Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02938325 2016-08-08
Batch Preparation System
BACKGROUND
Field
Example embodiments in general relate to a batch preparation system for
quickly and efficiently mixing materials with a fluid, such as to fill an
agricultural
reservoir tank.
=
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2
Related Art
Any discussion of the related art throughout the specification should in no
way be considered as an admission that such related art is widely known or
forms
part of common general knowledge in the field.
Batching of materials with a fluid is common in many industries, including
agriculture and construction. For example, in agriculture, it is often desired
to mix
certain chemicals with water for dispensing via a sprayer onto crops. A very
common example would be pesticide, nutrient, or insecticide applications. In
construction, it is often necessary to mix various slurries and the like.
When batching materials such as chemicals, it can be extremely important
that accurate measurements are taken and cross-contamination does not occur.
Previous systems have been known to pump mixtures of chemicals and water
through a pump. The pump can become degraded or contaminated, which can
result in dangerous situations if future chemicals are not compatible with
previously-mixed chemicals. Previous systems often lack the capability to
control
order of chemical insertion into spray, which can be a safety concern.
It can also be extremely time intensive to batch chemicals using preexisting
systems. Tanks are often disconnected and need to be set up a certain way.
Transport of multiple tanks and conduits is also cumbersome or time consuming
and can act as an impediment to batching operations that span a large area.
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3
SUMMARY
An example embodiment of the present invention is directed to a batch
preparation system. The batch preparation system includes a frame, a tank unit
comprising a plurality of tanks connected to the frame, and a transfer system
for
mixing materials stored in the tanks with fluids being pumped from a fluid
source.
The tanks are interconnected to form a unitary tank unit which is positioned
on the
frame. The transfer system includes a manifold pipe which is fluidly connected
to
each of the tanks. An eductor is connected to the manifold such that the
materials
from each tank are drawn by suction through the eductor into a mixing conduit,
where the materials are mixed with the fluid from the pump. The resulting
mixture
is dispensed through a transfer outlet, such as to a reservoir tank.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, some of the features of the
batch preparation system in order that the detailed description thereof may be
better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may
be
better appreciated. There are additional features of the batch preparation
system
that will be described hereinafter and that will form the subject matter of
the
claims appended hereto. In this
respect, before explaining at least one
embodiment of the batch preparation system in detail, it is to be understood
that
the batch preparation system is not limited in its application to the details
of
construction or to the arrangements of the components set forth in the
following
description or illustrated in the drawings. The batch preparation system is
capable
of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways.
Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed
herein are for the purpose of the description and should not be regarded as
limiting.
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4
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Example embodiments will become more fully understood from the
detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings, wherein
like elements are represented by like reference characters, which are given by
way
of illustration only and thus are not !imitative of the example embodiments
herein.
Figure '1 is a frontal perspective view of a batch preparation system in
accordance with an example embodiment.
Figure 2 is a frontal perspective view of a batch preparation system with the
tank cover opened in accordance with an example embodiment.
Figure 3 is a rear perspective view of a batch preparation system in
accordance with an example embodiment.
Figure 4 is a frontal view of a batch preparation system in accordance with
an example embodiment.
Figure 5 is a rear view of a batch preparation system in accordance with an
example embodiment.
Figure 6 is a top view of a batch preparation system in accordance with an
example embodiment.
Figure 7 is a bottom view of a batch preparation system in accordance with
an example embodiment.
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,
Figure 8 is a first side view of a batch preparation system in accordance with
an example embodiment.
Figure 9 is a second side view of a batch preparation system in accordance
with an example embodiment.
Figure 10 is a frontal perspective view of a transfer system for a batch
preparation system in accordance with an example embodiment.
Figure 11 is a rear perspective view of a transfer system for a batch
preparation system in accordance with an example embodiment.
Figure 12 is a top view of a transfer system for a batch preparation system
in accordance with an example embodiment.
Figure 13 is a block diagram of a batch preparation system in accordance
with an example embodiment.
Figure 14 is a flowchart illustrating loading of the tanks.
Figure 15 is a flowchart illustrating mixing of materials in the transfer
system.
Figure 16 is a flowchart illustrating rinsing of the manifold.
