Pulp lifter

Abstract

A pulp lifter has a leading edge and a trailing edge with respect to rotation of a rotary grinding mill, and includes a first wall bounding an interior space and a second wall dividing the interior space into first and second regions. The first wall includes an inner edge wall section and a radially outer wall section. The second wall includes a guide that extends substantially from the radially outer wall section to a trailing edge of the inner edge wall section. The guide is configured such that the second end of the guide does not extend to a radially inner edge of the pulp lifter. The first and second walls form at least one inlet opening at the leading edge providing access to the second section and an outlet opening for discharge of slurry from the second section at the radially inner edge and the trailing edge.

Claims

1. A pulp lifter of a pulp lifter assembly for a rotary grinding mill, the pulp lifter having a leading edge and a trailing edge with respect to rotation of the mill and the pulp lifter comprising: a first wall bounding an interior space; a second wall dividing the interior space into a first section and a second section, wherein the first wall includes: an inner edge wall section, and a radially outer wall section; and the second wall includes: a guide that extends substantially from the radially outer wall section at a first end of the guide to a trailing edge of the inner edge wall section at a second end of the guide; wherein the guide is configured such that the second end of the guide does not extend to a radially inner edge of the pulp lifter; and the first and second walls form at least one inlet opening at the leading edge providing access to the second section and an outlet opening for discharge of slurry from the second section at the radially inner edge and the trailing edge; and the first section of the interior space is at least partially open at the trailing edge of the pulp lifter.

2. The pulp lifter of claim 1, wherein the first end of the guide perpendicular to the inner wall section extending from the radially outer wall section is separated from the leading edge by distance.

3. The pulp lifter of claim 1, wherein proximate to the leading edge includes more than one hole or bolt tube extending from an outer edge to an inner edge, and a radially outer inlet opening of the at least one inlet opening formed between the radially outer wall section and a furthest outer hole or bolt tube of the more than one hole or bolt tube.

4. The pulp lifter of claim 1, further comprises: a trailing guide between the first and second walls that extends from the leading edge to the radially inner edge forming an outlet opening between the leading edge and the trailing guide at the radially inner edge.

5. The pulp lifter of claim 1, wherein proximate to the leading edge includes more than one hole or bolt tube extending from an outer edge to an inner edge, and an inlet opening of the at least one inlet opening formed between a furthest inner hole or bolt tube of the more than one hole or bolt tube and the radially inner edge.

6. The pulp lifter of claim 1, wherein the guide is substantially linear.

7. The pulp lifter of claim 1, wherein the guide has an outer segment at an acute angle to the radially outer wall section in the direction of the trailing edge.

8. The pulp lifter of claim 7, wherein the acute angle of the outer segment is between 30° and 80° .

9. The pulp lifter of claim 1, wherein the guide has an inner segment at an acute angle to the trailing edge of the pulp lifter in the direction of the radially outer wall section.

10. The pulp lifter of claim 1, wherein a wall thickness at an intersection of the guide and the radially outer wall section is substantially thicker than a wall thickness of the guide.

11. A pulp lifter assembly, for installation in a grinding mill on a downstream side of a grate formed with apertures that allow slurry to pass through the grate from an upstream side of the grate to the downstream side of the grate, the pulp lifter assembly comprising a plurality of mutually adjacent outer pulp lifters each having a leading edge and a trailing edge, each two adjacent outer pulp lifters being respectively a leading pulp lifter and a trailing pulp lifter, and each outer pulp lifter comprising: a first wall bounding an interior space; a second wall dividing the interior space into a first region and a second region; and a third wall dividing the second region into a first sub-region and a second sub-region; wherein the first wall includes: an inner edge wall, and a radially outer wall; and the second wall includes: a leading guide that extends substantially from the radially outer wall at a first end of the leading guide to a trailing edge of the inner edge wall at a second end of the leading guide; wherein the leading guide is configured such that the second end of the leading guide does not extend to the radially inner edge; and the third wall includes: a trailing guide between the first and second walls that extends from the leading edge to the radially inner edge forming an outlet opening between the leading edge and the trailing guide at the radially inner edge; and the first, second, and third walls form at least one inlet opening at the leading edge providing access to the second section and an outlet opening for discharge of slurry from the second region at the radially inner edge; and the first region of the interior space is at least partially open at the trailing edge of each outer pulp lifter.

12. The pulp lifter assembly of claim 11, wherein the leading guide of the leading pulp lifter at the inner edge wall of the leading guide aligns with the trailing guide of the trailing pulp lifter at the leading edge of the trailing guide.

13. The pulp lifter assembly of claim 11, further comprising: an inner pulp lifter defining at least one channel for receiving slurry from the outlet opening of the outer pulp lifter and conveying the slurry radially inward relative to the mill.

14. The pulp lifter assembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one channel of the inner pulp lifter includes at least one radial wall, and the at least one radial wall aligns with the trailing guide at a radially edge between at least one outer pulp lifter and the inner pulp lifter.

15. The pulp lifter assembly of claim 13, wherein the at least one channel of the inner pulp lifter includes a radial wall, and the radial wall forms an acute angle to a radially outer edge of the of the inner pulp lifter in the direction of the trailing edge, the guide has an outer segment at an acute angle to the radially outer wall in the direction of the trailing edge, and the acute angle of the radial wall is greater than the acute angle of the guide.

16. The pulp lifter assembly of claim 11, further comprising: the grate formed with apertures for allowing slurry to pass to the at least one pulp lifter for removal from the mill by the at least one pulp lifter, wherein the grate is aligned to the at least one pulp lifter.

17. A pulp lifter structure for installation in a grinding mill, the pulp lifter structure including: an outer pulp lifter having a leading edge and a trailing edge with respect to rotation of the mill and comprising: a first wall bounding an interior space; a second wall dividing the interior space into first and second regions; and a third wall; wherein the first wall includes: an inner edge wall, and a radially outer wall, and the second wall includes a leading guide that extends substantially from the radially outer wall at a first end of the leading guide to a trailing edge of the inner edge wall at a second end of the leading guide, wherein the leading guide is configured such that the second end of the leading guide does not extend to the inner edge wall, the third wall includes a trailing guide between the first and second walls that extends from the leading edge to the radially inner edge forming an outlet opening between the leading edge the trailing guide at the radially inner edge, and the first, second, and third walls form at least one inlet opening at the leading edge providing access to the second section and an outlet opening for discharge of slurry from the second region at the radially inner edge, and the first region of the interior space is at least partially open at the trailing edge of the pulp lifter; and an inner pulp lifter defining at least one channel for receiving slurry from the outlet opening of the outer pulp lifter and conveying the slurry radially inward relative to the mill; and a discharger for receiving slurry from the at least one channel of the inner pulp lifter and discharging the slurry from the inner pulp lifter.

