Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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Dry Material Transporting Device
This invention relates to the transportation of solid materials, more
specifically, bulk and fiber materials, and can be used in oil and lnining
industries, agriculture and other fields of engineering where fine solid
materials are transported through pipe sleeves.
Problem of exact and uninterrupted transport of dry additives, such
as fibers, granules, sand, powder, plastic stripes, cement, metallic pellets,
derived timber materials, cellulose and lignocelluloses-containing products,
cotton, rag material used in oil field services is an important issue.
There are many devices that are used for dry material transport, with
different schemes and principals of work such as screw transport, conveyer
belts, spring and pneumatics transport.
Typically screw conveyor device is used for transport of dry
additives, such as fibers, granules, powder, plastic stripes, cement, metallic
pellets, derived timber materials, cellulose and lignocelluloses-containing
products, cotton, rag material and mixture of thereof.
During transport of cohesive materials through by screws, the screw
plugging can easily occur. This phenomenon happens because a friction
force between material and feeder housing becomes higher than a
maximum force that can be developed by screws pushing material in axial
direction.
Exact material dosing is an important issue in screw transporting. It
is often necessary to convey finely divided particulates such as fine
chemicals, powders and pham-iaceuticals through tubular conduits for the
purpose of mixing or dosing them to another system.
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The utilization of conventional mechanical screw feeders often
disadvantageously results in heating of the particulates due to the
compaction forces exerted thereupon by the rigid screw. This heating often
results in unwanted degradation of the physical and/or chemical properties
of the particulate material. In addition, conventional rigid screw feeders
may also result in unwanted agglomeration or lumping of the particulates
as well as a reduction of the particle sizes of the particulates.
Patent (WO/0121368) describes a device and method for
disaggregating derived timber products. The invention relates to a device
for disaggregating pieces of derived timber products from cellulose and/or
lignocelluloses-containing products, especially particle boards, medium-
density fiber boards and the like, with a transport device and at least one
disaggregating container. The inventive device is also characterized in that
the disaggregating container and the transport device are configured as at
least one common densifier screw with a housing- mounted outer shell and
a driven shaft located therein.
The shaft is provided with helices of a pre-defined pitch. The pieces
of derived timber products are transported in the axial direction of the
densifier screw from a feed opening in the outer shell towards an outlet
opening on the front side thereof in the axial direction (direction of
transport). A feed opening for vapor is provided in the outer shell between
the inlet opening and the outlet opening.
In case of high friction materials transport screw can be easily
jammed and plug the mechanism.
Known is (US Patent 67224894) a device for transferring bulk
material from a storage facility to a transport vehicle includes a pair of
pivotally interconnected upper and lower screw conveyors. The upper
screw conveyor is pivotally connected at its receiving end on a vertical axis
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to the storage facility and is pivotally connected at its discharge end on a
vertical axis to the receiving end of a lower screw conveyor. The conveyors
each have an auger driven by an electric motor and electric motors are
provided to pivot the upper screw conveyor relative to the storage facility
and to pivot the lower screw conveyor relative to the upper screw
conveyor. A hand held controller may be used for remote control of the
electric motors.
Known is (US Patent 7036658) a conveyor including a plurality of
links, each link having a length extending across the direction of transport
and a width extending along the direction of transport. Each link may have
at least one gripping member having two positions. The gripping member
when in the first position is disposed below the conveying surface of the
link, and the gripping member when in the second position is disposed
above the conveying surface of the link for contacting one of the objects to
hold the object during transport. Various designs of gripping members and
related elements are disclosed, including spring loaded, cam driven, rack
and pinion, and overhead designs. Various elements of the disclosed
designs may be combined in various ways to form numerous link and
conveyor options.
Also known is (US Patent 7055676) a conveyor with links and
gripping members further having arms for gripping the transported objects.
The gripping arm is located so as to be able to contact one of the objects
when the gripping member is in the second position to hold the object
relative to the link body during transport. Various options for link designs
are disclosed, including slidable andlor pivotable designs.
(WO Application 9912786) discloses a system for moving work
pieces in carriage assembles along a flexible track.
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An option of a flexible conveyor is disclosed in (JP Application
2005239426). This flexible conveyor hourglass-shaped rollers that are
orthogonal to a conveying direction. The rollers are situated behind each
other. Transported objects are placed between the rollers. The angle
between the planes in which the elements are oriented may be 180 or
more.
To prevent plugging phenomenon of powder and grain which easily
stick, form bridge or the like, screw conveyor (JP Application 2000233817)
is provided with a hollow and helical conveyance screw inside a transport
pipe for powder and grain, a helical clogging preventive screw is arranged
inward of the conveyance screw in an eccentric state with respect to the
conveyance screw, and the powder and grain is conveyed, while being
agitated by the clogging preventive screw.
