member of said melter container; and said output dispensing supply pump is mounted directly upon said planar pump mounting plate in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat from said interior portion of said melter container is transmitted, by conduction, through said planar pump mounting plate and to said output dispensing supply pump in order to constantly maintain said output dispensing supply pump in a heated state.
3. The integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 1, wherein: a planar pump mounting plate is integrally affixed upon said first annular wall member of said melter container; and said output dispensing supply pump is mounted directly upon said planar pump mounting plate in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat from said interior portion of said melter container is transmitted, by conduction, through said planar pump mounting plate and to said output dispensing supply pump in order to constantly maintain said output dispensing supply pump in a heated state.
4. The integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said burner is mounted upon an external wall portion of said burner chamber so as to be readily accessible to maintenance personnel for the performance of maintenance operations.
5. The integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 4, wherein: said burner comprises a diesel fuel burner.
6. The integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 1, wherein: said burner is removably mounted within said burner chamber so as to be readily accessible to maintenance personnel for the performance of maintenance operations.
7. The integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 6, wherein: said burner comprises a propane type burner.
8. The integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: a third annular wall member radially spaced from said second annular wall member, and surrounding said second annular wall member so as to define with said second annular wall member an annular insulation chamber.
9. The integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 8, further comprising: a fourth annular wall member spaced radially outwardly from said first annular wall member, spaced radially inwardly of said second annular wall member, and surrounding said first annular wall member so as to define with said first annular wall member an annular oil chamber such that heat from said annular heating chamber heats oil disposed within said annular oil chamber which, in turn, heats said first annular wall member of said melter container whereby enhanced uniform heating efficiency of said melter container is achieved.
10. The integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 9, further comprising: a floor member integrally connected to said fourth annular wall member and disposed beneath said floor member of said melter container such that said annular oil chamber also extends beneath said floor member of said melter container.
11. A method of making an integral melter and pump system, comprising the steps of: providing a melter container for containing melted material to be dispensed, wherein said melter container comprises a floor member and a first annular wall member integrally connected to said floor member and has an inner peripheral surface facing an interior portion of said melter container and an outer peripheral surface external of said melter container; proving a burner for providing heat to said melter container for melting material charged into said melter container such that the material charged into said melter container is melted by the heat from said burner; disposing a burner chamber beneath said floor member of said melter container such that said burner chamber is disposed in fluidic communication with said burner whereby heat from said burner is transmitted into said burner chamber such that the heat present within said burner chamber heats said floor member of said melter container; disposing a second annular wall member radially spaced from said first annular wall member, surrounding said first annular wall member so as to define with said first annular wall member an annular heating chamber, and fluidically connecting said annular heating chamber to said burner chamber so as to receive heat from said burner chamber and thereby heat said first annular wall member so as to in turn heat said first annular wall member of said melter container; and mounting an output dispensing supply pump directly upon said outer peripheral surface of said first annular wall member of said melter container in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat from said interior portion of said melter container is transmitted, by conduction, through said first annular wall member of said melter container and to said output dispensing supply pump in order to constantly maintain said output dispensing supply pump in a heated state.
12. The method of making an integral melter and pump system as set claim 11, further comprising the steps of: integrally affixing a planar pump mounting plate within said first annular wall member of said melter container; and mounting said output dispensing supply pump directly upon said planar pump mounting plate in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat from said interior portion of said melter container is transmitted, by conduction, through said planar pump mounting plate and to said output dispensing supply pump in order to constantly maintain said output dispensing supply pump in a heated state.
13. The method of making the integral melter and pump system as set claim 11, further comprising the steps of: integrally affixing a planar pump mounting plate upon said annular wall member of said melter container; and mounting said output dispensing supply pump directly upon said planar pump mounting plate in a surface-to-surface manner such that heat from said interior portion of said melter container is transmitted, by conduction, through said planar pump mounting plate and to said output dispensing supply pump in order to constantly maintain said output dispensing supply pump in a heated state.
14. The method of making the integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the step of: mounting said burner upon an external wall portion of said burner chamber so as to be readily accessible to maintenance personnel for the performance of maintenance operations.
15. The method of making the integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the step of: removably mounting said burner within said burner chamber so as to be readily accessible to maintenance personnel for the performance of maintenance operations.
