Solid particulate material blender

Claim 2

Apparatus which comprises means providing a discharge passageway for blended particulate solids; blending means for introducing segregated streams of said solids into the discharge passageway and combining the solids into a common stream in the passageway at a point of combination; said passageway having an elongated section of at least a minimum length and of substantially uniform cross-sectional area commencing at said point of combination and extending downstream from said point of combination; and means downstream of said elongated section for restricting the flow through said elongated section to a rate less than the combined maximum flow rates of the segregated streams to obtain a uniform movement of cross-sectional segments of said solids at said point of combination, said minimum length being greater than the distance between said restricting means and the critical point upstream of said restricting means at which the flow begins to be nonuniform across the elongated section.

Claim 3

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said blending means comprises a plurality of divider members extended into said discharge passageway so as to divide an entry section thereof into said segregated compartments.

Claim 4

Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said blending means comprises a mounting shaft; a plurality of divider plates mounted to said shaft and extending outward therefrom, the lower end sections of said divider plates extended into said discharge passageway so as to divide an entry section thereof into said segregated compartments; and a peripheral wall member enclosing the sections of said divider plates above said discharge passageway so as to provide with said divider plates extensions of said segregated compartments above said discharge passageway.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein each divider plate comprises a main generally triangular section with a vertical inner edge and a horizontal upper edge, and a vertically depending rectangular section adapted to fit into said discharge passageway; and wherein said peripheral wall member comprises a conical section enclosing the main sections of said divider plates and axially connected at its lower end to said discharge means.

Claim 6

A storage bin structure for particulate solids which comprises a vertical peripheral wall structure providing a vertical storage zone for particulate solids; a bin bottom structure having a peripheral wall member and discharge means providing at least one bin outlet passageway; blending means providing a plurality of segregated compartments within said bin bottom structure and extending into and terminating within said bin outlet passageway for introducing segregated streams of solids into the bin outlet passageway and combining the solids into a common stream in the passageway at a point of combination, said bin outlet passageway having an elongated section of at least a minimum length and of substantially uniform cross-sectional area commencing at said point of combination and extending downstream from said point of combination; and means downstream of said elongated section for restricting the flow through said elongated section to a rate less than the combined flow rates of the segregated streams to obtain a uniform movement of cross-sectional segments of the solids At said point of combination, said minimum length being greater than the distance between said restricting means and the critical point upstream of said restricting means at which the flow begins to be nonuniform across the elongated section.

Claim 7

A storage bin structure for particulate solids which comprises a vertical peripheral wall structure providing a vertical storage zone for particulate solids; a bin bottom structure having a peripheral wall member and discharge means providing at least one bin outlet passageway; blending means providing a plurality of segregated compartments within said bin bottom structure and extending into and terminating within said bin outlet passageway for introducing segregated streams of solids into the bin outlet passageway and combining the solids into a common stream in the passageway at a point of combination, said bin outlet passageway having an elongated section of at least a minimum length and of substantially uniform cross-sectional area commencing at said point of combination and extending downstream from said point of combination; and means downstream of said elongated section for restricting the flow through said elongated section to a rate less than the combined flow rates of the segregated streams to obtain a uniform movement of cross-sectional segments of the solids At said point of combination, said minimum length being greater than the distance between said restricting means and the critical point upstream of said restricting means at which the flow begins to be nonuniform across the elongated section.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein said blending means comprises a plurality of divider members extended into said discharge passageway so as to divide the entry section thereof into said segregated compartments.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each divider plate comprises a main generally triangular section with a vertical inner edge and a horizontal upper edge, and a vertically depending rectangular section adapted to fit into said discharge passageway; and wherein said peripheral wall member comprises a conical section enclosing the main section of said divider plates and axially connected at its lower end to said discharge means.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 5 including means mounted within said storage zone for directing particulate solids into said compartments.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the means mounted within said storage zone comprises a first cone having a downwardly pointed apex and a second cone having an upwardly pointed apex, said first and second cones being joined together at their bases and oriented such that said first cone depends into the bin bottom and such that said second cone extends upward into said storage zone to provide in conjunction with said blending means semiannular peripheral openings into said segregated compartments.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said bin bottom structure provides a plurality of bin outlet passageways, and said peripheral wall member provides a plurality of cones terminating in said bin outlet passageways; and wherein said blending means comprises a plurality of sets of divider members, the divider members of each set extended into a bin outlet opening so as to divide the entry section thereof into segregated compartments.

