Downward elbow with cyclonic effect and product overflow capability

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10407256-B2
Application number	US-201815925311-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 19, 2018
Priority date	Sep 26, 2014
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

An air system for supplying product to the product tank of an agricultural implement has an air supply and at least one elongated conduit for delivering air entrained product to the tank. There is at least one outlet in the tank formed as a hollow elbow having a generally downwardly directed outlet, a generally upwardly directed outlet and a transverse inlet coupled to the conduit. The elbow includes an upper generally cylindrical region comprising a cyclone chamber for swirling the incoming air entrained product directing at least a portion of the air flow upwardly toward the upwardly directed outlet while allowing the product to fall in a generally helical pattern through a generally frusto-conical region, whereby material migrates downwardly and air upwardly releasing the material to fall in a gentle spiral and air to exit from the upper region of the tank.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of replenishing the supply of a particulate agricultural product in the tank of a pneumatic agricultural product delivery system, comprising:
supplying air from an air flow source to an agricultural product supply source;
providing the agricultural product supply source;
receiving agricultural product from the agricultural product supply source via at least one elongated conduit including therein a plurality of inlet tubes, each inlet tube having an inlet near one end for occasionally receiving the agricultural product from an agricultural product supply source and each of the plurality of inlet tubes having at least one outlet within the tank for delivering agricultural product to the tank;
passing the supplied air through a restriction formed to create a region of increased air velocity and reduced air pressure for ingesting agricultural product from the agricultural supply source and providing an air entrained flow of agricultural product via a venturi region positioned adjacent each inlet of each of the plurality of inlet tubes of the at least one elongated conduit, the venturi region having an air inlet for receiving air flow from the air flow source and an outlet operably coupled to each inlet of each of the plurality of inlet tubes for providing a region of reduced air pressure to draw agricultural product from the agricultural product supply source into the air flow;
conveying the flow of air entrained agricultural product to the tank;
moving the flow of air entrained agricultural product within the tank to a plurality of hollow elbows, each of the plurality of hollow elbows forming a nozzle and one of each of the plurality of hollow elbows coupled to each outlet of each of the plurality of inlet tubes, each hollow elbow including a transverse inlet coupled to the outlet of each inlet tube to receive the air entrained agricultural product and an adjacent first upwardly directed outlet, the transverse inlet and the first upwardly directed outlet each positioned at an upper end of each hollow elbow, and a second downwardly directed outlet positioned at a bottom end of each hollow elbow, through which the air entrained agricultural product exits,
releasing the air entrained agricultural product uniformly throughout the tank via the plurality of inlet tubes of the at least one elongated conduit which are each spaced-apart so that each inlet tube is a different length such that each nozzle on each of the plurality of hollow elbows is spaced-apart both longitudinally and transversely from each other, and the plurality of hollow elbows are located approximately the same elevation near the top of the tank and generally uniformly spaced from one another to optimize agricultural product distribution within the tank; and
venting excess air from the tank.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of releasing includes funneling downward agricultural product in a generally conical helical pattern of gradually diminishing radius of curvature and lessening velocity.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the step of releasing is performed at multiple locations in the tank at the same time to optimize product distribution within the tank.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein in the step of moving the flow of air entrained agricultural product within the tank to a plurality of hollow elbows, each hollow elbow of the plurality of hollow elbows comprising an upper generally cylindrical region and a downwardly directed generally frusto-conical region, the upper cylindrical region comprising a cyclone chamber for swirling the incoming air entrained agricultural product directing at least a portion of the air flow upwardly toward the upwardly directed outlet and away from the chamber while allowing the agricultural product to fall in a generally helical pattern into the frusto-conical region, wherein each transverse inlet of each of the plurality of hollow elbows is positioned off center of the upper cylindrical region whereby the air entrained agricultural product flow enters the cylindrical region generally tangentially to a cylindrical region sidewall, and wherein each hollow elbow of the plurality of hollow elbows further includes a lower generally cylindrical region, whereby agricultural product falls at a gradually diminishing velocity through the frusto-conical region along the generally helical pattern of diminishing radius of curvature and through the lower generally cylindrical region into the product tank.

Assignees

• Cnh Ind Canada Ltd

Inventors

• Roberge Martin J
• Stuart Graham Douglas

Classifications

• B60P1/60 Primary

  using fluids, e.g. having direct contact between fluid and load {(for railway wagons B61D5/004)} · CPC title

• B65G53/14 Primary

  the gas flow inducing feed of the materials by suction effect · CPC title

• B65G53/42

  Nozzles · CPC title

• A01C15/003

  Bulk fertiliser or grain handling in the field or on the farm · CPC title

• A01C15/006

  Hoppers · CPC title