18. The pulp lifter structure of claim 17, wherein the at least one channel of the inner pulp lifter includes a radial wall, the radial wall aligns with the trailing guide at a radially edge between the outer pulp lifter and the inner pulp lifter, and the discharger includes at least one discharger wall, and the discharger wall aligns with the radial wall at a radially edge between the inner pulp lifter and the discharger.

19. The pulp lifter structure of claim 17, wherein: the leading guide forms an acute angle to the radially outer wall in the direction of the trailing edge; the at least one channel of the inner pulp lifter includes at least one radial wall, the at least one radial wall forms an acute angle to a radially outer edge of the of the inner pulp lifter in the direction of the trailing edge, and the acute angle of the at least one radial wall is greater than the acute angle of the leading guide, the discharger includes at least one discharger wall, the at least one discharger wall forms an angle to a radially outer edge of the of the discharger in the direction of the trailing edge, and the angle of the at least one discharger wall is greater than the acute angle of the at least one radial wall.

20. The pulp lifter system of claim 17, further comprising: a plurality of pulp lifter structures radially adjacent to each other forming a circular pattern.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1A illustrates a sectional side view of a rotary grinding mill.

(2) FIG. 1B illustrates a sectional view of the grinding mill taken on the line A-A of FIG. 1A.

(3) FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a second rotary grinding mill.

(4) FIG. 3A illustrates a schematic front view of two pulp lifter units of the grinding mill shown in FIGS. 1A-1B.

(5) FIG. 3B illustrates the structure of FIG. 3A in section taken on the line B-B.

(6) FIG. 3C illustrates a perspective side view of the structure of FIG. 3A.

(7) FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of a second pulp lifter.

(8) FIG. 5A illustrates a perspective view of a third pulp lifter.

(9) FIG. 5B illustrates a perspective view illustrating the manner in which the pulp lifter shown in FIG. 5A cooperates with other pulp lifters of similar structure.

(10) FIG. 6A illustrates a perspective view of a component of a fourth pulp lifter structure.

(11) FIG. 6B illustrates a view of the component shown in FIG. 6A taken on the line 6B-6B of FIG. 6A.

(12) FIGS. 7-9 illustrate perspective views of the fourth pulp lifter structure at different stages of assembly.

(13) FIG. 10 illustrates a sectional view of a pulp lifter assembly of the grinding mill, similar in orientation and scope to FIG. 1B.

(14) FIGS. 11-13 are enlarged perspective views of the pulp lifter assembly shown in FIG. 10 at different stages of assembly.

(15) FIG. 14 is an enlarged partial view of a further pulp lifter assembly.

(16) FIG. 15A illustrates a perspective view of an outer pulp lifter.

(17) FIG. 15B illustrates a perspective view of a wear pattern in an outer pulp lifter.

(18) FIG. 16 illustrates a sectional view of a pulp lifter assembly of the grinding mill showing the flow of slurry, similar in orientation and scope to FIG. 10.

(19) FIGS. 17A-17B illustrate perspective views of an outer pulp lifter shown in FIG. 16.

(20) FIG. 17C illustrates a sectional view of the outer pulp lifter shown in FIGS. 17A-17B.

(21) FIG. 18 illustrates another sectional view of the outer pulp lifter shown in FIGS. 17A-17C.

(22) FIGS. 19A-19B illustrate perspective views of an inner pulp lifter shown in FIG. 16.

(23) FIG. 19C illustrates a sectional view of the inner pulp lifter shown in FIGS. 19A-19B.

(24) FIG. 20A illustrates a perspective view of a discharger with a long radial wall shown in FIG. 16.

(25) FIG. 20B illustrates a sectional view of the discharger with a long radial wall shown in FIG. 20A.

(26) FIG. 21A illustrates a perspective view of a discharger with a short radial wall shown in FIG. 16.

(27) FIG. 21B illustrates a sectional view of the discharger with a short radial wall shown in FIG. 21A.

(28) FIG. 22 illustrates a sectional view of the pulp lifter assembly of the grinding mill shown in FIG. 16 with guide and radial wall angles.

(29) FIG. 23 illustrates a partial sectional view of semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill or rotary grinding mill.

(30) FIG. 24 illustrates a partial front view of a grate assembly mounted on a pulp lifter assembly of the grinding mill.

(31) FIGS. 25-26 illustrates partial perspective views of the grate assembly mounted on the pulp lifter assembly of the grinding mill.

(32) FIG. 27 illustrates a partial front view of a pulp lifter assembly of the grinding mill.

(33) FIGS. 28-29 illustrates partial perspective views of the pulp lifter assembly of the grinding mill.

(34) FIG. 30 illustrates a sectional view of a discharger and cone assembly of the grinding mill.

(35) FIG. 31 illustrates a schematic view of an internal profile of a pulp lifter assembly of the grinding mill.

(36) FIG. 32 illustrates a schematic view of an internal profile of another pulp lifter assembly of a grinding mill with a different bolt hole configuration from the pulp lifter assembly shown in FIGS. 16-30.

(37) FIG. 33 illustrates a schematic view of an internal profile of another pulp lifter assembly of a grinding mill with a different bolt hole configuration from the pulp lifter assembly shown in FIGS. 16-30.

(38) FIGS. 34-35 illustrate views of various internal profiles of pulp lifter assemblies on the sectional view of pulp lifter assembly shown in FIGS. 16 and 22.

(39) FIG. 36 illustrates a schematic view of an internal profile of another pulp lifter assembly of a grinding mill with a different guide configuration from the pulp lifter assembly shown in FIGS. 16-30.

(40) FIG. 37 illustrates a schematic view of an internal profile of a pulp lifter assembly of the grinding mill that includes outer pulp lifters, middle pulp lifters, inner pulp lifters, and dischargers.

(41) FIG. 38A illustrates a front view of a pulp lifter assembly of a grinding mill.

(42) FIG. 38B illustrates a sectional view of the pulp lifter assembly shown in FIG. 38A.

(43) FIG. 39A illustrates a side view of an outer pulp lifter.

(44) FIG. 39B illustrates a sectional view of the outer pulp lifter shown in FIG. 39A.

