Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DRUM TILTING APPARATUS
This invention relates to an improved drum tilting apparatus and system for
efficient emptying of drums. More specifically, the invention provides a drum
tilting
apparatus and system which includes a cleaning auger to effect scouring of the
inside
surfaces of a drum when tilted.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In general, in the field of waste disposal and in other disciplines, there is
a
need for a simple and efficient apparatus for tilting drums for the purpose of
emptying the drums, particularly when the materials are hazardous.
Accordingly,
there has been a need for a drum tilting apparatus which is easy to load with
waste-
containing drums and easy to unload when the drums have been emptied. In all
cases, it is desirable that drums are emptied with minimal risk to the
operators
through exposure to hazardous materials. Thus, an apparatus is required which
is
capable of loading and unloading a drum into a machine which can also empty
and
clean the drum quickly and effectively. For example, if the contents of the
drum
are extremely viscous or semi-solid, removal of this material from the drum
may
require active removal of the material as gravity alone may not enable for
timely
removal of the material. Accordingly, there has been a need for a drum tilting
machine which uses a device such as an auger/wiper to remove the contents from
the drum. Furthermore, there has been need for a machine which includes
devices
such as a vibrator or solvent sprayer to effect further cleaning of a drum.
A variety of tilting or dumping apparatuses have been proposed in the past.
Examples of such apparatuses are described in Canadian Patents Nos. 455,982,
which issued to N.B. Greene et al on April 19, 1949 and 940,079, which issued
to
S.W. Rooke et al on January 15, 1974, and in United States Patents Nos.
2,662,653,
which issued to P. Bianchi et al on December 15, 1953; 2,735,561, which issued
to
W.L. Van Doren on February 21, 1956; 3,261,486, which issued to L.D. Oliver on
July 19, 1966; 4,213,727, which issued to C.H. Lighthipe, Jr. on July 21,
1980;
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4,219,298, which issued to M.G. Stragier et al on August 26, 1980; 4,313,707,
which issued to J.W. Bingman et al on February 2, 1982; 4,427,333, which
issued
to F.D. Ebeling on January 24, 1984 and 4,538,951, which issued to K.L. Yeazel
on September 3, 1985. The devices disclosed by the patents vary in terms of
complexity and efficiency, but, in general, are not suitable for tilting drums
in the
manner described above. Alternatively, the devices are somewhat complicated
and
consequently expensive to produce.
Applicant's patent, Canadian Patent 1,324,335 discloses an efficient drum
tilting machine but does disclose auxiliary drum cleaning mechanisms.
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SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide an effective
drum tilting apparatus and system, which is easy to load and unload, and which
provides auxiliary drum cleaning mechanisms to ensure complete drum cleaning
with
minimal risk to operators of exposure to hazardous materials. Furthermore, it
is an
object of the invention to provide a drum tilting system which links a number
of
drum tilting apparatuses.
Accordingly, the present invention relates to an apparatus for tilting a drum
between a substantially upright position and a substantially inverted
position,
comprising:
an arcuate track means;
a drum carriage movably mounted on said arcuate track means for carrying
a drum between the upright and inverted positions;
catch means on the drum carriage for releasably holding a drum on said
drum carriage;
arm means pivotally connected to the drum carriage and a fixed point, the
arm means for movement of the drum carriage along the arcuate track
means;
an actuation means pivotally connected to the arm means and a second fixed
point for rotating the arm means; and,
auger/wiper system adjacent the track means to effect scouring of the interior
of the tilted drum.
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Furthermore, the invention provides a drum tilting system comprising:
at least two dumping machines as above, wherein each dumping
machine is operatively located adjacent a dumping pit; and wherein each
dumping machine includes:
feed/removal conveyor system for transporting a drum into the drum
carriage and for transporting a drum from the drum carriage;
exit rollers for transporting a drum from the drum tilting system;
selector means for directing a drum to a respective dumping machine;
primary feed rollers for movement of a drum into the drum tilting
system.