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=
6 '
Figure.17 is a flowchart illustrating rinsing of the tanks.
Figure 18 is a flowchart illustrating usage of a wand sprayer.
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7
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A. Overview.
An example batch preparation system generally comprises a frame 20, a
tank unit 30 comprising a plurality of tanks 40, 44, 50 connected to the frame
20,
and a transfer system 60 for mixing materials 13, 14, 15 stored in the tanks
40, 44,
50 with fluids 12 being transferred such as by pumping, pouring, or flowing,
from
a fluid source 17. The tanks 40, 44, 50 are interconnected to form a unitary
tank
unit 30 which is positioned on the frame 20. Each tank 40, 44, 50 includes a
hopper 41, 45, 51 and fluidly connects through a manifold valve 83, 85, 87
into a
manifold pipe 80.
The transfer system 60 includes a manifold pipe 80 which is fluidly
connected to each of the tanks 40, 44, 50. An eductor 70 is connected to the
manifold pipe 80 such that the materials 13, 14, 15 from each tank 40, 44, 50
are
drawn by suction through the eductor 70 into a mixing conduit 90, where the
materials 13, 14,15 are mixed with the fluid 12 from the pump 18. The
resulting
mixture 16 is dispensed through a transfer outlet 62, such as to a reservoir
tank
11.
The figures and description herein include reference to a number of valves
65, 66, 67, 68, 79, 83, 85, 87, 99. The valves 65, 66, 67, 68, 79, 83, 85, 87,
99 are
shown as comprising handle-actuated valves 65, 66, 67, 68, 79, 83, 85, 87, 99
which are opened or closed by turning a handle. It should be appreciated that
this
is merely for exemplary purposes only. Various types of 65, 66, 67, 68, 79,
83, 85,
87, 99 which control flow of a concentrate may be utilized. The valves 65, 66,
67,
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8
68, 79, 83, 85, 87, 99 may be manually or automatically adjusted. Although
handle-actuated valves 65, 66, 67, 68, 79, 83, 85, 87, 99 are shown, in some
embodiments, a control system such as a computing device may be configured to
automatically open or close the valves 65, 66, 67, 68, 79, 83, 85, 87, 99
during
operations of the present invention.
=
B. Frame.
= As shown in FIGS. 1 - 3, a frame 20 is generally provided which supports
the
tank unit 20 and the transfer system 60 of the batch preparation system 10.
The
structure, configuration, and size of the frame 20 may vary in different
embodiments. Preferably, the frame 20 will be compact so that it may be easily
transported, such as on a trailer. The frame 20 is preferably designed to be
mobile
so that the batch preparation system 10 may be easily transported between
sites.
As shown in the figures, the frame 20 will generally comprise a front end 24,
a rear end 25, a first side 26, and a second side 27. The first side 26 of the
frame
20 may comprise a first side support 22 as shown in the figures. The second
side
27 of the frame 20 may comprise a second side support 23 as shown in the
figures. As shown in FIG. 1, the tank unit 30 rests upon a lower frame support
21
. of the frame 20. =The first and second side supports 22, 23 of the
frame 20 aid in
supporting the tank unit 20 on the frame 20.
The frame 20 is preferably adapted to be easily transportable. Any number
of methods of transport may be utilized. Because the tanks 40, 44, 50 are
interconnected or integrally formed to comprise the complete, unified tank
unit
20, it is simply a matter of transporting a singular frame 20 holding the
unified
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=
9'
tank unit 30 rather than separately transporting individual tanks 40, 44, 50
as is
common in the prior art.
An exemplary method of transport is shown in the figures. As shown in
FIGS 1 ¨ 3, the frame 20 may include first receivers 28 and/or second
receivers 29.
The first receivers 28 generally extend between the front end 24 and the rear
end
25 of the frame 20. The second receivers 29 generally extend between the first
side 26 and the second side 27 of the frame 20.
The receivers 28, 29 comprise slots extending through the frame 20 into
which a fork lift may be inserted to reposition the frame 20. For example, a
forklift
may be utilized in combination with the first or second receivers 28, 29 to
lift the
frame 20 onto a trailerbed for transport. The use of both first receivers 28
and
second receivers 29 allows for flexibility in how the frame 20 is lifted and
how a
forklift, for example, would need to be positioned to pick up the frame 20.
