AU629574B2

AU629574B2 - Centre point distributor/reclaimer

Info

Publication number: AU629574B2
Application number: AU42725/89A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Bernd Ostermeyer
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1988-10-07
Filing date: 1989-10-06
Publication date: 1992-10-08
Anticipated expiration: 2009-10-06
Also published as: AU4272589A

Description

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRA Patents Act 1952-1969 6 2 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION

(ORIGINAL)

FOR OFFICE USE: Class Int. Class Application No Lodged: Complete Application No Specification Lodged Published: Priority: Related art: 44t I 04 I 4i

I

0901 TO BE COMPLETED BY APPLICANT 4444 41 4 *r 4 Cr 'Itl Name of Applicant: Address of Applicant: Actual Inventor: Address for Service: BERND OSTERMEYER Stuart Highway, Berrimah, Northern Territory, Commonwealth of Australia BERND OSTERMEYER Care of COLLISON CO., 117 King William Street, Adelaide, South Australia, 5000 1.

Complete Specification for the invention entitled: CENTRE POINTRECLAIMER The following statements is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me: oU I )D :I PATENT, TRADE MARKS DESIGNS SUB-OFFICE -6 OCT 1989 SOUTH AUSTRALIA 2 This invention relates to the storage and the reclaiming of bulk materials such as mineral concentrates.

The design of storage buildings and systems for bulk products, particularly those which cannot be gravity fed mineral concentrates) has remained largely unchanged for decades. Due to inefficient and dated materials 1 0 handling techniques available storage space is poorly utilised and consequently these storage buildings tend to be massive structures which may often have the same floor area as a typical football field.

These facilities are expensive to construct and operate, and over time unit 1 5 handling costs have tended to rise sharply. It is now well recognised by those involved that the problem has reached the point where inefficiencies and outmoded practices are retarding economic performance.

Thus it is an object of this invention to provide a silo which will receive, stockpile, reclaim and discharge any processed bulk material irrespective of its flow characteristics, and the configuration thereof will depend upon whether the material settles during storage or remains free flowing.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a centre-point reclaimer which 25 can receive, stockpile, reclaim and discharge material centrally of a circular silo.

0 Thus there is provided according to the invention a centre-point distributor/reclaimer for a circular stockpile of material, said distributor/reclaimer having a central tubular column, at least one arm rotateable about said column, means to rotate said at least one arm about said column, feeding conveyor means to deliver material to the upper portion of said column whereby the material is deposited about the column, said column being hollow and opening to a discharge conveyor beneath the column, said column beneath the upper portion having open mesh walls, said at least one arm carrying an auger reversible in operation, whereby said reversible auger distributes the material for stockpiling and on reversal of its direction of rotation r ri-r- -ti^llllll.ir.i- i ~I i I i i ii 2a reclaims the material passing the material through the open mesh wall to deposit the material on the discharge conveyor wherein the circular stockpile is in a silo having a circular wall and there are three arms rotateable about the column, said arms being supported by a ring adjacent the inner surface of the wall of the silo by means to vertically position the ring and thus the arms in the silo.

In order to more fully describe the invention reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings in which; FIG. 1 is a perspective view with portions broken away of one form of the invention showing a single unit construction, and

C.

C IC FIG. 2 is a plan view of a typical installation showing two units.

Referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, the silo 1 has a base 2, a circular wall 3, and roof 4 supported by framework 5. In the centre of the silo there is a central column 6, the major portion of which is a mesh section 7. The central column extends through the base 2 and connects underground with a discharge conveyor 8.

The material to be stockpiled is fed from a receiving hopper 9 to an elevating conveyor 10 which then passes the material to a horizontal conveyor 11 which discharges the material to the top of the central column 6. Around the central column 6 there are a plurality of arms 12 joined to a boss 13 having a hole 14 so that the boss can freely pass over the central column 6.

t t I1 The ends of the arms 12 are supported on or joined to a circular ring adjacent the inner surface of the wall 3 of the silo. The ring can be supported on vertically adjustable supports 16 to move in vertical guides 17. The supports 16 can be moved vertically by means of a screw 18 each driven by a L motor 19 each of which is controlled to be synchronously driven to ensure that the movements are synchronised so that each support 16 moves the same distance.

At least one on the supports has drive means to drive the ring so that the arms 12 can be rotated around the central column 6, and at least one of the arms 12 has incorporated therewith a distributor/reclaimer auger 20. Drive means (not S shown) are provided to drive the auger in either direction of rotation so that the auger can move the material either away from the central column or towards the central column.

