Apparatus and method for conveying dry pulverulent solid in liquidlike state

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR THE CONVEYING OF A PULVERULENT SOLID IN A GENERALLY HORIZONTAL DIRECTION BY ACTION OF A GASIFORM FLUID, COMRPRISING: AN ENCLOSED DUCT SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF TRANSVERSE OBSTRUCTIONS AND HAVING A BOTTOM A FRICTIONAL PORTION OF WHICH IS POROUS, MEANS FOR ADMITTING SAID FLUID THROUGH SAID POROUS PORTION AT A VERTICALLY UPWARDLY VELOCITY HIGHER THAN THE MINIMUM BUOYANCY VELOCITY OF SAID SOLID, SAID POROUS PORTION FORMING A PROPORTION TO SAID BOTTOM TO CREATE A PRESSURE GRADIENT AT SUBSTANTIALLY EVERY GIVEN PART OF SAID DUCT WHICH IS SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME AS THE PRESSURE GRADIENT OF A HYPOTHETICAL TWO-PHASE MIXTURE OF SAID GASIFORM FLUID WITH A LIQUIFORM FLUID HAVING A DENSITY EQUAL TO THE LOOSEST SETTLED DENSITY OF SAID SOLID AND HAVING A VISCOSITY IN THE ORDER OF 1 CENTIPOISE, AND HYPOTHETICAL MIXTURE FLOWING THROUGH A DUCT OF NON-POROUS WALLS CONGRUENT WITH SAID DUCT AT THE SAME MASS RATE AS THE TRUE MIXTURE OF SOLID AND GASIFORM FLUID AT SAID GIVEN PART OF SAID DUCT, SAID HYPOTHETICAL TWO-PHASE MIXTURE CONTAINING SAID LIQUIFORM AND GASIFORM FLUIDS IN RELATIVE WEIGHT PROPORTIONS DETERMINED FROM THE TRUE FLOWING MIXTURE OF SAID SOLID AND SAID GASIFORM FLUID, THE DETERMINATION OF SAID RELATIVE WEIGHT PROPORTIONS TAKING SAID SOLID AT SAID DENSITY AND COUNTING ONLY THE NON-INTERSTITIAL FRACTION OF SAID GASIFORM FLUID, AND MEANS FOR CHARGING SAID SOLID INTO SAID DUCT AT AN INLET END AND WITHDRAWING SAME FROM AN OUTLET END AT A RATE SUCH THAT THE FLOW OF SAID HYPOTHETICAL TWO-PHASE MIXTURE IN SAID CONGRUENT DUCT IS CHARACTERIZED BY A REYNOLDS NUMBER GREATER THAN 2000 AND HENCE IS IN THE TURBULENT REGIME.