Abstract: A system for offloading granular materials from a tanker designed to carry oil. The tanker includes pressurized holds for oil and a blower system coupled to the pressurized holds. The pressurized nature of the holds and the blower system already existing on, or added to, the ship are utilized to unload granular materials from the holds. In one embodiment, two concentric pipes extend through one or more Butterworth openings in the top of each hold. The outer pipe has several openings in it near the top of the hold. When the ship blower system is turned on, air is pumped into the hold, through the openings in the outer pipe, down the outer pipe to a discharge end near the bottom of the hold, into the granular material which it entrains, and then up the inner concentric pipe out of the pressurized hold. In another embodiment, air is pumped down one leg of a U shaped pipe to the bottom where granular material is entrained by the air, and is pumped up the second leg of the pipe and out of the hold.

Abstract: A pneumatic system for removing granular material, such as wheat, from a nonpressurized vessel such as a barge. Gas from a blower system is supplied to a plenum chamber mounted on top of two concentric pipes which extend down into the vessel. The gas flows down the outer pipe and is discharged into the granular material, thereby entraining it. The air and entrained material mixture then flow up the inner concentric pipe and out of the vessel. A rotary valve mounted on a chamber at the bottom of the concentric pipes allows granular material to flow into the chamber, but isolates the high pressure in the chamber from surrounding granular material.