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BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be described in greater detail with reference to the
accompanying drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the
invention,
and wherein:
Figure 1 is a perspective view of a prior art drum tilting machine;
Figure 2 is a perspective view of the prior art apparatus of Fig. 1 showing
a drum in a tilted position;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the carriage portion of the prior art
apparatus of Figs. 1 and 2 as seen from the side opposite that shown in Fig.
2;
Figure 4 is a perspective view of the inlet end of the carriage and
catch/locking mechanism used in the prior art apparatus of Figs. 1 to 3;
Figure 5 is a side elevation view of the catch mechanism used in the prior art
apparatus of Figs. 1 to 4.
Figure 6 is a perspective view of the drum tilting apparatus of the invention
showing an auger/wiper system;
Figure 7 is a perspective view of the auger system showing details of the
auger carriage;
Figure 7a is side view of an auger blade in accordance with the invention
showing an optional solvent injection system;
Figure 7b is a plan view of an auger blade in accordance with the invention;
Figure 8 is an perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the drum
carriage;
Figure 9 is an end perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the drum
carriage showing a drum engaged within the drum carriage;
Figure 10 is a perspective drawing of a typical logic control panel;
Figure l0a is a schematic diagram of a vibrator which may used in
accordance with the invention;
Figure 11 is a plan view of a waste dumping system in accordance with the
Image
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
With reference to Figures 1 and 2, the basic apparatus of the present
invention includes a skeletal, rectangular frame generally indicated at 1
which is
defined by a base 2, corner posts 3 and longitudinally extending top bars 4. A
pair
of elongated C-beams form the sides 6 of the base 2. The sides 6 of the base
are
interconnected at one end by an angle iron crossbar 7, and by metal strips 9,
which
extend beneath the sides 6. A pair of shafts 10 and 11 are also extended
between
the sides 6 and are retained therein by disc-shaped end plates 12. The corner
posts
3 are formed from lengths of angle iron; which are welded to the top bars 4.
The
posts 3 are maintained in the vertical position by diagonal braces 14, which
extend
outwardly and downwardly from the ends of the top bars 4. Feet 15 connect the
bottom ends of the braces 14 to the sides 6 of the frame, and a reinforcing
plate 17
(one shown) is provided at the bottom of each brace.
A pair of elongated, arcuate tracks 19 of generally C-shaped cross section are
provided in the frame 1 for guiding a carriage generally indicated at 20
between a
vertical loading position (Figs. 1 and 3) at one end of the frame 1, and an
emptying
or tilted position (Figs. 1 and 2). The carriage 20 is pivotally mounted on
the ends
21 of a pair of generally triangular arms 22, which in turn are pivotally
mounted in
the frame 1. One bottom corner 23 of each arm 22 is pivotally mounted on the
shaft
10 between the sides 6 of the base 2 for rotation around the longitudinal axis
of the
shaft. The arms 22 are also interconnected by a shaft 25 extending between
bearings
26 in second corners 27 of the arms, and by a reinforcing crossbar 28 defined
by a
large cylinder extending between plates 30 (one shown - Figures 2 and 3) on
the
inner surfaces of the arms 22 near the centre thereof.
The arms 22 are caused to rotate by a pair of large hydraulic cylinders 31,
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one end of each of which is pivotally connected to the shaft 11. The hoses 32
for
the cylinders 31 extend through a protective sleeve 33 (Fig. 2) in a slot 34
in the
sides 6 of the base 2 to a source (not shown) of hydraulic fluid under
pressure. The
piston rods 35 of the cylinders 31 extend outwardly to the stem of T-shaped
sleeves
36 on the ends of the shaft 25 for pivotally connecting the piston rods to the
shaft.
A pair of helical springs 37 extend between the sides 6 of the base and the
corners
23 of the arms 22 for biasing the latter to the rest of drum loading or
receiving
positions shown in solid lines in Fig. 1.