(45) FIG. 39C illustrates a sectional view of the outer pulp lifter shown in FIG. 39B.

(46) FIGS. 39D-39E illustrate perspective views of the outer pulp lifter shown in FIGS. 39A-39C.

(47) FIG. 40A illustrates a side view of an inner pulp lifter.

(48) FIG. 40B illustrates a sectional view of the inner pulp lifter shown in FIG. 40A.

(49) FIGS. 40C-40D illustrate perspective views of the inner pulp lifter shown in FIGS. 40A-40B.

(50) FIGS. 41A-41B illustrate side views of a discharge cone.

(51) FIGS. 41C-41D illustrate perspective views of the discharge cone shown in FIGS. 41A-41B.

(52) FIGS. 42A-42B illustrate side views of a discharge cone.

(53) FIGS. 42C-42D illustrate perspective views of the discharge cone shown in FIGS. 41A-41B.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

(54) Before any embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the following drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Numbers provided in flow charts and processes are provided for clarity in illustrating steps and operations and do not necessarily indicate a particular order or sequence. Unless otherwise defined, the term “or” can refer to a choice of alternatives (e.g., a disjunction operator, or an exclusive or) or a combination of the alternatives (e.g., a conjunction operator, and/or, a logical or, or a Boolean OR).

(55) FIGS. 15A-15B illustrate the outer pulp lifter 100, shown in FIG. 6A. FIG. 15A shows the direction 114 of slurry from the outlet opening 119 of the outer pulp lifter 100. FIG. 10 shows the direction 214 of slurry through the pulp lifter assembly 200 described and shown in FIGS. 10-14. Although the pulp lifter assembly 200 reduces flow back, the movement 214 of slurry changes direction substantially, multiple times through the pulp lifter assembly 200, which can reduce the velocity and flow of the slurry, resulting in less material throughput through the mill, as well as increase the wear on various components, such as the outer pulp lifter. FIG. 15B shows various areas wear in the outer pulp lifter 100. One area of wear 113 (i.e., guide wear) is in the guide 112 at the outlet opening 119 due to the friction, abrasion, and force of the material on the curved guide 112. More specifically, the slurry, pebbles, and scats (i.e., waste product) gain inward momentum due to the intimal curvature, but the material is forced to take radially inwards direction as the material approaches the exit at outlet opening 119. The restriction in the momentum of particles cause excessive wear 113, which has been observed with the pulp lifter assembly 200 described and shown in FIGS. 10-14.

(56) The particles of the material can also accumulate on the pedestal area 103 and their probability to pass through the transfer port 117 is minimal (which can be similar accumulations in conventional radial pulp lifters). As a result, the particles continue to rattle or move inside the outer pulp lifter, which leads to impact wear 105 (i.e., pedestal wear).

(57) The disclosed subject matter provides a pulp lifter of a pulp lifter assembly with a continuous guide profile that allows a smoother transport of slurry and pebbles towards the central discharger while still reducing backflow. In some examples, the overall curvature is concave. The continuous profile of the guide reduces the wear due to the radially inward flow in each of the pulp lifter components, which can increase the life of pulp lifters and reduce plant downtime. The pulp lifter assembly components or pulp lifter components can be formed of a hard substance or metal, such as iron or steel. In addition, the pulp lifter components may also be coated with a heavy duty polymer to provide additional protection to the components and extend the life of the components.

(58) FIGS. 16-42D illustrate a pulp lifter with a continuum profile of the guide from an outer pulp lifter to inner discharger or discharger cone that maintains the inward momentum of the slurry, which minimizes the wear and increase the life of pulp lifters. The reduced wear of the pulp lifter results in reduced mill downtime as well lower cost due to less frequent pulp lifter component replacement.

(59) FIGS. 16-30 illustrate a pulp lifter assembly 460 in a semi-autogenous grinding (SAG) mill, rotary grinding mill, or mill 490 (FIG. 23) with a continuum guide for a particular bolt hole and alignment hole pattern, which may be used to retrofit to an existing bolt hole pattern of a mill, such as a bolt hole and alignment hole pattern shown in FIGS. 6A-13. The mill and a pulp lifter assembly is configured to rotate in the clockwise direction 461, referred to as the direction of rotation, with slurry designed to flow in channels defined by the structure of the pulp lifter assembly 460. The direction of slurry 464A, 464B, and 464C is shown in FIG. 16. The pulp lifter assembly 460 includes an outer pulp lifter 400, an inner pulp lifter 420, and a discharger (i.e., a long discharger 430 or a short discharger 431). As shown the guide walls of the outer pulp lifter, the inner pulp lifter, and the discharger maintain a relatively continuous guide with gradual changes in angle from the radially outer wall 404 to the discharger radial wall (i.e., a long radial wall 434 or a short radial wall 436) which directs slurry to the discharge cone.

(60) The pulp lifter assembly 460 is shown segmented into the smaller components with 32 outer pulp lifters 400, 16 inner pulp lifters 420, and 16 dischargers, so the components can be retrofitted to the existing bolt hole pattern and alignment hole pattern shown in FIGS. 6A-13. In other examples, the number and size of the components can differ. The outer pulp lifters, inner pulp lifters, and dischargers are shown as separate components because, as a practical matter, these components are usually installed and replaced in an existing mill 490 (FIG. 23) through the opening formed by a feed trunnion 493 (FIG. 23), which has limited access because of a smaller diameter. But in other examples, two or more of these components can be integrated or formed together as a single component, or one of these components may be further segmented into smaller components.

(61) FIG. 17A-18 illustrate various views of an outer pulp lifter 400. The outer pulp lifter is designed to reduce flow back as previously described with other embodiments. The slurry is designed to enter through some apertures or openings 452 (FIGS. 25-26) or screening holes or slots) in the grates or grate plates 450 (FIGS. 23-26), which screens slurry with particles above the hole or slot size from entering the inlet chamber 415 of the outer pulp lifter. Particles smaller than the apertures or openings of the grate plates can flow into the inlet chamber of the outer pulp lifter. The inlet chamber is formed by an axially downstream wall or inner edge wall 408, the radially outer wall 404, a leading guide or first guide 412 on the trailing edge 407 side, a leading wall 402, and a leading wall 402 of an adjacent outer pulp lifter, and an intermediate wall 410 that partitions the inlet chamber from an outlet chamber in the axial direction.

