Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
;7~38
CHIPS BIN STEAMING
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVEN?ION
The invention rela~es ~o a delivery
apparatus for discharging loose bulk material, and
for treating the material while discharging the
same. The delivery apparatus is primarily useful
wi~h a wood chips bin, and can ef~ect steaming of
the chips while in the chips bin and during
discharge therefrom, ultimately to a digester.
Copending Canadian Patent Application
Serial No. 303,726, filed May 18, 1978, teaches an
arrangement that is successful in accomplishing
~- steamin~ in a chips bin and during discharge
therefrom, and therefbre allows elimination of the
conventional presteaming vessels in pulp digesting
systems. While the apparatus shown in said
copending Canadian Application Serial No. 303,726
is usually successful in accomplishing its desired
results, when the apparatus is shut down, and thus
the supply of steam interrupted with chips in the
discharge structure, there is a tendency for the
chips to clog the steam inlet openings in the
hollow arms. At the time o~ the next start up,
then, because of the blockage, the steam
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introduction is not as uniform as is necessary to
effect success~ul steaming without adversely
affecting the flow of chips ~hrough the bin.
~ccording to the present invention, a
delivery apparatus is provided that overcomes the
above-mentioned disadvantages. According to the
present invention, it is possible to uniformly and
- sufficiently steam loose bulk material, especially
chips, during the discharge thereof and without
adverse consequences should the steaming be
periodically interrupted during system shut
down. The steaming is accomplished without
adversely affecting the flow of chips ~hrough the
bin and delivery apparatus, and by practicing the
- 15 invention it is possible to ~eat even frozen chips
to above 200~F in the chips bin itself.
The desired results according to the
present invention are accomplished by introducing
a lar~e portion of the s eam into he delivery
apparatus throu~h an extender ring concentric with
the delivery apparatus activator cone and
supported on the hollow arms supporting the
- activator cone. The extender ring has a
substantially horizontal bottom portion in which
steam introducing openings are provided, and has a
substantially triangular cross-section with the
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bottom portion forming one leg of the triangle, a
vertical leg, and a hypotenuse. The vertical leg,
hypotenuse, and ~he hollow arms bave no means for
allowing the introduction of steam therethrough
~that is they are solid-walled).
In general, the delivery apparatus
according to the present invention comprises a
conventional delivery apparatus that is specially
modified in order to properly effect steaming of
the loose bulk material (preferably chips)
discha~ged therby. The conventional apparatus as
modified comprises a Vibra Screw Bin Activator,
the Vibra Screw including steam conduits and
modifications to the extender ring thereof, and
including a specially designed activator c~ne with
a cone top, pointed portion (as is provided in
said copending Canadian Application Serial No.
303,726).
In particular, the delivery apparatus
according to the present invention comprises a
generally funnel-shaped stationary top portion, an
oscillatable bottom portion includin~ a flexlble
outlet for the material to be discharged, a~d an
activator cone and a hollow vibration extender
ring connected to the bottom portion by a
plurality of hollow arm6 extending ~rom the
.
' ' ,
~ ~4~ ~7 ~ ~
cone. The ring is concentric with the cone and
the material outlet. Power means are provided for
oscillating the bottom portion with respect to the
top portion, and means for adding steam to the
interior of the volume defined by the top and
bottom portions is provided. The steam adding
means includes a plurality of openings formed in
the ring, and means for operatively connecting up
~he ring hollow interior to a source of steam,
said connecting means including at least one o~
the hollow arms and a conduit between at least one
hollow arm and the ring. Preferably a chips bin
is operatively connected to ~he stationary portion
of the delivery apparatus, the chips bin extending
vertically upwardly from the stationary top
portion substantially concentric with the cone. A
steam inlet conduit is provided extending from a
source of steam into the chips bin above the cone,
the steam inlet conduit having a first portion
co~centric with the chips bin and terminating
above and concentric with the activator cone, and
a second portion extending from the first portion
at an angle bet~een 90 and 180 and to the
exterior of the bin~ A chips inlet is forme~ in
the top of the bin concentric therewith, and the
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steam- inlet conduit second portion does not
interfere with the flow of chips into the bin
through the chips inlet.
It is the primary object of the present
invention to provide an improved delivery
apparatus for simultaneously discharging and
treating loose bul~ material, particularly to
; provide a chips bin and ~elivery apparatus
. ~herefor that is capable of effectively and
uniformly steaming the chips before ultimate
:`~ discharge from the chips bin, without adversely
affecting the chips flow. This and other objects
of the invention will become clear from an
: inspection of the detailed description of the
invention and from the appended claims.
