Systems for the control and use of fluids and particles

• US 20080060565A1
• Filed: 10/31/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kamterter II, LLC
• Original Assignee: Kamterter II, LLC
• Inventors: Vu, David, Eastin, John
• Granted Patent: US 7,490,563 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 111/174
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 1/04 Arranging seed on carriers, e.g. on tapes, on cords ; Carrier compositions
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 1/06 Coating or dressing seed
• CPC Class Codes: A01C 7/004 using liquid seeding techniques
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 7/0089 Regulating or controlling systems the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 9/00 Special adaptations or arrangements of powder-spraying apparatus for purposes covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: A01M 9/0092 Regulating or controlling systems the delivery being related to the movement of a vehicle B05B9/06
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/00 Formation of filaments, threads, or the like
• CPC Class Codes: D01D 5/0007 Electro-spinning non-woven fabrics produced by electro-spinning D04H1/728
• CPC Class Codes: D01F 9/00 Artificial filaments or the like of other substances; Manufacture thereof; Apparatus specially adapted for the manufacture of carbon filaments
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 111/905 Seed treating seed planter
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 111/917 Gel

Abstract

The configuration of a feedstock material is controlled by bringing it into contact with at least a first gas moving against it at a location with an area and thickness of the feedstock liquid that forms drops or fibers of a selected size. In one embodiment, drops of agricultural input materials are formed for spraying on agricultural fields. In another embodiment, nanofibers of materials such as chitosan or metals are formed. In another embodiment seeds are planted with gel. In another embodiment particles carrying desired agricultural inputs with modified release characteristics are delivered.

Claims

1. A method of fluid drilling, comprising the steps of:

mixing seeds with gel wherein the mixture comprises at least one of solid and semisolid particles and non-Newtonian fluids with at least one part by volume to three parts by volume of said at least one of solid and semisolid particles to one part of said non-Newtonian fluids;

conveying said mixture to a nozzle with an auger having threads separated by grooves in a helical path with the upper surfaces of the edges of the auger being no more than one-fifth the distance between threads and no more than one-fifth the depth of the grooves, whereby a substantial amount of gel is moved with respect to surface area of the gel contacting surface areas of the grooves.

2. A method according to claim 1 further comprising the steps of permitting said gel to flow downwardly from a hopper into the auger, whereby the auger carries the gel into a distribution tube having a tip with the flights of the auger corresponding to the angle of transition between the hopper and the tube, whereby the thread approaches the edge of the tube in a substantially parallel manner to the edge of the tube and the auger carries the gel to the tip.

3. A method according to claim 2 wherein the gel is moved in an auger includes the step of moving the gel in an auger through said distribution tube toward inwardly slanting inner walls ending in a narrow orifice with a last thread of said auger extending part way into a portion of the tube having inwardly sloped walls to form a nozzle and pushing said gel with a land on the end of the auger with high velocity because of its sharp angle.

4. A method according to claim 3 in which the step of conveying said seeds to the nozzle with an auger includes the step of conveying said seeds into an auger having grooves with a depth of between one-quarter of an inch and one-half of an inch and spaces between the grooves of between one-eighth of an inch and one and one-half inches.

5. A method according to claim 2 further including the step of periodically forcefully removing the gel and the seed from the tip of said nozzle.

6. A method according to claim 2 in which the step of periodically forcefully removing the gel and seed includes at least one of the steps of:

blowing air across the tip of said nozzle whereby the seeds and the gel are separated thereby; and

periodically separating the gel and the seeds from the tip of said nozzle in coordination with target areas for receiving the seeds; and

periodically causing air to flow across said nozzle tip; and

blowing air under a pressure of at least one-tenth of a pound per square inch and no more than 20 pounds per square inch across the nozzle in a direction along the plane passing through a longitudinal axis of a delivery tube and substantially perpendicular to the ground, said angle along the longitudinal axis of the delivery tube being no more than 60 degrees on either side of a normal to the ground within a plane passing through a longitudinal axis of the auger and being no more than 30 degrees from a normal to the ground in a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis to the auger; and

vibrating said nozzle at a frequency having a longer wave length than the diameter of the seeds; and

vibrating said nozzle at a frequency of between 20 cycles per second and 10,000 cycles per second with an amplitude between one and 25 millimeters, whereby the seeds as they pass through the nozzle are prevented from plugging the nozzle; and

vibrating the nozzle with a frequency and amplitude sufficient to create an inertia effect between the seeds and the gel.

7. A method according to claim 2 further including:

the step of preparing a furrow in the ground;

moving said nozzle above said furrow, whereby seeds and gel are deposited in the furrow; and

closing said furrow over the gel and seeds.

8. A method according to claim 2 further including the step of opening a seed trench and enlarging it with a planting shoe and causing said seeds and gel to drop in a furrow between two outspread shields of said planting shoe.

9. A method according to claim 8 in which said nozzle is positioned with a source of air immediately above it and both the source of air and nozzle being between one-half inch and five inches from the bottom of the furrow.