The carriage 20 includes a rectangular base plate 38 with an opening 39 in
the centre thereof (Figure 4), and rectangular flanges 40 extending upwardly
from
the side edges thereof. An angular rear wall 42 and planar side walls 43
extend
upwardly from the plate 38. Reinforcing plates 44 (Fig. 3) are provided on the
outer surfaces of the side walls 43 where the disc-shaped ends 21 of the arms
22 are
pivotally connected to the carriage by stub axles 45 extending outwardly from
the
plates 44. The rear wall 42 has a central longitudinally extending recess
therein,
with ribs 46 extending outwardly to define a semi-cylindrical area for
receiving a
drum 47. An arcuate plate 48 extends outwardly from the bottom of the rear
wall
42 and from the side walls 43 near the bottom edges thereof for limiting
movement
of the drum 47 into the carriage 20. The bottom rim 49 (Fig. 1) of the drum 47
slides under the plate 48, so that when the drum is tilted the plate 48
prevents
release of the drum by the carriage as described in greater detail
hereinafter. An
arm 50 extends upwardly and outwardly from each top corner of the rear and
side
walls 42 and 43, respectively. A sleeve 51 on the rear surface of the arm 50
rotatably supports a rod 52, which extends inwardly from a roller 53. Rollers
53
are mounted in the tracks 19 near closed ends 54 thereof.
Rubber, shock absorbing feet 55 extend downwardly from the base plate 38
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of the carriage 20. Rollers 56 for receiving a drum 47 from a conveyor 58
(Fig. 1)
are mounted in bearings 60 in the sides 43 of the carriage 20 beneath the
level of the
plate 48. A slide defined by a vertical plate 62 and reinforcing gussets 63 is
provided at the front centre inlet end of the plate 38.
The drum 47 is retained in the carriage 20 by a catch mechanism generally
indicated at 65. As best shown in Fig. 5, the catch mechanism 65 includes an
arcuate rod 66, which extends between the outer ends of a pair of generally
chevron-
shaped arms 68. The outer ends of the arms 68 are rotatably connected to the
base
plate 38 by clevises 71, nuts 72 and a bolt 73. The rod 66 is reinforced by
end
plates 75. The rod 66 is caused to rotate from the rest or release position
(Fig. 4
and solid lines in Fig. 5) to the latch position (Figs. 1, 3 and phantom
outline in Fig.
5) by triangular levers 76 and hydraulic cylinders 77. The bottom corner 79 of
each
lever 76 is pivotally connected to one flange 40 by the rear or innermost
roller 56.
Clevises 80 pivotally connect the ends of a rod 82 to the inner end 83 of the
arm 68
and an adjacent corner 84 of the lever 76. The rod 82 extends through an
opening
86 in the rear wall 42 of the carriage 20. The inner end 83 of the arm 68 is
guided
by a strip 87 connected to the side wall 43 and to the ledge 48 (Fig. 4). The
upper
inner end 89 of the lever 76 is connected to the outer end of a piston rod 90
by a
clevis 91. The piston rod 90 extends out of the cylinder 77. A clevis 93 on
the top
end of the cylinder 77 pivotally connects the cylinders 77 to a triangular
plate 94 on
the top rear of the carriage 20. The hydraulic lines 95, 96 also pass through
the
sleeve 33 and the slot 34 to the source of hydraulic fluid under pressure.
In operation, the conveyor 58 carrying drums 47 is actuated to move a drum
into the carriage 20. The drum 47 slides across the plate 62 and the rollers
56 until
one surface thereof engages the plate 48. The conveyor 58 is stopped, and the
catch
mechanism 65 is actuated. By extending the piston rods 90 from the retracted
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positions shown in solid lines in Fig. 5 to the extended positions shown in
phantom
outline in Fig. 5, the levers 76 are caused to rotate around an axis parallel
to the
longitudinal axis of the rear or innermost roller 56 which moves the rods 82
on the
arms 68 inwardly. Thus, the arcuate rod 66 is pulled against the drum 47 above
the
beaded bottom edge thereof.
