Vacuum loader

• US 6,936,085 B2
• Filed: 03/17/2003
• Issued: 08/30/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Demarco Vacuum Corporation
• Original Assignee: Demarco Max Vac Corporation
• Inventors: DeMarco, Thomas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Duane
• Assistant Examiner(s): Greene, Jason M.
• Application Number:
  US10/389,792
• Publication Number:
  US 20030131571A1
• Time in Patent Office: 897 Days
• Field of Search: 552/82, 552/93, 553/02, 553/20, 553/21, 553/24, 553/34, 553/37, 553/415, 553/42, 553/45, 553/501, 553/61, 553/98, 554/28, 554/30, 554/34, 554/40, 554/43, 554/47, 554/52, 554/53, 554/55, 554/56, 554/591, 554/60, 554/62, 554/57, 554/66, 554/67, 55D/IG.3, 963/80, 963/81, 963/82, 963/84, 963/85, 963/87, 963/88, 952/68, 952/69, 952/71, 952/80, 210/512.1
• US Class Current: 55/324
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 2273/28 Making use of vacuum or underpressure
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 45/16 generated by the winding course of the gas stream , the centrifugal forces being generated solely or partly by mechanical means, e.g. fixed swirl vanes
• CPC Class Codes: B01D 50/20 Combinations of devices covered by groups B01D45/00 and B01D46/00
• CPC Class Codes: B04C 5/10 with perforated walls
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 55/03 Vacuum cleaner

Abstract

A specially arranged vacuum loader and industrial dust collector with a perforated plate tangential cyclone separator is provided to efficiently remove, readily collect, effectively separate and safely dispose of wet, dry and fibrous materials, including liquids and slurries. The special vacuum loader and industrial dust collector has a solids-gas separation compartment comprising a tangential cyclone separator, preferably a perforated plate tangential separator, which is positioned generally alongside and laterally offset from one or more filtering compartments to minimize turbulence and re-entrainment of the collected particulate material.

Claims

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

an industrial vacuum cleaner having a frame assembly for receiving a hopper comprising a bin, said frame assembly providing a support platform;

a primary inlet conduit;

a vacuum pump mounted on the support platform and having a blower line for drawing influent dusty air laden with particulates of dust through said primary inlet conduit;

said primary inlet conduit providing a flexible vacuuming hose for removing and collecting particulates of dust from an area surrounding the industrial vacuum cleaner;

a sound attenuating device connected to said vacuum pump for attenuating and decreasing noise and vibrations from said vacuum pump;

a solids-gas separation compartment secured to said frame assembly for making a gross cut separation of larger particulates of dust;

said solids-gas separation compartment having an open bottom positioned above and communicating with said bin to discharge larger particulates of dust into said bin, said solids-gas separation compartment having an inlet port connected to said primary inlet conduit and outlet ports for discharging a partially dedusted gas stream;

at least one filtering compartment communicating with said outlet ports of said solids-gas separation compartment and having filters for filtering and removing most smaller particulates of dust comprising fines remaining in the partially dedusted gas stream, said filtering compartment having outlets for discharging the filtered air to said blower line of the vacuum pump for discharging the filtered air into the surrounding area, said filtering compartment having an open bottom positioned above the bin for discharging filtered particulates of dust into the bin, said solids-gas separation compartment comprising a perforated plate formanious tangential separator for partially dedusting and separating a substantial amount of particulates from said influent dusty air, said perforated plate foraminous tangential separator having a foraminous upright curved cyclone wall plate for minimizing turbulence and reintrainment of particulates of dust and for minimizing clogging and substantially enhancing separation of said particulates of dust, said foraminous upright curved cyclone wall plate being positioned in proximity to said primary inlet conduit comprising said flexible vacuuming hose at an inlet end of said industrial vacuum cleaner, said foraminous upright curved cyclone wall plate being positioned above said bin said foraminous upright curved cyclone wall plate being spaced laterally away from and in offset relationship to said filters in said filtering compartment, said perforated plate foraminous tangential separator defining an inlet for receiving said influent dusty air containing said particulates of dust, and said foraminous upright curved wall plate defining perforations providing outlets for discharge of said partially dedusted gas stream to said filtering compartment.

2. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said perforations are arranged in a pattern to substantially prevent reentrainment of said particulates of dust;

said perforations are smaller than a substantially amount of said particulates of dust to prevent passage of a substantial amount of said particulates of dust therethrough; and

a secondary inlet conduit positioned substantially parallel and in offset relationship to said primary inlet conduit, said secondary inlet conduit being connected to and communicating with said perforated plate foraminous tangential separator and cooperating with said primary inlet conduit to provide dual inlet conduits for creating a turbulent action of the influent dusty air in said perforated plate of said foraminous tangential separator.

3. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said perforations are spaced from said inlet from about 30 to about 330 degrees; and

said gas stream comprises air.

4. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said perforations are spaced from said inlet from about 90 to about 270 degrees; and

said perforations comprise upright openings.

5. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

said perforations are spaced from said inlet from about 60 to about 300 degrees; and

said perforations have a maximum diameter ranging from 1/16 to ¼

inch.

