CA2404801A1 - Powdered material metering apparatus - Google Patents
Powdered material metering apparatus Download PDFInfo
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- CA2404801A1 CA2404801A1 CA 2404801 CA2404801A CA2404801A1 CA 2404801 A1 CA2404801 A1 CA 2404801A1 CA 2404801 CA2404801 CA 2404801 CA 2404801 A CA2404801 A CA 2404801A CA 2404801 A1 CA2404801 A1 CA 2404801A1
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- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- powdered material
- metering
- ramp
- chain
- container
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Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G65/00—Loading or unloading
- B65G65/30—Methods or devices for filling or emptying bunkers, hoppers, tanks, or like containers, of interest apart from their use in particular chemical or physical processes or their application in particular machines, e.g. not covered by a single other subclass
- B65G65/34—Emptying devices
- B65G65/40—Devices for emptying otherwise than from the top
- B65G65/42—Devices for emptying otherwise than from the top using belt or chain conveyors
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65B—MACHINES, APPARATUS OR DEVICES FOR, OR METHODS OF, PACKAGING ARTICLES OR MATERIALS; UNPACKING
- B65B69/00—Unpacking of articles or materials, not otherwise provided for
- B65B69/0008—Opening and emptying bags
Abstract
A powdered material metering apparatus includes a container adapted to hold powdered material and a ramp having a first end and a second end. The first end of the ramp communicates with the container. A continuous loop metering chain is supported by the ramp. The metering chain has a plurality of links each of which has an aperture. A motor drives the metering chain. The chain passes through powdered material in the container to the first end of the ramp and along the ramp with powdered material trapped in each aperture of each link of the metering chain being delivered to the second end of the ramp.
Description
TITLE OF THE INVENTION:
Powdered Material Metering Apparatus FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a powdered material metering apparatus and, more particularly, such an apparatus suitable for use in adding powdered chemicals to drilling fluids.
1o BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Drilling fluids are pumped down oil and gas wells as a control mechanism to prevent "blow outs". A "blow out" is an uncontrolled release of fluids from a well. It is important that the weight of the column of drilling fluid exceed l5formation pressure. When drilling oil and gas wells, specialized engineers are employed to perform calculations and provide instructions to the drilling crew as to the weight and viscosity of the drilling fluid that is to be used in order to provide a necessary margin of safety.
The most common manner of increasing the viscosity and adding weight to drilling fluids is by adding weight enhancing chemicals, such as barite, to the drilling fluid. Barite comes in powdered form. The directions from the engineer indicate the number of bags that are to be added to the drilling fluid per hour. Due to human error, barite is not being added to the drilling fluid in a consistent fashion. This results in undesirable variations in the viscosity and weight of the drilling fluid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
What is required is a powdered materal metering apparatus capable of consistently delivering powdered chemical additive, such as barite, to drilling fluids.
According to the present invention there is provided a powdered material metering apparatus which includes a container adapted to hold powdered material and a ramp having a first end and a second end. The first end of the ramp communicates with the container. A continuous loop metering chain is supported by the ramp. The metering chain has a plurality of links each of which has an aperture. Means is provided for driving the metering chain. The chain passes through powdered material in the container to the first end of the ramp and along the ramp with powdered material trapped in each aperture of each link of the metering chain being delivered to the second end of the to ramp .
The powdered material metering apparatus, as described above, delivers powdered material as the metering chain rotates.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the powdered material metering apparatus, as described above, in order to obtain an even greater degree of accuracy, it is preferred that a wiper be positioned above the metering 2o chain. This ensures that any excess powdered material is wiped from each aperture of each link of the metering chain.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the powdered material metering apparatus, as described above, even more beneficial results may be obtained when the angle of the ramp is adjustable. This allows the apparatus to be adapted to different sizes of drilling rigs.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the 3o use of the powdered material metering apparatus, as described above, even more beneficial results may be obtained when a) a flexible delivery chute is positioned at the second end of the ramp. The flexible delivery chute enables powdered material to be directed, as required, by merely bending the chute to the desired discharge point.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the powdered material metering apparatus, as described above, even more beneficial results may be obtained when a bag support with bag cutting knives is positioned within the container. This enables the drilling crew to toss bags of powdered chemical onto the bag support, where the bags are cut open by the bag cutting knives.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the powdered material metering apparatus, as described to above, even more beneficial results may be obtained when the means for driving the metering chain is a variable speed motor.