The cylinders 31 are then actuated to extend the piston rods 35. Extension
of the rods 35 causes the carriage 20 and the drum 47 to rise from the rest or
loading position (Fig. 3 and on the left in Fig. 1). The carriage 20 and the
drum
47 tilt as the carriage moves along the tracks 19. The carriage 20 can be
stopped
at any location, with the drum 47 in the horizontal, partly tilted or fully
tilted
positions (see Fig. 2 and the right-hand side of Fig. 1).
The springs 37 extending between the arms 22 and the base 2 of the frame
1 bias the arms 22 to the loading position, so that there is no jerking as the
arms
pass over dead centre position during rotation between the loading and
emptying
positions.
Figures 6-11 show additional and alternate embodiments of the basic drum
tilting apparatus described above. Figure 6 shows a further embodiment of the
invention with an auger/wiper system 100 integral with the main drum tilting
apparatus 102. In this embodiment of the invention, additional framing and
track
members are configured to the main drum tilting apparatus 102 to provide
support
for the auger/wiper system 100. The auger/wiper system 100 is used to effect
aggressive cleaning of an inverted drum particularly if it contains a viscous
fluid.
Specifically, track 104 is configured adjacent the drum tilting apparatus 102
through
plates 103 such that the track 104 is parallel to the central axis of an
inverted drum
(Figure 7), thereby allowing entry of an auger blade 106 and auger shaft 108
within
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the drum 47 to scour the inside surfaces of the drum 47. As can be seen from
Figure
7, the auger/wiper system 100 includes an auger motor 110 on auger carriage
112.
Actuation of the auger motor 110 causes the auger shaft 108 and auger blade
106 to
rotate to effect scouring of the inside surfaces of a drum 47. The auger
carriage 112
is shown having a frame 114 with wheels 116 for movement along track 104
between a lower, at rest position where the auger blade 106 is outside an
inverted
drum 47 and an upper position where the auger blade 106 is positioned for
scouring
a drum 47. The lower portion of the track 104 is provided with a dropped
section
120 which enables an upward deflection of the auger blade 106 and auger shaft
108
when the auger carriage 114 is at rest (as seen in Figure 6) thereby moving
the
auger blade 106 away from a drum 47 as the drum 47 is being emptied.
Movement of the auger carriage 112 is effected by hydraulic cylinders 118
fixed between frame 104 and the auger carriage 112. Activation of the
hydraulic
cylinders 118 enables movement of the auger carriage 112 along track 104.
Figures 7A and 7B show a typical and preferred form of an auger blade 106.
Preferably, the auger blade 106 is provided with a main body 122 having top
124
and side 126 surfaces angled to facilitate rotation of the auger blade 106
within a
cylindrical body. As can be seen from Figures 7A and 7B, the auger blade 106
is
preferably provided with a rubber edge along the top 122 and side 126 surfaces
in
order to provide a resilient scraping edge for cleaning the inside of a drum.
The top
122 and side 126 surfaces are also preferably angled away from the medial
plane
130 of the blade so that, dependent on the direction of rotation of the auger
blade,
aggressive or non-aggressive movement of the blade 106 with respect to the
inside
drum surface is possible. Accordingly, rotation in one direction, for example
counter-clockwise, the auger blade is non-aggressive, meaning the auger blade
trails
the medial plane of the auger blade while rotating. Alternatively, rotation in
the
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opposite direction, for example clockwise, the auger blade is aggressive,
meaning
the auger blade precedes the medial plane 130 of the auger blade 106 while
rotating.
Non-aggressive rotation of the auger blade 106 facilitates entry of a tight-
fitting
auger blade 106 within a drum whereas aggressive rotation of the auger blade
106
provides effective scouring of the inside of a drum.
In construction, the auger blade is preferably modular with detachable rubber
blades to facilitate exchange of blades after wear. Preferably the rubber
blades 124,
126 are bolted to the main body 122 with bolts 132.
Automation of the drum tilting sequence enables effective and efficient drum
emptying with minimal operator input or risk of exposure to hazardous
materials.
Thus, the drum tilting apparatus 102 is preferably provided with control
mechanisms
which automate the drum tilting process and includes control circuitry
responsive to
the actual location of a drum within the apparatus.