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

an industrial vacuum cleaner having a frame assembly for receiving a hopper comprising a bin, said frame assembly providing a support platform;

a primary inlet conduit;

a vacuum pump mounted on the support platform and having a blower line for drawing influent fluid laden with particulate material of dust through said primary inlet conduit;

said primary inlet conduit providing a flexible vacuum hose for removing and collecting particulate material from an area surrounding the industrial vacuum cleaner;

a sound attenuating device connected to said vacuum pump for attenuating and decreasing noise and vibrations from said vacuum pump;

a solids-gas separation compartment secured to said frame assembly for making a gross cut separation of larger particulate material of dust;

said solids-gas separation compartment having an open bottom positioned above and communicating with said bin to discharge larger particulate material of dust into said bin, said solids-gas separation compartment having an inlet port connected to said primary inlet conduit and outlet ports for discharging a partially separated fluid stream containing a smaller amount of particulate material by weight than said influent fluid;

at least one filtering compartment communicating with said outlet ports of said solids-gas separation compartment and having filters for filtering and removing most smaller particulate material comprising fines remaining in the partially separated fluid stream;

said filtering compartment having outlets for discharging the filtered fluid to said blower line of the vacuum pump for discharging the filtered fluid into the surrounding area;

said filtering compartment having an open bottom positioned above the bin for discharging filtered particulate material into the bin;

said solids-gas separation compartment comprising a foraminous tangential separator for partially separating a substantial amount of particulate material from said influent fluid, said foraminous tangential separator means comprising;

an inlet for ingress of influent fluid containing particulate material;

an outlet comprising a lower particulate outlet for egress of separated particulate material;

a curved cyclone wall plate with apertures providing fluid outlets for egress of partially dedusted fluid;

said foraminous curved cyclone wall plate being positioned in proximity to said primary inlet conduit comprising said flexible vacuum hose at an inlet end of said industrial vacuum cleaner;

said foraminous curved cyclone wall plate being positioned above said bin; and

said foraminous curved cyclone wall plate being spaced laterally away from and in offset relationship to said filters in said filtering compartment.

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

a frame assembly for receiving a hopper comprising a bin;

said frame assembly providing a support platform;

a primary inlet conduit;

a vacuum pump mounted on the support platform and having a line for drawing influent dusty fluid laden with particulates of dust through said primary inlet conduit;

said primary inlet conduit providing a flexible vacuum hose for removing, and collecting particulates of dust from an area surrounding the vacuum loader;

a sound attenuating device connected to said vacuum pump for attenuating and decreasing noise and vibrations from said vacuum pump;

a solids-gas separation compartment secured to said frame assembly for making a gross cut separation of larger particulates of dust, said solids-gas separation compartment having an inlet port connected to said primary inlet conduit and outlet ports for discharging a partially dedusted fluid stream;

at least one filtering compartment communicating with said outlet ports of said solids-gas separation compartment and having filters for filtering and removing most smaller particulates of dust comprising fines remaining in the partially dedusted fluid stream, said filtering compartment having, outlets for discharging the filtered fluid to said line communicating with said vacuum pump for discharging the filtered fluid into the surrounding area, said filtering compartment having an open bottom positioned above the bin for discharging filtered particulates of dust into the bin, said solids-gas separation compartment comprising a perforated tangential entry cyclone separator for partially dedusting and separating said fluid laden with particulate material, said perforated tangential entry cyclone separator comprising a housing having an upright curved wall plate;

an inlet comprising a tangential intake conduit extending linearly and tangentially outwardly from said housing, said inlet being connected to said flexible vacuum hose comprising said primary inlet conduit;

a lower particulate outlet positioned above said bin comprising a downwardly facing outlet port for discharging separated particulate material by gravity flow substantially downwardly from said separator into said bin;

said upright curved wall plate comprising outlet ports extending radially for exiting partially dedusted fluid substantially radially from said separator; and

said curved wall plate being positioned in proximity to said primary inlet conduit comprising said flexible vacuum hose at an inlet end of said vacuum loader, said curved wall plate being, positioned above said bin, and said curved wall plate being spaced laterally away from and in offset relationship to said filters in said filtering compartment.

8. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 7 wherein:

said fluid is selected from the group consisting of air, gas, liquid, and combinations of the preceding;

said outlet ports are selected from the group consisting of perforations, apertures, holes, slits, openings, and passageways; and

said outlet ports occupy from about 3% to about 95% of said curved wall plate.

9. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 7 wherein:

said outlet ports are selected from the group consisting of round holes, square holes, rectangular holes, oval holes, elliptical holes, and polygonal holes; and

said outlet ports occupy from about 10% to about 65% of said curved wall plate.

10. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 7 wherein:

said outlet ports are arranged in rows selected from the group consisting of curved rows, parallel rows, staggered rows, offset rows, and aligned rows; and

said rows extend from about 1 to about 360 degrees.

11. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 10 wherein:

said rows extend from about 60 to about 300 degrees; and

said outlets ports range from about 10 to about 135 outlet ports per square inch of said cured wall plate.

12. A vacuum loader in accordance with claim 7 with multiple filtering compartments.