Feed flow conditioner for particulate feed materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9845992-B2
Application number	US-201414899312-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2014
Priority date	Jun 17, 2013
Publication date	Dec 19, 2017
Grant date	Dec 19, 2017

Abstract

A feed charging device comprises a holding vessel having an interior chamber for holding a reserve of a solid particulate feed material in a fluidized state, wherein the feed material is held in said fluidized state in a lower zone of the interior chamber. The feed material is supplied to the interior chamber through at least one outlet opening, and is discharged from the interior chamber through at least one outlet opening. The at least one outlet opening is in flow communication with the lower zone of the interior chamber. A gas supply means supplies a fluidizing gas to the lower zone of the interior chamber, and an outlet conduit in flow communication with the at least one outlet opening receives said feed material discharged from the interior chamber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A feed charging device, comprising:
(a) a holding vessel having an interior chamber for holding a reserve of a solid particulate feed material in a fluidized state, wherein the feed material is held in said fluidized state in a lower zone of the interior chamber;
(b) at least one inlet opening through which the feed material is supplied to the interior chamber;
(c) at least one outlet opening through which the feed material is discharged from the interior chamber, wherein said at least one outlet opening is in flow communication with the lower zone of the interior chamber and wherein an area of the at least one outlet opening is adjustable;
(d) gas supply means for supplying a fluidizing gas to the lower zone of the interior chamber;
(e) an outlet conduit in flow communication with the at least one outlet opening for receiving said feed material discharged from the interior chamber;
(f) at least one sensor to obtain measurements of a quantity of said particulate feed material inside the interior chamber; and
(g) a means for controlling, responsive to the measurements, a discharge rate of the particulate feed material from the interior chamber through adjustments to the area of the at least one outlet opening.

2. The feed charging device of claim 1 , further comprising a bottom partition having a plurality of apertures, wherein the gas supply means comprises a gas distribution chamber which is separated from the interior chamber of the holding vessel by said bottom partition, wherein the gas distribution chamber has an inlet for receiving said fluidizing gas, and wherein an interior of the gas distribution chamber is in flow communication with the interior chamber of the holding vessel through the plurality of apertures in the bottom partition.

3. The feed charging device of claim 2 , wherein the gas distribution chamber is enclosed within a windbox, and wherein the bottom partition forms a top wall of the windbox.

4. The feed charging device of claim 2 , wherein the gas distribution chamber comprises a plurality of compartments, each of said compartments being in flow communication with a portion of the interior chamber of the holding vessel through a subset of the plurality of apertures in the bottom partition.

5. The feed charging device of claim 1 , further comprising a baffle plate located inside the interior chamber in close proximity to the at least one inlet opening, wherein the baffle plate is mounted to a bottom partition to permit pneumatic elevation of the particulate feed material from bottom to top.

6. The feed charging device of claim 2 , wherein the gas supply means is selected from the group consisting of tuyeres, porous pads and porous membranes.

7. The feed charging device of claim 6 , wherein the gas supply means comprises a plurality of said tuyeres which are received in said bottom partition in spaced relation to one another, and wherein the apertures are defined by said tuyeres.

8. The feed charging device of claim 6 , wherein the bottom partition comprises one or more of said porous pads or porous membranes, and wherein the apertures are defined by said porous pads or porous membranes.

9. The feed charging device of claim 1 , wherein the lower zone of the holding vessel defines an area to be occupied by a fluidized bed of said particulate feed material, and wherein the interior chamber also includes an upper zone which comprises a gas space above said fluidized bed;
wherein the at least one inlet opening is provided in the lower zone of the interior chamber, and is located below a bed level of the fluidized bed to allow introduction of the particulate feed material into the fluidized bed below the bed level.

10. The feed charging device of claim 1 , further comprising at least one off-gas outlet opening provided in the interior chamber of the holding vessel, in communication with the upper zone of the interior chamber; and
further comprising at least one deflector plate, at least a portion of which is located in the upper zone of the interior chamber, between the at least one inlet opening of the holding vessel and the at least one off-gas outlet opening.

11. The feed charging device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one deflector plate is oriented substantially vertically and has a lower end which extends into the lower zone.

12. The feed charging device of claim 10 , wherein the at least one deflector plate is oriented substantially vertically and has a lower end which is spaced above the lower zone.

13. A feed charging device comprising:
(a) a holding vessel having an interior chamber for holding a reserve of a solid particulate feed material in a fluidized state, wherein the feed material is held in said fluidized state in a lower zone of the interior chamber that defines an area to be occupied by a fluidized bed of said particulate feed material and wherein gas space above said fluidized bed defines an upper zone of the interior chamber;
(b) at least one inlet opening through which the feed material is supplied to the interior chamber;
(c) at least one outlet opening through which the feed material is discharged from the interior chamber, wherein said at least one outlet opening is in flow communication with the lower zone of the interior chamber;
(d) gas supply means for supplying a fluidizing gas to the lower zone of the interior chamber;
(e) an outlet conduit in flow communication with the at least one outlet opening for receiving said feed material discharged from the interior chamber, the outlet conduit having a conduit wall and the outlet conduit passing through the lower zone and the upper zone of the interior chamber; and
(f) at least one off-gas outlet opening in the conduit wall of the outlet conduit, the at least one off-gas outlet opening in communication with the upper zone of the interior chamber.

14. A feed charging device comprising:
a holding vessel having an interior chamber for holding a reserve of a solid particulate feed material in a fluidized state, wherein the feed material is held in said fluidized state in a lower zone of the interior chamber;
at least one inlet opening through which the feed material is supplied to the interior chamber;
at least one outlet opening through which the feed material is discharged from the interior chamber, wherein said at least one adjustable outlet opening is in flow communication with the lower zone of the interior chamber and wherein an area of the at least one outlet opening is adjustable;
gas supply means for supplying a fluidizing gas to the lower zone of the interior chamber;
an outlet conduit having a conduit wall in which said at least one adjustable outlet opening is formed;
wherein the outlet conduit extends substantially vertically through said interior chamber, and wherein said gas supply means are radially dispersed around the outlet conduit.

15. The feed charging device of claim 14 , wherein the at least one adjustable outlet opening is arranged to receive said feed material from a plurality of radial directions.

16. The feed charging device of claim 14 , wherein the conduit wall of the outlet conduit has an outer perimeter, and wherein said at least one adjustable outlet opening is open to the lower zone of the interior chamber along substantially the entire outer perimeter of the conduit wall;
wherein the at least one adjustable outlet opening comprises a plurality of openings spaced apart along substantially the entire outer perimeter of the conduit wall; and
wherein the at least one outlet adjustable opening comprises a horizontal slit extending through

Assignees

• Hatch Ltd
• Hatch Ltd

Inventors

• Kokourine Alex
• Jastrzebski Maciej
• Adham Kamal

Classifications

• F27D19/00

  Arrangements of controlling devices · CPC title

• F23K3/00

  Feeding or distributing of lump or pulverulent fuel to combustion apparatus · CPC title

• F27D3/0033 Primary

  charging of particulate material · CPC title

• F27D3/18

  Charging particulate material using a fluid carrier · CPC title

• F27D3/16

  Introducing a fluid jet or current into the charge (F27D3/18 takes precedence) · CPC title