Vacuum loader with vaned and short tangential separator

• US 5,180,407 A
• Filed: 11/14/1991
• Issued: 01/19/1993
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Thomas M. Demarco
• Original Assignee: VL Incorporated
• Inventors: DeMarco, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hart, Charles
• Application Number:
  US07/792,297
• Time in Patent Office: 432 Days
• Field of Search: 55/302, 55/337, 55/345, 55/398, 55/440, 55/453, 55/455, 55/456, 55/457, 55/459.1
• US Class Current: 55/302
• CPC Class Codes: A47L 9/165 Construction of inlets
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 46/2403 characterised by the physical shape or structure of the filtering element
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/20 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 1/00 Apparatus in which the main direction of flow follows a flat spiral ; so-called flat cyclones or vortex chambers

Abstract

A unique vacuum loader with a special tangential separator is provided to efficiently remove, readily collect, effectively separate, and safely dispose of wet, dry, and fibrous materials, including liquids and slurries, in a mine or in other places. Desirably, the tangential separator is compact for use in mines and has special directional vanes which vary the flow and enhance separation of dusty fluid carrying the fibrous material, dust, and other particulate matter.

Claims

1. A vacuum loader for removing particulate material comprising a compact vaned and short tangential separator means for partially dedusting and separating a substantial amount of particulates from a fluid, said compact vaned and short tangential separator means having vane means for minimizing clogging and substantially enhancing separation of said particulates, said compact vaned and short tangential separator defining inlet means for receiving said fluid containing said particulates and outlet means including an upwardly facing fluid outlet port for discharge of said separated fluid and particulates and a lower particulate outlet, said vane means being arranged tangentially along a generally horizontal flow path with at least one elongated central vane extending continuously from said inlet means to said outlet means, said compact vaned and short tangential separator having a height ranging from about 4 inches to about 12 inches, and said inlet means having a diameter ranging from about 2 inches to about 6 inches.

2. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 1 wherein the ratio of the height of said compact vaned and short tangential separator to the diameter of said inlet means is about 2:

1, said compact vaned and short tangential separator has a substantially circular inner surface, and said vane means are positioned eccentrically to said circular inner surface.

3. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 1 wherein said vane means comprise curved vanes and said curved vanes are spaced differently from each other.

4. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 2 wherein said vane means includes a concave deflector which intersects and is connected to said circular inner surface.

5. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 1 wherein at least one of said vane means has at least one beveled end to enhance particle separation.

6. A vacuum loader for removing particulate material, comprising:

vaned and substantially short tangential separator means for partially dedusting and separating a substantial amount of particulate material from a dusty fluid, said vaned and substantially short tangential separator means comprising

inlet means for ingress of a dusty fluid containing particulate material;

outlet means including a lower particulate outlet for egress of separated particulate material and an upwardly facing fluid outlet for egress of said partially dedusted fluid; and

directional vane means extending substantially continuous between said inlet means and said outlet means for changing direction of flow of said dusty fluid.

7. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 6 wherein said vaned and short tangential separator includes a housing with an annular wall positioned about said outlet means and said directional vane means, and said directional vane means comprise differently space curved vanes with converging portions for narrowing the flow path of said dusty fluid, and said curved vanes being positioned eccentrically relative to said annular wall.

8. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 7 wherein at least one of said curved vanes has a beveled end.

9. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 7 wherein said curved vanes includes an eccentric concave deflector connected to said outlet means and said annular wall.