FIGUR~3 1 is a perspective view of an
exemplary delivery apparatus according to the
: present invention, associated with a chips bin,
with portions of the chips bin cut away for
clarity of illustration;
- FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the
- 2;delivery apparatus of FIGURE l;
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FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the
extender ring with steam delivery structures associated
therewith of the delivery apparatus of FIGURES 1 and 2;
FIGURE 4 is a schematic view illustrating the
flow paths for the delivery of steam to the delivery
apparatus of FIGURES 1 and 2; and
FIGURE 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view
illustrating a typical connecting apparatus for the
connection of a stationary top portion of the delivery
apparatus to the oscillatable bottom portion.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The delivery apparatus according to the present
invention includes a conventional bin activator, known
under the trade mark "Vibra Screw", specially modified
for simultaneously steaming of the loose bulk material
during discharge thereof by the delivery apparatus. The
conventional components of the delivery apparatus inclu-
de a generally funnel shaped top portion 10, an oscilla-
table bottom portion ll, including a flexible outlet 12
for the material, an activator cone (in general) 13, a
plurality of arms 14 (e.g., four arms disposed 90
~'
,~
~ ' ,
88
apart) for supporting the activator cone 13 to the
oscillatable bottom portion 11, and a vibration
: extender ring 15 concentric with the activator
cone 13.and outlet 12. The delivery apparatus
further includes the conventional component of
power means 16 for oscillating the bottom portion
with respect ~o the top portion (oscillating 11
with respect to 10).
According to the present invention, steam
adding means are provided which allow the
introduction of steam into the delivery appara~us
for discharging loose bulk material (chips) to
: effect uniform and complete steaming thereo~
without adversely affecting the material flow.
The steam adding means according the present
invention includes a plurality of openings 18 (see
FXGURE 3 in particular) formed in the extender
ring 15, and means for operatively connectin~ up
~he hollow interior of the ring 15 to a source of
steam 19 (see FIGURE 43. The connecting means
includes at leas~ one of the arms 14, which is
hollow (preferably all of the arms 14 being
hollow), and a conduit 20 between the at least one
hollow arm 14 and the ring 1~. Preferably a
structure 20 is provided as a mechanical
interconne~tion between each of the hollow arms 14
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and the extender ring 15~ although only some of
the structures 20 may actually perform a ~conduit~
function by having one or more openings 21 (see
FIGURE 3) provided between the bottom wall 22
thereof and the top wall 23 of the respective arm
14, and at least one opening 24 extending through
the top wall 25 thereof and the bottom 26 of ~he
extender ring 15.
As seen most clearly in FIGURE 3, the
extender ring 15 bottom portion 18 is the portion
there~f having the steam introducing openings 18
formed therein, the bo~tom portion 26 being
substantially horizontal during use of the
` apparatus. The ring 15 has a substan~ially
triangle cross-section with the bottom portion 26
forming one leg of the triangular, the vertical
leg 28 forming another ley of the triangle, and
the triangle hypotenuse being illustrated at 29O
: The ver~ical leg 28, the hypotenuse 29, and arms
.~ .
14 preferably have no structures associa~ed
~herewith allowing direct introduction of steam
. therethrough into the delivery apparatus (i~e.,
the structures 28, 29, and 14 are unappertu.red).
The openings 18 are distribu~ed uniformly
25 around the bottom 26 of ~he extender ring 15 in
order to effec uniorm and complete steami~g of
~4~
~he chips being discharged by the delivery
- apparatus. Additionally, according to the present
invention, the activator con-e - illustrated
generally at 13 - is constructed in the same way
as the activator cone illustrated in said
copending Canadian Application Serial No.
303,726. ~hat is, the activator c~ne 13 includes
a cone top, poin~ed portion 31, a cone bottom
. portion 32, and a support portion 33 conne~ting
the rest of the cone through the arms 14 via the
plate 34. The cone top pointed portion 31
overhangs the bottom cone portion 32 and the
b~ttom cone portion 32 overhan~s the support 33,
and steam is introduced into the interior volume
defined by the apparatus through the overhanging
portion between 31, 32 and the overhanging portion
between 32, 33.
