Pressure control circuits for blasting systems

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9393672-B2
Application number	US-201314052295-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 11, 2013
Priority date	Oct 11, 2013
Publication date	Jul 19, 2016
Grant date	Jul 19, 2016

Abstract

A blasting system having a pressure control circuit that automatically sets and balances pressures in the system to provide a more efficient blasting process. The pressure control circuits provide the ability and enable an operator to more easily and efficiently set the operating pressures of a wet abrasive blasting system, for example, for various blasting processes and easily obtain a consistent blast stream flow. Embodiments of the invention provide an accurate, simple, and intuitive control of the pressure supply system. In specific embodiments, the pressure control circuit controls both the supply pressure to an air driven water pump and the pressurized air supply to slurry mixer by setting only one of these pressures. In certain other embodiments of the pressure control circuit, both pressures may be set through operation of a single, multi-port selector valve.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A wet abrasive blasting system, comprising:
a mixer for mixing a slurry stream and a pressurized gas stream for forming a three phase flow;
a blast pressure regulator, wherein the blast pressure regulator controls the pressure of the pressurized gas upstream of the mixer;
an air supply pressure regulator, wherein the air supply pressure regulator controls the air pressure to an air driven pump; and
means for automatic setting of both the blast pressure and the air supply pressure regulator simultaneously thereby controlling at least one of the blast pressure regulator and the air supply pressure regulator based upon a setting of the other of the blast pressure regulator and the air supply pressure regulator.

2. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 1 , wherein means for automatic setting of both the blast pressure and the air supply pressure regulator simultaneously is a follower pressure regulator.

3. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 1 , wherein means for automatic setting of both the blast pressure and the air supply pressure regulator simultaneously is a programmable regulating valve.

4. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the blast pressure regulator or the pump air supply pressure regulator is controlled such that the ratio of blast pressure to pump air supply pressure is in the range of about 2.5 to about 4.0.

5. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 1 , wherein the air supply pressure regulator controls the air pressure to an air driven pump and a pressure setting of the pump air supply pressure regulator determines the maximum discharge pressure of the air driven pump.

6. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 5 , wherein the at least one of the blast pressure regulator or the air supply pressure regulator is controlled such that the ratio of maximum discharge pressure of the air driven pump to blast pressure is in the range of about 1.1 to about 1.4.

7. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 5 , wherein at least one of the blast pressure regulator or the air supply pressure regulator is controlled such that the ratio of maximum discharge pressure of the air driven pump to blast pressure is in the range of about 1.15 to about 1.25.

8. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 2 , wherein follower pressure regulator is the air pressure regulator valve and an outlet pressure of the follower pressure regulator is controlled by the blast pressure regulator.

9. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 8 , wherein blast pressure regulator of the follower pressure regulator controls the outlet pressure of the follower pressure regulator, the outlet pressure of the follower pressure regulator drives the air driven pump, and a ratio of maximum discharge pressure of the air driven pump to blast pressure is in the range of about 1.1 to about 1.4.

10. A wet abrasive blasting system, comprising:
a source of pressurized air in fluid communication with an inlet of a multi-port selector valve, wherein the multiport selector valve comprises a first outlet port and a second outlet port;
a mixer for mixing a slurry and a pressurized gas for forming a three phase flow;
a first set of regulators in fluid communication with the first outlet port;
a second set of regulators in fluid communication with the second outlet port, wherein each set of regulators comprises a blast pressure regulator and a pump air supply pressure regulator, the blast pressure regulator controls the pressure of the pressurized gas upstream of the mixer; and the pump air supply pressure regulator, wherein the pump air supply pressure regulator controls the air pressure to an air driven pump.

11. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 10 , wherein the first set of regulators comprise a first blast pressure regulator pressure setting and a first pump air supply pressure regulator pressure setting; the second set of regulators comprise a second blast pressure regulator pressure setting and a second pump air supply pressure regulator pressure setting; and the first blast pressure regulator pressure setting is different than the second blast pressure regulator pressure setting.

12. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 11 , wherein the first pump air supply pressure regulator pressure setting is different than the second pump air supply pressure regulator pressure setting.

13. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 10 , wherein the first blast pressure regulator setting is 2.5 to 3.5 times greater than the first pump air supply pressure setting.

14. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 11 , wherein the multiport selector valve comprises a third outlet port and a third set of regulators in fluid communication with the third outlet port and the third set of regulators comprises a third blast pressure regulator and a third pump air supply pressure regulator.

15. The wet abrasive blasting system of claim 14 , wherein the multiport selector valve comprises a fourth outlet port and a fourth set of regulators in fluid communication with the fourth outlet port and the fourth set of regulators comprises a fourth blast pressure regulator and a fourth pump air supply pressure regulator.

16. A method of wet abrasive blasting, comprising:
setting an air supply pressure regulator to provide pressurized air to control a first pressure in the wet abrasive blasting system, wherein the first pressure is one of a pump discharge pressure and a blast pressure, wherein a second pressure of the wet abrasive blasting system is automatically set by means for automatically setting of the second pressure based upon the first pressure, wherein the second pressure is the other of the pump discharge pressure and the blast pressure.

Assignees

• Ecoquip Inc
• Graco Minnesota Inc

Inventors

• Eliason Keith

Classifications

• B24C7/0053

  with control of feed parameters, e.g. feed rate of abrasive material or carrier · CPC title

• B24C7/0061

  of feed pressure · CPC title

• B24C7/0084 Primary

  the abrasive material being fed in a mixture of liquid and gas (B24C7/0038, B24C7/0076 take precedence; blasting medium with additives B24C11/005) · CPC title

• B24C7/0038

  the blasting medium being a gaseous stream · CPC title

• B24C7/0023

  of feed pressure · CPC title