Abstract: Apparatus and methods for effecting gravity-assisted flow of granular material from a chamber through an aperture in the bottom wall thereof include an annular horizontal plate orbiting in its plane at a location above the bottom wall in a manner to cause flow of the material toward and through the aperture. The direction of orbital movement reverses periodically to prevent accumulation of the granular material between the plate and the wall. Partitions above the plate divide the granular material into portions each of which is engaged by a part of the plate during each orbit whereby the extent of engagement between the plate and each portion determines the relative amount of that portion being fed.

Abstract: Apparatus and method for conveying granular material by gravity assist from an upper zone and a lower zone by means of a horizontal annular plate which is disposed between the two zones, the plate being orbited in a horizontal plane below a fixed shroud so that the material flows downwardly through the aperture in the plate along a path which moves in a horizontal plane around the periphery of the aperture.