DISPOSITIF DE FERMETURE DU TROU DE CHARGEMENT DES CONTENANTS RESISTANT AUX PRESSIONS

DEVICE FOR CLOSING A CHARGING HOLE OF CONTAINERS RESISTANT TO PRESSURE

Abrégé anglais

A b s t r a c t
A device for closing the charging hole of a container resistant
to pressure comprises a lid pivoted such as to permit swiveling
inwards and a drive assembly linked to the outside of the con-
trainer which drive assembly is connected with the lid by a
traction element turned round over a roller arranged above
the charging hole . Outside the container a charging chute
closed on all sides is connected with the edge of the charging
hole.

Revendications

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE
PROPERTY OR PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A device for closing a charging hole of containers
resistant to pressure, particularly autoclaves, comprising a lid
which can be lowered inwards into the container and the outer
diameter of which lid exceeds the inside diameter of the charging
hole, and a drive assembly which is supported against the outside
of the container for opening and closing the lid, wherein a
charging chute closed on all slides is supported against,
particularly connected with an edge structure forming the
periphery of the charging hole, in which the lid is pivoted to
the edge structure of the charging hole for swinging about a
pivot axis such as to permit swiveling inwards, that the drive
assembly is supported against the outside of the container itself
and is connected to the lid by at least one flexible traction
element and that a deflection device for the traction element is
supported against the charging chute above the charging hole.
2. A device according to claim 1, in which the lid is
pivoted with clearance in direction vertically to the plane of
the edge structure of the charging hole.
3. A device according to claim 2, in which the pivot
axis of the lid is guided in oblong holes extending vertically to
the plane of the edge structure of the charging hole.
4. A device according to claim 1, in which the
lid comprises a supporting bracket protruding upwards to which
the traction element holds at a distance of the plane of the lid
and axially towards the lid.
5. A device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the
lid has an upper side which is covered by a pyramid- or cone-
shaped casing and the traction element holds to the top of the
pyramid or of the cone of the casing.

6. A device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the
edge of the charging hole and the lid have cone-shaped contact
surfaces and a ring conduit comprising outlet nozzles is arranged
inside the container below the edge of the container.
7. A device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the
charging chute which is located between a stop valve separating a
charging bunker and the autoclave is detachable, particularly
slid able laterally.
8. A device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which the
drive assembly is formed by a hydraulic piston-cylinder unit, the
traction element is formed by a chain or a rope and the
deflection device is formed by a roller.
9. A device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, in which a
baffle guides the material in pellets to the longitudinal axis of
the container resistant to pressure.
10. A container as in claim 4, wherein the supporting
bracket is formed by essentially triangular metal sheets arranged
radially and in planes perpendicular to the plane of the lid.
11. A container as in claim 10, wherein the assembly of
the sheets is covered by pyramid- or cone-shaped casing faces.
12. In a pressure-resistant container having a wall
defining an interior space: a rim structure attached to the
exterior of said wall and defining a charging hole for the
container; a lid and means pivoting the lid to the edge structure
at a location inside the container for swinging movement about a
pivot axis such that inward swinging movement opens the charging
hole, the periphery of the lid and the periphery of the charging
hole having complementary sealing surfaces; a circumferential
closed charging chute having a lower end connected to said rim
structure at a location outside the container; and a drive

assembly for swinging the lid between open and closed positions,
said drive assembly including a power device attached to the
outside of the container wall at a location below and laterally
of the charging hole, at least one flexible traction element
connected between the power device and the lid and extending over
a deflection device attached to the charging chute at a location
above the charging hole, said power device being capable of
pulling on said traction device so as to swing the lid to a
closed position.
13. A container as in claim 12, wherein said pivoting
means for said lid also permits limited vertical movement of said
lid toward said charging hole and rim structure under the
influence of said traction member.
11

