BIOMASS CONDITIONING SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONDITIONING
First Claim
1. A biomass conditioning system comprising:
- a conditioning tank having a bottom portion and a wall portion;
a water input device configured to fill the conditioning tank with water to a water line;
a biomass input device configured to deposit biomass into the conditioning tank and immerse the biomass in the water, thereby causing the biomass to separate into a floating portion and a non-floating portion, the non-floating portion comprising wood and debris;
a containment device configured to;
divide the conditioning tank into a first side and a second side; and
contain the floating portion of the biomass in the first side of the conditioning tank;
a spillway located on the first side of the conditioning tank, the spillway being configured to transfer the floating portion of the biomass to a first storage area; and
a moving separation device at least partially submerged in the water, the moving separation device being configured to permit passage of the debris and to transport conditioned biomass out of the conditioning tank and into a second storage area.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The disclosure is directed generally a biomass conditioning system and methods for conditioning biomass to remove undesirable material for further processing and applications. In some embodiments, the disclosure includes a biomass conditioning system including a conditioning tank, a water input device, a biomass input device, a containment device, a spillway, and a moving separation device. In some embodiments, methods according to the disclosure include pumping water into a conditioning tank, depositing biomass into the conditioning tank, allowing the biomass to soak in the water and separate into a bark portion and a non-bark portion, allowing the bark portion to float to a water line, containing the bark portion to one side of the conditioning tank, moving the bark portion into a bark storage area, separating the non-bark portion into a biomass portion and a debris portion, and moving the conditioned biomass portion into a storage area.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A biomass conditioning system comprising:
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a conditioning tank having a bottom portion and a wall portion; a water input device configured to fill the conditioning tank with water to a water line; a biomass input device configured to deposit biomass into the conditioning tank and immerse the biomass in the water, thereby causing the biomass to separate into a floating portion and a non-floating portion, the non-floating portion comprising wood and debris; a containment device configured to; divide the conditioning tank into a first side and a second side; and contain the floating portion of the biomass in the first side of the conditioning tank; a spillway located on the first side of the conditioning tank, the spillway being configured to transfer the floating portion of the biomass to a first storage area; and a moving separation device at least partially submerged in the water, the moving separation device being configured to permit passage of the debris and to transport conditioned biomass out of the conditioning tank and into a second storage area. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 20)
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10. A biomass conditioning system comprising:
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a conditioning tank having a bottom portion and a wall portion; a water input device configured to fill the conditioning tank with water to a water line; a biomass input device configured to deposit biomass into the conditioning tank, the biomass including a bark portion, a conditioned biomass portion, and a debris portion; a floating divider which divides the conditioning tank into a first side and a second side, the bark portion of the biomass being contained in the first side of the conditioning tank; and a spillway located on the first side of the conditioning tank, the spillway being configured to transfer the bark portion of the biomass to a bark storage area; a conveyor comprising; a first portion below the water line; and a second portion above the water line, the second portion being located on the second side of the conditioning tank; wherein the first portion of the conveyor and the second portion of the conveyor each have a plurality of openings, the plurality of openings being sized to permit the debris portion of the biomass to pass through the conveyor and sink to the bottom of the conditioning tank; and a suction filter located on the bottom portion of the conditioning tank. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method for conditioning biomass comprising the steps of:
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providing a conditioning tank, the conditioning tank comprising; a bottom portion; a wall portion; and a spillway attached to the wall portion; pumping water into the conditioning tank thereby establishing a water line; depositing biomass into the conditioning tank; allowing the biomass to soak in the water and separate into a bark portion and a non-bark portion; allowing the bark portion to float to the water line; containing the bark portion to one side of the conditioning tank; moving the bark portion via the spillway into a bark storage area; separating the non-bark portion into a conditioned biomass portion and a debris portion; and moving the conditioned biomass portion into a conditioned biomass storage area. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18)
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19. The method of claim, further comprising the steps of:
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allowing the debris portion to sink to the bottom portion of the conditioning tank; and filtering the debris portion to remove it from the conditioning tank.
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Specification