C. Tank Unit.
As shown throughout the figures, a tank unit 30 is provided which is
adapted to receive, store, and dispense a plurality of different materials 13,
14, 15.
The tank unit 30 is preferably comprised of a unified structure having an
upper
end 31, a lower end 32, a front end 33, and a rear end 34 as shown in FIGS. 1
¨ 3.
The shape; structure, size, and configuration of the tank unit 30 may vary in
different embodiments. Thus, the tank unit 30 should not be construed as
limited
by the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, as a wide range of
versatility
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with respect to the dimensions, shape, configuration, and size of the tank
unit 30
are necessary to accommodate different applications.
=
The tank unit 30 will preferably include a cover 35 which is hingedly
connected to selectively cover the upper end 31 of the tank unit 30. One or
more
hinges 36 may be connected between the upper end 31 of the tank unit 30 and
the cover 35 for the hinged connection. Locking mechanisms 37 may be provided
which will retain the cover 35 locked in an open position or locked in a
closed
= position. It is preferable to at least have a locking mechanism 37 to
hold the cover
35 in an opened position when top-filling the tanks 40, 44, 50. However, the
cover 35 may be omitted in some embodiments.
The cover 35 of the tank unit 30 may include projections 38 extending
downwardly from the cover's 35 bottom surface as shown in the figures. These
= projections 38 will depress the rinse nozzles 43, 47, 53 in each tank 40,
44, 50 to
selectively activate the rinse nozzles 43, 47, 53 as discussed herein. In
embodiments which do not utilize rinse nozzles 43, 47, 53, the projections 38
may
be omitted from the cover 35 of the tank unit 30.
The tank unit 30 will generally comprise a plurality of tanks 40, 44, 50.
Each tank 40, 44, 50 is adapted to store a material 13, 14,15 to be mixed
together
and dispensed out of the transfer outlet 62 of the transfer system 60 into a
reservoir tank 11. Various types of materials 13, 14, 15 may be utilized,
including
liquids and/or solids. The materials 13, 14, 15 could comprise organic or
inorganic
materials such as chemicals, biological materials, dirt, debris, or any other
material
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11
capable of being"mixed together. Thus, the scope of the present invention
should
not be construed as limited to any particular materials 13, 14, 15.
The figures illustrate an exemplary embodiment having a first tank 40, a
second tank 44, and a third tank 50. The number, positioning, and size of the
tanks 40, 44, 50 may vary in different embodiments. The tank unit 30 could
have
any number of tanks 40, 45, 50; with three being shown in the figures merely
for
exemplary purposes. The sizes of the tanks 40, 45, 50 may vary for different
application as well. For example, as shown in the exemplary figures, the first
tank
40 could be adapted to hold a larger volume, of materials than the second and
third tanks 44, 50.
It should be appreciated that the tank unit 30 could comprise discrete tanks
40, 44, 50 which are welded or otherwise connected together to form a unitary
tank unit 30. In other embodiments, the tank unit 30 could comprise a singular
tank structure which includes a plurality of dividers 48 which divide the tank
unit
= 30 into multiple tanks 40, 44, 50.
In either case, it is preferable that the tanks 40, 44, SO be interconnected
or
integrally formed such that they combine to form the unitary tank unit 30
structure
which may be easily positioned on the frame 20 for transport. The figures
illustrate a singular tank cover 35 which covers all of the tanks 40, 44, 50
of the
tank unit 30. It should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, each tank
40,
44, 50 of the tank unit 30 may have its own separate tank cover 35.
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12
As discussed in more detail below, the tanks 40, 44, 50 may be top-filled,
such as by pouring or other dispensing materials 13, 14, 15 such as chemicals
into
the tanks 40, 44, 50 through the upper end 31 of the tank unit 30. For
example, a
first material 13 may be poured into the first tank 40 through the upper end
31 of
the tank unit 30 when the cover 35 is raised. Similarly, a second material 14
may
be poured into the second tank 44 and a third material 15 may be poured into
the
third tank 50.