A disadvantage of said helical conveyance screw is its unsuitability
for the transportation of fibrous materials.
The technical task solved by the implementation of this technical
solution is providing a wide application conveyor.
The technical result achieved by the implementation of this technical
solution is increasing the time of uninterrupted operation of conveyors for
the transportation of fibrous and granulated materials.
To achieve said technical result it is suggested to use a transporting
device comprising a flexible steel channel, a flexible steel-cord rubber
cable with coil flat spring, a bunker, a discharge channel and an engine
preferably electric one with smoothly adjustable rotation speed.
The design suggested herein is based on flexible screw conveyer
principle. Main difference is that screw consists of flexible steel-cord
rubber cable, with coil flat spiral attached to cable. Screw axis is flexible
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hanging on face (discharge) and end fittings to allow both ends to move in
transverse direction. Flexible screw conveyer can be used for uninterrupted
and regular transport of fibers, granular, sand, crushed rocks, powder,
plastic, cement, metal particles, sawdust, timber products, cotton, rag
material.
The general appearance of the device is shown in Fig. 1. The device
consists of a flexible steel channel 1 with built in flexible steel-cord
rubber
cable 2 and a coil flat spring 3 attached to cable. The transporting channel
is between the feeding bunlcer 4 and the discharge zone 5.
The device operates as follows. Material from bunker 4 is fed to the
spiral 3 of the flexible cable and then transported through the transporting
channel 1 to the discharge zone 5 (discharge channel). The flexible screw is
driven by the electric engine 6. Rotation speed can be smoothly adjusted.
The flexible transporting channel 1 is used to restrict the path in
wliich the transported material moves. Flexible steel channel 1 can have
round cross-section. Channel diameter can vary from 50 to 200 mm
depending on material feeding rate and transporting speed. Flexible steel
channel can be 1-10 meters long, depending on device geometry. Flexible
steel channel 1 can have cone shape, which means that its diameter can
vary through channel length. Maximum bending radius can be 90 .
Steel channel 1 can be produced from: metal, rubber, plastic,
composite materials.
According to the invention flexible steel-cord cable 2 with flat spiral
3 attached to it has round cross-section. The flexible cable with steel cord
acts as the axis of the flexible screw. Steel-cord cable 2 diameter can vary
from 10 mm to 150 mm depending on specification requirements,
transporting rate and feeding rate. Flexible steel-cord cable can be
produced from polyurethane, rubber, plastic, spring steel, and etc. Flexible
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steel-cord cable 2 can have cone shape constricting and broadening from
beginning to the end or vice versa. Flexible steel-cord cable can be attached
on the discharge end of the transport channel with the help of special
clamps. It is also possible not to use clamps for transporting fibrous
materials such as fibers, cotton and rag materials. Without clamp flexible
screw has a loose end and can rotate inside the channel in all directions,
this can eliminate plugging problem.
Screw flat spiral is made for raking transporting material from
feeding bunker and further transport through transporting channel.
According to this invention width of coil spiral can vary from 5 to 180 mm.
In this case full diameter of flexible screw (flexible steel-cord cable plus
coil flat spiral attached to this cable) can vary 30-150 mm. Increasing of
spring diameter leads to increasing device feeding rate. Spring step can be
5-100 coils on one running meter. Distance between coils can vary from 10
mm to 200 mm. It is also possible to use spring with constant and variable
diameter depending on required feeding rate and transport channel
geometry. Spiral can be produced from metal, plastic, rubber and
composite materials. Material depends on specification requirements.
Feeding bunker 4 that can perform material loading without
plugging. Bunker shape can be square, rectangular, cylindrical and V-
shaped depending on specification requirements. Steel channel spiral can
go inside feeding bunker to rake material and further trailsporting. Feeding
bunker can be produced from plastic, polymer and composite materials
depending on specification requirements.
Maximum bending radius of steel channel 1 is 90 in all directions of
air space , as it shown on Fig. 2.
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Steel-cord cable can be fixed with a special clamp, as it shown on
Fig. 3, or with out clamp that allows to eliminates material plugging on the
discharge channel, as it shown on Fig. 4.
According to the invention system can transport: bulk materials,
fibers, granular, sand, crushed rocks, powder, plastic, cement, metal
particles, sawdust, timber products, cotton, rag material and other materials
used in oilfield business. System can be also used for other business such
as food industry, fragrance industry, construction industry, agricultural
industry, timber industry, mine industry etc.
