Transfer and circulation of solid granular material

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR ELEVATING GRANULAR SOLID MATERIAL BY FLUIDS, COMPRISING A PRESSURE SEALED HOPPER ADAPTED TO CONTAIN A BED OF SOLID MATERIAL, AN UPRIGHT LIFT CONDUIT OF WIDE DIAMETER IN COMMUNICATION WITH AND EXTENDING ABOVE SAID HOPPER TO A ZONE OF DISCHARGE, A PLURALITY OF OPEN-ENDED FEEDER PIPES OF NARROW CROSS-SECTION HAVING THEIR OUTLET ENDS WITHIN THE LIFT CONDUIT AND THEIR INLET ENDS EXTENDING BELOW SAID CONDUIT INTO SAID HOPPER, SAID PIPES BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER TO FORM A SYMMETRICAL PATTERN, A HOUSING WITHIN SAID HOPPER SURROUNDING THE OUT PERIPHERY OF SAID PATTERN OF FEEDER PIPES AND HORIZONTALLY SPACED THEREFROM, SAID HOUSING HAVING ITS LOWER END TERMINATING AT A LEVEL APPROXIMATE THE INLET ENDS OF THE FEEDER PIPES, MEANS FOR INTRODUCING SOLIDS INTO SAID HOPPER ARRANGE AT A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE ABOVE THE INLET OF THE FEEDER PIPES TO PROVIDE A BED LEVEL OF THE SOLIDS IN THE HOPPER ABOVE SAID INLETS AND SURROUNDING SAID HOUSING, MEANS FOR CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING FLUID INTO SAID HOUSING FOR DOWNWARD FLOW THERETHROUGH INTO THE BED OF SOLIDS THEREBELOW, SAID CONDUIT BEING SEALED AGAINST DIRECT FLOW OF FLUID THEREINTO BEING HOUSING EXTERNALLY OF SAID FEEDER PIPES, WHEREBY THE FLUID THUS ADMITTED INTO THE BED OF SOLIDS IS CAUSED TO FLOW UPWARDLY INTO AND THROUGH SAID FEEDER PIPES TOGETHER WITH SOLIDS PICKED UP FROM THE BED THEREBY, SAID FLUID AND SOLIDS BEING DISCHARGED INTO THE CONDUIT AT THE OUTLETS OF THE FEEDER PIPES, SAID CONDUIT BEING FURTHER PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING THEREIN BELOW THE LEVEL OF THE FEEDER PIPE OUTLETS FOR DIRECT ADMISSION OF ADDITIONAL FLUID INTO SAID CONDUIT EXTERNALLY OF SAID FEEDER PIPES, AND MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SAID ADDITIONAL FLUID TO SAID CONDUIT.