Alternatively, the tanks 40, 44, 50 may be filled by utilizing fill ports 39
which may be poSitionecl on the front end 33 of the tank unit 30; with each
tank
40, 44, 50 having its own fill port 39 as shown in the figures. The fill ports
39 may
be directly fed via a tube or other conduit, or liquid flow meters 56 may be
utilized
to measure how much materials are being filled into each tank 40, 44, 50.
Each of the tanks 40, 44, 50 preferably includes a hopper 41, 45, 51
comprising inwardly-slanting walls that converge into a tank outlet 42, 46,
52. The
first tank 40 includes a first hopper 41 converging into a first tank outlet
42, the
second tank 44 includes a second hopper 45 converging into a second tank
outlet
46, and the third tank 50 includes a third hopper 51 converging into a third
tank
outlet 47.
Preferably, the tank outlets 42, 46, 52 are positioned at the lower end 32 of
the tank unit 30 in each respective tank 40, 44, SO. The hoppers 41, 45, 51
each
have aggressively-angled sides to gravity-feed the materials 13, 14, 15 into
the
manifold 80 when the valves 83, 85, 87 of the manifold 80 are in the open
position. Using a gravity-feed method of distributing the materials 13, 14, 15
such
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13
as chemicals out of the tanks 40, 44, 50 and into the manifold 80 increases
the
efficiency of the system overall, including less fill time and less energy
used.
As shown in the figures, a scale such as weigh bars 58 may be provided to
display a weight for the tank unit 30. The weigh bars 58 may be connected to
the
frame 20 underneath the tank unit 30 so that the weight of the tank unit 30
may
be shown on a display 59. The display 59 could be remote, such as a mobile
phone, or could be connected directly to the tank unit 30 or the frame 20.
It should be appreciated that weigh bars 58 are merely an exemplary
method of monitoring the weight of the tank unit 30. Various other weight
sensors may be utilized. Further, although the figures illustrate weigh bars
58
configured to take a single weight for the entire tank unit 30, some
embodiments
may have separate weigh bars 58 for each individual tank 40, 44, 50 so that
individual tank weights may be attained on-the-fly.
D. Transfer System.
FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary transfer system 60 for use with the batch
preparation system 10. The transfer system 60 takes fluid 12 from a fluid
source
17 in through a transfer inlet 61 and mixes one or more materials 13, 14, 15
into
the fluid 12 before dispensing the mixture 16 out of the transfer outlet 62.
The
. transfer system 60 also may include an integrated rinsing subsystem for
rinsing the
various components of the batch preparation system 10 as described herein.
The transfer system 60 may include a transfer inlet 61 which is connected to
a pump 18; with the pump 18 being connected to draw fluid 12 such as water
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14:
from a fluid source 17 such as a water reservoir or water tank. Flow from the
transfer inlet 61 may be split to feed into a rinse conduit 64, a mixing
conduit 90
via an eductor 70, and/or a clean fluid conduit 96 as will be discussed
herein.
FIG. '13 shows an exemplary block diagram illustrating an exemplary
flowpath for the fluids 12, chemicals 13, 14, 15, and mixture 16. As shown, a
branch connector 63 may be connected to the transfer inlet 61 of the transfer
system 60 so as to split the fluids 12 between a first path through the clean
fluid
conduit 96 and a second path through the rinse conduit 64, eductor 70, and
mixing conduit 90.
The rinse conduit 64 is shown as extending upwardly from the inlet flow of
fluids 12. The rinse conduit 64 is preferably positioned before the eductor 70
so
that only clean, unmixed fluids 12 such as water will flow through the rinse
conduit
64. The rinse conduit 64 may be positioned at any location along the transfer
system 60 which pulls clean fluids 12, and should not be construed as limited
in its
placement by the exemplary figures.
The rinse conduit 64 pulls clean fluids 12 to be applied to rinse the various
components of the transfer system 60. A rinse valve 65 may be positioned at
the
start of the rinse conduit 64 so as to control flow of fluids 12 through the
rinse
conduit 64. The rinse valve 65 will control the rinsing system overall: if the
rinse
valve 65 is closed, then no fluids 12 will flow into the rinse conduit 64 and
thus the
rinsing system will be disabled.
