Elbow fitting for pneumatic transport system
First Claim
1. An elbow fitting for use in effecting directional changes from an inlet pipe to an outlet pipe in a pneumatic product conveying system, comprising:
- a circular inlet portion connectable to said inlet pipe to receive a flow of product particles therefrom;
an inlet transition portion connected to said inlet portion and expanding from a generally circular cross-section to an expanded non-circular cross-section having an outer side width dimension that is greater than a diameter dimension of said inlet portion, said inlet transition portion expanding in depth into a radially outward side of said elbow fitting, a radially inward side of said elbow fitting maintaining a linear relationship with respect to said inlet portion and said inlet pipe;
a curved expanded portion connected to said inlet transition portion and carrying said width dimension through an angular deflection;
an outlet transitional portion connected to said curved expanded portion to reduce the cross-sectional area from said expanded non-circular cross-section to said generally circular cross-section, wherein said non-circular cross-sectional area is generally triangular; and
an outlet portion having said circular cross-section and being connected to said outlet transitional portion, said outlet portion also being connectable to said outlet pipe to convey said flow of product particles into said outlet pipe.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
An elbow fitting for use in a pneumatic product conveying system expands from the inlet pipe along the outer side of the elbow fitting and contracts along the outer side of the fitting toward the outlet pipe for guiding product particles into the outlet pipe. The expanded structure of the elbow fitting defines a generally triangularly shaped configuration that provides a wide surface over which an accumulated layer of product particles moves at a lower velocity than the velocity of the incoming product stream. The accumulation layer of product forms a moving contact surface for deflecting incoming product particles toward the outlet pipe with a minimum of pressure resistance and product attrition. The configuration of the expanded elbow fitting provides a slowly moving layer of accumulated product particles due to the law of gravity and Bernoulli'"'"'s Law.
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Citations
19 Claims
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1. An elbow fitting for use in effecting directional changes from an inlet pipe to an outlet pipe in a pneumatic product conveying system, comprising:
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a circular inlet portion connectable to said inlet pipe to receive a flow of product particles therefrom; an inlet transition portion connected to said inlet portion and expanding from a generally circular cross-section to an expanded non-circular cross-section having an outer side width dimension that is greater than a diameter dimension of said inlet portion, said inlet transition portion expanding in depth into a radially outward side of said elbow fitting, a radially inward side of said elbow fitting maintaining a linear relationship with respect to said inlet portion and said inlet pipe; a curved expanded portion connected to said inlet transition portion and carrying said width dimension through an angular deflection; an outlet transitional portion connected to said curved expanded portion to reduce the cross-sectional area from said expanded non-circular cross-section to said generally circular cross-section, wherein said non-circular cross-sectional area is generally triangular; and an outlet portion having said circular cross-section and being connected to said outlet transitional portion, said outlet portion also being connectable to said outlet pipe to convey said flow of product particles into said outlet pipe. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of effecting a directional change in a flow path of product particles flowing in a dilute phase through a pneumatic product conveying system having an inlet pipe, an outlet pipe and an elbow fitting interconnecting said inlet and outlet pipes to provide structure for effecting said directional change, comprising the steps of:
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providing said elbow fitting with an expansion in dimension toward an outer side of said elbow fitting, said expansion of dimension including an increase in depth measured from an inner side of said fitting and an increase in effective width with respect to said inner side; establishing a layer of accumulated product particles along an inner surface of said outer side of said elbow fitting, said layer of accumulated product particles moving toward said outlet pipe at a velocity slower than a velocity of incoming product particles moving from said inlet pipe into said elbow fitting; deflecting said incoming product particles off said layer of accumulated product particles to effect a change of direction of said incoming product particles toward said outlet pipe; and discharging said product particles through said outlet pipe in a dilute phase. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. In an elbow fitting for effecting a change of direction of product flow through a pneumatic product conveying system having an inlet pipe and an outlet pipe, said elbow fitting interconnecting said inlet and outlet pipes, the improvement comprising:
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an inlet transition portion connected to an inlet portion and expanding from a generally circular cross-section to an expanded non-circular cross-section having an outer side width dimension that is greater than a diameter dimension of said inlet portion, said inlet transition portion expanding in depth into an outer side of said elbow fitting, an inner side of said elbow fitting maintaining a linear relationship with respect to said inlet portion and said inlet pipe; a curved expanded portion connected to said inlet transition portion and carrying said width dimension through an angular deflection; and an outlet transitional portion connected to said curved expanded portion to reduce the reduce the cross-sectional area from said expanded non-circular cross-section to said generally circular cross-section. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification