Automatic loading and ash removal system for incinerators

Claim 2

A controlled air incinerator comprising: a casing defining at least a main combustion chamber; loader means for automatically loading said combustion chamber with waste material without materially affecting burning conditions within said main combustion chamber, said loader means including an elongated chute having one end opening to a lower portion of the combustion chamber and having an opening in its upper portion thereof remote from its opening to the combustion chamber for receiving waste material, a fire door positioned in a portion of said chute intermediate the waste receiving opening of said chute and the opening of said chute to said combustion chamber, said fire door being moved between a closed position across said chute and an opened position out of said chute, an upper elongated pusher member and a lowEr elongated pusher member in said chute and having a combined pushing area substantially equal to the cross-sectional area of said chute, at least said lower pusher member having a longitudinal length at least as great as the length of the waste receiving opening in said chute; a hopper mounted on said loader chute over the waste receiving opening therein for feeding waste material by gravity to said chute in front of said pusher members; a first means to reciprocate said lower pusher member between a retracted position adjacent the waste receiving opening''s rearward edge and an intermediate position where said lower pusher member is beneath the waste receiving opening in said chute when said upper pusher member is retracted while said door is open; and means to simultaneously reciprocate said upper and lower pusher members when said hopper is empty between a retracted position adjacent the waste receiving opening''s rearward edge and an extended position at least into the opening of the chute into the combustion chamber to entirely clear said chute.

Claim 3

An incinerator as claimed in claim 1 including door means to close the waste receiving opening in said chute and to form a portion of said chute when said upper and lower pusher members are simultaneously extended.

Claim 4

An incinerator as claimed in claim 1 in which said hopper has an opening in its side wall adjacent the waste receiving opening in the upper portion of said chute and including a door pivoted to said hopper and movable between a position across said hopper whereby waste material can be loaded into said hopper thereon to a position wherein said door closes the opening in said hopper to permit waste material to fall by gravity in front of said pusher members.

Claim 5

An incinerator as claimed in claim 3 in which said door in said hopper, when in said position across said hopper, closes the waste receiving opening in said chute and defines a portion of said chute when said upper and lower pusher members are simultaneously extended.

Claim 6

An incinerator as claimed in claim 1 in which said hopper has an opening in its side wall adjacent the waste receiving opening in the upper portion of said chute and including a door pivoted to said hopper, said door having a shape like a sector of a cylinder and including a curved wall and a flat wall, said door being movable between a first position where said curved wall is across said hopper and provides a support for waste material being loaded into said hopper and said flat wall is across the waste receiving opening in said chute and defines a portion of said chute to a second position where said curved wall is out of said hopper to permit waste material to fall by gravity in front of said pusher members and said flat wall closes the opening in said hopper.

Claim 7

An incinerator as claimed in claim 5 including a first sensor means in said hopper for sensing when said hopper is filled with waste material and for initiating said movement of said hopper door from said first position to said second position and for initiating said means for reciprocating said lower pusher member.

Claim 8

An incinerator as claimed in claim 6 including a second sensor means in said hopper for sensing when said hopper is empty so as to initiate movement of said hopper door from said second position to said first position and to initiate said means to simultaneously reciprocate said upper and lower pusher members to extend the same.

Claim 9

An incinerator as claimed in claim 7 including sensor means for sensing the extended position of said upper and lower pusher members to cause retraction of said upper and lower pusher members and closing of said fire door.

Claim 10

An incinerator as claimed in claim 8 including a first hopper door sensor means for sensing when said door is in said first position and a second hopper door sensor means for sensing when said hopper door is in said second position, and a first sensor means for sensing the retracted position of said lower pusher member for initiating reciprocation of said lower pusher member when said hopper door is sensed in said second position, and a second sensor means for sensing when said second pusher member is extended to an intermediate position to thereby cause retraction of said second pusher member.

Claim 11

An incinerator as claimed in claim 9 including a first fire door sensor means for sensing the closed position of said fire door and initiating the opening of said fire door when said hopper door is sensed in said second position, and a second fire door sensor means to sense the opened position of said door when said upper and lower rams have moved simultaneously to their retracted positions, and thereby cause said fire door to close.

Claim 12

An incinerator as claimed in claim 1 in which said chute and its opening into the lower portion of the combustion chamber are rectangular in cross-section, said chute having a substantially horizontal axis.