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After the rinse valve 65, the rinse conduit 64 may include additional valves
66, 67, 68 which lead to rinse outlets 69 for the manifold 80, tanks 40, 44,
50, and
a spray wand 78. It should be appreciated that these are merely exemplary
configurations, and that additional rinsing systems may be utilized or some of
the
rinsing systems described herein may be omitted in some embodiments.
In the exemplary embodiment shown in the figures, the rinse conduit 64
includes a manifold rinse valve 66, a tank rinse valve 67, and a wand valve
68. The
manifold rinse valve 66 controls a first rinse outlet 69a which is
interconnected by
a conduit such as a hose with the rinse connector 88 of the manifold 80. When
both the rinse valve 65 and the manifold rinse valve 66 are open, clean fluids
12
will flow through the rinse conduit 64, the rinse valve 65, and the rinse
connector
88 into the manifold 80. The clean fluids 12 will rinse out the manifold 80
and exit
the manifold 80 through the suction inlet 72 of the eductor 70, where the
rinsed
out fluids will be expelled through the mixing conduit 90 and out the transfer
outlet 62.
The tank rinse valve 67 allows for rinsing of the tanks 40, 44, 50 via the
rinse nozzles 43, 47, 53. Thus, the tank rinse valve 67 controls a second
rinse
outlet 69b which is interconnected via conduits such as hoses with each of the
rinse nozzles 43, 47, 53 within the tanks 40, 44, 50. When both the rinse
valve 65
and the tank rinse valve 67 are open, clean fluids 12 will flow through the
rinse
conduit 64, the rinse valve 65, and the tank rinse valve 67 to each of the
rinse
nozzles 43, 47, 53. If the tank cover 35 is closed, thus engaging the
projections 38
with the rinse nozzles 43, 47, 53, the rinse nozzles 43, 47, 53 will open to
spray the
clean fluids 12 into the tanks 40, 44, 50 to rinse the tanks 40, 44, 50 out.
The
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16
=
rinsed fluids will exit the tanks 40, 44, 50 through the tank outlets 42, 46,
52, the
manifold 80 and the eductor 70 to be expelled through the mixing conduit 90
and
the transfer outlet 62.
The wand valve 68 controls a third rinse outlet 69c which is connected via a
conduit such as piping to a wand sprayer 78. The wand sprayer 78 may be
grasped by the hand of a user to manually rinse any components of the batch
preparation system 10. For example, the exterior of the tank unit 30 and frame
20
may be cleaned with the hand-held wand sprayer 78. Clean fluids 12 will pass
through the rinse valve 65, rinse conduit 64, and wand valve 68 to be expelled
through the wand sprayer 78.
At a position after the rinse valve 65 and rinse conduit 64 in the flow path
of the transfer system 60, an eductor 70 is positioned as shown in the
figures. The
eductor 70 utilizes the venturi effect to apply suction to a suction inlet 72.
The
eductor 70 will generally comprise a flow inlet 71, a suction inlet 72, and a
diffuser
outlet 73. .
=
The clean fluid 12 flow from the transfer inlet 61 is directed into the flow
inlet 71. The suction inlet 72 of the eductor 70 is connected to the manifold
outlet
89 of the manifold 80 such that materials 13, 14, 15 within the manifold 80
will be
drawn via vacuum force through the suction inlet 72 of the eductor 70 such
that
the materials 13, 14, 15 are mixed with the clean fluid 12 from the flow inlet
71 of
the eductor 70. The resulting mixture 16 is expelled from the eductor 70 via
the
diffuser outlet 73 into the mixing conduit 90.
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17
The materials 13, 14, 15 are drawn through the suction inlet 72 of the
eductor 70 from a manifold 80. As shown throughout the figures, the manifold
80
is positioned directly underneath the tank unit 30. This configuration is
preferable
so that the manifold 80 may be gravity-fed materials 13, 14, 15 from the tanks
40,
44, 50; rather than requiring any suction or other outside force.