10. A vacuum loader for removing particulate material, comprising:

a vaned and short tangential entry cyclone separator for partially dedusting and separating a fluid laden with particulate material, said vaned and short tangential entry cyclone separator comprising

a housing having an annular wall with a substantially circular exterior surface and a substantially circular inner surface surrounding an interior with a central portion;

an inlet comprising a tangential intake conduit extending linearly and tangentially outwardly from one of said circular surfaces of said annular wall of said housing and communicating with said interior of said housing;

outlet openings in said central portion including a lower particulate outlet comprising a downwardly facing outlet port for discharging separated particulate material by gravity flow substantially downwardly from said separator and an upper fluid outlet comprising an upwardly facing outlet port for exiting partially dedusted fluid substantially upwardly from said separator; and

an array of directional vanes extending between said inlet and said outlet openings for changing the direction of flow of said fluid, said directional vanes including a pair of central vanes with substantially parallel portions, said central vanes being connected to and communicating with said inlet and said outlet openings, and said directional vanes including a concave deflector intersecting said circular inner surface of said annular wall and extending between and connecting said circular inner wall and said outlet openings.

11. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 10 wherein said directional vanes have eccentric curved portions.

12. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 11 wherein at least some of said directional vanes have a beveled inlet end facing said inlet.

13. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 11 wherein the ratio of the height of said vaned and short tangential entry cyclone separator to the diameter of said tangential intake conduit is about 2:

1.

14. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 11 wherein said vaned and short tangential entry cyclone separator has a height ranging from about 4 inches to about 12 inches and said tangential intake conduit has a diameter ranging from about 2 inches to about 6 inches.

15. A vacuum loader for removing particulate material, comprising:

inlet hose means for drawing fluid laden with particulate material under a suction pressure;

reinjection means comprising a collection transition communicating with said inlet hose means for receiving said particulate laden fluid and for receiving separated particulate material;

first stage separator means comprising

rotary bulk separator means with direct belt loader means communicating with said reinjection means for receiving and making a gross cut separation of said particulate material from said fluid;

bulk material receiving means comprising a member selected from the group consisting of a conveyor, bin and receiver, for receiving the grossly separated particulate material from said rotary bulk separator means;

second stage separator means comprising

tangential separator means for partially dedusting and separating carryover dust comprising residual tangential separator means comprising a compact vaned and substantially short tangential entry cyclone separator with cyclone inlet means communicating with said rotary bulk separator means for ingress of said grossly separated fluid from said rotary bulk separator means, cyclone outlet means including a cyclone particulate outlet for egress of said carryover dust comprising said separated particulate material into said collection transition of said reinjection means and said cyclone outlet means including a cyclone fluid outlet for egress of partially dedusted fluid, and directional vane means comprising eccentric curved vanes extending substantially continuously from said inlet means to said outlet means for varying the direction of flow of said grossly separated fluid between said cyclone inlet means and said cyclone outlet means and for substantially reducing backup and clogging of said carryover dust in said tangential separator means; and

filtering means communicating with said tangential separator means for filtering said partially dedusted fluid from said tangential separator means.

16. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 15 wherein said directional vane means comprises at least one member selected from the group consisting of an arcuate baffle and a concave deflector.

17. A vacuum loader for removing particulate material, comprising:

a flexible inlet vacuuming hose having a bulk vacuuming nozzle for vacuuming an influent fluid containing particulate material from a material spill pile in a mine under substantially continuous negative pressure;

a reinjection unit having a reinjection tee for receiving influent dusty fluid and separated particulate material from a tangential separator, said reinjection unit having an upright airlock feeder extending upwardly and communicating with said tangential separator for feeding separated material from said tangential separator downwardly, and a flexible reinjection outlet hose for discharging said dusty fluid and particulate material;

a gross cut rotary bulk separator for grossly separating said particulate material from said fluid into a particulate laden stream containing the bulk of said particulate material and a grossly separated fluid containing carryover dust comprising entrained residual particulate material, said gross cut rotary bulk separator having a direct belt receiver loader with an inlet connection communicating with said reinjection outlet hose for receiving said dusty fluid and particulate material;

bulk material receiving means comprising a member selected from the group consisting of a belt conveyor, bin and receiver, positioned below said gross cut rotary bulk separator for receiving said particulate laden stream from said gross cut rotary bulk separator for transport to a collection and processing site in the mine;

