Apparatus and method for coating particulate material

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10113114-B2
Application number	US-201514954706-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2015
Priority date	Apr 26, 2013
Publication date	Oct 30, 2018
Grant date	Oct 30, 2018

Abstract

In a method of treating a particulate landscaping material, the material is fed into a mixing chamber and an additive mixture including a functional additive and a carrier is delivered to spray nozzles within the mixing chamber. At least one of the spray nozzles is operated to direct an atomized spray into the mixing chamber. The material is agitated within the mixing chamber during and/or after directing the atomized spray into the mixing chamber. The material is then conveyed with the additive mixture applied thereto to a mixing chamber outlet. During these steps, a volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber is intermittently determined. The determined volumetric flow rate is intermittently compared to a predetermined target flow rate of the particulate landscape material. Based on this comparison, the volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber is adjusted.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of applying a functional additive to a particulate landscaping material, the method comprising:
feeding a particulate landscaping material into a mixing chamber from a hopper, the hopper comprising two opposing sides, a baffle, a conveyor, and a sensor, the two opposing sides, the baffle, and the conveyor defining a gate;
delivering a flow of additive mixture to a plurality of spray nozzles within the mixing chamber, the additive mixture comprising a functional additive and a carrier;
operating at least one of the plurality of spray nozzles to direct an atomized spray of additive mixture into the mixing chamber for contact with particulate landscaping material in the mixing chamber;
agitating the particulate landscaping material within the mixing chamber at least one of during and after directing the atomized spray of additive mixture into the mixing chamber;
conveying the particulate landscaping material with the additive mixture applied thereto to a mixing chamber outlet;
during the feeding, delivering, operating, agitating and conveying steps, intermittently determining a volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber by measuring the volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the gate with the sensor;
intermittently comparing the determined volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material to a predetermined target flow rate of the particulate landscape material;
adjusting, based on said comparing, the volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber by adjusting the volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the gate.

2. The method set forth in claim 1 further comprising the step of adjusting, based on each adjustment of the volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber, at least one of a flow rate of the additive mixture to the plurality of spray nozzles, a flow rate of the carrier to the plurality of spray nozzles, a flow rate of the additive mixture to the plurality of spray nozzles and the number of spray nozzles that are operated to direct an atomized spray into the mixing chamber.

3. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the steps of intermittently comparing the determined volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material to a predetermined target flow rate of the particulate landscape material and adjusting, based on said comparing, the volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber, are performed at a frequency of at least once every 5 seconds.

4. The method set forth in claim 3 wherein the step of intermittently determining a volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber during the feeding, delivering, operating, agitating and conveying steps is performed at a frequency greater than the frequency at which the steps of intermittently comparing the determined volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material to a predetermined target flow rate of the particulate landscape material and adjusting, based on said comparing, the volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber are performed.

5. The method set forth in claim 4 wherein the step of intermittently determining a volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber during the feeding, delivering, operating, agitating and conveying steps is performed at a frequency of approximately once every 0.1 seconds.

6. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the steps of intermittently comparing the determined volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material to a predetermined target flow rate of the particulate landscape material and adjusting, based on said comparing, the volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber, is performed at a frequency sufficient to achieve a ratio of additive to particulate landscape material that is within 5% of a predetermined target ratio of additive to particulate landscape material.

7. The method set forth in claim 1 wherein the step of intermittently determining a volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material through the mixing chamber during the feeding, delivering, operating, agitating and conveying steps comprises determining a volumetric flow rate of the particulate landscape material during the feeding step as the particulate landscape material is delivered into the mixing chamber.