With reference to Figures 8 and 9, an alternate embodiment of the drum
carriage 20 is shown. This embodiment of the drum carriage has actively driven
rollers 140 to facilitate loading and unloading of the drum carriage 20 with
each
roller having a sprocket 142 with chain 144. Conveyor motor 146 (Figure 6)
provides power to the feed conveyor system. The drum carriage 20 is also
provided
with upper 148 and lower carriage 150 limit switches used in the automation of
the
loading or unloading sequence (described below). The upper limit switch 148 is
positioned adjacent upper drum stop 152 and detects the presence of a drum
within
the drum carriage 20. The lower limit switch 150 is located adjacent one of
the
locking actuation cylinders 77 and detects the locking of a drum 47 within the
drum
carriage 20. Furthermore, with respect to the automation of the drum tilting
operation, further limit switches are provided to detect specific positioning
of the
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drum carriage 20 and auger carriage 112 in order to automate the process.
Specifically, a lower track limit switch 154 is provided which detects the
presence
of the drum carriage 20 in its loading position and a) stops return movement
of
carriage and b) initiates unlocking of barrel 47.
An upper track limit switch 156, located adjacent the track 19, detects the
presence of the drum carriage 20 at its end-of stroke. The upper track limit
switch
156 a) activates the auger system 100 and b) stops the main lifting sequence.
The auger entry limit switch 158, located adjacent the auger track 104,
detects entry of the auger blade 106 into an inverted drum. The auger entry
limit
switch 158 a) initiates the auger motor 110 to reverse direction and b)
enables
operator control of the auger stroke.
The auger off limit switch 160, located on the lower region of the auger track
104, detects the presence of the auger carriage 112 in the resting position.
The
auger-off limit switch 160 a) stops the auger motor 110 and b) stops auger
carriage
112 movement.
Operation of the drum tilting apparatus is preferably controlled with minimal
operator input once a drum enters the drum tilting apparatus through the
sequential
activation of the various subsystems. In accordance with the drum tilting
apparatus
described above, the following control process may be implemented to
facilitate
drum emptying. Figure 10 shows a typical control panel which may be used in
accordance with the invention. Specifically, Figure 10 shows a control panel
200
with a main conveyor lever 202, feed conveyor lever 204, end-of stroke button
206,
main start button 208, retract button 210 and main stop button 212. This is
not
intended to be limiting and it is understood that various modifications to the
control
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of the system may be implemented without departing from the spirit and scope
of
the invention.
The drum carriage 20 may also be provided with a vibrator 350 as shown
schematically in Figure l0a to effect loosening of material from within the
drum.
Preferably, the vibrator 350 is hydraulically driven through hydraulic lines
352 and
configured to the drum carriage 20 to contact the outer surface of the drum
47.
Control of the vibrator may be automatic or manual by operator input. Other
types
of vibrators may include air or electric vibrators.
The auger/wiper system 100 may also be provided with a solvent sprayer
system 400 to effect solvent cleaning of an inverted drum. In this embodiment,
the
auger shaft 108 and auger blade 106 may be provided with a solvent delivery
system
400 for spraying a solvent within the drum 47 while scouring is conducted with
the
auger system 100. Nozzles 402 may be optionally provided on the auger blade
for
distribution of the solvent along with the appropriate pumping system on the
auger
carriage 112. Nozzles 402a may also be provided on the auger carriage 114
(Figure
7) to inject solvent into an inverted drum.
A drum 47 is placed on the feed roller system 58 and an operator moves the
feed conveyor lever 202 on the control panel 200 forward to activate the feed
roller
system. The feed roller system 58 moves the drum into the drum carriage 20.
The
drum 47 enters the drum carriage 20 and is received against the upper 152 and
lower
153 drum stops and simultaneously depresses the upper carriage limit switch
148.
The closure of the upper carriage limit switch 148 deactivates the feed roller
system
58 and activates the drum carriage locking cylinder 77 to move the catch arm
66 up
to lock the drum 47 between the lower drum stop 153 and the catch arm 66.