a bulk separator-fluid-outlet hose connected to and communicating with said gross cut rotary bulk separator and said tangential separator for passing said grossly separated fluid stream from said gross cut rotary separator to said tangential separator;

said gross cut rotary bulk separator having a fluid outlet port communicating with said bulk separator-fluid-outlet hose for exiting said grossly separated fluid stream into said bulk separator-fluid-outlet hose, and said gross cut bulk separator having a bulk material outlet for discharging said particulate laden stream onto said receiving means;

a tangential entry cyclone comprising said tangential separator for partially dedusting and separating said carry over dust from said grossly separated fluid stream, said tangential entry cyclone comprising

a cyclone housing having an annular wall with a substantially circular exterior surface and a substantially circular inner surface surrounding a cyclone interior with a central cyclone portion;

a cyclone inlet connected to and communicating with said bulk separator-fluid-outlet hose for receiving said grossly separated fluid stream and carryover dust from said bulk separator-fluid-outlet hose, said cyclone inlet comprising a tangential intake conduit extending linearly and tangentially outwardly from one of said circular surfaces of said annular wall of said cyclone housing and communicating with said cyclone interior;

cyclone outlet openings in said central cyclone portion including a lower particulate cyclone outlet comprising a downwardly facing cyclone outlet port for discharging said separated carry over dust comprising said separated particulate material downwardly from said tangential entry cyclone into said airlock feeder and said cyclone outlet openings including an upper fluid cyclone outlet port for passing and exiting partially dedusted fluid substantially upwardly from said tangential entry cyclone, said cyclone outlet openings being covered by a top closure plate; and

a set of directional vanes extending between said cyclone inlet and said cyclone outlet openings for changing the direction of flow of said fluid stream, said directional vanes including a pair of central vanes with substantially parallel portions, said central vanes being connected to and communicating with said cyclone outlet openings;

said airlock feeder extending downwardly from and communicating with said tangential entry cyclone and having at least one control valve, said valve being open to permit passage of said separated particulate material removed from said tangential entry cyclone into said collection chamber, and said valve being closable to maintain an air lock and substantially block and prevent passage of said separated particulate material removed from said tangential entry cyclone into said collection chamber;

a filtering unit positioned above and communicating with said tangential entry cyclone, said filtering unit having a filtration chamber with a set of canisters containing tubular filters spaced along side each other for filtering said partially dedusted fluid;

a vacuum pump communicating with said filtering unit and said hoses for drawing fluid through said filtering unit and said hoses, said vacuum pump comprising at least one member selected from the group consisting of a compressor, pneumatic pump, air blow, fan, and turbine; and

a muffler assembly providing a sound abatement control unit in the mine for quieting filtered fluid exiting said filtering unit and for helping suppressing operational noises from said vacuum pump, said muffler assembly having a silencer base comprising a support housing positioned in proximity to said filtering unit and said vacuum pump, an internal composite sound attenuating chamber with a channel communicating with said filtering unit for varying the direction of flow of said filtered fluid, and acoustical baffles in said channels covered with sound insulating material for dampening the noise of said filtered fluid passing through said channel.

18. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 17 wherein said directional vanes have curved eccentric portions spaced unevenly from each other.

19. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 17 wherein said directional vanes include a concave deflector spaced outwardly of said central vanes, said concave deflector having an outlet end connected to said outlet openings and an inlet end connected to said inner surface of said annular wall of said housing.

20. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 17 wherein said tangential entry cyclone has a height of about twice the diameter of the bulk separator-fluid-outlet hose.

21. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 17 wherein the ratio of the height of said tangential entry cyclone to the diameter of said cyclone inlet is about 2:

1.

22. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 17 having an overall height ranging from about 6.5 feet to about 7.5 feet.

23. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 22 wherein said tangential entry cyclone has a height ranging from about 4 inches to about 12 inches and the diameter of said cyclone inlet ranges from about 2 inches to about 6 inches.