Towards the top of the central column there is provided a short auger 21 (see FIG. 2) which is operated during the filling of the silo. Means are provided at the top of the central column to prevent the material discharged by conveyor 11 from falling down the central column and the short auger moves the material to discharge it down the outside of the central column.

As described the silo and reclaimer are designed for the storage and reclaiming 4 of material which compacts or settles during storage, and to prevent the material from collapsing through the mesh sections of the central column, a liantex rubber sock within the column would be inflated with air to block the mesh.

When the material has settled the sock can be deflated to hang freely within the column.

As shown in FIG. 2 the invention can include a plurality of silos, a large silo and a smaller silo both fed from hopper on ramp 22, the elevator delivering the material to conveyor 11, diverting means (not shown) selectively diverting the 1 0 material into either the larger silo or the smaller silo as desired, so that each silo may hold different material. Thus each silo has its own discharge conveyor 8 which can feed a ship loader conveyor 23. Should there be a failure of the unloading system each silo is provided with doors 24 which can be opened outwardly to allow front end loaders or other reclaiming machinery to enter the 1 5 silo.

Thus the storage cycle commences by dumping the material into the ground level receival hopper from where it is fed to a belt conveyor system which elevates the material to the top of the silo. The material is then fed to the top section of the hollow central column and is fed out by the short section auger which revolves around the column and drops the material in a circular row around the base. The material is then spread across the full width of the silo by the distributor/reclaimer auger which rotates around the column. As the level of the material rises so also the arms and auger are raised.

To prevent the material from collapsing through the mesh the sock is inflated, and to reclaim the material the sock is deflated, if it has not already been deflated after the material has settled. The distributor auger is reversed in rotation and as the arms and auger are rotated around the column the material is fed through the open mesh where it falls to the bottom of the column and is then discharged by the discharge conveyor which can be linked to a shiploader.

If the material does not settle the sock would be kept inflated until it is desired to reclaim the material, at which time it would be deflated to allow the adjacent 3 5 material to flow through the mesh and then the reclaiming auger would be operated as above described.

4' As shown in FIG. 1 the single silo is covered by a roof supported by the walls of the silo. However as shown in FIG. 2 there are two silos housed in a building with the roof of the building being supported by the walls of the building. Also it is to be realised that the invention can be applied to open stockpiles with the vertically movable supports of the ring being provided on posts or poles spaced around the periphery of the stockpile, it being realised of course that the capacity of the stockpile will be reduced due to the lack of the circular wall forming the silo Although various forms of the invention has been described in some detail the invention is not to be limited thereto, but can include variations falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

S

Claims

1. A centre-point distributor/reclaimer for a circular stockpile of material, said distributor/reclaimer having a central tubular column, at least one arm rotateable about said column, means to rotate said at least one arm about said column, feeding conveyor means to deliver material to the upper portion of said column whereby the material is deposited about the column, said column being hollow and opening to a discharge conveyor beneath the column, said column beneath the upper portion having open mesh walls, said at least one arm carrying an auger reversible in operation, whereby said reversible auger distributes the material for stockpiling and on reversal of its direction of rotation reclaims the material passing the material through the open mesh wall to deposit the material on the discharge conveyor wherein the circular stockpile is in a silo having a circular wall and there are three arms rotateable about the column, said arms being supported by a ring adjacent the inner surface of the wall of the silo by means to vertically position the ring and thus the arms in the silo.

2. A centre-point distributor/reclaimer as defined in Claim 2 wherein the means to vertically support the ring are movable in vertical guides spaced around the wall of the silo, and moved by drive means to raise and lower the ring and arms in the silo, said means to support the ring also including further drive means to rotate said ring and arms about the column.

3. A centre-point distributor/reclaimer as defined in any one of the preceding Claims wherein the feeding conveyor means deposits the material to the upper portion of the column, there being provided a short auger rotateable around the column to move the material from the column to lay the material in a circular row around the column.

4. A centre-point distributor/reclaimer as defined in any one of the preceding Claims wherein an inflatable sock is positioned with the hollow column, said inflatable sock being inflated during the filling of the silo to prevent material passing through the mesh into the interior of the column, said 4 4, i I i, i I I 7 sock being deflated during the operation of the reclaimer. A centre-point distributor/reclaimer substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawings Dated this 7th day of August 1992. BERND OSTERMEYER By his Patent Attorneys, COLLISON CO. t t t" 1 t h.