(62) With the rotation of the mill, the slurry is configured to flow from the inlet chamber out an outlet opening 418D through an inlet opening or transfer opening (i.e., an outer transfer opening 417A and middle transfer opening 417B) to the outlet chamber, outer outlet chamber, or main outlet chamber 416. The main outlet chamber and the inner outlet chamber 413 define the outlet chamber. The main outlet chamber is defined by the axially downstream wall or inner edge wall 408, the leading wall 402 with the transfer openings, the radially outer wall 404, a leading guide or first guide 412 on the leading edge 403 side, and the intermediate wall 410. An inner outlet chamber adjacent to the main outlet chamber may be defined by the trailing guide or second guide 414 of the adjacent outer pulp lifter, the axially downstream wall or inner edge wall 408, and the intermediate wall 410. With further rotation of the mill, the slurry is configured to flow from the main outlet chamber through inlet opening or transfer opening 417C and outlet openings 418A, 418B, 418C to an inner pulp lifter 420. The slurry flows in a spiral pattern from a radially outer edge 405 to a radially inner edge 406 and from the leading edge 403 to the trailing edge 407.

(63) The leading guide or first guide 412 extends at an angle 466 (outer pulp lifter guide angle or outer pulp lifter outer segment guide angle) tangent to the radially outer wall 404. The leading guide 412 separated from the leading edge of the leading wall 402 of outer pulp lifter 400 by a shortest distance 454 (from leading edge to the leading guide). As a result, in some example, more area is available for the transfer opening in the leading wall, such as between the radially outer wall 404 and the outer bolt hole 409A (e.g., outer transfer opening 417A), which can increase the slurry flow of the mill. The outer pulp lifter guide angle is an acute angle that can range from 30° to 80° depending of the diameter of the mill and the rotational speed of the mill. The outer pulp lifter guide angle, mill diameter, and mill rotational speed can be designed to provide a high (or greater) flow rate. If the mill rotational speed is too fast, the centrifugal force causes the slurry to “stick” to the radially outer edge 405 of the outer pulp lifter or does not enough slurry to flow into the inlet chamber. If the mill rotational speed is too slow, the mill does not process slurry at its full capacity. The rotational speed that provides approximately the most slurry flow is referred to as the terminal velocity. The leading guide or first guide can also have an acute angle (e.g., outer pulp lifter inner segment guide angle 467) with the trailing edge 407 of the pulp lifter.

(64) The outer pulp lifter can be designed with other features to assist with the installation and repair of the outer pulp lifters. For example, any of the pulp lifter assembly components can include a lifting eye (e.g., lifting eye 401 on the outer pulp lifter), which can be hooked to a cable of a lifting device, such as winch or crane. Any of the pulp lifter assembly components can include an alignment hole (e.g., outer alignment hole 411A or inner alignment hole 411B in the outer pulp lifter) to align the pulp lifter assembly components to posts or studs in a discharge end plate (36 of FIG. 2 or 794 of FIG. 38B). Alternatively, the discharge end plate may have openings for alignment bolts. As shown the alignment hole may be larger than the posts or studs (or alignment bolts) so allow the pulp lifter assembly components (e.g., the outer pulp lifter to shift or rotate relative to the discharge end plate so the bolt holes can align with the openings in the discharge end plate. The grate plate 450 and the outer pulp lifter 400 can be secured to the discharge end plate using bolts that pass through bolt holes (e.g., outer bolt hole 409A or inner bolt hole 409B in the outer pulp lifter, specifically in the leading wall). The outer pulp lifter with the inlet chamber and outlet chamber provides the primary mechanism for flow back reduction.

(65) After the slurry exits the outlet chamber 413 and 416 of the outer pulp lifter, the slurry flows through channels 425 formed by the walls (e.g., a short radial wall or leading radial wall 423 or long radial wall, trailing radial wall, or following radial wall 424) of the inner pulp lifter 420, as shown in FIGS. 19A-19C. The short radial wall and long radial wall are supported by an axially downstream wall 422. Similar to the outer pulp lifter, the inner pulp lifter includes a leading edge 426, a trailing edge 427, a radially outer edge 428, and a radially inner edge 429, with the edges aligning with adjacent pulp lifter assembly components. The radial walls extend at an acute angle (e.g., inner pulp lifter guide angles) from a tangent to the radially outer edge of the inner pulp lifter. A leading inner pulp lifter guide angle 468A is an acute angle from the short radial wall or leading radial wall 423 to a tangent to the radially outer edge of the inner pulp lifter. A trailing inner pulp lifter guide angle 468B is an acute angle from the short radial wall or leading radial wall 423 to a tangent to the radially outer edge of the inner pulp lifter. In an example, the leading inner pulp lifter guide angle 468A and trailing inner pulp lifter guide angle 468B have an angle equal to or greater than the outer pulp lifter guide angle or outer pulp lifter outer segment guide angle 466. The comparison of some of the angles (e.g., 266) from the outer pulp lifter 400, some of the angles (e.g., 268A-B) from the inner pulp lifter 420, and some of the angles (e.g., 270A-B) from the dischargers is shown in FIG. 22. In an example to provide a continuum guide with high volume slurry flow (or faster slurry flow), angles between the outer pulp lifter, inner pulp lifter, and the dischargers make a gradual shift in their angles with an outer pulp lifter angle 266 being smaller than an inner pulp lifter angle 268A or 268B, and the inner pulp lifter angle 268A or 268B being smaller than an discharger angle 270A or 270B.

(66) Referring back to FIGS. 19A-19C, the inner pulp lifter 420 can include alignment holes (e.g., leading alignment hole 421A and trailing alignment hole 421B) to align the pulp lifter assembly components to posts or studs in a discharge end plate. The center liner 448, which is a solid relatively flat piece (usually without apertures or openings for slurry flow), and the inner pulp lifter 420 can be secured to the discharge end plate using bolts that pass through bolt holes (e.g., short bolt hole 419A, outer long bolt hole 419B, and inner long bolt hole 419C in the inner pulp lifter).

(67) After the slurry exits the channels 425 of the inner pulp lifter, the slurry flows towards the discharger cone through channels formed by the radial walls (e.g., a long radial wall 434 or a short radial wall 436) of the dischargers. FIGS. 20A-20B illustrates a long discharger 430 with a long radial wall 434. The long radial wall is supported by axially downstream wall 432, which can be coupled to the discharge end plate. The long discharger has a long discharger radially outer edge 440 and long discharger trailing edge 442 (as well as a leading edge and radially inner edge). The long radial wall includes a bolt hole (e.g., long bolt hole 439A) as well as a lifting eye 435. The long discharger guide angle 470A is an acute angle from the long radial wall 434 to a tangent to the radially outer edge of the long discharger.