The manifold 80 will generally comprise a conduit such as piping which
includes a plurality of inlets 82, 84, 86 being connected to the respective
tank
outlets 42, 46, 52 of each tank 40, 44, SO. The number of inlets 82, 84, 86
will
generally match the number of tanks 40, 44, 50 in the tank unit 30. In the
exemplary figures, the manifold 80 includes a first inlet 82 for the first
tank 40, a
second inlet 84 for the second tank 44, and a third inlet 86 for the third
tank 50.
Each of the inlets 82, 84, 86 are preferably controlled by a manifold valve
83, 85, 87. Only When one the manifold valve 83, 85, 87 is open will materials
13,
14, 15 stored in the respective tanks 40, 44, 50 be gravity-fed by the hoppers
41,
45, 51 into the manifold 80. Thus, the first inlet 82 of the manifold 80 is
connected to the first tank outlet 42 of the first tank 40 by a first manifold
valve
83. The second inlet 84 of the manifold 80 is connected to the second tank
outlet
46 by a second manifold valve 85. The third inlet 86 of the manifold 80 is
connected to the third tank outlet 52 by a third manifold valve 87.
The manifold outlet 89 is connected to the suction inlet 72 of the eductor
70. Thus, as materials 13, 14, 15 are gravity-fed through the manifold inlets
82,
84, 86, they will be suctioned through the manifold outlet 89 into the eductor
70
to be mixed with the clean fluid 12 coming in through the flow inlet 71 of the
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18
eductor 70 and expelled as a mixture 16 through the diffuser outlet 73 of the
eductor 70.
The manifold 80 will also generally include a rinse connector 88. The rinse
connector 88 will preferably be positioned before the manifold inlets 82, 84,
86
and the manifold outlet 89 in the flowpath of the manifold 80. Clean fluids 12
from the rinse conduit 64 may be fed through the rinse connector 88 to rinse
out
the manifold 80 when needed as discussed.
The diffuser outlet 73 of the eductor 70 expels the misture 16 into a mixing
conduit 90. The mixing conduit 90 comprises a length of conduit such as
piping.
The inlet 92 of the mixing conduit 90 is connected to the diffuser outlet 73
of the
eductor 70 to receive the mixture 16. The outlet 94 of the mixing conduit 90
feeds directly into the transfer outlet 62 of the transfer system so that the
mixture
= 16 can be dispensed from the transfer system, such as into a reservoir
tank 11.
Shown throughout the figures is an optional clean fluid conduit 96 which
extends parallel with respect to the mixing conduit 90. The clean fluid
conduit 96
is connected between the transfer inlet 61 and the transfer outlet 62 to expel
only
clean fluids 12 from the pump 18 directly out of the transfer outlet 62. As
discussed previously, a branch connector 63 may split flow after the transfer
inlet
61 to feed clean fluids 12 directly into the clean fluid conduit 96.
Similarly, an
= outlet connector 95 may bridge the clean fluid conduit 96 with the mixing
conduit
90 upstream of the transfer outlet 62.
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19i
The inlet 97 of the clean fluid conduit 96 is fluidly connected to the branch
connector 63 via a clean fluid valve 99. When the dean fluid valve 99 is open,
clean fluid 12 will pass through the inlet 97 of the clean fluid conduit 96
and out
of the outlet 98 of the clean fluid conduit 96 to be dispensed through the
transfer
outlet 62. When the clean fluid valve 99 is closed, no fluids 12 will pass
through
the clean fluid conduit 96.
E. Operation of Preferred Embodiment.
In use, the frame 20 may be transported into position. A forklift may
engage with the frame 20 via its receivers 28, 29 to lift the frame 20 up to
be
placed upon a trailer or truck. The trailer or truck may also be used to haul
the
water 12 (or other liquid) as well as the materials 13, 14, 15 to be mixed and
loaded into the reservoir tank 11. The trailer or truck may then be moved,
along
with the fluid source 17 such as a water tank, to the location of the
reservoir tank
11 to be loaded. The compact nature of the tank unit 30 and its placement on
the
unified frame 20 allows for the batch preparation system 10 to be easily
transported or moved from location-to-location.
Once the frame 20 is in position, the tank unit 30 may be filled with
= materials 13, 14, 15 to be mixed. The tanks 40, 44, 50 may be filled with
each
material 13, 14, 15 in a number of manners. To top-fill the tanks 40, 44, 50,
the
tank cover 35 is lifted so that the upper end 31 of the tank unit 30 is opened
up.