10. A method according to claim 2 in which the seeds are expelled from said nozzle between shields of a planting shoe at a distance from the ground sufficient to avoid clogging by dirt or moving outside a furrow being prepared by the planting shoe by vibrations.

11. A method according to claim 2 wherein the gel and seeds are moved by at least one of:

an auger in a delivery tube from the bottom of a hopper to the nozzle in grooves sufficiently large to have reduced surface friction and a pitch of 1.5 threads per inch at an angle of at least 15 degrees, with a sharper angle at the nozzle forward end of the auger to impel seeds and gel through the nozzle, with minimum separation of the seeds along the auger by frictional forces; and

an auger having a width which is less than one-tenth of the open surface between threads and less than one-tenth of the depth of the threads, whereby few seeds are removed by laminar flow along the surface of the auger; and

a gel having a viscosity in the range of 1,800 to 3,000 centipoises; and

a gel in the case of large seeds, which gel has volume equal to the volume of the seeds; and

a gel in the case of smaller seeds, which gel has a volume twice the volume of seeds; and

a gel which for large seeds has a range of between half the volume of the seeds to four times the volume of the seeds;

a gel for small seeds in a range of between the same volume of the seeds and ten times the volume of the seeds; and

a gel having a viscosity sufficient to maintain the seeds in suspension to the extent they will not drop a distance greater than the height of the thread of the auger carrying them through a delivery to the nozzle; and

an auger having grooves with the auger rotating at a speed slower than the time it takes for gel to move from the top edge of the auger thread to the bottom of the groove in a one-half revolution.

12. An auger, comprising:

a shank;

said shank having a first end and a second end;

said shank being between two inches and six feet long and having diameters of between 1/16th of an inch to six inches;

at least a portion of said shank extending from a first end including helical grooves defining helical threads therebetween, whereby turning of said auger moves gel from a portion along said shank toward said one end; and

a depth and width of said grooves being sufficient to avoid separation of seeds from the auger to cause plugging.

13. An auger in accordance with claim 12 having pitch angles on a screw graduated from low angles at an inlet to facilitate feeding a seed gel mixture to higher angles in a delivery tube section to give a friction pumping surface to move the gel seed mixture.

14. An auger in accordance with claim 13 wherein the screw in effect provides a motive force for delivering fluid while at the same time providing a moving delivery tube wall to dislodge any seed pile ups and further, it effectively singulates seeds into the delivery tube.

15. An auger in accordance with claim 14 in which said threads have a pitch of between one-half inch and three inches and a tip at a first end of said auger has an angle no greater than 15 degrees and the threads along said shank have an angle at least as great as 15 degrees.

16. A fluid drilling feeder, comprising:

a hopper;

said hopper having an open top portion and a narrower compartment at its bottom;

an auger;

a delivery tube;

a nozzle;

said auger fitting in said compartment at its bottom and extending outwardly;

said delivery tube connecting said compartment at its bottom with said nozzle and circumscribing said auger;

said auger extending into a tip of said nozzle.

17. A fluid drilling feeder in accordance with claim 16 further comprising separator means for separating material from the tip of said nozzle, said separator means including means for exerting a downward force across the tip of said nozzle;

and means for vibrating said nozzle, whereby seeds are maintained sufficiently in fluid with gel to avoid plugging of said nozzle

18. Apparatus for encapsulating materials comprising:

a fixture having at least first, second and third outlets;

means for forcing feedstock fluid containing at least one of agricultural input, an animal foodstuff and a medication from said first outlet;

means for forcing a first kinetic energy fluid at a first velocity from said second outlet in a direction that impacts against said feedstock fluid; and

means for forcing a second kinetic energy fluid at a second velocity different from said first velocity from said second outlet in a direction that impacts against said feedstock fluid;

whereby said feedstock fluid is formed into at least one of nanofibers and nanoparticles whereby the at least one of an agricultural input, an animal foodstuff and a medication is encapsulated.

19. Apparatus in accordance with claim 18 wherein said feedstock material includes chitosan.

20. A method of spraying comprising the steps of:

moving a vehicle over an agricultural field;

selecting a concentration of fluid that is optimum in effectiveness as an agricultural input;

carrying a supply of fluid at the optimum concentration on said vehicle;

causing said optimum concentration fluid to form an elongated path on an edge of a fixture;

forcing a kinetic energy fluid against said elongated path, whereby drops are sprayed of said optimum concentration.

21. A method of spraying in accordance with claim 20 wherein the spraying is with low drift comprising the steps of:

moving a vehicle over an agricultural field;

selecting a drop size and concentration of fluid that has reduced drift under the environmental conditions exiting at the time of spraying;

selecting a velocity of a kinetic energy fluid;

causing said fluid to form an elongated path on an edge of a fixture with a thickness that will result in optimum drop size with the selected concentration and with the selected velocity of a low pressure kinetic energy fluid impacting it; and

forcing a kinetic energy fluid against said elongated path at the selected velocity, whereby drops are sprayed with the optimum drop size.

22. A method in accordance with claim 21 wherein the size drop is selected based on the height of the boom from which the drops are sprayed.