16. The method of making the integral melter and pump system as set forth in claim 11, further comprising the step of: disposing a third annular wall member radially spaced from said second annular wall member and surrounding said second annular wall member so as to define with said second annular wall member an annular insulation chamber.
17. The method of making the integral melter and pump system as set claim 16, further comprising the step of: disposing a fourth annular wall member radially outwardly from said first annular wall member, spaced radially inwardly of said second annular wall member, and surrounding said first annular wall member so as to define with said first annular wall member an annular oil chamber such that heat from said annular heating chamber heats oil disposed within said annular oil chamber which, in turn, heats said first annular wall member of said melter container whereby enhanced uniform heating efficiency of said melter container is achieved.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) Various other features and attendant advantages of the present invention will be more fully appreciated from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
(9)
(10)
(11)
(12)
(13)
(14)
(15)
(16)
(17)
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
(18) Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to
(19) A burner box or chamber 114 is fixedly secured to a floor member 116 of the melter housing 102, and a burner assembly 118, which may be, for example, a diesel burner assembly which is mounted upon a face plate 120, is fixedly but re-movably mounted upon one side wall 122 of the burner box or chamber 114 by means of suitable bolts or fasteners 124. The burner assembly 118 has various controls, not shown, as well as a fan, also not shown, operatively associated there-with so as to control the combustion flames of the burner assembly 118 and to cause the combustion flames of the burner assembly 118 to enter the burner box or chamber 114. The mounting of the burner assembly 118 upon the face plate 120, and, in turn, the removable mounting of the face plate 120 upon the one side wall 122 of the burner box or chamber 114 by means of the bolts or fasteners 124 permits the burner assembly 118 to be readily and easily dismounted from the burner box or chamber 114 for servicing, maintenance, repairs, or replacement. It can also be clearly seen and appreciated from
(20) It is also to be appreciated that the three concentric substantially annular wall members 104, 106, 108 of the melter housing 102 define two concentric substantially annular chambers therebetween, that is, a first inner substantially annular chamber 138 surrounding the melter container 112, and a second outer substantially annular insulation chamber 140 surrounding the first inner substantially annual chamber 138. The first inner substantially annular chamber 138 is defined between the first innermost wall member 104 and the second intermediate wall member 106, while the second outer substantially annular chamber 140 is defined between the second intermediate wall member 106 and the third outermost wall member 108. It is also seen that the first inner substantially annular chamber 138 is fluidically connected to the burner box or chamber 114, and in this manner, it can readily be appreciated that the flames and heat generated by means of the burner 118, within the burner box or chamber 114, will be conveyed upwardly so as to effectively heat the floor member 110 of the melter container 112 as well as through the first inner substantially annular exhaust chamber 138 surrounding the melter container 112 so as to, in turn, effectively heat the first innermost annular wall member 104 of the melter container 112 by means of conduction. This heat will of course serve to melt solid bituminous or other adhesives and/or roadway materials which are charged into the melter container 112 through means of a material fill housing 142 which is fixedly mounted upon the upper cover or ceiling member 136 of the melter container 112 and which is provided with a movable fill lid, cover, or port 144. It is also noted that, with respect to this structural portion of the melter housing 102, the second outer substantially annular chamber 140 is adapted to be filled with an appropriate type of thermal insulation which may comprise, for example, air, a suitable ceramic material, a suitable type of wool or other fiber insulation, and the like. Lastly, while the upper end, top, or ceiling portion of the second outer substantially annular chamber 140 is closed or sealed, a plurality of vent holes 146, as can best be seen in
(21) Continuing further, a unique feature characteristic of the present invention resides in the provision of a vertically extending planar pump mounting plate 148 which effectively forms a portion of the innermost wall member 104 of the melter container 112. In fabricating the melter housing 102, a section of the innermost wall member 104 is removed and the vertically extending planar pump mounting plate 148 is welded to residual portions of the innermost wall member 104 of the melter container 112 so as to effectively become an integral part of the innermost wall member 104 of the melter container 112 as a result of having replaced that section of the innermost wall member 104 of the melter container 112 that had been removed. A dispensing or output supply pump 150 is then mounted upon an external surface portion of the mounting plate 148 as can best be appreciated from
(22) As can also be readily appreciated from
(23) Lastly, with reference being made to
(24) A second primary difference between the first embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system 100 and the second embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system 200 resides in the fact that in lieu of the three concentric substantially annular wall members 104, 106, 108 comprising the melter housing 102 of the first embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system 100, the melter housing 202 of the second embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system 200 is seen to comprise four concentric substantially annular wall members 204, 205, 206, and 208. More particularly, it is seen that in addition to the innermost wall member 204, the intermediate wall member 206, and the outermost wall member 208, a fourth wall member 205 has effectively been interposed between the innermost wall member 204 and the intermediate wall member 206. It is also seen that this additional wall member 205 has a floor member 211 integrally connected thereto whereby the wall member 205 and the floor member 211 effectively define an annular oil chamber 239 which is annularly disposed around the melter container 212 as well as being disposed beneath the floor member 210 of the melter container 212. The purpose of the oil chamber 239 is to provide a more even, consistent, or uniform heat gradient throughout the melter container 212. This is important depending upon the particular material being melted. Some materials are susceptible to being overheated and charred, thus effectively rendering them non-useable for their intended purposes. By employing the oil chamber 239, the likelihood of such overheating or charring of the melted material within the melter container 212 is substantially reduced. In a manner similar to that of the first embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system 100, it is seen that the additional wall member 205 and the intermediate wall member 206 together define the exhaust chamber 238 which is fluidically connected to the burner box or chamber 214, while the intermediate wall member 206 and the outermost wall member 208 define the insulation chamber 240.