Claim 13

Apparatus which comprises means providing a discharge passageway for blended particulate solids; blending means for introducing segregated streams of said solids into the discharge passageway and combining the solids into a common stream in the passageway at a point of combination, said blending means comprising a plurality of divider members extended into an upper entry section of said discharge passageway and terminating at said point of combination and dividing the entry section thereof into a plurality of segregated compartments and means for delivering a surplusage of said solids into each segregated compartment; said passageway having an elongated section of at least a minimum length and of substantially uniform cross-sectional area commencing at said point of combination and extending downstream from said point of combination, said minimum length being greater than the distance between the downstream outlet from said elongated section and the critical point upstream at which particle flow begins to be nonuniform across the elongated section.

Claim 14

Apparatus which comprises means providing a discharge passageway for blended particulate solids; blending means for introducing segregated streams of said solids into the discharge passageway and combining the solids into a common stream in the passageway at a point of combination, said blending means comprising a plurality of divider members extended into an upper entry section of said discharge passageway and terminating at said point of combination and dividing the entry section thereof into a plurality of segregated compartments and means for delivering a surplusage of said solids into each segregated compartment; said passageway having an elongated section of at least a minimum length and of substantially uniform cross-sectional area commencing at said point of combination and extending downstream from said point of combination, said minimum length being greater than the distance between the downstream outlet from said elongated section and the critical point upstream at which particle flow begins to be nonuniform across the elongated section.

Claim 15

A storage bin structure for particulate solids which comprises a vertical peripheral wall structure providing a vertical storage zone for particulate solids; a bin bottom structure having a peripheral wall member and a plurality of bin outlets; a blender comprising means providing a discharge passageway for blended particulate solids, blending means providing a plurality of segregated compartments extending into and terminating open ended within an entry section of said discharge passageway for introducing segregated streams of solids into the discharge passageway and combining the solids into a common stream in the passageway at a point of combination, said passageway having an elongated section of at least a minimum length and of substantially uniform cross-sectional area commencing at said point of combination and extending downstream from said point of combination, and means downstream of said elongated section for restricting the flow through said elongated section to a rate less than the combined flow rates of the segregated streams to obtain a uniform movement of cross-sectional segments of the solids at said point of combination, said minimum length being greater than the distance between said restricting means and the critical point upstream of said restricting means at which the flow begins to be nonuniform across the elongated section; and inlet means connecting said bin outlets to said segregated compartments.

Claim 16

A storage bin structure for particulate solids which comprises a vertical peripheral wall structure providing a vertical storage zone for particulate solids; a bin bottom structure having a peripheral wall member and a plurality of bin outlets; a blender comprising means providing a discharge passageway for blended particulate solids, blending means providing a plurality of segregated compartments extending into and terminating open ended within an entry section of said discharge passageway for introducing segregated streams of solids into the discharge passageway and combining the solids into a common stream in the passageway at a point of combination, said passageway having an elongated section of at least a minimum length and of substantially uniform cross-sectional area commencing at said point of combination and extending downstream from said point of combination, and means downstream of said elongated section for restricting the flow through said elongated section to a rate less than the combined flow rates of the segregated streams to obtain a uniform movement of cross-sectional segments of the solids at said point of combination, said minimum length being greater than the distance between said restricting means and the critical point upstream of said restricting means at which the flow begins to be nonuniform across the elongated section; and inlet means connecting said bin outlets to said segregated compartments.

Claim 19

The method of claim 13, wherein said supply constitutes a single bin and said method is employed to uniformly draw the solids down in the bin, further comprising dividing the bin into zones, discharging the solids from said zones in said segregated paths, the ratio of the cross-sectional area of each said segregated path to the cross-sectional area of the common path at the point of combination being equal to the ratio of the cross-sectional area of each corresponding zone to the total cross-sectional area of the bin.

Claim 20

The method of claim 13, wherein said supply constitutes a plurality of bins and said method is employed to blend the solids from the bins, and said segregated paths constituting outlets from said bins.