Abstract: An apparatus for feeding bulk material includes a housing which accommodates a rotor arranged between an inlet port and an outlet port of the housing and having a plurality of radially extending vanes. The vanes are fixed on a shaft and provided with sealing strips for sealing the vanes against the housing. For compensating occurring wear and maintaining the sealing action, the sealing strips are corrected by an adjusting bar with two spaced conical sufaces which cooperate with push rods having one end lying against the conical surfaces and another end in force-locking connection with the sealing strips.

Abstract: A circulation mixer for bulk material includes a container with funnel-shaped bottom to which a cellular wheel sluice is attached. The sluice is provided with inlet ports for bulk material as well as outlet ports communicating with pertaining riser pipes and includes a cellular rotor which conveys bulk material introduced through the inlet ports to the outlet ports for returning bulk material via the riser pipes to the upper part of the container. For pneumatically raising the bulk material through the riser pipes, air is injected through further ports which are arranged opposite the outlet ports and serve also as discharge ports for bulk material.

Abstract: A counterflow separator is provided having a feed pipe for bulk material opening into the top of a chamber housing. A discharge conduit radial extends from the top of the housing and an inlet conduit for classifying air extends radially into the housing at its lower portion. The housing is provided with a wall section below the orifice of the feed pipe, which section expands conically outwardly into a collecting hopper. The conical wall section permits the design of a braking stretch longer than its own length, thus reducing the requirement for classifying air, without causing a deterioration in the classifying quality.

Abstract: A transport conduit for bulk material is formed of a rigid outer tube and an elastic inner tube of substantially smaller diameter. The inner tube is hermetically sealed at each of its ends to the conduit section so as to form a closed annular chamber between the inner elastic tube and the rigid outer tube. Communicating through the wall of both the outer and inner elastic tubes are relief and check valves sealed with respect to the elastic inner tube so as to maintain the integrity of the annular chambers. The valves are connected to a secondary gas supply from which air under pressure is directed into the conduit to assist in the transport of the bulk material. The annular chambers are serially connected by bridging tubes passing from one section to the adjacent section, thereby interconnecting each of the annular chambers in an outer parallel conduit to permit atmospheric air to move serially through them from one end of the transport conveyor to the other.

Abstract: An air classifier having an upright housing open at both ends in which a pipe section is concentrically located to define a first annular passage closed at its upper end. A feed conduit attached to a pneumatic delivery system is concentrically located within the pipe section defining a second annular passage open at both ends. A cover is mounted over the upper end of the housing defining a dispersing chamber for bulk material. The dispersed material falls through the second passage, beyond the lower end of the pipe into an annular chamber where the components are separated by an air stream moving upwardly. The heavier particles falls and the lighter particle travel with the upward air.

Abstract: The gravity feed mixing of bulk materials is effected by removing partial quantities of the material at each of a plurality of vertically disposed levels, and passing the removed material through a series of funnels arranged vertically so that the material is admixed with the material passing from a higher level and fed to a lower level.

Abstract: A slide valve for a container with an upright supply of bulk material has a sealing element with a sealing face, a tubular slider movable relative to an inlet opening between an open position in which it releases an annular gap for passing the bulk material and a closed position in which it closes the annular gap, and a deflecting cone located under the inlet opening, having a base of a diameter exceeding the diameter of the inlet opening, and serving as a guide for the tubular slider, wherein the tubular slider has a lower end face which is closed and an upper edge which abuts against the sealing face in the closed position and is substantially flush with the conical face of the deflecting cone in the open position, and the sealing face is located above the inlet opening.

Abstract: A gravity circulation mixer for bulk goods including a mixing container in which the bulk goods are divided into two quantity flows. After having recombined the two individual quantity flows of bulk goods in a mixing bowl, it is conveyed via a vertical ascending pipe and a gravity pipe back into the mixing container. The gravity pipe is arranged at an angle with respect to the ascending pipe and extends downwardly into the mixing container. The connection between the ascending pipe and the gravity pipe is constituted by a baffle portion so that the upwardly conveyed bulk goods are deflected at the baffle portion and caused to fall into the mixing container.

Abstract: The pneumatic feeding device for a container balance includes a stationary feeding conduit for the loose material arranged above the container and directed substantially perpendicularly through an adjustable coupling piece into the interior of the container. To compensate for reaction forces resulting from the pneumatic operation of the feeding device, there is provided a pneumatic pressure compensator acting from the outside on the container in counter direction to the reaction forces.

Abstract: Material to be mixed is fed into the upper portion of a container from where the material descends by means of the force of gravity. The container is provided with a partition extending across the interior of the container and operative to divide the descending material into two separated substreams. The container is further provided with two outlets which are adjustable so as to separately control the respective speeds of descent of the material of the two substreams in the container. The material which is withdrawn at the lower portion of the container is returned back to the upper portion of the container for further mixing. Because of the two substreams in the container, the relative elevations of arbitrarily selected samples, located in respective ones of the substreams, changes during material descent, thereby improving mixing action.

Abstract: A pneumatic conveying system includes a conveying conduit, a gas conduit which communicates with it at least at one juncture, and a release valve at the juncture. The release valve includes a housing connected with the conveying conduit and the gas conduit, a flexible diaphragm secured to the housing and subdividing the same into one chamber communicating with the gas conduit and another chamber connected with the conveying conduit, the diaphragm having a substantially central opening, a valve-seat member connected to and movable with the diaphragm in response to flexing of the same and forming a valve seat surrounding the opening, a valve member carried by the housing and located in the one chamber, means guiding the valve seat member for movement relative to the valve member between a valve-opening and a valve-closing position, and valve-closing spring means located in the one chamber and permanently tending to urge the valve-seat member to the valve-closing position thereof.

Abstract: Apparatus for discharging bulk material into a pneumatic conveyor conduit has two chambers, one disposed above the other, the upper chamber having an inlet orifice controllable by a pivotal closure flap and the lower chamber communicating with an outlet orifice from the upper chamber, also controllable by a pivotal closure flap. The flaps are balanced as by counterweights so as to leave their respective orifices virtually completely open in the absence of outside force acting on the flaps, and pressure nozzles are disposed adjacent the flaps in their fully open position, to assist movement towards their closed positions as required. A level sensing means is arranged in the lower chamber to sense when material therein drops to a predetermined level, for re-filling of the chamber from the upper chamber.

Abstract: Pourable particulate material is accommodated in a vessel. A stream of gaseous fluid is directed into the lower end of the vessel and is split up into a high-speed first flow and a second flow. The material surrounding the bottom end of a central upright unobstructed passage in the vessel is entrained by the first flow and conveyed upwardly to be deposited on top of the body of material in the vessel; since new material from the body slides down about the lower end to be entrained in this manner, the body of material is gradually turned over in the vessel. The lower-speed second flow is directed through the body of material outside the passage to trickle through the material and subject the same to a treatment.

Abstract: A method of pneumatically feeding material in succession, through separators, to receiving stations, with conveying air being discharged from the system only at the last separator in the circuit. Conveying is stopped when the material reaches a predetermined level in the last separator, but commences again when the material falls below that level, which can be achieved by feeding material back through the conduit to the feed station. The apparatus has a series of separators, the last of which filters out exhaust air, with valves responsive to the level of material in the last separator or a pressure rise in the conduit, to stop conveying and to blow back through the conduit to clear the last separator.

Abstract: Conveyor gas is passed through a conveyor conduit to convey bulk material therethrough, while clean gas is passed through a by-pass conduit connected to the conveyor conduit at positions spaced along the length of the conduits. The by-pass conduit can be divided into a plurality of sections by shut-off valves which close in response to a predetermined pressure difference between the two conduits, with a reduced pressure in the conveyor conduit due to a blockage of material therein. Due to the pressure difference, clean gas is transferred from the by-pass to the conveyor conduit at a plurality of said connections between the two conduits, only in the respective section in which there is the pressure difference.

Abstract: A method for pneumatically conveying material through a conveyor conduit comprises automatically interposing into the conveying operation cleaning phases in which no material is introduced into the conduit, to remove material previously deposited in the conduit. Apparatus has a timing means which rhythmically interrupts the introduction of material, and the strength of the air flow in the cleaning phases can be greater than that of the air flow during the conveying phases.