(68) FIGS. 21A-21B illustrates a short discharger 431 with a short radial wall 436. The short radial wall is supported by axially downstream wall 433, which can be coupled to the discharge end plate. The short discharger has a short discharger radially outer edge 441 and short discharger trailing edge 443 (as well as a leading edge and radially inner edge). The short radial wall includes a bolt hole (e.g., short bolt hole 439B) as well as a lifting eye 437. The long discharger guide angle 470A is an acute angle from the long radial wall 434 to a tangent to the radially outer edge of the long discharger.

(69) FIGS. 23-30 illustrate the pulp lifter assembly 460 in various perspective views of the mill 490. As shown in FIGS. 23-24, the long dischargers 430 and short dischargers 431 alternate in a circular orientation around a discharge cone 480. The mill has a feed trunnion 493, feed end plate 494, grinder chamber or shell 497, discharge end plate (concealed), and discharge trunnion (concealed) to contain the ground material and slurry. Liner plates 495 coupled to the grinder shell 497 help to rotate and crush the ground material into a slurry that can pass through the grate plates 450. FIG. 28 shows spokes or discharge cone axial walls 482 of the discharge cone 480. FIG. 30 illustrates the dischargers 430 and 431 and the discharge cone 480 with spokes 482 in a discharge and cone assembly 484.

(70) In one example of a pulp lifter with a continuum guide, referring the FIGS. 16-30, the pulp lifter 400 of a pulp lifter assembly for a rotary grinding mill pulp lifter has a leading edge 403 and a trailing edge 407 with respect to rotation of the mill, and includes a first wall 402, 404, and 408 bounding an interior space and a second wall 410 and 412 dividing the interior space into a first region 415 and a second region 416. The first wall includes a leading edge wall 402 (or leading edge 702) formed with at least one inlet opening 417 providing access to the second section 416, an inner edge wall 408, and a radially outer wall 404. The second wall includes a guide 412 that extends substantially from the radially outer wall 404 to a trailing edge 407 of the inner edge wall 408. The first and second walls form an outlet opening 418A or 418B for discharge of slurry from the second section 416 at a radially inner edge 406. The first section 415 of the interior space is at least partially open at the trailing edge 407 of the pulp lifter 400.

(71) In another configuration, the first and second walls form part of the outlet opening 418C for discharge of slurry from the second section 416 at the trailing edge 407 of the pulp lifter 400. The leading edge wall 402 includes an outer hole 409A extending from an outer edge to an inner edge, and an inlet opening 417A formed between the radially outer wall 404 and the outer hole 409A.

(72) In another configuration, pulp lifter includes a trailing guide 414 between the first and second walls that extends from the leading edge wall 402 to the radially inner edge 406. The leading edge wall 402 can also include an inner hole 409B extending from an outer edge to an inner edge, and an inlet opening 417C formed between the inner hole 409B and the radially inner edge 406. In one example, the guide 412 is substantially linear. In another example, the guide is concave towards the leading edge wall 402 of the first wall.

(73) In another configuration, the guide 412 has an outer segment at an acute angle 466 to the radially outer wall 404 in the direction of the trailing edge 407. In one example, the acute angle 466 of the outer segment is between 30° and 80°. In another example, the guide 412 has an inner segment at an acute angle 467 to the trailing edge 407 of the pulp lifter in the direction of the radially outer wall 404. A wall thickness at an intersection of the guide 412 and the radially outer wall 404 can be substantially thicker than a wall thickness of the rest of the guide.

(74) In another example, a pulp lifter with a continuum guide can be included in a pulp lifter assembly. The pulp lifter assembly for installation in a grinding mill on a downstream side of a grate 450 formed with apertures 452 can allow slurry to pass through the grate 450 from an upstream side of the grate 450 to the downstream side of the grate 450, the pulp lifter assembly comprising a plurality of mutually adjacent outer pulp lifters 400 each having a leading edge 403 and a trailing edge 407, each two adjacent outer pulp lifters 400 being respectively a leading pulp lifter 400A and a trailing pulp lifter 400B. Each outer pulp lifter includes a first wall 402, 404, and 408 bounding an interior space, a second wall 410 and 412 dividing the interior space into a first region 415 and a second region, and a third wall 414 dividing the second region into a first sub-region 416 and a second sub-region 413. The first wall includes a leading edge wall 402 formed with at least one inlet opening 417 providing access to the second section 416, an inner edge wall 408, and a radially outer wall 404. The second wall includes a leading guide 412 that extends substantially from the radially outer wall 404 to a trailing edge 407 of the inner edge wall 408. The third wall includes a trailing guide 414 between the first and second walls that extends from the leading edge wall 402 to a radially inner edge 406. The first, second, and third walls form an outlet opening 418A for discharge of slurry from the second section 416 at a radially inner edge 406. The first section 415 of the interior space is at least partially open at the trailing edge 407 of each outer pulp lifter 400A-B.

(75) In another example, the third wall includes a trailing guide 714 between the first and second walls that extends from the leading edge wall 702 to a trailing edge 707. The first, second, and third walls form an outlet opening 718A for discharge of slurry from the second section 716 at a trailing edge 707.

(76) In one configuration, the leading guide 412 of the leading pulp lifter 400A at the inner edge wall 408 of the leading guide 412 aligns with the trailing guide 414 of the trailer pulp lifter 400B at the leading edge wall 402 of the trailing guide 414.

(77) In another configuration, the pulp lifter assembly includes an inner pulp lifter 420 defining at least one channel 425 for receiving slurry from the outlet opening 418 of the outer pulp lifter 400 and conveying the slurry radially inward relative to the mill. The at least one channel 425 of the inner pulp lifter 420 includes at least one radial wall 423 or 424, and the at least one radial wall 423 or 424 aligns with the trailing guide 414 at a radially edge 406 or 428 between at least one outer pulp lifter 400A or 400B and the inner pulp lifter 420. In another example, the at least one channel 425 of the inner pulp lifter 420 includes at least one radial wall 423 or 424, and the at least one radial wall 423 or 424 forms an acute angle 468A or 468B to a radially outer edge 428 of the of the inner pulp lifter 420 in the direction of the trailing edge 427, the guide 412 has an outer segment at an acute angle 466 to the radially outer wall 404 in the direction of the trailing edge 407, and the acute angle 468A or 468B of the at least one radial wall 423 or 424 is greater than the acute angle 466 of the guide 412.