During
the locking step, that is upward movement of the catch arm, and downward
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movement of the locking cylinder, the lower carriage limit switch 150 is
depressed
which signals the completion of the locking sequence and initiates the drum
lifting
sequence. The drum 47 and drum carriage 20 are lifted along the track 19 until
the
drum carriage 20 hits the upper track limit switch 136. Closure of the upper
track
limit switch 156 stops drum carriage movement and initiates movement of the
auger
system 100. Initially, the auger motor 110 turns non-aggressively in order to
facilitate entry of the auger blade 106 into the drum 47. The auger carriage
112
moves up the auger track 104 a distance sufficient for the auger blade to
enter the
drum 47 at which point the auger carriage 112 hits an auger track limit switch
158.
Closure of the auger track limit switch 158 causes the auger motor 110 to
reverse
direction, that is in an aggressive direction within the drum 47. At this
point, the
operator depresses the end-of-stroke button 206 on the control panel 200 to
continue
the auger blade movement within the drum. The auger carriage 112 will continue
to move up the auger track 104 until the cylinders reach the end-of-stroke.
The speed with which the auger carriage 114 moves up the auger track may
also be controlled by an optional speed control mechanism such as a bleed
valve.
For example, where a particularly viscous or solid material is within a drum,
the
auger movement speed should be slowed to ensure proper removal of the drum
contents.
When the auger blade 106 reaches the bottom of the drum 47, the auger
blade 106 continues to turn at that position. When the operator is satisfied
that the
drum has been fully scoured, the operator depresses the retract button 210 on
the
control panel 200 which causes the auger carriage 114 to move down the auger
track
104.
Alternatively, the controller may be configured with a timer which maintains
the auger blade 106 at the end-of stroke position for a fixed period of time,
for
example 10-15 seconds.
The auger blade 106 continues to turn in the aggressive direction. The auger
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carriage 114 continues to move down the auger track 104 until the lower auger
track
limit switch 160 is depressed. Closure of the lower auger track limit switch
160
causes the auger carriage 114 to stop, the auger motor 110 to stop and the
drum
carriage 20 to move down the lifting track 19. The drum carriage 20 moves down
the lifting track 19 until the lower track limit switch 154 is depressed
whereupon the
drum carriage 120 stops. Closure of the lower track limit switch 154 also
causes the
catch arm 66 to open thereby releasing the drum 47. The operator may then move
the feed conveyor lever 202 in a reverse direction in order that the drum is
actively
withdrawn from the drum carriage 20. Removal of the drum from the drum
carriage
opens the upper carriage limit switch 148 ready for the next drum. The drum is
removed from the drum tilting apparatus 102 for re-use or disposal. At any
point
during operation, the operator may stop the system by pressing stop button
212.
Figure 11 is a plan view of a drum emptying installation 300 which may be
established with any number of the drum tilting apparatuses 102 of the present
invention. A drum tilting machine 102 is positioned over an appropriate
reservoir
302. The drum tilting machine is provided with a feed/removal roller system 58
for
delivering and removing a drum 47 to/from the drum carriage 20 and an exit
roller
system 304 for removal of empty drums from the system 300. In the system 300
displayed in Figure 11, three separate drum tilting machines 102 are shown,
each
having a feed/removal 58 and distinct or shared exit roller system 304. Each
feed/removal roller system 58 is linked by a link roller system 306 for
transferring
a drum 47 from a primary feed roller system 308 to the appropriate
feed/removal
roller system 58. In order to provide the transfer to the appropriate drum
tilting
machine a selector system 310 is provided to direct an incoming drum 47 to its
appropriate destination. A control booth 312 and control panel 200 is
centrally
located to operate the drum tilting system 300 whereby an operator can select
a
drum tilting machine 102 on the basis of, for example, the contents of a
particular
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drum or the size of a particular drum. Preferably, and particularly if the
drum
contents are hazardous, the control booth provides environmental protection to
the
operator.
