Tramp removal and bed recirculation system

Claim 1

A system for removing tramp and bed material from a fluidized bed vessel comprising: a vessel having a fluidized bed in the lower portion thereof; means supplying fuel and causing the fuel to be disposed within the bed; means for distributing air within and displacing air upwardly through the bed; means by which the temperature of the bed is elevated to an operative level; the improvement comprising a bed and tramp material removal apparatus disposed below the air distributing and displacing means comprising first and second vertically spaced cone means defining a hollow generally conically shaped chamber therebetween; the first cone means comprising a downwardly converging cone-shaped wall which supports a substantial part of the weight of the bed in the vessel, the cone-shaped wall comprising an array of apertures sized to pass under force of gravity both bed and tramp material from the vessel into the chamber; the second cone means being disposed below the first cone means and the chamber and comprising a downwardly converging substantially uninterrupted cone-shaped wall and effluent conduit means at the low point of the wall in communication with the chamber by which the bed and tramp material is removed under force of gravity from the vessel; the cone-shaped chamber being hollow, substantially uninterrupted and sized to accommodate gravity displacement of bed and tramp material along the chamber between the first and second cone means to the conduit means.

Claim 2

A system for removing tramp and bed material from a fluidized bed vessel comprising: a vessel having a fluidized bed in the lower portion thereof; means supplying fuel and causing the fuel to be disposed within the bed; means for distributing air within and displacing air upwardly through the bed; means by which the temperature of the bed is elevated to an operative level; the improvement comprising a bed and tramp material removal apparatus disposed below the air distributing and displacing means comprising first and second vertically spaced cone means defining a hollow generally conically shaped chamber therebetween; the first cone means comprising a downwardly converging cone-shaped wall which supports a substantial part of the weight of the bed in the vessel, the cone-shaped wall comprising an array of apertures sized to pass under force of gravity both bed and tramp material from the vessel into the chamber; the second cone means being disposed below the first cone means and the chamber and comprising a downwardly converging substantially uninterrupted cone-shaped wall and effluent conduit means at the low point of the wall in communication with the chamber by which the bed and tramp material is removed under force of gravity from the vessel; the cone-shaped chamber being hollow, substantially uninterrupted and sized to accommodate gravity displacement of bed and tramp material along the chamber between the first and second cone means to the conduit means.

Claim 6

A method of removing tramp and bed material from a fluidized bed vessel comprising: providing a vessel having a fluidized bed in the lower portion thereof; supplying fuel and causing the fuel to be disposed within the bed; distributing air within and displacing air upwardly through the bed; elevating the temperature of the bed to an operative level; causing bed and tramp material to be removed from the vessel by passing said material by force of gravity adjacent the sites where air is being distributed and displaced; causing the path of the descending material to intersect a downwardly converging cone-shaped wall and to substantially pass through an array of apertures sized to accommodate passage of the bed and tramp material; causing the passed material to engage a downwardly converging solid cone-shaped wall; accommodating hour-glass gravity displacement of engaged bed and tramp material along a hollow chamber between the two cone-shaped walls and discharge of the material from an opening at the low point of the solid cone-shaped wall.

Claim 7

A method of removing tramp and bed material from a fluidized bed vessel comprising: providing a vessel having a fluidized bed in the lower portion thereof; supplying fuel and causing the fuel to be disposed within the bed; distributing air within and displacing air upwardly through the bed; elevating the temperature of the bed to an operative level; causing bed and tramp material to be removed from the vessel by passing said material by force of gravity adjacent the sites where air is being distributed and displaced; causing the path of the descending material to intersect a downwardly converging cone-shaped wall and to substantially pass through an array of apertures sized to accommodate passage of the bed and tramp material; causing the passed material to engage a downwardly converging solid cone-shaped wall; accommodating hour-glass gravity displacement of engaged bed and tramp material along a hollow chamber between the two cone-shaped walls and discharge of the material from an opening at the low point of the solid cone-shaped wall.