(78) In another configuration, the pulp lifter assembly includes a grate 250 formed with apertures 252 for allowing slurry to pass to the at least one pulp lifter 400A or 400B for removal from the mill by the at least one pulp lifter 400A or 400B. The grate 450 is aligned to the at least one pulp lifter 400A or 400B.

(79) In another example, a pulp lifter with a continuum guide can be included in a pulp lifter structure for installation in a grinding mill. The pulp lifter structure includes an outer pulp lifter 400, an inner pulp lifter 420, and a discharger 430 or 431. The outer pulp lifter includes a first wall 402, 404, and 408 bounding an interior space, a second wall 410 and 412 dividing the interior space into a first region 415 and a second region, and a third wall 414. The first wall includes a leading edge wall 402 formed with at least one inlet opening 417 providing access to the second section 416, an inner edge wall 408, and a radially outer wall 404. The second wall includes a leading guide 412 that extends substantially from the radially outer wall 404 to a trailing edge 407 of the inner edge wall 408. The third wall includes a trailing guide 414 between the first and second walls that extends from the leading edge wall 402 to a radially inner edge 406. The first, second, and third walls form an outlet opening 418A for discharge of slurry from the second section 416 at a radially inner edge 406. The first section 415 of the interior space is at least partially open at the trailing edge 407 of the outer pulp lifter 400.

(80) The inner pulp lifter 420 defines at least one channel 425 for receiving slurry from the outlet opening 418 of the outer pulp lifter 400 and conveying the slurry radially inward relative to the mill. The discharger 430 or 431 receives slurry from the at least one channel 425 of the inner pulp lifter 420 and discharging the slurry from the inner pulp lifter 420.

(81) In another configuration, the leading guide 412 forms an acute angle 466 to the radially outer wall 404 in the direction of the trailing edge 407. The at least one channel 425 of the inner pulp lifter 420 includes at least one radial wall 423 or 424, the at least one radial wall 423 or 424 forms an acute angle 468A or 468B to a radially outer edge 428 of the of the inner pulp lifter 420 in the direction of the trailing edge 427, and the acute angle 468A or 468B of the at least one radial wall 423 or 424 is greater than the acute angle 466 of the leading guide 412. The discharger 430 or 431 includes at least one discharger wall 434 or 436, the at least one discharger wall 434 or 436 forms an angle 470A or 470B to a radially outer edge 440 or 441 of the of the discharger 430 or 431 in the direction of the trailing edge 442 or 443, and the angle 470A or 470B of the at least one discharger wall 430 or 431 is greater than the acute angle 468A or 468B of the at least one radial wall 423 or 424.

(82) In one example, a plurality of pulp lifter structures radially adjacent to each other formed a circular pattern. In another example, the pulp lifter structure includes a grate 450 formed with apertures 452 for allowing slurry to pass to the pulp lifter for removal from the mill by the pulp lifter. The grate 450 can be mounted or attached to the outer pulp lifter 400.

(83) FIGS. 16-31 illustrate various configurations of pulp lifter components and a pulp lifter assembly in a SAG mill or rotary grinding mill that uses a continuum guide, which improves material (e.g., slurry) flow, speed, and throughput, as well as reducing component wear. As illustrated in FIG. 16, the pulp lifter assembly includes outer pulp lifters 400, inner pulp lifters 420, and dischargers 430 or 431. As shown the path the slurry travel has a continuous flow from the inlet chamber 115 of the outer pulp lifter 400 to the dischargers 430 or 431.

(84) FIG. 31 illustrates an internal profile of a pulp lifter assembly 500 of the grinding mill, where the direction of rotation 501 is in the clockwise direction. The pulp lifter assembly has a ring of outer pulp lifters 510 with at least three holes 516 (alignment holes or bolt holes) per outer pulp lifter, a ring of inner pulp lifters 520 with at least three holes 516 per inner pulp lifter, a ring of dischargers 530 with at least one hole 516 per discharger, and a discharge cone 580. Long guides 512 and short guides 514 are illustrated in the outer pulp lifters, inner pulp lifters, and dischargers, as well as spokes or discharge cone axial walls 582 in the dischargers and discharge cone.

(85) FIGS. 32 and 33 illustrate a different bolt hole and alignment hole pattern from FIGS. 16-30. The curvature of the guides in shown in FIGS. 32 and 33 differ from each other, as illustrated in FIGS. 34-35. FIGS. 34-36 illustrate another curvature of a guide that differs from FIGS. 32 and 33. In other examples (not shown), the bolt holes and alignment holes of the pulp lifter assembly may have another pattern. The pulp lifter assembly may have guides with different curvatures.

(86) FIG. 32 illustrates an internal profile of a pulp lifter assembly 600 of the grinding mill, where the direction of rotation is in the clockwise direction. The pulp lifter assembly has a ring of outer pulp lifters 602 with two alignment holes 618 (e.g., bolt hole to hold the piece) and two bolt holes 616 (e.g., longer bolt hole to hold complete outer pulp lifter and grate) per outer pulp lifter, a ring of inner pulp lifters 604 with two alignment holes 618 (e.g., bolt hole to hold the piece) and two bolt holes 616 (e.g., longer bolt hole to hold complete inner pulp lifter and center liner) per inner pulp lifter, and a ring of dischargers 606 with one bolt hole 616 per discharger. Long guides 610, medium guides 612, and short guides 614 are illustrated in the outer pulp lifters, the inner pulp lifters, and the dischargers.

(87) FIG. 33 illustrates another internal profile of a pulp lifter assembly 620 of the grinding mill, where the direction of rotation is in the clockwise direction. The pulp lifter assembly has a ring of outer pulp lifters 622 with two alignment holes 618 (e.g., bolt hole to hold the piece) and two bolt holes 616 (e.g., longer bolt hole to hold complete outer pulp lifter and grate) per outer pulp lifter, a ring of inner pulp lifters 624 with two alignment holes 618 (e.g., bolt hole to hold the piece) and two bolt holes 616 (e.g., longer bolt hole to hold complete inner pulp lifter and center liner) per inner pulp lifter, and a ring of dischargers 626 with one bolt hole 616 per discharger. Long guides 630, first medium guides 632, second medium guide 634, and third medium guide 636 are illustrated in the outer pulp lifters, the inner pulp lifters, and the dischargers.