Description

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The invention relates to a device for closing a charging hole of con-
trainers resistant to pressure, particularly autoclaves, comprising
a lid which can be lowered inwards into the container and the outer
diameter of which lid exceeds the inside diameter of the charging
hole, and a drive assembly which is supported against the outside
of the container for opening and closing the lid, wherein a charging
chute closed on all sides is supported against, particularly connected
with the edge of the charging hole. Favorably the lid is arranged
such as to be lowered inwards into the container for opening, because
by this means the internal pressure of the container and/or the auto-
crave supports tight closing of the lid. Such a device in which the
lid is opened into the interior of the autoclave is Icnown from the
DEMOS 3 241 784. In this well known embodiment the lid is connected
by a rod with a drive assembly formed by a hydraulic piston-cylinder
unit. This rod must be guided through the chute and the lid is guided
by this rod only when being opened or closed. The lid is subjected
to great strain, as the material in pellets supplied by the chute
drops onto the lid when it is opened, and such a guidance by means
of a rod is therefore greatly strained, susceptible to damage and
expensive. Except for that the lowered lid obstructs the supply of
the material in pellets and/or the coal to the autoclave and the space
of time required for filling the autoclave increases.
.
The present invention provides a sturdy and safe device for opera-
tin the lid and to reduce the time required far filling the con-
trainer. The invention consist. herein essentially in the lid
go
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being pivoted to the edge of the charge hole such as to permit swivel-
in inwards, in the drive assembly being supported against the outside
of the container itself and being connected with the lid by at least
one traction element and a deflection device for the traction element
being supported against the charging chute above the charging hole.
By the lid being pivoted to the edge of the charging hole and not
being guided by a rod which allows vertical lowering, the charging
hole is completely cleared when the lid is open. Thus a shorter stretch
of time for supplying the container with material in pellets is no-
squired. Such an autoclave is particularly suitable for a process for
drying coal a~r~iing--t~ leisEner. In such a process the coal to
be dried is fed to the autoclave and subsequently charged with super-
heated and/or saturated steam under pressure. By reducing the time
of filling the stretch of time required for carrying out the whole
process is reduced. Good guidance of the lid in opening and closing
is also achieved. When the lid is guided by a rod as it is in the
known embodiment there is the risk of the rod being damaged or deformed
by the material filled, by which means safe closing of the lid is
impaired. By the lid being closed and opened by means of a traction
element this risk of an impairment of the safe guidance of the lid
is cleared up. The guidance of a rod at the charging chute above the
filling hole is not accurate. By the fact that only one deflection
device for the traction element is supported against the charging
chute and that the operation of the lid is effected by the traction
element in the embodiment according to the invention, inaccuracies
which can occur by the support against the charging chute do not affect
the function of the lid. higher filling level of the autoclave is

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also made possible, as the lowered lid dips only by a peripheral zone
into the material filled.
According to the invention the lid is pivoted with clearance in direct-
ion vertically to the plain of the edge of the charging hole. This
can be simply effected by the pivot axis of the lid being guided in
oblong holes extending vertically to the plain of the edge of the
charging hole. Owing to this clearance the lid can be lifted vertically
by the traction element in the last closing stage and be pressed evenly
with its whole circumference against the sealing edge of the charging
hole. According to the invention the lid comprises suitably a support-
in bracket protruding upwards to which the traction element holds
at a distance of the plain of the lid and axially towards the lid.
In this way centering of the lid when being attached to the sealing
edge of the charging hole is facilitated. Herein particularly the
upper side of the lid is covered by a pyramid- or cone-shaped casing,
wherein the traction element holds to the top of the pyramid or the
cone of the casing. By this casing piling up of the loose material
and/or the coal on the lid is avoided. The lid is of a heavy weight.
For achieving greater stability the supporting bracket can be formed
according to the invention by essentially triangular metal sheets
arranged radially and vertically to the lid which are optionally
covered by pyramid- or cone-shaped casing faces.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention the arrangement is effected
so that the edge of the charging hole and the lid have cone-shaped

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contact surfaces and a ring conduit comprising outlet nozzles which
is intersected by the generators of the cone-shaped surface of the
edge of the charging hole is arranged below the edge of the charging
hole. Through these outlet nozzles steam or compressed air is exhausted
in the last stage of closing the lid and, as this ring conduit is
intersected by the generators of the cone-shaped surface, the jets
run through the gap between the lid and the edge of the charging hole
and clean this gap, so that tight closing is ensured.
according to the invention the charging chute which is located between
a stop valve separating a charging bunker and the autoclave is detach-
able, particularly slid able laterally over slide bars fixed to the
valve frame. The dead weight of the charging chute can be lifted up
by an auxiliary lifting device and thus the charging chute can be
moved laterally without expenditure. By detaching this constituent
the lid, the edge of the charging hole and also the stop valve become
accessible for cleaning and repair work
according to the invention the drive assembly is suitably formed by
a hydraulic piston-cylinder unit, the traction element is formed by
a chain or a rope and the deflection device by a roller.
The invention is explained schematically with reference
to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Fig. 1 is a vertical section through an autoclave with the charging