8. The method set forth in claim 1 , wherein the functional additive comprises an herbicide.

9. The method set forth in claim 8 wherein the herbicide is selected from:
acetamides selected from the group consisting of acetochlor, alachlor, butachlor, dimethachlor, dimethenamid, flufenacet, mefenacet, metolachlor, metazachlor, napropamide, naproanilide, pethoxamid, pretilachlor, propachlor, thenylchlor;
amino acid derivatives selected from the group consisting of bilanafos, glyphosate, glufosinate, sulfosate;
aryloxyphenoxypropionates selected from the group consisting of clodinafop, cyhalofop-butyl, fenoxaprop, fluazifop, haloxyfop, metamifop, propaquizafop, quizalofop, quizalofop-P-tefuryl, bipyridyls selected from the group consisting of diquat, paraquat;
(thio)carbamates selected from the group consisting of asulam, butylate, carbetamide, desmedipham, dimepiperate, eptam (EPTC), esprocarb, molinate, orbencarb, phenmedipham, prosulfocarb, pyributicarb, thiobencarb, triallate;
cyclohexanediones selected from the group consisting of butroxydim, clethodim, cycloxydim, profoxydim, sethoxydim, tepraloxydim, tralkoxydim;
dinitroanilines selected from the group consisting of benfluralin, ethalfluralin, oryzalin, pendimethalin, prodiamine, trifluralin;
diphenyl ethers selected from the group consisting of acifluorfen, aclonifen, bifenox, diclofop, ethoxyfen, fomesafen, lactofen, oxyfluorfen;
hydroxybenzonitriles selected from the group consisting of bomoxynil, dichlobenil, ioxynil;
imidazolinones selected from the group consisting of imazamethabenz, imazamox, imazapic, imazapyr, imazaquin, imazethapyr;
phenoxy acetic acids selected from the group consisting of clomeprop, 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 2,4-DB, dichlorprop, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid- thioethyl, 4-(4-chloro-o-tolyloxy)butyric acid, Mecoprop;
pyrazines selected from the group consisting of chloridazon, flufenpyr-ethyl, fluthiacet, norflurazon, pyridate;
pyridines selected from the group consisting of aminopyralid, clopyralid, diflufenican, dithiopyr, fluridone, fluroxypyr, picloram, picolinafen, thiazopyr;
sulfonyl ureas selected from the group consisting of amidosulfuron, azimsulfuron, b en sul furon, chlorimuron-ethyl, chlorsulfuron, cinosulfuron, cyclosulfamuron, ethoxysulfuron, flazasulfuron, flucetosulfuron, flupyrsulfuron, foramsulfuron, halosulfuron, imazosulfuron, iodosulfuron, mesosulfuron, metazosulfuron, metsulfuron-methyl, nicosulfuron, oxasulfuron, primisulfuron, prosulfuron, pyrazosulfuron, rimsulfuron, sulfometuron, sulfosulfuron, thifensulfuron, triasulfuron, tribenuron, trifloxysulfuron, triflusulfuron, tritosulfuron, 1-((2-chloro-6-propyl-imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazin-3-yl)sulfonyl)-3-(4,6-dimethoxy-pyrimidin-2-yl)urea;
triazines selected from the group consisting of ametryn, atrazine, cyanazine, dimethametryn, ethiozin, hexazinone, metamitron, metribuzin, prometryn, simazine, terbuthylazine, terbutryn, triaziflam;
ureas selected from the group consisting of chlorotoluron, daimuron, diuron, fluometuron, isoproturon, linuron, methabenzthiazuron, tebuthiuron;
acetolactate synthase inhibitors s

Assignees

• Basf Corp

Inventors

• Phillips Laura Beth
• Packer Brent Christopher
• Roller David Chamberlain
• Moffitt Jr Richard Alan
• Grunder Douglas Edward

Classifications

• A01N53/00

  Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing cyclopropane carboxylic acids or derivatives thereof · CPC title

• B05D1/12

  Applying particulate materials (B05D1/06, B05D1/10 take precedence) · CPC title

• A01N47/44

  Guanidine; Derivatives thereof · CPC title

• A01N43/10

  with sulfur as the ring hetero atom · CPC title

• A01N51/00

  Biocides, pest repellants or attractants, or plant growth regulators containing organic compounds having the sequences of atoms O—N—S, X—O—S, N—N—S, O—N—N or O-halogen, regardless of the number of bonds each atom has and with no atom of these sequences forming part of a heterocyclic ring · CPC title