(88) FIGS. 34-36 illustrate views of various internal profiles of pulp lifter assemblies with various guide slopes and angles. FIG. 34 illustrates pulp lifter assembly 640 with the long guide 610 of FIG. 32, the long guide 630 of FIG. 33, and another guide 658 overlaid on the pulp lifter assembly shown in FIGS. 16-30. FIG. 35 illustrates pulp lifter assembly 642 with the long guide 610 of FIG. 32, the long guide 630 of FIG. 33, and another guide 658 overlaid on an outline of the pulp lifter assembly shown in FIGS. 16-30. FIG. 36 illustrates pulp lifter assembly 650 with the other guide 658 with a more gradual slope overlaid on the outer pulp lifters 652, inner pulp lifters 654, and dischargers 656 of the pulp lifter assembly. The more gradual slope or curvature can have a better slurry flow where the slurry has minimal change in direction, which can slow down or disrupt the slurry flow.

(89) The pulp lifter assembly may have more than three radial sections based on the radius or diameter of the mill. For example, FIG. 37 illustrates a pulp lifter assembly 670 with four radial sections including outer pulp lifters 672, first inner pulp lifters or middle pulp lifters 674, second inner pulp lifters or inner pulp lifters 676, and dischargers 678. The pulp lifter assembly may have different lengths of guides, such as long guides 680 and short guides 682. The pulp lifter assembly has a direction of rotation 671 in the clockwise direction.

(90) The structure for the pulp lifter assembly 500 of FIG. 31, 600 of FIG. 32, 620 of FIG. 33, 640 of FIG. 34, 642 of FIG. 35, 650 of FIGS. 36, and 670 of FIG. 37 including outer pulp lifters with inlet chambers and outlet chambers can have a design similar to the features describe with FIGS. 16-30 or FIGS. 38A-42D to follow. Thus, the outer pulp lifters of FIGS. 31-37 include and inlet chamber and outlet chamber separated by an intermediate wall and guide to reduce flow back.

(91) FIGS. 16-37 illustrate a mill and a pulp lifter assembly rotating in the clockwise direction. The features of the pulp lifter assembly shown could be flipped for a mill that rotates in the counter clockwise direction. FIGS. 38A-42D illustrate a mill and a pulp lifter assembly rotating in the counter clockwise direction. The features of the pulp lifter assembly shown could be flipped for a mill that rotates in the clockwise direction. The components

(92) FIGS. 38A-42D illustrate another example of pulp lifter components and a pulp lifter assembly 760 in a SAG mill or rotary grinding mill. FIG. 38A shows the pulp lifter assembly with a direction of rotation 761 in the counter clockwise direction. The pulp lifter assembly 760 includes 20 outer pulp lifters 700 (each outer pulp lifter with approximately 18° of the cylinder), 10 inner pulp lifters 720 (each inner pulp lifter with approximately 36° of the cylinder), and a discharge cone assembly 740. Unlike FIGS. 16-30, a discharger is not present in FIGS. 38A-42D, which illustrates that various inner pulp lifters and discharger may or may not be included in a pulp lifter design. A gap 763 (with specified dimension) may exist between the outer pulp lifters. Each outer pulp lifter represents an angle 755 (i.e., arc angle of the outer pulp lifter) of the circular configuration of the pulp lifter assembly. Each inner pulp lifter represents an angle 756 (i.e., arc angle of the outer pulp lifter) of the circular configuration of the pulp lifter assembly. As shown the guide walls of the outer pulp lifter, the inner pulp lifter, and the discharger maintain a relatively continuous guide with gradual changes in angle from the radially outer wall 704 to spokes or discharge cone axial walls 742A-F which directs slurry out of the mill from the discharge cone. Although not shown, the mill can include grate plates coupled to the outer pulp lifter, as previously described with other examples.

(93) FIG. 38B illustrates a cross section view of the discharge end of the mill along the A-A section lines of FIG. 38A. The mill and pulp lifter assembly rotate around an axis of a pulp lifter assembly center line 759. A discharge end plate 794 includes a discharge trunnion 793 and is coupled to grinder chamber or shell 797. The outer pulp lifter 700 and the inner pulp lifter 720 is mounted to the discharge end plate, as previously described with other examples. The discharge cone assembly 740 is mounted to the discharge end plate, the discharge trunnion, or the inner pulp lifters.

(94) FIGS. 39A-39E illustrate various views of the outer pulp lifter 700. FIG. 39A is a side view of the outer pulp lifter. FIG. 39B illustrates a sectional view of the outer pulp lifter along the B-B section lines of FIG. 39A. FIG. 39C illustrates a sectional view of the outer pulp lifter along the C-C section lines of FIG. 39B. FIGS. 39D-39E illustrate various perspective views of the outer pulp lifter. The outer pulp lifter has a radially outer edge 705, a radially inner edge 706, a leading edge 703, and a trailing edge 707. The slurry flows in a spiral pattern from the radially outer edge 705 to the radially inner edge 706 and from the leading edge 703 to the trailing edge 707. Similar to other examples, the outer pulp lifter has an inlet chamber 715 and an outlet chamber 713 and 716. The inlet chamber is formed by an axially downstream wall or inner edge wall 708, the radially outer wall 704, a leading guide or first guide 712 on the trailing edge 707 side, a leading wall 702, and a leading wall 702 of an adjacent outer pulp lifter, and an intermediate wall 710 that partitions the inlet chamber from an outlet chamber in the axial direction. Unlike other examples, the leading wall 702 may not have the same wall thickness at the leading edge 703 as other examples. For example, the leading wall may have a minimal wall thickness where the wall includes bolt tubes (e.g., outer bolt tube 717A and inner bolt tube 717B). The leading edge 703 or leading wall 702 is considered the inlet opening or transfer opening (e.g., outer inlet opening or outer transfer opening 718A) between the inlet chamber (on the trailing edge of the inlet chamber) and the outlet chamber. The leading edge 703 or leading wall 703 may include the bolt tubes with bolt holes (e.g., outer bolt hole 709A and inner bolt hole 709B) through center of the bolt tubes and alignment holes (e.g., an outer alignment hole 711A and an inner alignment hole 711B). The bolt holes may have at least one non-orthogonal angle with a major plane defined by the axially downstream wall or inner edge wall 708. The radially outer wall 704 may include a flange, ridge, rim, or lip.