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chute, Fig. 2 is a top view onto an embodiment of the lid and Fig. 3 shows the pivot joint of the lid to the edge of
the ehargin~ hole of the autoclave.
The autoclave 1 has at its upper side a charging hole 2 which is shut
off by a lid 3. The lid is swivel-~ounted to a rim or dye 4 of the
charging hole by means of a pivot 5 and can be opened downwards into
the posit-on 3' marked b-y a broken line. 6 is a reinforcement welded to
the side 9 of the autoclave l to which reinforcement the edge 4 of the
charging hole 2 is screwed on. To the rim or edge 4 of the eh~rging hole
2 a charging chute 7 is rigidly mounted by screws 8 (see fig. 3).
To the side 9 of the autoclave 1 a hydraulic piston cylinder unit
10 is pivoted such as to permit swiveling about an axis 11. The lid
3 has a supporting bracket 12 protruding~upwartls. By a traction element
13~ for instance a chain or a rope, the upper end 14 of the supporting
braclcet 12 is connected with the piston-cylinder unit 10. The traction
element 13 is guided over a deflection device formed by a roller 15 which
is supported against the chute 7. By means of the hydraulic piston-
-cylinder unit 10 the lid 3 can be lowered into the open-position
3'. With 16 the maximum filling level of the autoclave is marled.
The lid 3 can dip into the filling taper 16 wherein it has to displace
only a small amount of the material filled when being dosed.
the lid has to bent clays lo, as is also show in fig. 2, to which a pivot issue fixed.
The pivot 5 is guided in lugs 18 welded to the rei~Eorcement 6 Rich lugs come
pi oblong holes 29 extending vertically to the plane of the edge
ox the frilling hole 2. Thus in the last stage of closing the lid

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can be lifted up vertically so that its cone-shaped sealing faces
19 can abut the taper-hole sealing faces 20 of the edge 4 of the
charging hole 2. 21 is a sealing element.
In the embodiments according to foggily and 3 the supporting bracket
12 is formed by pyramid-shaped metal sheets 22, wherein the pullout
14 to which the traction element 13 holds is placed at the top of
the pyramid. I've supporting bracket 12 can also be formed by radially
arranged triangular metal sheets 23 as is shown in fig. 2. Also in
this embodiment the outside of these metal sheets 23 can be encased
by metal sheets 22, wherein in consideration of the radially arranged
metal sheets 23 these metal sheets 22 can be thinner.
Owing to the guidance of the pivot 5 in oblong holes 29 there is a
tapered gap between the sealing faces 19 and 20 in the last stage
of the closing procedure which gap is closed by further lifting of
the lid. Below the edge 4 of the charging hole a ring conduit 24 is
arranged which is intersected by the generators of the cone-shaped
sealing face 20. This ring conduit has nozzles for the exhaust of
steam or compressed air. Through these nozzles the steam or compressed
air is blown through the tapered gap existing in the last stage of
the closing procedure in direction of the generators and this gap is
cleaned.
25 is a charging bunker for coal and the Lyle. By a valve 26 which
is actuated by a hydraulic piston-cylinder unit 27 the chute 7 is
shut off the charging bunker before closing the lid 3. Between a valve
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frame 28 and the fixed edge 4 of the charging hole 2 the charging
chute 7 is arranged, which comprises the deflection device 15 and
adjoins to the valve frame 28 by its topmost member 7' over a connect-
in piece 7". The charging chute 7 can be arranged movably along slide
bars connected with the valve frame 28 and be provided with a (not
represented) suspension loop. By this means lateral lifting up of
the charging chute 7 over the slide bars is made possible by means
of a lifting device. For this the traction element 13 is detached
from the cylinder 10. By lateral tilting up of the charging chute
7 the charging holes 2 end also the valve 26 are cleared so that clean-
in and repair worlds can be carried out without hindrance at the lid
3, at the edge of the charging hole 2 and also at the valve 26.
Contiguously to the charging hole a baffle I 15
arranged in the autoclave which funnel guides the material in pellets
and/or the coal to the longitudinal axis of the autoclave and in this
way protects the side 9 of the autoclave from abrasion.
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