WO2006123019A1

WO2006123019A1 - Tube conveyor for objects in a specified form and method for conveying objects in a specified form

Info

Publication number: WO2006123019A1
Application number: PCT/FI2006/050196
Authority: WO
Inventors: Timo Alastalo; Esko Partanen
Original assignee: Timo Alastalo; Esko Partanen
Priority date: 2005-05-16
Filing date: 2006-05-16
Publication date: 2006-11-23
Also published as: FI20050519A0

Abstract

The invention relates to a tube conveyor for objects in a specified form, which includes a pushing device, together with a connector flange (1), for an object of a specified form, a conveyor tube (5), and an exit tube (18). Protrusions (6) are arranged on the inner side of the lower part of the conveyor tube (5). Further, the tube conveyor includes a circulating device (13) for pressurizing and moving a gaseous or liquid carrier agent in the area between the protrusions (6). The pressure of the carrier agent then lifts an object in a specified form, or a queue of objects off the upper surface of the protrusions (6). In addition, the carrier agent flows between the protrusions (6) and the objects in a specified form, through return connections (8) above the protrusions (6) of the conveyor tube (5), to return to the circulating device (13). In addition, shut-off valves (10), throttle valves (11), and a dirt filter (12) are connected to the circulating device (13). The invention also relates to a method for conveying compressed objects in a specified form.

Description

TUBE CONVEYOR FOR OBJECTS IN A SPECIFIED FORM AND METHOD FOR CONVEYING OBJECTS IN A SPECIFIED FORM

The present invention relates to a tube conveyor for objects in a specified form, which includes a pushing device, together with a connector flange, for an object of a specified form, a conveyor tube, and an exit tube. The invention also relates to a method for conveying objects in a specified form, in which method objects of a specified form are pushed in a conveyor tube.

In known and widely-used transfer conveyors, for example, screw conveyors, scraper conveyors, belt conveyors, and pneumatic conveyors, the following problems have been ascertained in practical operation:

- Fine-particle materials release dust with the wind into the near environment of the conveyors .

- Cold outdoor air causes the transfer surfaces to freeze up and become slippery, require increased power, and even causes breakdowns and jamming in hard frost, if the conveyor is not run continuously, even if it is not needed to transfer anything.

- The aforementioned transfer conveyors drop some of the mate- rial being transferred under them, or at the various connection and continuation points, so that both the conveyor and its drive devices become dirty .and can cause a danger of fire.

- In several types of conveyor, there are many moving parts, which wear in use and result in a need for repairs.

- The material being moved by the conveyor often starts burning due to a spark or to the overheating of the equipment arising, for example, from damaged bearings.

- The transportation distances of the material being moved are relatively short and the substantial lengthening of the transportation distances lead to significant increases in the drive power required, mainly due to friction factors .

First of all, the terms of the devices, means, and materials of the present invention will be defined more precisely as follows :

- The term fine-particle material refers to any powder-like, chip-like, dust-like, granular, or similar material, which can be compressed into briquettes by a press device.

- The term briquette refers to a billet-like compressed product of a specified form and constant size, which is compressed from the aforementioned fine-particle materials. In the drawings of the present patent application, the bri- quette is drawn with broken lines with a round cross-section, but a briquette can also have a cross-section that is square, rectangular, or of any other shape. The essential feature is that the tube conveyor according to the new invention can be dimensioned and designed to suit each bri- quette size, briquette type, and briquette material.

- A carrier agent is a gaseous or liquid substance, which can be circulated in the conveyor tube and carrier-agent circulation channels, and which can, with the aid of pressure, lift a briquette billet or similar clear of the bottom of the conveyor tube and the upper surface of its protrusion.

- The carrier agent can be, for example, water, some other liquid, compressed air or some other gas, for example, an inert gas, which cannot ignite from a spark. The type, grade, and properties of the carrier agent are determined by the grade and properties of the briquette. If the carrier agent is compressed air or gas, a fan or compressor suitable for its circulation and compression and dimensioned according to its initial values is used to circulate it. If the carrier agent is water or some other liquid, a circulation pump is used for is circulation and compression. - The lifting power and direction of the carrier agent is shown in Figures 5 and 6 by a direct arrow and the code F 1, and the pushing power of the device pushing the briquette with the code F. The briquetting machine or some other push- ing device can act as the pushing device.

The invention is intended to create an entirely new type of transfer conveyor, with the aid of which the drawbacks of the traditional types of conveyors, referred to above, can be avoided, by means of the following operations and technical construction solutions :

- The fine-particle material is first compressed to form dense briquettes, which are moved by the transfer conveyor ^Λon top' of a carrier agent, in such a way that dusty fine particles are not created to any significant extent, and if they arise, are filtered out in the circulation channel.

