Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper cars

Claim 1

In a railway hopper car for the transportation of a mass of particulate material and for the discharge of said particulate material therefrom in the form of a slurry or solution, wherein said hopper car has a top wall, downwardly-sloping side walls and end walls terminating in a lower sump having a discharge pipe communicating therewith and a sparger extending between said side walls for discharge of liquid into said mass of particulate material to form said slurry or solution for discharge from said sump through said discharge pipe, the improvement wherein: a first pair of orifices provided adjacent one end of said sparger pipe and being directed towards one side wall adjacent to but not into its joints with said end walls, whereby the liquid discharged from said first pair of orifices, after penetrating the particulate material in the enclosure, impacts the one side wall and flushes through the respective joint with the end walls and partially across the end walls, a second pair of orifices provided adjacent the opposite end of said sparger pipe from said one end and being directed towards the other side wall adjacent to but not into its joints wit h said end walls, whereby the liquid discharged from said second pair of orifices, after penetrating the particulate material in the enclosure, impacts the other side wall and flushes through respective joint with the end walls and partially across the end walls, a third pair of orifices located adjacent the central portion of the length of said sparger pipe and being directged one toward each end wall adjacent its joint to the top wall approximately at the mid-section of the width thereof, a fourth pair of orifices located one on either longitudinal side of the third pair of orifices and being directed towards each side wall adjacent its joint to the top wall approximately at the mid-section of the width thereof; a fifth pair of orifices located between said first pair of orifices and said third pair of orifices and directed towards said top wall between the sparger from said first and third pairs of orifices and adjacent its joint to each of said end walls, a sixth pair of orifices located between said second pair of orifices and said third pair of orifices and directed towards said top wall between the sparger from said second and third pair of orifices and adjacent its joint to each of said end walls; and a seventh pair of orifices located one adjacent each end of said sparger and directly downwardly into said sump to effect a swirling motion therein, wherein each of said plurality of orifices comprises a nozzle of compact shape having a generally circular opening at its upstream end and a generally elongate opening at its downstream end to provide flat compact sprays from said nozzles.