The variable speed motor permits the speed of movement of the metering chain to be either increased or decreased as desired to deliver a required number of bags per minute.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TH8 DRAWI1~TGS
These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose ao of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a powdered material metering apparatus constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view, in section, of the powdered material metering apparatus illustrated in FIGUR$ 1.
FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the container of the powdered material metering apparatus illustrated in FIGURE 1 3o FIGURE 4 is a detailed side elevation view, in section, of the container illustrated in FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 4 is a detailed side elevation view, in section, of the container illustrated in FIGITRB 3.
FIGURE 5 is a detailed end elevation view, in section, of the container illustrated in FIGURE 3, with the cradle in an operational cutting position relative to cutting knife.
FIGURE 6 is a detailed end elevation view, in section, of f~
the container illustrated in FIGURE 3, with the cradle in the safety position with cutting knife shielded.
FIGURE 7 is a detailed end elevation view, in section, of the container illustrated in FIGURE 3, with a pyramid knife s installed.
FIGURE 8 is a detailed top plan view, of a metering chain of the powdered material metering apparatus illustrated in FIGURE 1.
1o DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment, a powdered material metering apparatus generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIGURES 1 through 8.
1s Structure and Relationship of Parts:
Referring to FIGURE l, there is illustrated a powdered material metering apparatus 10 which includes a hopper container 12. Referring to FIGURE 2, container 12 is adapted to hold powdered material 14. In the illustrated embodiment, 2o container 12 has open top 16, a tapered bottom 18 and interior sidewalls 20. An exit opening 22 is provided in bottom 18. It will be appreciated that container 12 could have a different configuration than illustrated and still function. Referring to FIGURE 3, a cross bar 24 extends between sidewalls 20 of 2s container 12. Referring to FIGURE 5, a cutting knife 26 is mounted to cross bar 24 within container 12.
Referring to FIGURE 4, a cradle 28 is provided that is adapted to hold a bag 30 containing powdered material 14.
3o Generally bags 30 intended for cradle 28 weighing approximately 40 kilograms (88 1b) each. Referring to FIGURE 3, guide tracks 32 extend across open top 16 of container 12. Referring to FIGURES 5 and 6, cradle 28 has rollers 34 that are adapted to engage with guide tracks 32 such that cradle 28 can be moved s5 across open top 16 of container 12 from an operational cutting position illustrated in FLGURE 5 to a safety position illustrated in FIGURE 6. Referring to FIGURE 6, in the safety position, cradle 28 positioned such that knife 26 is hidden within a shield 36 provided on cradle 28 so that operators will not inadvertently cut themselves on knife 26. Cradle 28 has downwardly sloping sidewalls 29 which ensure that bag 30 always s sags into path of knife 26. As cradle 28 moves from the safety position illustrated in FIGURE 6 to the operational cutting position illustrated in FIGURE 5, bag 30 is dragged across knife 26, cutting bag 30 and thereby releasing the contents of bag 30 into container 12.
to Referring to FIGURE l, a ramp 38 is provided that has a first end 40 and a second end 42. First end 40 communicates with container 12 at exit opening 22. A flexible delivery chute 44 is positioned at second end 42 of ramp 38. Referring to 15 FIGURE 2, a continuous loop metering chain 46 is supported by ramp 38. A manual jack 39 is provided for selectively varying the angle of inclination of ramp 38 Referring to FIGURE 8, metering chain 46 has a plurality 20 of links 48 each of which has apertures 50. Referring to FIGURE
2, a variable speed motor 52 drives metering chain 46, such that metering chain 46 passes through powdered material 14 in container 12 at first end 40 of ramp 38 and travels along ramp 38 to second end 42 with powdered material 14 trapped in each 25 of apertures 50 of each link 48 of metering chain 46 illustrated in FIGURE 8. Referring to FIGURE 2, variable speed motor 52 permits the speed of movement of metering chain 46 to be either increased or decreased as desired to deliver a required number of bags 30 of powdered material 14 per minute.
3o Referring to FIGURE 4, a wiper 54 is positioned on container 12 above metering chain 46, such that excess powdered material 14 is wiped from apertures 50 of each link 48 of metering chain 46, thereby preventing variations in the amount of powdered material 14 carried by each aperture 50 of each link 48 of 35 metering chain 46. This ensures that the delivery of powdered material by metering chain 46 is consistent.
Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, a pivotally mounted cover 56 is provided on container 12 which can be pivoted to an open position when apparatus 10 is in use as illustrated in FIGURE
2, or to a closed position when apparatus 10 is not in use as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Referring to FIGURE l, a locking engagement 58 is provided for locking cover 56 in the closed position. In the illustrated embodiment, container 12 is supported on a skid 60 by several supporting legs 62. For ease of transportation, skid 60 has wheels 64 and is adapted to to hitched to a towing vehicle. A trailer jack 66 is provided on skid 60 and is used to support skid 60 when skid 60 is not hitched to a towing vehicle. Both wheels 64 and trailer jack 66 can be removed in the event that skid 60 is to be moved with a lifting fork. Referring to FIGURE 2, standing platforms 68 i5 are provided on skid 60 between supporting legs 62 to provide an elevated surface on which to stand when placing bags 30 on cradle 28 or when servicing apparatus 10. Platforms 68 can be removed or pivoted to a storage position during transportation of skid 60. A guide rail 70 is provided on skid 60 which also 2o supports a control box 72. Control box 72 contains the controls for activating and adjusting the speed of speed variable drive motor 52. Referring to FIGURE 2, a length of cord 74 is connected to control box 74 which allows an operator 75 to shut down variable speed drive motor 52 from a distance if required.
Operation:
The use and operation of powdered material metering apparatus generally identified by reference numeral 10, will 3o now be described with reference to FIGURES 1 through 4.
Referring to FIGURE 1, powdered material metering apparatus 10, as described above, can be used to consistently deliver powdered chemical additives such as barite, to drilling fluids at a drilling rig site.
Referring to FIGURE l, to use apparatus 10, manual jack 39 is manually adjusted to selectively vary the angle of inclination of ramp 38 depending on the size and configuration of the drilling rig with which it is being used. Flexible delivery chute 44 that is positioned at second end 42 of ramp 38 is bent to direct it toward a drilling fluids receptacle 76.
s Referring to FIGURE 2, cover 56 is disengaged from locking engagement 58 and pivoted to the open position to allow access to cradle 28. Variable speed drive motor 52 is activated to begin driving continuous loop of metering chain 46. Speed of variable speed drive motor 52 is either increased or decreased io to adjust the speed of movement of metering chain 46, depending on the desired number of bags 30 of powdered material 14 illustrated in FIGURE 4, that axe to be delivered per minute.
Referring of FIGURE 4, bag 30 of powdered material 14 is 15 then placed on cradle 28. Cradle 28 is then moved from the safety position illustrated in FIGURE 6, to the operational cutting position illustrated in FIGURE 5, so that bag 30 is dragged across cutting knife 26 to cut open bag 30 so that powdered material 14 contained within bag 30 is released and 2oflows into container 12. Referring to FIGURE 2, powdered material 14 flows by force of gravity down tapered bottom 18 of container 12 to exit opening 22. Continuous loop metering chain 46 rotates below exit opening 22 such that metering chain 46 passes through accumulating powdered material 14. As 2s metering chain 46 passes through powdered material 14, powdered material 14 becomes trapped in apertures 50 of each link 48 of metering chain 46. Referring to FIGURE 4, wiper 54 that is positioned above metering chain 46 wipes excess powdered material 14 from each aperture 50 of each link 48 to ensure 3o that a consistent amount of powdered material 14 is contained within each aperture 50 of each link 48 of metering chain 46.
Referring to FIGURE 2, powdered material 14 in apertures 50 of each link 48 travels with metering chain 46 from first end 40 of ramp 38 to second end 42 of ramp 38. Powdered material 14 35 trapped in metering chain 46 is dumped from metering chain 46 at second end 42 of ramp 38 into flexible delivery chute 44.
Powdered material 14 travels along flexible delivery chute 44 by force of gravity until it exits flexible delivery chute 44 into drilling fluid receptacle 76.
Referring to FIGURE 2, as length of cord 74 is connected to control box 72, operator 75 is able to move away from apparatus to get more bags 30, and yet operator 75 is able to shut apparatus 10 down from a distance if an emergency occurs, rather than running back to apparatus 10.
