Apparatus for collecting dust samples

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11340145-B2
Application number	US-202117318266-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 12, 2021
Priority date	May 19, 2020
Publication date	May 24, 2022
Grant date	May 24, 2022

Abstract

The invention relates to an apparatus (100) for collecting dust samples. The apparatus comprises a piston (102) and a cylinder (110) for holding the piston with a body having a hole (108) extending through the body. The cylinder (110) has a first end (112), which is open, the first end of the cylinder being slanted such that underside (130) of the cylinder extends farther than upper side (132). A mechanism (114) moves the piston between inward and outward positions. The apparatus gathers dust flowing past the piston into the hole of the piston when the piston is in the outward position and moves the gathered dust by moving the piston into the inward position. An input feed (116) is configured to spread fluid through the hole filled with dust to flush the dust to an output feed (118).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for collecting dust samples, comprising
a piston and a cylinder structure for holding the piston; the piston comprising a body having an inner end and an outer end, the inner end being always inside the cylinder structure, the piston comprising a hole in the longitudinal side of the body, the hole extending through the body in a direction perpendicular to a movement of the piston;
the cylinder structure having a first end, which is open, the first end of the cylinder being slanted such that underside of the cylinder extends farther than upper side, the outer end of the piston being substantially level with or extending farther than the underside of the first end of the cylinder when the piston is in an inward position;
a mechanism configured to move the piston between the inward position and an outward position;
the cylinder comprising an input feed at the upper side wall of the cylinder, and an output feed at the underside wall of the cylinder, the input and the output feeds being on the opposite sides of the cylinder wall,
the hole being outside the upper side of the first end of the cylinder and all of the underside of the hole being inside the underside of the first end of the cylinder when the piston is in the outward position, the hole and the underside of the cylinder forming a space open at the upper side but fully closed at the bottom for gathering dust flowing past the piston in the outward position;
the hole of the piston being between the input and output feeds when the piston is in the inward position;
the input feed being connected to a fluid line for spreading fluid through the hole filled with dust to flush the dust to the output feed when the piston is in the inward position.

2. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cylinder structure has a larger diameter than the piston and there is an open space formed around the piston inside the cylinder structure up till the first end of the cylinder structure, the first end of the cylinder structure having a section with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the piston and hermetically sealing the open space around the piston inside the cylinder structure from outside.

3. The apparatus as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the input feed comprises a nozzle to spray the fluid into the open space around the piston to flush dust into the output feed.

4. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , the hole in the piston comprising edges configured to scrape the inside surface of cylinder clean of dust when the piston moves between the inward position and the outward position.

5. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the apparatus is configured to
move the piston to outward position to gather dust,
move the piston to inward position;
flush the dust from the hole to a sample analyser cavity with an amount of fluid from the input feed,
perform the three above steps a given number of times.

6. The apparatus as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the apparatus is configured, when the piston is in the inward position, to
clean the hole and open space formed around the piston inside the cylinder structure with an amount of gas or fluid from the input feed.

7. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the fluid is a mixture of water and gas.

8. A method of collecting dust samples from a conduit in which dust is flowing, the method comprising:
controlling movement of a piston inside a cylinder structure for holding the piston; the piston comprising a body having an inner end and an outer end, the inner end being always inside the cylinder structure, the piston comprising a hole in the longitudinal side of the body, the hole extending through the body in a direction perpendicular to a movement of the piston;
the cylinder structure having a first end, which is open, the first end of the cylinder being slanted such that underside of the cylinder extends farther than upper side, the outer end of the piston being substantially level with or extending farther than with the underside of the first end of the cylinder when the piston is in an inward position, the first end being inside the conduit;
moving the piston to an outward position to gather dust flowing in the conduit into the hole of the piston, the hole being outside the upper side of the first end of the cylinder and all of the underside of the hole being inside the underside of the first end of the cylinder, the hole and the underside of the cylinder forming a space open at the upper side but fully closed at the bottom in the outward position;
moving the piston to the inward position where the hole of the piston is between an input feed at the upper side wall of the cylinder, and an output feed at the underside wall of the cylinder, the feeds being on the opposite sides of the cylinder wall;
flushing the dust from the hole to the output feed with an amount of fluid from the input feed.

9. The method as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising: spraying the fluid into an open space around the piston inside the cylinder structure to flush dust into the output feed, the open space being formed by the cylinder structure having a larger diameter than the piston up till the first end of the cylinder structure, the first end of the cylinder structure having a section with a diameter corresponding to the diameter of the piston and hermetically sealing the open space around the piston inside the cylinder structure.

10. The method as claimed claim 8 , further comprising: receiving one or more control signals controlling the movements of the piston and the feeding of the fluid.

11. The method as claimed claim 8 , further comprising: scraping the surface of the piston clean of dust with edges of a section of the cylinder structure when the piston moves between the inward position and the outward position.

12. The method as claimed claim 8 , further comprising:
cleaning the hole and open space formed around the piston inside the cylinder structure with an amount of gas or fluid from the input feed.

13. The method as claimed claim 8 , wherein the conduit has a negative pressure.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first end of the cylinder is configured to extend into a conduit in which the dust is flowing when the piston is in the inward position.

15. The method as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the first end of the cylinder extends into the conduit when the piston is in the inward position.

Assignees

• Valmet Automation Oy

Inventors

• Janhunen Petri
• Pyykkönen Ilkka
• Kärki Pasi
• Sirviö Timo

Classifications

• G01N2001/1006

  Dispersed solids · CPC title

• G01N1/20

  for flowing or falling materials ({G01N1/2035} G01N1/12, G01N1/14 take precedence) · CPC title

• F17D3/10

  for taking out the product in the line (sampling in general, examining the physical or chemical properties of materials G01N) · CPC title

• G01N1/14 Primary

  Suction devices, e.g. pumps; Ejector devices · CPC title

• G01N2001/2057

  Sample chamber in a valve/piston · CPC title