Abstract: A silo unloader for unloading silage from a discharge opening in a bottom wall thereof includes a housing mounted in the opening having a downwardly extending discharge chute. The chute includes an inner sloping wall having a lower drip edge and a pair of side walls joined thereto with side edges sloping upwardly with respect to the drip edge in a direction opposite that of the sloping wall. The side edges define lower edges of a discharge outlet of the chute. A discharge door is mounted to pivot between an open and a closed position with respect to the discharge outlet and the door includes a resilient gasket around the perimeter adapted to provide an air-tight seal for the outlet when the door is closed. The discharge chute includes a lower sealing bar joined at opposite ends to the sidewalls, and spaced below and horizontally offset from the drip edge so that material falling over the drip edge does not interfere with establishing a tight seal when the door is closed.

Abstract: This invention relates to the draining of bulk materials which are not spontaneously flowable, from a high-rise silo in which the bulk material is fed from the top layer of the bulk material at any instant, into a central gravity shaft having a bottom extraction facility. To this end, the invention consists in a gravity shaft which is combined with the gastight high-rise silo and is rigid, stationary, tubular and closable at the bottom. The shaft is provided with perforations distributed along its height and circumference, of which at least one is situated at each vertical position of the prevailing level of bulk material. The bottom of the shaft can be sealed off with a slider or a plug of the material which is permitted to be built up to a predetermined height.

Abstract: In a rotary apparatus for the production of layered glass batch pellets there is provided a dryer for final drying of the pellets prior to their being fed to a melting furnace.

Abstract: In a process for the production of titanium dioxide by the vapour phase oxidation of titanium tetrachloride in which process entrained inert particulate material is passed through equipment used to reduce or prevent the deposition of solids thereon, the quantity of inert particulate material entrained may be affected by the varying back pressure normally obtaining in the equipment. The control of this quantity may be improved by reducing pressure differences (by means of conduit 39) between the inlet (40) and outlet (36) of a mechanical feeding device (29, 30) for the solids. This entails the transmission of the pressure (from the conduit 26) into the solids delivery system 25(17) and this may be alleviated, optionally, by maintaining a head of solids in the system and/or by using a system of pressurized hoppers. The invention enables the quantity of inert particulate material used to be reduced.

Abstract: The invention relates to a cooler for granular products, essentially consisting of a cooling reservoir, a product inlet at the top, and two grids for the discharge of granules, which grids are movable relatively to each other. In the cooling reservoir a current of air is generated by means of a blower, the cooling air being drawn in through the granule discharge grid and being passed through the cooling reservoir countercurrently relatively to the product to be cooled. The air inlet for the blower is disposed in the top part of the cooling reservoir adjacent to the granule inlet lock. Any fines present in the granular product are exhaused direct by the blower. For this purpose a controllable opening is provided in the suction tube of the blower for drawing in secondary air. The product discharge grid is of such construction that in the closed condition it is permeable to air without permitting the product to be cooled to flow out of the cooling reservoir.

Abstract: There is disclosed a continuously operating system for removing particulate material from the bottom portion of a suitable storage silo. The system includes a feed conveyer from the silo to a vertical uplifting conveyer whereby the particulate material is raised to a level sufficiently high to efficiently feed a packing system or the like. A by-pass arrangement whereby to return the particulate material to the vertical uplifting conveyer whenever the packing system is indicated.

Abstract: The present invention is a universal blending system and method for blending the material contents of a silo having a predetermined interior cross-sectional area by layer blending or across vertical columns, column blending, or a combination of layer and column blending.The presently preferred method of the present invention employs either vertical displacement of a partial vertical column of the silo content to provide a representative mixture in every horizontal cross-section in order to reduce the number of necessary recycles to a minimum or substantially simultaneous multilevel displacement, with subsequent uniform discharge over the whole horizontal cross-section of the silo to remix material that may have been segregated during the filling or recycling.

Abstract: A round silo for storage of different kinds of grain, especially damp grain, in layers one above the other, in a predetermined ratio, so as to facilitate a desired mixture of different grain kinds. The silo is of the type including a central bottom outlet opening. The central bottom outlet opening is in the shape of a conical deflector having a truncated conical surface, with the point thereof upwardly facing, and an outer peripheral edge disposed at a predetermined distance from the bottom of the silo. Furthermore, the silo is provided at its bottom end with an annular zone defined outwardly by the silo wall and inwardly by the outer peripheral edge of the conical deflector. A rotatable blade is mounted at the bottom of the silo beneath the conical deflector for rotation around the central axis of the silo for conveying grain toward the center of the silo and the conveyor means.

Abstract: A silo system for flowing loose materials, particularly cement with at least two storage silos each with a conical cover raised over their base and on whose lower edge are provided discharge openings connected to a central storage tank, the storage silos being interconnected by a transverse conveying arrangement.

Abstract: Apparatus for handling elongated objects such as pieces of wood includes at least one elongated flexible member for forming the bottom and sides of an object-handling compartment having a longitudinal dimension and a transverse dimension, the flexible member having a first end and a free end; a coiling device associated with the first end of the flexible member for winding up and unwinding the flexible member; an attaching device at the free end of the flexible member; an attaching mechanism operable for selectively being connected to and disconnected from the attaching device whereby when the attaching device and the attaching mechanism are connected, the flexible member can be suspended from its ends to form the compartment and whereby the attaching device can be disconnected from the attaching mechanism to loosen the flexible member to enable emptying of the compartment; and a device arranged after loosening of the flexible member to introduce the flexible member in the attaching mechanism so as to bring t

Abstract: The disclosed method and apparatus for the downward transfer of concrete eliminate separation of concrete ingredients and drop impact of concrete during concrete placing across a high head, by intermittently feeding concrete to an air-tight chute from the top end thereof while normally keeping the chute top end closed airtightly, the chute having at least one flexible portion adapted to be collapsible upon removal of concrete thereform.

Abstract: This invention relates to a solid state polymerization apparatus comprising a vertically oriented tube through which particulate resin flows downwardly in a plug flow fashion to the cone-shaped bottom portion of the reactor. The apparatus contains as an improvement a resin distribution means in the top portion thereof to distribute added resin in an orderly fashion to maintain a uniform level of polymer and also a double cone perforated gas distribution means in the bottom thereof to prevent backmixing and assure that a uniform plug flow condition is maintained as the polymer descends down the apparatus to a discharge valve at the bottom thereof.