1o Alternative Embodiment Referring to FIC3UR8 7, as an alternative, cradle 28 can be disengaged from open top 16 of container 12 and cutting knife 26 can be removed from cross bar 24 inside of container 12. A pyramidal knife 78 can then be mounted on cross bar 24.
Pyramidal knife 78 has four sharp edged supports 80 which converge to form a sharp point 82 that extends above open top 16 of container 12. Pyramidal knife 78 is suitable for use with large bags 30 of powered material 14 such as those weighing approximately 1.36 metric tonnes (3000 1b). These large bags 30 are placed on point 82 to cut them open to release powdered material 14 into container 12. These large bags are used were the number of bags per minute required makes feeding the machine with individual 88 pound bags too onerous.
Powdered material metering apparatus 10 provides a number of advantages:
- it is environmentally friendly and avoids spillage which formerly occurred when attempting to dump bags of powdered chemicals;
- it is provides a safe working environment regarding bag handling and knives;
- it will continue to work as conditions change, extreme heat, extreme cold, extreme wet or extreme dry;
- it delivers powdered product with remarkable accuracy;
- it permits the speed of delivery of the product to be controlled, increased or decreased as desired;
- it is labour saving and, as such, cost effective;
- it can handle large or small jobs and works with large or small drilling rigs.
In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in s its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that to there be one and only one of the elements.
It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as 15 hereinafter defined in the Claims.
Powdered Material Metering Apparatus FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a powdered material metering apparatus and, more particularly, such an apparatus suitable for use in adding powdered chemicals to drilling fluids.
1o BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Drilling fluids are pumped down oil and gas wells as a control mechanism to prevent "blow outs". A "blow out" is an uncontrolled release of fluids from a well. It is important that the weight of the column of drilling fluid exceed l5formation pressure. When drilling oil and gas wells, specialized engineers are employed to perform calculations and provide instructions to the drilling crew as to the weight and viscosity of the drilling fluid that is to be used in order to provide a necessary margin of safety.
The most common manner of increasing the viscosity and adding weight to drilling fluids is by adding weight enhancing chemicals, such as barite, to the drilling fluid. Barite comes in powdered form. The directions from the engineer indicate the number of bags that are to be added to the drilling fluid per hour. Due to human error, barite is not being added to the drilling fluid in a consistent fashion. This results in undesirable variations in the viscosity and weight of the drilling fluid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
What is required is a powdered materal metering apparatus capable of consistently delivering powdered chemical additive, such as barite, to drilling fluids.
According to the present invention there is provided a powdered material metering apparatus which includes a container adapted to hold powdered material and a ramp having a first end and a second end. The first end of the ramp communicates with the container. A continuous loop metering chain is supported by the ramp. The metering chain has a plurality of links each of which has an aperture. Means is provided for driving the metering chain. The chain passes through powdered material in the container to the first end of the ramp and along the ramp with powdered material trapped in each aperture of each link of the metering chain being delivered to the second end of the to ramp .
The powdered material metering apparatus, as described above, delivers powdered material as the metering chain rotates.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the powdered material metering apparatus, as described above, in order to obtain an even greater degree of accuracy, it is preferred that a wiper be positioned above the metering 2o chain. This ensures that any excess powdered material is wiped from each aperture of each link of the metering chain.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the powdered material metering apparatus, as described above, even more beneficial results may be obtained when the angle of the ramp is adjustable. This allows the apparatus to be adapted to different sizes of drilling rigs.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the 3o use of the powdered material metering apparatus, as described above, even more beneficial results may be obtained when a) a flexible delivery chute is positioned at the second end of the ramp. The flexible delivery chute enables powdered material to be directed, as required, by merely bending the chute to the desired discharge point.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the powdered material metering apparatus, as described above, even more beneficial results may be obtained when a bag support with bag cutting knives is positioned within the container. This enables the drilling crew to toss bags of powdered chemical onto the bag support, where the bags are cut open by the bag cutting knives.
Although beneficial results may be obtained through the use of the powdered material metering apparatus, as described to above, even more beneficial results may be obtained when the means for driving the metering chain is a variable speed motor.
The variable speed motor permits the speed of movement of the metering chain to be either increased or decreased as desired to deliver a required number of bags per minute.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TH8 DRAWI1~TGS
These and other features of the invention will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose ao of illustration only and are not intended to in any way limit the scope of the invention to the particular embodiment or embodiments shown, wherein:
FIGURE 1 is a side elevation view of a powdered material metering apparatus constructed in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.
FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view, in section, of the powdered material metering apparatus illustrated in FIGUR$ 1.
FIGURE 3 is a top plan view of the container of the powdered material metering apparatus illustrated in FIGURE 1 3o FIGURE 4 is a detailed side elevation view, in section, of the container illustrated in FIGURE 3.
FIGURE 4 is a detailed side elevation view, in section, of the container illustrated in FIGITRB 3.
FIGURE 5 is a detailed end elevation view, in section, of the container illustrated in FIGURE 3, with the cradle in an operational cutting position relative to cutting knife.
FIGURE 6 is a detailed end elevation view, in section, of f~
the container illustrated in FIGURE 3, with the cradle in the safety position with cutting knife shielded.
FIGURE 7 is a detailed end elevation view, in section, of the container illustrated in FIGURE 3, with a pyramid knife s installed.
FIGURE 8 is a detailed top plan view, of a metering chain of the powdered material metering apparatus illustrated in FIGURE 1.
1o DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment, a powdered material metering apparatus generally identified by reference numeral 10, will now be described with reference to FIGURES 1 through 8.
1s Structure and Relationship of Parts:
Referring to FIGURE l, there is illustrated a powdered material metering apparatus 10 which includes a hopper container 12. Referring to FIGURE 2, container 12 is adapted to hold powdered material 14. In the illustrated embodiment, 2o container 12 has open top 16, a tapered bottom 18 and interior sidewalls 20. An exit opening 22 is provided in bottom 18. It will be appreciated that container 12 could have a different configuration than illustrated and still function. Referring to FIGURE 3, a cross bar 24 extends between sidewalls 20 of 2s container 12. Referring to FIGURE 5, a cutting knife 26 is mounted to cross bar 24 within container 12.
Referring to FIGURE 4, a cradle 28 is provided that is adapted to hold a bag 30 containing powdered material 14.
3o Generally bags 30 intended for cradle 28 weighing approximately 40 kilograms (88 1b) each. Referring to FIGURE 3, guide tracks 32 extend across open top 16 of container 12. Referring to FIGURES 5 and 6, cradle 28 has rollers 34 that are adapted to engage with guide tracks 32 such that cradle 28 can be moved s5 across open top 16 of container 12 from an operational cutting position illustrated in FLGURE 5 to a safety position illustrated in FIGURE 6. Referring to FIGURE 6, in the safety position, cradle 28 positioned such that knife 26 is hidden within a shield 36 provided on cradle 28 so that operators will not inadvertently cut themselves on knife 26. Cradle 28 has downwardly sloping sidewalls 29 which ensure that bag 30 always s sags into path of knife 26. As cradle 28 moves from the safety position illustrated in FIGURE 6 to the operational cutting position illustrated in FIGURE 5, bag 30 is dragged across knife 26, cutting bag 30 and thereby releasing the contents of bag 30 into container 12.
to Referring to FIGURE l, a ramp 38 is provided that has a first end 40 and a second end 42. First end 40 communicates with container 12 at exit opening 22. A flexible delivery chute 44 is positioned at second end 42 of ramp 38. Referring to 15 FIGURE 2, a continuous loop metering chain 46 is supported by ramp 38. A manual jack 39 is provided for selectively varying the angle of inclination of ramp 38 Referring to FIGURE 8, metering chain 46 has a plurality 20 of links 48 each of which has apertures 50. Referring to FIGURE
2, a variable speed motor 52 drives metering chain 46, such that metering chain 46 passes through powdered material 14 in container 12 at first end 40 of ramp 38 and travels along ramp 38 to second end 42 with powdered material 14 trapped in each 25 of apertures 50 of each link 48 of metering chain 46 illustrated in FIGURE 8. Referring to FIGURE 2, variable speed motor 52 permits the speed of movement of metering chain 46 to be either increased or decreased as desired to deliver a required number of bags 30 of powdered material 14 per minute.
3o Referring to FIGURE 4, a wiper 54 is positioned on container 12 above metering chain 46, such that excess powdered material 14 is wiped from apertures 50 of each link 48 of metering chain 46, thereby preventing variations in the amount of powdered material 14 carried by each aperture 50 of each link 48 of 35 metering chain 46. This ensures that the delivery of powdered material by metering chain 46 is consistent.
Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, a pivotally mounted cover 56 is provided on container 12 which can be pivoted to an open position when apparatus 10 is in use as illustrated in FIGURE
2, or to a closed position when apparatus 10 is not in use as illustrated in FIGURE 1. Referring to FIGURE l, a locking engagement 58 is provided for locking cover 56 in the closed position. In the illustrated embodiment, container 12 is supported on a skid 60 by several supporting legs 62. For ease of transportation, skid 60 has wheels 64 and is adapted to to hitched to a towing vehicle. A trailer jack 66 is provided on skid 60 and is used to support skid 60 when skid 60 is not hitched to a towing vehicle. Both wheels 64 and trailer jack 66 can be removed in the event that skid 60 is to be moved with a lifting fork. Referring to FIGURE 2, standing platforms 68 i5 are provided on skid 60 between supporting legs 62 to provide an elevated surface on which to stand when placing bags 30 on cradle 28 or when servicing apparatus 10. Platforms 68 can be removed or pivoted to a storage position during transportation of skid 60. A guide rail 70 is provided on skid 60 which also 2o supports a control box 72. Control box 72 contains the controls for activating and adjusting the speed of speed variable drive motor 52. Referring to FIGURE 2, a length of cord 74 is connected to control box 74 which allows an operator 75 to shut down variable speed drive motor 52 from a distance if required.
Operation:
The use and operation of powdered material metering apparatus generally identified by reference numeral 10, will 3o now be described with reference to FIGURES 1 through 4.
Referring to FIGURE 1, powdered material metering apparatus 10, as described above, can be used to consistently deliver powdered chemical additives such as barite, to drilling fluids at a drilling rig site.
Referring to FIGURE l, to use apparatus 10, manual jack 39 is manually adjusted to selectively vary the angle of inclination of ramp 38 depending on the size and configuration of the drilling rig with which it is being used. Flexible delivery chute 44 that is positioned at second end 42 of ramp 38 is bent to direct it toward a drilling fluids receptacle 76.
s Referring to FIGURE 2, cover 56 is disengaged from locking engagement 58 and pivoted to the open position to allow access to cradle 28. Variable speed drive motor 52 is activated to begin driving continuous loop of metering chain 46. Speed of variable speed drive motor 52 is either increased or decreased io to adjust the speed of movement of metering chain 46, depending on the desired number of bags 30 of powdered material 14 illustrated in FIGURE 4, that axe to be delivered per minute.
Referring of FIGURE 4, bag 30 of powdered material 14 is 15 then placed on cradle 28. Cradle 28 is then moved from the safety position illustrated in FIGURE 6, to the operational cutting position illustrated in FIGURE 5, so that bag 30 is dragged across cutting knife 26 to cut open bag 30 so that powdered material 14 contained within bag 30 is released and 2oflows into container 12. Referring to FIGURE 2, powdered material 14 flows by force of gravity down tapered bottom 18 of container 12 to exit opening 22. Continuous loop metering chain 46 rotates below exit opening 22 such that metering chain 46 passes through accumulating powdered material 14. As 2s metering chain 46 passes through powdered material 14, powdered material 14 becomes trapped in apertures 50 of each link 48 of metering chain 46. Referring to FIGURE 4, wiper 54 that is positioned above metering chain 46 wipes excess powdered material 14 from each aperture 50 of each link 48 to ensure 3o that a consistent amount of powdered material 14 is contained within each aperture 50 of each link 48 of metering chain 46.
Referring to FIGURE 2, powdered material 14 in apertures 50 of each link 48 travels with metering chain 46 from first end 40 of ramp 38 to second end 42 of ramp 38. Powdered material 14 35 trapped in metering chain 46 is dumped from metering chain 46 at second end 42 of ramp 38 into flexible delivery chute 44.
Powdered material 14 travels along flexible delivery chute 44 by force of gravity until it exits flexible delivery chute 44 into drilling fluid receptacle 76.
Referring to FIGURE 2, as length of cord 74 is connected to control box 72, operator 75 is able to move away from apparatus to get more bags 30, and yet operator 75 is able to shut apparatus 10 down from a distance if an emergency occurs, rather than running back to apparatus 10.