The materials 13, 14, 15 may then be poured or otherwise dispensed through the
upper end 31 of the tank unit 30 into the tanks 40, 44, 50. The materials 13,
14,
15 may be top-filled into the tanks 40, 44, 50 in premeasured or known
quantities.
=
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20 ,
=
This method of top-filling is particularly useful for materials 13, 14, 15
which are
comprised of solids such as granular chemicals.
The weigh bars 58, if installed, may provide for precision top-filling of the
tanks 40, 44, 50. To do so, the weigh bars 58 are first zeroed before placing
any
materials 13, 14, 15 in the tanks 40, 44, 50 as shown in FIG. 14. With the
display
59 showing zero weight, the first material 13 may be dispensed into the first
tank
40. The weight of the first material 13 may then be taken from the display 59,
and
then weigh bars 58 zeroed again. The second material 14 may then be dispensed
into the second tank 50. The weight of the second material 14 may then be
taken
from the display 59, and then the weigh bars 58 may be zeroed again. With the
display 59 again showing zero weight, the third material 15 may be dispensed
into
the third tank 50 to take a reading of the third material's 15 weight.
The tanks 40, 44, 50 may also be filled using the fill ports 39. Hoses may be
connected directly to the fill ports 39 to dispense the materials 13, 14, 15
into the
tanks 40, 44, 50. Alternatively, if the case of liquid materials 13, 14, 15,
liquid flow
meters 56 may be installed on the fill ports 39 to measure the amount of
liquid
materials 13, 14; 15 dispensed into each tank 40, 44, 50. During all filling
operations, the manifold valves 83, 85, 87 should be closed to prevent
premature
mixing.
Once the tanks 40, 44, 50 are filled with the materials 13, 14, 15 to be
mixed; the batching process may begin. The transfer inlet 61 is connected to
the
pump 18; with the pump 18 drawing clean fluids 12 such as water from a fluid
source 17. The transfer outlet 62 is connected to the reservoir tank 11 to be
filled.
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21
With fluid 12 flowing through the transfer system 60 via the pump 18, the
manifold valves 83, 85, 87 may be opened individually or together. The
materials
13, 14, 15 will be gravity-fed through the hoppers 41, 45, 51 and the tank
outlets
42, 46, 52 into the manifold 80 as illustrated in FIG. 15. Suction is applied
to the
manifold 80 via the eductor 70 to draw the materials 13, 14, 15 through the
manifold 80 and out of the manifold outlet 89 into the eductor 70. The
diffuser
outlet 73 of the eductor 70 will dispense the resulting mixture 16 of the
materials
13, 14, 15 and the fluid 12 into the mixing conduit 90. If the outlet valve 79
is
opened, the mixture 16 will then be dispensed out of the transfer system 60
into
the reservoir tank. 11.
After dispensing the mixture 16, the transfer system 60 may be rinsed.
FIGS. 16 ¨ 18 illustrate various rinsing functions. The rinsing system may be
activated by opening the rinse valve 65, which will direct clean fluid 12
through the
rinse conduit 64. The manifold rinse valve 66 may be opened to direct the
clean
fluid 12 through the manifold 80 to rinse it out as described herein. The tank
rinse
valve 67 may be opened, and the tank cover 35 closed, to activate the rinse
nozzles 43, 47, 53 to rinse the tanks 40, 44, 50. The wand valve 68 may be
opened to direct clean fluid 12 through the wand 78 so that manual rinsing may
be accomplished. Preferably, the present invention will be cleaned between
each
batching operation; with the tanks 40, 44, 50 being visibly clean within to
prevent
any cross-contamination.
Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have
the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to
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CA 02938325 2016-08-08
22
which this invention belongs. Although methods and materials similar to or
equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of
the
batch preparation system, suitable methods and materials are described above.
All
publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned
herein
are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent allowed by
applicable
law and regulations. The batch preparation system may be embodied in other
specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes
thereof, and
it is therefore desired that the present embodiment be considered in all
respects
as illustrative and not restrictive. Any headings utilized within the
description are
for convenience only and have no legal or limiting effect.
