System and method for an electrodynamic fragmentation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11857978-B2
Application number	US-202017082313-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2020
Priority date	Apr 28, 2018
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

A fragmentation system for electrodynamic fragmentation of material contains a feed and an outlet for transporting material along a transport path in a transport direction. At least one high-voltage pulse source is provided, each of the high-voltage pulse sources contains at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode for generating a high-voltage discharge in a discharge chamber. The transport path has a fractionation section, and the fractionation section extends through the discharge chamber. A selection device for selectively extracting the material on the transport path is provided in order to channel material and/or fragments of the material having a diameter smaller than a minimum diameter past at least one portion of one of the fractionation sections.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A fragmentation system for electrodynamic fragmentation of material, the fragmentation system comprising:
an inlet and at least one outlet for the material;
a transport path leading from said inlet to said at least one outlet for transporting the material along said transport path in a transport direction;
a plurality of fractionation sections in a sequential arrangement along the transport path;
each fractionation section of said plurality of fractionation sections including a high-voltage pulse source with at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode for generating a high-voltage discharge;
the high voltage pulse source of each fractionation section operating with operating parameters including at least one of a voltage and a power;
a magnitude of the operating parameters of the high-voltage pulse source of each fractionation section in the sequential arrangement along the transport path being less than a magnitude of the operating parameters of any preceding fractionation sections in the sequential arrangement along the transport path from the inlet; and
a selection means for selectively extracting the material on said transport path in order to channel the material and/or fragments of the material having a diameter smaller than a predetermined diameter past at least one portion of one of said plurality of fractionation sections.

2. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , wherein said selection means contains said at least one first electrode and said at least one second electrode.

3. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one first electrode and said at least one second electrode form a rail.

4. The fragmentation system according to claim 3 , wherein said at least one fractionation section sloping downward as an inclined plane has a slope angle for transporting the material based on a downhill force, wherein the slope angle is variable for setting a transport speed for the material along said at least one fractionation section.

5. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one fractionation section forms an inclined plane sloping downward in the transport direction.

6. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one first electrode and said at least one second electrode have a longitudinal extent, wherein said at least one first electrode and said at least one second electrode are disposed with the longitudinal extent in the same direction as the transport direction.

7. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , wherein said first and second electrodes form a chute for the material, said chute sloping downward in the transport direction in relation to a direction of gravity.

8. The fragmentation system according to claim 7 , wherein at least one the following is variable:
a length of at least one of said first and second electrodes of said chute; or
an inclination angle of at least one of said first and second electrodes of said chute: or
a distance between said first and second electrodes of said chute.

9. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , further comprising a conveying apparatus for conveying a medium in a media conveying direction in order to support a transport of the material.

10. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between said at least one first electrode and said at least one second electrode is variable.

11. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one high-voltage pulse source is configured to output a high-voltage pulse having a working voltage of greater than 10 kV as the high-voltage discharge.

12. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , wherein the transport path is configured for conveying more than ten tons of the material per hour.

13. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one fractionation section has conveying structures.

14. The fragmentation system according to claim 1 , wherein the transport path has at least one sieve structure for extracting extremely small fractions of the material.

15. A method for electrodynamic fragmentation of material, which comprises the steps of:
transporting the material from an inlet toward an outlet along a transport path;
providing a plurality of fractionation sections in a sequential arrangement along the transport path, each fractionation section of said plurality of fractionation sections including a high-voltage pulse source with at least one first electrode and at least one second electrode, the high-voltage pulse source of each fractionation section operating with operating parameters including at least one of a voltage and a power, and a magnitude of the operating parameters of the high-voltage pulse source of each fractionation section in the sequential arrangement along the transport path being less than a magnitude of the operating parameters of any preceding fractionation sections in the sequential arrangement along the transport path from the inlet;
generating, via the high-voltage pulse source of each fractionation section of the plurality of fractionation sections, a high-voltage discharge between the at least one first electrode and the at least one second electrode; and
channeling the material and/or fragments of the material having a diameter smaller than a minimum diameter past at least one portion of one of the plurality of fractionation sections.

Assignees

• Diehl Defence Gmbh & Co Kg
• Fraunhofer Ges Forschung

Inventors

• Stark Robert
• Thome Volker
• Seifert Severin
• Dittrich Sebastian
• Bickes Christian
• Urban Juergen

Classifications

• B02C19/18 Primary

  Use of auxiliary physical effects, e.g. ultrasonic waves or irradiation, for disintegrating · CPC title

• B02C23/10

  with separator arranged in discharge path of crushing or disintegrating zone · CPC title

• B02C23/14

  with more than one separator · CPC title

• B02C23/38

  in apparatus having multiple crushing or disintegrating zones · CPC title

• B02C2019/183

  Crushing by discharge of high electrical energy · CPC title