Compactor feeder
First Claim
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1. A compactor feeder for feeding relatively low-density biomass materials into a grinding device, comprising:
- a hopper within which a biomass feed is contained;
a feeder connected to said hopper having a first inlet and a charging end, wherein said biomass feed is conveyed from said hopper to said charging end;
a compactor having a tapered conical-shaped interior sidewall with an interior top and bottom, said top having an opening into which said feeder charging end communicates for receiving the charge of said feeder, said compactor further including a screw compactor member that has at least one flight that generally conforms to said interior sidewall, such that said screw compactor member has a first wide radial diameter at said top decreasing to a reduced diameter relative to said first diameter at said bottom, said bottom further having a discharge opening in communication with a grinding device;
a controller for controlling the rate of said feeder at said charging end into said compactor; and
a grinding device in communication with said discharge opening;
whereby, in the operation of said apparatus, said biomass feed is forced from said charging end of said feeder into said compactor at a rate so as to substantially fill said compactor at said top and said compactor member takes said biomass feed and compacts it to an increased density relative to a density at said top before discharge to said grinding device; and
the controller further controls drives for said feeder, compactor and grinding device, and coordinates said drives so as to yield said increased density so that said compactor is driven at a rate such that said discharge into said grinding device substantially fills said grinding device to a design capacity of said grinding device.
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Abstract
A compactor feeder and methods for feeding relatively low-density biomass materials into a grinding device (such as a hammer mill) is described. The compactor feeder increases the density of the relatively low-density biomass materials in order to fill the grinding device with the biomass materials at a rate that is sufficient to substantially equal the design capacity of the grinding device.
284 Citations
16 Claims
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1. A compactor feeder for feeding relatively low-density biomass materials into a grinding device, comprising:
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a hopper within which a biomass feed is contained; a feeder connected to said hopper having a first inlet and a charging end, wherein said biomass feed is conveyed from said hopper to said charging end; a compactor having a tapered conical-shaped interior sidewall with an interior top and bottom, said top having an opening into which said feeder charging end communicates for receiving the charge of said feeder, said compactor further including a screw compactor member that has at least one flight that generally conforms to said interior sidewall, such that said screw compactor member has a first wide radial diameter at said top decreasing to a reduced diameter relative to said first diameter at said bottom, said bottom further having a discharge opening in communication with a grinding device; a controller for controlling the rate of said feeder at said charging end into said compactor; and a grinding device in communication with said discharge opening; whereby, in the operation of said apparatus, said biomass feed is forced from said charging end of said feeder into said compactor at a rate so as to substantially fill said compactor at said top and said compactor member takes said biomass feed and compacts it to an increased density relative to a density at said top before discharge to said grinding device; and
the controller further controls drives for said feeder, compactor and grinding device, and coordinates said drives so as to yield said increased density so that said compactor is driven at a rate such that said discharge into said grinding device substantially fills said grinding device to a design capacity of said grinding device.- View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A method for feeding relatively low-density biomass materials into a grinding device, the method comprising the steps of:
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providing a compactor feeder for feeding relatively low-density biomass materials into a grinding device; controlling the rate of said feeder at the charging end into said compactor at a rate so as to substantially fill said compactor at said top; and controlling the rate of said compactor at said discharge opening into said grinding device so as to substantially fill said grinding device such that the rate of said compactor substantially equals a design capacity of said grinding device, wherein the compactor feeder comprises; a hopper within which a biomass feed is contained; a feeder connected to said hopper having a first inlet and a charging end, wherein said biomass feed is conveyed from said hopper to said charging end; a compactor having a tapered conical-shaped interior sidewall with an interior top and bottom, said top having an opening into which said feeder charging end communicates for receiving the charge of said feeder, said compactor further including a screw compactor member that has at least one flight that generally conforms to said interior sidewall, such that said screw compactor member has a first wide radial diameter at said top decreasing to a reduced diameter relative to said first diameter at said bottom, said bottom further having a discharge opening in communication with a grinding device; a controller for controlling the rate of said feeder at said charging end into said compactor; and a grinding device in communication with said discharge opening; whereby, in the operation of said compactor feeder, said biomass feed is forced from said charging end of said feeder into said compactor at a rate so as to substantially fill said compactor at said top and said compactor member takes said biomass feed and compacts it to an increased density relative to a density at said top before discharge to said grinding device; and
the controller further controls drives for said feeder, compactor and grinding device, and coordinates said drives so as to yield said increased density so that said compactor is driven at a rate such that said discharge into said grinding device substantially fills said grinding device to a design capacity of said grinding device.- View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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Specification