- In all situations, the conveyor tube is tightly enough sealed that no fine particles can create dust in the environ- ment under any conditions .

- In cold conditions, compressed air or gas can be used as the carrier agent, which if necessary can be dried, so that the condensation phenomenon will not cause dampness and freezing. - A compressible connector seal between the connector flanges of the conveyor tube elements seals the connection, in such a way that the material being transferred cannot leave the conveyor and the compressed carrier agent of the separate conveyor-tube elements cannot discharge into the adjacent conveyor-tube elements.

- In the tube conveyor itself, there are no moving parts at all. The devices and equipment subject to wear are only the connector seal between the connector flanges and the carrier-agent circulation device (fan, compressor, pump, or similar) . - In the sealed, tube-like conveyor tube it is possible to select such constructions and carrier agents according to the properties of the material being moved, that it is possible to prevent a fire starting. - The friction between the protrusion of the conveyor tub and the briquette billet being moved is so low that it does not create an obstacle to implementing even long transfer distances. Thus, the drive power requirement of the conveyor is not great, even in long conveyors, if the discharge end of the tube conveyor is not very much higher than the starting end.

The tube conveyor according to the invention is suitable precisely for applications, in which heavy material must be trans- ferred over long transport distances with low investment and operating costs, safely and in an environmentally friendly manner.

This purpose can be achieved with the aid of the tube conveyor according to the invention, by pushing a unified object in a specified form, or a queue of separate objects in a specified form in the conveyor tube, using a pushing device. In the case of a briquette, the briquetting machine can be used for pushing. The tube conveyor according to the invention consists or one or more conveyor-tube elements, with a length L, at the connection points of which there is a pressure-holding, tight connector-flange construction. The tube conveyor according to the invention essentially includes equipping each conveyor-tube element, of a length L, with such equipment and a circulation channel, that by circulating the carrier agent of the briquette billet or briquette queue, and by suitably increasing its pressure between the lower part of the conveyor tube and the briquettes, the briquette queue or briquette billet is raised off the protrusion of the conveyor tube, in which case the sliding friction is reduced to a fraction of what it would be without the lifting force of the carrier agent. In addition to briquettes, other objects in a specified form can also be moved using the tube conveyor.

At the connections of the conveyor-tube elements, the bri- quettes are guided, in such a way that they are kept in the centre of the tube, through the conical part of the connector flange, through the connector seal. By means of a spring-loaded compressive connector or similar, the connector seal is pressed against the outer surface of the briquette being moved, in such a way that the necessary tightness and pressure of the carrier agent are retained. The spring-loaded element can be suitably steplessly tightened using an automatic control device, in situations in which, for example, at the start of a downward slope, gaps of such a size begin to arise between the bri- quettes in the queue, that the pressure of the carrier agent begins to decrease excessively.

In addition, using the briquette tube conveyor according to the invention, other piece goods than briquettes, of constant dimensions, uniform quality, and size can be moved, in the conveyor-tube element, for example, tin cans, oil drums, various containers, artillery shells, bricks, tubes equipped with protector plugs, shafts, and other bar-shaped piece goods, etc. The essential requirement for the aforementioned piece goods is that they can be placed and pushed in the conveyor tube in such a tightly unbroken queue that the carrier agent cannot to a significant extent discharge uncontrollably from between the piece-goods components .

More specifically, the tube conveyor, according to the invention, for objects in a specified form is characterized by what is stated in the characterizing portion of Claim 1. Correspondingly, the method, according to the invention, for conveying objects in a specified form is characterized by what is stated in the characterizing portion of Claim 8. In the following, the tube conveyor, according to the invention, for objects in a specified form is examined in greater detail with reference to the parts lists, page 11, and the accompanying drawings appended here, of which;

FIG. 1 shows a conveyor-tube element and a briquette coming from the exit end, seen from above the exit tube, FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal cross-section, A-A, of the aforementioned figure, in addition, the carrier-agent circulation channels and circulation devices are drawn schematically,

FIG. 3 shows the flange connection between the briquette pushing device and the tube conveyor according to the invention, detail 1, FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of the carrier-agent outlet connection, to be installed in the middle of each conveyor-tube element, detail 2,

FIG. 5 shows a cross-section, C-C, of the conveyor-tube element, at the location of the aforementioned car- rier-agent outlet connection, detail 2,

FIG. 6 shows a cross-section B-B, of the conveyor-tube element, at the location of the c a r r i e r - a g en t (compressed air or gas) return connection, detail 1. The c r o s s - s e c t i o n is the same at all the carrier-agent return connections. The direction of the lifting force created by the pressure of the carrier agent is shown by the straight direction arrow and the code F 1. The circulation direction of the carrier agent is shown by the curved direction arrow,

FIG. 7 shows the flange connection between the tube conveyor according to the invention and the briquette exit tube, detail 3. The connections between all the sepa^¬ rate elements of a tube conveyor assembled from sev- eral conveyor-tube elements are otherwise similar, except that the rearmost conical part is omitted and the connector flange is the same as in Figure 3 (FIG. 3) , detail 1.