Claim 13

An incinerator as claimed in claim 11 in which said elongated upper and lower pusher members are each rectangular in cross-section and in which said lower pusher member has a larger cross-section pushing area than the pushing area of said upper chute.

Claim 14

An incinerator as claimed in claim 12 in which each of said upper and lower pusher members is box-shaped open at one end and having a pusher wall at the opposite end connected to top, bottom, and side walls.

Claim 15

An incinerator as claimed in claim 1 in which said casing is annular and has a generally horizontal axis, said casing having end walls and said chute opening to said casing in one of its end walls.

Claim 16

An incinerator as claimed in claim 14 in which said casing has an opening in its bottom portion at a point remote from the opening for waste material to said combustion chamber, and including an ash pit member extending downwardly from said opening, and automatic ash removal means connected to the lower end of said ash pit member.

Claim 17

An incinerator as claimed in claim 15 in which said automatic ash removal means includes an annular elongated casing member having a generally horizontal axis and open at least at one end, a gravity operated door pivoted to said annular casing member and normally closing the open end of the same and a reciprocating elongated pusher member movable between a retracted position away from said ash door and clear of the opening of the ash pit to said annular casing member to an extended position where it blocks off the opening between the ash pit and the annular casing member with ashes in front of said pusher member being forced against said ash door to open the same and being discharged from the open end of the annular casing member.

Claim 18

An incinerator as claimed in claim 16 including conveyer means positioned below said ash door for receiving and further removing ashes.

Claim 19

An incinerator as claimed in claim 17 in which said annular casing member of said ash removal means is cylindrical and in which said pusher member is cylindrically shaped.

Claim 20

An incinerator as claimed in claim 18 in which the other of said end walls of said casing for said combustion chamber is an access door to permit access to the interior of said casing when the incinerator is inoperative.

Claim 21

A controlled air incinerator comprising: a casing defining at least a main combustion chamber, said casing being annular and having end walls and a generally horizontal axis; means for loading waste material into the combustion chamber of said casing adjacent one end wall thereof, said means also causing the moving of burning waste material within said main combustion chamber away from the said one end wall of said casing toward the other end wall where it is burned primarily into ash, said means for loading waste material comprising a chute connected to the said end wall around and opening into the combustion chamber, said chute having a horizontal axis and an opening at a remote point from the end wall for receiving waste material, said chute further having an upper pusher member which is reciprocated and a lower pusher member which is reciprocated, said lower and upper pusher members having pusher face areas which, when combined, substantially equal the overall cross-sectional area of the chute, said lower pusher member being reciprocated back and forth between a retracted position adjacent the rearward edge of the waste receiving opening of the chute to a second position short of the opening of the chute through the said end wall so long as waste material is being fed through the opening into the chute, said upper pusher member being reciprocated simultaneously with said lower pusher member when no waste material is fed through the opening in the chute, said upper and lower pusher members being reciprocated from a position adjacent from the waste receiving opening''s rearward edge to an extended position at least into the interior of the combustion chamber so as to entirely clear said chute; an opening in a bottom portion of said casing adjacent the other end wall of said casing which is remote from said loading means; an annular member connected to said casing and surrounding said opening and defining an ash pit, said annular member extending downwardly beneath said casing; and means connected to the lower end of said annular member for discharging ash falling therein, said discharging means including an annular elongated ash discharge member having an opening therein cooperating with the lower end of the annular ash pit member and having a generally horizontal axis, said annular ash discharge member having at least one open end, a gravity operated door pivoted to said annular ash discharge member and normally closing the open end thereof, a reciprocating elongated pusher member movable between a retracted position away from said ash door and clear of the opening of the annular ash pit member to an extended position where it blocks off the opening between the annular ash pit member and the annular ash discharge member with ashes in front of said pusher member being forced against said ash door to open the same and being discharged therefrom.