One especially suitable manner for
supplying steam to the delivery apparatus from the
steam source 19 is illustrated schematically in
FIGURE 4. As illustrated in FIGURE 4, thr~e of
. the arms 14 supply steam to the interior of the
; e~tender ring 15~ The structure 20 disposed
be~ween each of those three arms 14 and the
extender ring 15 would have the openings 21, 24
(as illustrated in FIGU~E 3) associated therewith,
~L4~7~38
-
but there would be no downsteam ronnection between
those arms 14 and the activator cone steam
delivery structures. The fourth arm, illustrated
at i4' in FIGURE 4 would not have the openings 21
formed therein for ultimate passage of steam to
the extender ring 15, but rather would lead to the
interior of the activator cone (as illustrated
schematically in FIGURE 4) for deliverying steam
between potions 31, 32 and 32 and 33 of the
activator cone 13~ As illustated in both FI&URES
1 and 4 preferably steam is delivered to ~he arms
14, 14' via a rectangular pipe-header arrangement
`~ 38 operatively connected through conduit 39 to the
steam source 19, with a flexible conduit 40
reaching from each leg of the header 38 to a
respective arm 14, 14'.
: FIG~RE 5 illustrates a typical
-interconnection between ~he top 10 and bottom
portions 11 of the delivery apparatus accordin~ to
the present invention. This interconnec~ion
includes a sleeve 42 of flexible material which
encircles the entire periphery of the delivery
apparatus between the top^10 and bottom portions
11 thereof, with beads 43~ 44 respectively being
connected to the top po~ion 10 and the bottom 11
for enga~ing the flexible sleeve 42 on the
~46,7~3~
11
interior thereof~ and clamps 45, 46 respectively
associated with the top 10 and b~tom portions 11
for alamping the sleeve 42 in place. An internal
diverter ring 46 also is provided mounted on the
top portion 10 to prevent the loose bulk material
being discharged from coming into contact with the
. sleeve 42, and between the top and bottom potions
10, 11 and thereby adversely affecting the
relative oscillatable movement in dimension A
between the top and bottom portions 10, 11 under
the influence of the power means 16.
According to the present invention,
preferably a chips bin 50 (see FIG~RE 1) is
associated with the delivery apparatus. The chips
. 15 bin 50 includes a chips inle~ 51 (i.e.~ air lock)
formed in the top 52 thereof, and may have a low
pressure feeder exhaust conduit 53, a tempera ure
probe 54 t and an exhaust conduit 55 which
ultimately leads to a ~ondenser or a lime kiln in
the pulp digesting system with whieh the chips bin
- 50 is as~ociated. The c~ips bin 50 further
comprises a ~te~m inlet conduit~- shown generally
at 56 - e~tending from a source of steam 19 in~o
:. the chips bin 50 and introducing steam just above
the activator cone 13. The inlet conduit 56 has a
first portio~ 57 thereof that is concentric with
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1~
the chips bin 5~, activator cone 13, and chips
inlet 51, and terminates above the cone 13. The
steam inlet conduît 56 further includes a second
portion 58 extending from the first portion at an
angle with respect to the first portion 57, the
an~le being greater than 0 and less than 90.
. The second portion 52 ultimately is connected to
the steam sour~e 19 through a connection 59 in the
~op 52 of the chips bin 50, and the second portion
5B does not interfere with the flow of chips into
the chips bin 50 through the inlet 51.
In operation of the apparatus according
to the present invention, chips are introduced
through the chip~ inlet 51 into the chips bin 50
and are preliminarily steamed wi~h steam fed
through inlet conduit 56. Exhaust is provided
through the low pressure feeder exhaust 53 and the
exhaust 55. The chips pass downwardly under
: gravity flow to the aischarge appar~tus funnel
- 20 shaped top portion 10, and are then diverted
toward the chips outlet 12. The power means 16
con~inuously oscillates the delivery apparatus
bottom potion 11 with respect to the top portion
10, the cone 13, extender ring 15, and arms 14
simultaneously being oscilla~ed. S~eam is also
introduced by a header 38 and hollow arms 14 to
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~3
the extender ring 15 and the cone 13, the steam
ultimately passing through the openings 18 in the
bottom portion ~6 of the extender ring 15 and
between the cone portions 31, 32 and 32, 33. The
S steam introduction effects uniform and complete
steaming of the chips, heating them to a
temperature of about 200F even if the chips are
initially frozen when introduced into the chips
bin ~0.
10While the invention has been herein shown
and described in what is presently conceived to be
; the most practical and preferred embodiment, it
will ~e apparent ~o those of ordinary skill in the
art ~ha~ many modifications may be made thereof,
wi~hin the scope of the invention, which scope is
to be accorded the broadest interpretation of the
appended claims so as to enccmpass all equivalent
structures and devices.
The embodiments of the invention in which
an exclusive property or pxivilege as claimed are
defined as follows:
