Apparatus for separating particulate matter from a flowing medium

Claim 2

Apparatus for separating particulate matter from a gaseous medium, comprising: a coarse particle separator having an inlet, an outlet, a separating zone, and a collecting chamber below the separating zone; a fine particle separator having an inLet, an outlet, a separating zone, and a collecting chamber below the separating zone; means for wetting particulate matter in said fine particle separator; main conduit means connecting the outlet of said coarse particle separator with the inlet of said fine particle separator; means for flowing the medium through said separators and creating in the separating zone of said coarse particle separator a sub-atmospheric pressure; return conduit means connecting the collecting chamber of said fine particle separator with the separating zone of said course particle separator; feed valve means connected in said return conduit means; discharge valve means connected in said return conduit means downstream of said feed valve means to cooperate therewith for defining another collecting chamber in said return conduit; and vent means connected to said return conduit for selectively admitting and blocking atmospheric air pressure to said return conduit collecting chamber, so that when said feed valve is closed and said discharge valve and vent are open, wetted particulate matter contained in the return conduit collecting chamber is conveyed pneumatically to the coarse particle separator.

Claim 3

Apparatus for separating particulate matter from a gaseous medium, comprising: a first separator having a separating chamber and a collecting chamber; a second separator having a separating chamber and a collecting chamber; main conduit means connecting said separating chambers in series for effecting separation of said particulate matter in successive stages; means for flowing said medium continuously through said separating chambers and producing a pressure in said first separator; return conduit means connecting the collecting chamber of said second separator with the separating chamber of said first separator; feed valve means connected in said return conduit means for admitting thereinto particulate matter from the collecting chamber of said second separator; discharge valve means connected in said return conduit means a spaced distance from said feed valve means for cooperating therewith to define in said return conduit means another collecting chamber; means providing a valved inlet for said return conduit collecting chamber to admit thereinto a gas at a pressure greater than the pressure in said first separator; so that when the feed valve means is closed and the discharge valve means and valved inlet are opened, particulate matter contained in the return conduit collecting chamber is conveyed pneumatically to the separating chamber of the first separator for collection in its collecting chamber.

Claim 4

Apparatus for separating particulate matter from a gaseous medium, comprising: a first separator having a separating chamber and a collecting chamber; a second separator having a separating chamber and a collecting chamber; main conduit means connecting said separating chambers in series for effecting separation of said particulate matter in successive stages; means for flowing said medium continuously through said separating chambers and producing a pressure in said first separator; return conduit means connecting the collecting chamber of said second separator with the separating chamber of said first separator; feed valve means connected in said return conduit means for admitting thereinto particulate matter from the collecting chamber of said second separator; discharge valve means connected in said return conduit means a spaced distance from said feed valve means for cooperating therewith to define in said return conduit means another collecting chamber; means providing a valved inlet for said return conduit collecting chamber to admit thereinto a gas at a pressure greater than the pressure in said first separator; so that when the feed valve means is closed and the discharge valve means and valved inlet are opened, particulate matter contained in the return conduit collecting chamber is conveyed pneumatically to the separating chamber of the first separator for collection in its collecting chamber.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said medium flowing means includes an exhaust fan connected to the separating chamber of said second separator for causing said pressure in said first separator to be below atmospheric and inducing in said main conduit a draft for conveying said medium to said second separator from said first separator, and said vented inlet has one end open to the ambient atmosphere and another end opening into said return conduit collecting chamber, whereby the exhaust fan cooperates with the first separator to create a pressure differential across the collecting chamber in the return line for pneumatically conveying to the first separator the particulate matter in the return line collecting chamber.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said first separator is capable of separating coarse relatively-heavy particulate matter from said flowing medium and said second separator is capable of separating fine lighter particulate matter from said flowing medium, and including means for increasing the weight of the fine particulate matter in the second separator to enable the same to be separated and collected in the first separator after being transferred thereto through said return conduit.

Claim 7

Apparatus for separating particulate matter from a medium comprising: a coarse particlE separator having a separating chamber and a collecting chamber; a fine particle separator having a separating chamber and a collecting chamber; means for increasing the weight of fine particulate matter in said fine separator; means connecting the separating chamber of the coarse particle separator with the separating chamber of the fine particle separator; means for flowing said medium through said separators and inducing in said coarse particle separator a sub-atmospheric pressure; means located intermediate the collecting chamber of the fine particle separator and the collecting chamber of the coarse particle separator and providing therebetween a third collecting chamber for accepting particulate matter separated from said fine separator; valve means associated with said third collecting chamber, said valve means having one operating position for admitting fine particulate matter into said third collecting chamber while blocking flow from said third collecting chamber to said coarse separator, and said valve means having another operating position for blocking admission of fine particles into said third chamber from said fine separator while affording flow to said coarse separator from said third collecting chamber; and means for closing said third collecting chamber to atmospheric air pressure when said valve means is in said one operating position and for opening said third collecting chamber to atmospheric air pressure when said valve means is in said other operating position; whereby fine particulate matter collected in the third collecting chamber when the valve means is in its one operating position is transferred pneumatically to the coarse separator when the valve means is in its other operating position and the third collecting chamber is open to atmospheric air pressure.

Claim 8

Apparatus for separating particulate matter from a medium comprising: a coarse particlE separator having a separating chamber and a collecting chamber; a fine particle separator having a separating chamber and a collecting chamber; means for increasing the weight of fine particulate matter in said fine separator; means connecting the separating chamber of the coarse particle separator with the separating chamber of the fine particle separator; means for flowing said medium through said separators and inducing in said coarse particle separator a sub-atmospheric pressure; means located intermediate the collecting chamber of the fine particle separator and the collecting chamber of the coarse particle separator and providing therebetween a third collecting chamber for accepting particulate matter separated from said fine separator; valve means associated with said third collecting chamber, said valve means having one operating position for admitting fine particulate matter into said third collecting chamber while blocking flow from said third collecting chamber to said coarse separator, and said valve means having another operating position for blocking admission of fine particles into said third chamber from said fine separator while affording flow to said coarse separator from said third collecting chamber; and means for closing said third collecting chamber to atmospheric air pressure when said valve means is in said one operating position and for opening said third collecting chamber to atmospheric air pressure when said valve means is in said other operating position; whereby fine particulate matter collected in the third collecting chamber when the valve means is in its one operating position is transferred pneumatically to the coarse separator when the valve means is in its other operating position and the third collecting chamber is open to atmospheric air pressure.