Claim 22

A controlled air incinerator comprising: a casing defining at least a main combustion chamber, said casing being annular and having end walls and a generally horizontal axis; means for loading waste material into the combustion chamber of said casing adjacent one end wall thereof, said means also causing the moving of burning waste material within said main combustion chamber away from the said one end wall of said casing toward the other end wall where it is burned primarily into ash, said means for loading waste material comprising a chute connected to the said end wall around and opening into the combustion chamber, said chute having a horizontal axis and an opening at a remote point from the end wall for receiving waste material, said chute further having an upper pusher member which is reciprocated and a lower pusher member which is reciprocated, said lower and upper pusher members having pusher face areas which, when combined, substantially equal the overall cross-sectional area of the chute, said lower pusher member being reciprocated back and forth between a retracted position adjacent the rearward edge of the waste receiving opening of the chute to a second position short of the opening of the chute through the said end wall so long as waste material is being fed through the opening into the chute, said upper pusher member being reciprocated simultaneously with said lower pusher member when no waste material is fed through the opening in the chute, said upper and lower pusher members being reciprocated from a position adjacent from the waste receiving opening''s rearward edge to an extended position at least into the interior of the combustion chamber so as to entirely clear said chute; an opening in a bottom portion of said casing adjacent the other end wall of said casing which is remote from said loading means; an annular member connected to said casing and surrounding said opening and defining an ash pit, said annular member extending downwardly beneath said casing; and means connected to the lower end of said annular member for discharging ash falling therein, said discharging means including an annular elongated ash discharge member having an opening therein cooperating with the lower end of the annular ash pit member and having a generally horizontal axis, said annular ash discharge member having at least one open end, a gravity operated door pivoted to said annular ash discharge member and normally closing the open end thereof, a reciprocating elongated pusher member movable between a retracted position away from said ash door and clear of the opening of the annular ash pit member to an extended position where it blocks off the opening between the annular ash pit member and the annular ash discharge member with ashes in front of said pusher member being forced against said ash door to open the same and being discharged therefrom.

Claim 23

An incinerator as claimed in claim 20 including endless conveyor means positioned beneath said ash door for receiving the discharged ashes therefrom and further removing the same.

Claim 24

An incinerator as claimed in claim 20 in which said annular ash discharge member is cylindrical and in which said pusher member is cylindrically shaped.

Claim 25

An incinerator as claimed in claim 1 in which said fire door reciprocates between the closed position across said chute and the open position out of said chute.

Claim 26

A controlled air incinerator comprising: a casing defining a combustion chamber; and loader means for automatically loading said combustion chamber with waste material, said loader means including an elongated chute having one end opening to a lower portion of the combustion chamber and having an opening in its upper portion thereof remote from its opening to the combustion chamber for receiving waste material, said chute further having therein an upper pusher member which is reciprocated and a lower pusher member which is reciprocated, said upper and lower pusher members having pusher face areas which, when combined, substantially equal the overall cross-sectional area of the chute and the opening of the chute to the lower portion of the combustion chamber, said lower pusher member being reciprocated back and forth between a retracted position adjacent the rearward edge of waste receiving opening of the chute to a second position short of the opening of the chute to the combustion chamber so long as waste material is being fed through waste receiving opening into the chute, and said upper pusher member being reciprocated simultaneously with said lower pusher member when no waste material is fed through the waste receiving opening into the chute, said upper and lower pusher members being reciprocated from a position adjacent the waste receiving opening''s rEarward edge to an extended position at least into the interior of the combustion chamber so as to entirely clear said chute.

Claim 27

A controlled air incinerator comprising: a casing defining a combustion chamber; and loader means for automatically loading said combustion chamber with waste material, said loader means including an elongated chute having one end opening to a lower portion of the combustion chamber and having an opening in its upper portion thereof remote from its opening to the combustion chamber for receiving waste material, said chute further having therein an upper pusher member which is reciprocated and a lower pusher member which is reciprocated, said upper and lower pusher members having pusher face areas which, when combined, substantially equal the overall cross-sectional area of the chute and the opening of the chute to the lower portion of the combustion chamber, said lower pusher member being reciprocated back and forth between a retracted position adjacent the rearward edge of waste receiving opening of the chute to a second position short of the opening of the chute to the combustion chamber so long as waste material is being fed through waste receiving opening into the chute, and said upper pusher member being reciprocated simultaneously with said lower pusher member when no waste material is fed through the waste receiving opening into the chute, said upper and lower pusher members being reciprocated from a position adjacent the waste receiving opening''s rEarward edge to an extended position at least into the interior of the combustion chamber so as to entirely clear said chute.