FIG. 8 shows a cross-section, C-C, detail 2, at the location of the carrier-agent exit connection, of such a con- veyor-tube element, the carrier agent of which is water or some other liquid. The carrier-agent circulation channels and circulation devices are drawn schematically in the figure.

FIG. 9 shows a cross-section of the aforementioned con- veyor-tube element at all other points up to the connector-flanges of the conveyor tube, and

FIG. 10 shows a cross-section, D-D, details 1 and 3, at the location of the flange-connection compressive connectors of the conveyor-tube element. All the compres- sive connectors of the tube conveyor are similar.

The following describes the invention in greater detail with reference to the aforementioned drawings, FIG. 1 - FIG. 10, and their codes. The figures show various embodiments of the inven- tion for both compressed air and gas, or pressurized water or some other pressurized liquid. The previously unknown technical implementation is represented by the devices and their operation between the flange connector 1 of the pushing device and the briquette exit tube 18. Though the figures show briquettes by way of example, the tube conveyor is also suitable for conveying other kinds of objects in a specified form.

The briquettes are pushed into the tube conveyor according to the invention using a briquetting machine or some other pushing device. FlG. 2 shows the direction of the pushing force of the briquette-pushing device with the code F, and the connector flange 1 of the pushing device. The actual conveyor tube 5 is partly of a known previous type of tube conveyor, but all the device technologies presented in the following are previously unknown device solutions. After the connector flange 4, there is a conveyor-tube protrusion 6 built into the lower half of the conveyor tube 5, which extends for the entire distance between the connector-flange structures 4 and 16, in such a way that at no point the briquette can drop on the bottom of the conveyor tube. The briquette billet or queue is, according to the invention, lifted clear of the conveyor-tube protrusions 6 by leading compressed air through an inlet opening 7 to the lower part of the conveyor tube 5 over the entire distance to the connector flanges 4 and 16, in such a way that the carrier agent is able to push into the upper part of the conveyor tube between the protrusions 6 and the briquette and from there through the carrier-agent return connections to the carrier-agent circulation channels 9. With the aid of the carrier agent the briquette is raised off the conveyor-tube protrusion 6 only to the extent, for example 0,5 - 1 mm, required to eliminate the friction between them, so that the amount of the flows of carrier agent is not very great.

As such, the circulation and filtering devices for the carrier agent are not previously unknown, but their use for the appli- cation according to the invention is a new technology, i.e. their combination in connection with use in the conveyor tube is a previously unknown technique. If the carrier agent is compressed air or some other gaseous substance, the carrier agent is led through carrier-agent return-connections 8 located symmetrically in the upper part of the conveyor tube 5 to carrier-agent circulation channels 9 constructed symmetrically, in which there are shut-off valves 10, throttle valves 11, a carrier-agent dirt filter 12, and a circulation device 13 suitable for circulating a gaseous substance, for example a fan or compressor, which are essential for operation.

Also essential to the success of the tube conveyor according to the invention is the fact that each separate tube-conveyor element 5', of length L, is made tight by using compressive connectors 2 and connector seals 3, and is also separated by a first connector flange 16 and a second connector flange 17, to form a separate, pressure-tight, chamber.

The pressure seal is ensured in the flange connectors by spring-loaded elements 19 according to Figure 10 (FIG. 10) pressing the connector seal 3 against the outer surface of the briquette being moved, by means of the compressive connectors 2. When the briquette queue arrives at the connection point of the conveyor-tube element 5', it is centred on the centre of the connector seal 3, with the aid of the conical part of the first connector flange 16. The fine particles that collect at the conical part are removed with the aid of compressed air, from the fine-particle exit connection 14, by opening the fine-particle exit valve 15. As such, sufficient tightness in a horizontal or rising tube conveyor can be achieved at the connection point by using the spring-loaded element 19. In a steeply dropping conveyor tube 5, the effect of gravity tends to separate the briquettes from each other, in which case spring-loading control devices 20 are installed at the connec- tor flanges of the tube conveyor in question, with the aid of which devices the connector seal 3 is automatically steplessly tightened according to the actual need.

When the carrier agent of the tube conveyor is water or some other liquid, a construction model according to Figures 8 and 9 (FIG. 8 and FIG. 9) is used. The carrier-agent return connections 8 are openings made the side wall of the conveyor tube 5, above the protrusion, through which the liquid flows into the carrier-agent circulation channel 9 under the conveyor tube, from where, after filtering, it is transferred under pressure to the lower part of the conveyor tube 5 through the inlet connection 7, by a circulation device 13, pump, or similar.

The two different conveyor types according to figures FIG.l - FIG. 10 are model applications of the present invention, of which there are also others. In the conveyor tube 5, there can be many more carrier-agent inlet and return connections and their locations can differ from those referred to above. However, they share the common feature of symmetricalness, as the pressure below the briquette billet or queue should be uniform over the entire length of the conveyor tube while, in addition, the aforementioned lower pressure above the briquettes should also be of the same order of magnitude over the entire length L of the conveyor tube .

PARTS LIST

1. Pushing-device connector flange

2. Compressive connector 5 3. Connector seal

4. Conveyor connector flange

5. Conveyor tube β. Conveyor-tube protrusion

7. Carrier-agent inlet connection

10 8. Carrier-agent exit connection

9. Carrier-agent circulation channel

10. Carrier-agent shut-off valve

11. Carrier-agent throttle valve

12. Carrier-agent dirt filter

15 13. Carrier-agent circulation device (fan, compressor, pump, or similar)

14. Fine-particle exit connection

15. Fine-particle exit valve

16. Conveyor-tube first connector flange 20 17. Conveyor-tube second connector flange

18. Briquette exit tube

19. Spring-loading element

20. Spring-loading control device

25 F Pushing force of briquette pushing device

Fl Lifting force of briquette carrier agent

M Motor of pushing device

=Φ- Carrier-agent direction arrow (direction arrow of lifting force)

30 L Length of one tube-conveyor element

Claims

1. Tube conveyor for objects in a specified form, which includes a pushing device, together with a connector flange (1), for an object of a specified form, a conveyor tube (5), and an exit tube (18), characterized in that protrusions (6) are arranged on the inner side of the lower part of the conveyor tube (5) , and that the tube conveyor further includes a circulating device (13) for pressurizing and moving a gaseous or liquid carrier agent in the area between the protrusions

(6), in such a way that the pressure of the carrier agent lifts an object in a specified form, or a queue of objects off the upper surface of the protrusions (6) and the carrier agent flows between the protrusions (6) and the objects in a speci- fied form, through return connections (8) above the protrusions

(6) of the conveyor tube (5), to return to the circulating device (13), in which are arranged in addition shut-off valves

(10), throttle valves (11), and a dirt filter (12).

2. Tube conveyor according to Claim 1, characterized in that, with the aid of the carrier agent, the object in a specified form is arranged to rise off the protrusion (6) of the conveyor tube (5) by only to the extent that the friction between them is eliminated.

3. Conveyor tube according to Claim 2, characterized in that the object in a specified form is arranged to rise off the protrusion (6) of the conveyor tube by 0,5 - 1 mm.

4. Conveyor tube according to any of Claims 1 - 3, characterized in that the conveyor tube (5) consists of one or more separate tube-conveyor elements (5^?), each of which is separated to form a separate pressure-holding chamber.

5. Conveyor-tube according to Claim 4, characterized in that, in order to separate the chamber, the tube conveyor includes tight compressive connectors (2) fitted to the tube-conveyor elements (5') and connector seals (3) arranged to press on the outer surface of the object in a specified form, as well as a first connector flange (16) and a second connector flange (17) .

6. Conveyor tube according to Claim 5, characterized in that the compressive connector (2) includes spring-loading elements (19), in order to ensure the preservation of tight- ness.

7. Conveyor tube according to any of Claims 1 - 6, characterized in that openings are arranged as return connections (8) in the side wall of the conveyor tube (5), above the pro- trusion (6), in order to return the liquid carrier agent to a circulating channel (9) arranged under the conveyor tube (5) and from there once again to the circulating device (13) .

8. Method for conveying compressed objects in a specified form, in which method the object in a specified form is pushed in a conveyor tube (5), characterized in that protrusions (6) are arranged in the lower part of the conveyor tube (5) , and in the method a circulating device (13) is used, by which a gaseous or liquid carrier agent is pressurized and moved in the area between the protrusions (6) , in such a way that by the pressure of the carrier agent an object in a specified form, or a queue of objects is lifted off the upper surface of the protrusions (6), and return connections (8) are arranged above the protrusions (6) of the conveyor tube (5), through which the carrier agent is directed to return, from between the protrusions (6) and the objects in a specified form, to the circulating device (13) .

9. Method according to Claim 8, characterized in that the conveyor tube (5) is formed from one or more separate tube-conveyor elements (5') , each of which is separated to form a separate pressure-retaining chamber.

10. Method according to Claim 8 or 9, characterized in that, in addition to the return connections (8), inlet connections (9) are arranged in the conveyor tube (5), which return connections (8) and inlet connections (9) are arranged symmetrically relative to the object in a specified form, in order to preserve a uniform pressure over the entire distance of the conveyor tube (5) .