(95) The outer pulp lifter may include other features to improve the form to the mill (or discharge end plate) or improve the slurry flow. A major plane defined by the intermediate wall 710 may be angled relative to the planed defined by a major plane defined by the axially downstream wall or inner edge wall 708 to provide a better slope for the slurry to flow to the transfer openings. One of the acute angles defining the intermediate wall major plane can be referred to as the intermediate wall to bolt tube axis angle 701C (e.g., approximately 75°). The radially outer wall 704 can have an obtuse angle (i.e., an inner edge wall to radially outer wall angle 701B; e.g., approximately 110°) with the inner edge wall 708 so the walls better fit the contours of the mill, where the pulp lifter assembly is at an angle with the grinder shell 797. The axially upstream edge of the leading wall 702 may be angled relative to the axially downstream wall or inner edge wall 708, so the outer pulp lifter is narrower at the radially outer edge 705 than the radially inner edge 706, which can allow more slurry to pass through the center of the pulp lifter assembly. The acute angle (outer edge [axially upstream edge] to radially outer wall angle 701A) of the axially upstream edge of the leading wall 702 to the radially outer wall 704 may be closer to a right angle than the inner edge wall to radially outer wall angle 701B (e.g., |75°−90° |=15° for 701A<|110°−90° |=20° for 701B).

(96) With the rotation of the mill, the slurry is configured to flow from the inlet chamber out an outlet opening through an inlet opening or transfer opening (i.e., an outer inlet opening or outer transfer opening 718A) to the outlet chamber, outer outlet chamber, or main outlet chamber 716. The main outlet chamber and the inner outlet chamber 713 of an adjacent outer pulp lifter define the outlet chamber. The main outlet chamber is defined by the axially downstream wall or inner edge wall 708, the leading wall 702 (or leading edge 703) with the transfer opening, the radially outer wall 704, a leading guide or first guide 712 on the leading edge 703 side, and the intermediate wall 710. An inner outlet chamber adjacent to the main outlet chamber may be defined by the trailing guide or second guide 714 of the adjacent outer pulp lifter, the axially downstream wall or inner edge wall 408, and the intermediate wall 410. With further rotation of the mill, the slurry is configured to flow from the main outlet chamber 716 through outer outlet opening or transfer opening 418C and outer inlet opening or outer transfer opening 718B into an adjacent inner outlet chamber 713 and then through the inner outlet opening 718D to an inner pulp lifter 720.

(97) The leading guide or first guide 712 extends at an angle tangent to the radially outer wall 704. The leading guide 712 separated from the leading wall 702 by some shortest length (from leading edge to the leading guide). As a result, more area is available for the transfer opening in the leading wall or edge, which can increase the slurry flow of the mill.

(98) After the slurry exits the outlet chamber 713 and 716 of the outer pulp lifter, the slurry flows through channels formed by the walls (e.g., a short radial wall, trailing radial wall, or following radial wall 723 or long radial wall or leading radial wall 724) of the inner pulp lifter 720. FIGS. 40A-40D illustrate a inner pulp lifter 720. FIG. 40A is a side view of the inner pulp lifter. FIG. 40B illustrates a sectional view of the inner pulp lifter along the D-D section lines of FIG. 40A. FIGS. 40C-40D illustrate various perspective views of the inner pulp lifter. The short radial wall, long radial wall, and bolt tube 730 are supported by an axially downstream wall 722 and an axially upstream wall or outer edge wall 725. The axially upstream wall replaces the center liner used in other examples. Similar to the outer pulp lifter, the inner pulp lifter includes a leading edge 726, a trailing edge 727, a radially outer edge 728, and a radially inner edge 729, with the edges aligning with adjacent pulp lifter assembly components. The radial walls extend at an acute angle from a tangent to the radially outer edge of the inner pulp lifter. In addition, the major planes formed by the radial walls can be at non-orthogonal angles to the axially wall 722 and 725, as shown in FIG. 40B. The non-orthogonal angles can better channel the slurry in the pulp lifter assembly. The outer edge wall (axially upstream wall) to assembly center line angle 731 (e.g., approximately 75°) and inner edge wall (axially downstream wall) to assembly center line angle 732 (e.g., approximately 70°) shows that the radially inner edge 729 is wider than the radially outer edge 728.

(99) The inner pulp lifter 720 can include an alignment hole 721 to align the pulp lifter assembly components to posts or studs in a discharge end plate. The inner pulp lifter 720 can be secured to the discharge end plate using bolts that pass through bolt hole 719 of the bolt tube 730.

(100) After the slurry exits the channels of the inner pulp lifter, the slurry flows towards the discharger cone assembly 740. FIGS. 41A-42D illustrates two halves of the discharger cone assembly, which has five spokes or discharge cone axial walls 742A-F extending from the discharge cone 741, which moves the slurry out the mill through the discharge trunnion 793. The discharge cone has a conical shape. FIGS. 41A-41D illustrates a first half of the discharger cone. FIGS. 42A-42D illustrates a second half of the discharger cone. The two halves of the discharger cone can be joined together at the discharge cone inner flange 745. The discharger cone can be coupled to the inner pulp lifter by bolts extending through discharge cone ring flange bolt holes 744 in a discharge cone ring flange 743. The major plane defining the discharge cone axial walls 742A-F can be orthogonal to the major plane defining the discharge cone ring flange. The discharge cone axial walls 742A-F can be separated by an arc angle between discharge cone axial walls 757 (e.g., 72°). An arc angle 758 shows an angle between a discharge cone axial wall 742D and the assembly center line 759.

(101) Reference throughout this specification to an “example” or an “embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the example is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, appearances of the words an “example” or an “embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

(102) Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in a suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided (e.g., examples of layouts and designs) to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, layouts, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, components, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.

(103) While the forgoing examples are illustrative of the principles of the invention in one or more particular applications, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that numerous modifications in form, usage and details of implementation can be made without the exercise of inventive faculty, and without departing from the principles and concepts of the invention. Accordingly, it is not intended that the invention be limited. Various features and advantages of the invention are set forth in the following claims.

(104) It will be appreciated that the disclosed subject matter is not restricted to the particular embodiment(s) that has (have) been described, and that variations may be made therein without departing from the scope of the subject matter as defined in the appended claims, as interpreted in accordance with principles of prevailing law, including the doctrine of equivalents or any other principle that enlarges the enforceable scope of a claim beyond its literal scope. Unless the context indicates otherwise, a reference in a claim to the number of instances of an element, be it a reference to one instance or more than one instance, requires at least the stated number of instances of the element but is not intended to exclude from the scope of the claim a structure or method having more instances of that element than stated. The word “comprise” or a derivative thereof, when used in a claim, is used in a nonexclusive sense that is not intended to exclude the presence of other elements or steps in a claimed structure or method.