(25) Lastly, a third primary difference between the first embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system 100 and the second embodiment of the integral melter and pump assembly or system 200 resides in the fact that in lieu of the vertically extending pump mounting plate 148 and the provision of the five-sided enclosure 156, a smaller pump mounting plate 248 has been mounted within a side wall portion of the melter housing 202. In view of the fact that the burner 118 is no longer disposed beneath the pump 250, but is, instead, located beneath the melter container 212, the five-sided enclosure 156 has been eliminated. As can also best be seen from
(26) Obviously, many variations and modifications of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. For example, more than one material dispensing output supply pump may be operatively connected to the melter container such that multiple dispensing operations can be achieved at one time and/or at different dispensing or deposition locations. In addition, it is noted that the melter can be fabricated from aluminum which facilitates the manufacturing process in that the pump mounting plate can be easily cast as an integral component part of the melter container as opposed to the need for welding the same within the side wall portion of the melter container. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims, the present invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein.
REFERENCE NUMBER KEY
(27) 100First embodiment of integral melter and pump assembly or system 102Melter housing 104Innermost concentric wall of melter housing 106Intermediate concentric wall of melter housing 108Outermost concentric wall of melter housing 110Floor of melter container 112Melter container 114Burner box or chamber 116Floor member of melter housing 118Burner 120Face plate upon which burner is mounted 122Side wall of burner box or chamber upon which face plate is mounted 124Bolts or fasteners 126Agitator 128Agitator blades 130Rotary agitator mounting shaft 132Bearing for agitator shaft 134Agitator drive motor 136Upper cover of melter container 138First inner annular exhaust chamber surrounding the melter container 140Second outer annular insulation chamber 142Material fill housing 144Lid, cover, or port of material fill housing 146Vent holes for first inner annular chamber surrounding the melt chamber 148Pump mounting plate of melter container 150Dispensing or output supply pump 152Material dispensing connection, port, or tap of dispensing or output pump 154Intake slot of dispensing or output supply pump 156Enclosure mounting dispensing or output supply pump upon melter container 158Pump drive motor 160Upper wall of enclosure 162Pump drive shaft 164Drain port 200Second embodiment of integral melter and pump assembly or system 202Melter housing 204Innermost concentric wall of melter housing 205Additional wall of melter housing 206Intermediate concentric wall of melter housing 208Outermost concentric wall of melter housing 210Floor of melter container 211Floor of oil chamber 212Melter container 214Burner box or chamber 216Floor member of melter housing 218Burner 219Fuel inlet supply conduit for burner 226Agitator 228Agitator blades 230Rotary agitator mounting shaft 232Bearing for agitator shaft 234Agitator drive motor 236Upper cover of melter container 238First inner annular exhaust chamber surrounding the melter container 239Annular oil chamber 240Second outer annular insulation chamber 242Material fill housing 244Lid, cover, or port of material fill housing 246Vent holes for first inner annular chamber surrounding the melt chamber 248Pump mounting plate of melter container 250Dispensing or output supply pump 252Material dispensing connection, port, or tap of dispensing or output pump 258Pump drive motor 262Pump drive shaft