1o Alternative Embodiment Referring to FIC3UR8 7, as an alternative, cradle 28 can be disengaged from open top 16 of container 12 and cutting knife 26 can be removed from cross bar 24 inside of container 12. A pyramidal knife 78 can then be mounted on cross bar 24.
Pyramidal knife 78 has four sharp edged supports 80 which converge to form a sharp point 82 that extends above open top 16 of container 12. Pyramidal knife 78 is suitable for use with large bags 30 of powered material 14 such as those weighing approximately 1.36 metric tonnes (3000 1b). These large bags 30 are placed on point 82 to cut them open to release powdered material 14 into container 12. These large bags are used were the number of bags per minute required makes feeding the machine with individual 88 pound bags too onerous.
Powdered material metering apparatus 10 provides a number of advantages:
- it is environmentally friendly and avoids spillage which formerly occurred when attempting to dump bags of powdered chemicals;
- it is provides a safe working environment regarding bag handling and knives;
- it will continue to work as conditions change, extreme heat, extreme cold, extreme wet or extreme dry;
- it delivers powdered product with remarkable accuracy;
- it permits the speed of delivery of the product to be controlled, increased or decreased as desired;
- it is labour saving and, as such, cost effective;
- it can handle large or small jobs and works with large or small drilling rigs.
In this patent document, the word "comprising" is used in s its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article "a" does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that to there be one and only one of the elements.
It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that modifications may be made to the illustrated embodiment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as 15 hereinafter defined in the Claims.
Claims (7)
1. ~A powdered material metering apparatus, comprising:
a container adapted to hold powdered material;
a ramp having a first end and a second end, the first end communicating with the container;
a continuous loop metering chain supported by the ramp, the metering chain having a plurality of links each of which has an aperture;
means for driving the metering chain, such that the chain passes through powdered material in the container to the first end of the ramp and along the ramp with powdered material trapped in each aperture of each link of the metering chain being delivered to the second end of the ramp.
a container adapted to hold powdered material;
a ramp having a first end and a second end, the first end communicating with the container;
a continuous loop metering chain supported by the ramp, the metering chain having a plurality of links each of which has an aperture;
means for driving the metering chain, such that the chain passes through powdered material in the container to the first end of the ramp and along the ramp with powdered material trapped in each aperture of each link of the metering chain being delivered to the second end of the ramp.
2. ~The powdered material metering apparatus as defined in Claim 1, wherein a wiper is positioned above the metering chain, such that excess powdered material is wiped from each aperture of each link of the metering chain.
3. ~The powdered material metering apparatus as defined in Claim 1, wherein the angle of the ramp is adjustable.
4. ~The powdered material metering apparatus as defined in Claim 1, wherein a flexible delivery chute is positioned at the second end of the ramp.
5. ~The powdered material metering apparatus as defined in Claim 1, wherein a bag support with bag cutting knives is positioned within the container.
6. ~The powdered material metering apparatus as defined in Claim 1, wherein the means for driving the metering chain is a variable speed motor, such that the speed of movement of the metering chain can be either increased or decreased as desired to deliver a required number of bags per minute.
7. A powdered material metering apparatus, comprising:
a container adapted to hold powdered material;
a bag support with bag cutting knives being positioned within the contained, thereby facilitating the bags containing powdered material being emptied into the container;
a ramp having a first end and a second end, the first end communicating with the container;
a fluid activated support cylinder being provided to selectively vary the angle of inclination of the ramp;
a flexible delivery chute being positioned at the second end of the ramp;
a continuous loop metering chain supported by the ramp, the metering chain having a plurality of links each of which has an aperture;
a variable speed motor driving the metering chain, such that the chain passes through powdered material in the container to the first end of the ramp and along the ramp with powdered material trapped in each aperture of each link of the metering chain being delivered to the second end of the ramp, the variable speed motor permitting the speed of movement of the metering chain to be either increased or decreased as desired to deliver a required number of bags per minute; and a wiper positioned above the metering chain, such that excess powdered material is wiped from each aperture of each link of the metering chain, thereby preventing variations in the amount of powdered material carried by each aperture of each link of the metering chain.
a container adapted to hold powdered material;
a bag support with bag cutting knives being positioned within the contained, thereby facilitating the bags containing powdered material being emptied into the container;
a ramp having a first end and a second end, the first end communicating with the container;
a fluid activated support cylinder being provided to selectively vary the angle of inclination of the ramp;
a flexible delivery chute being positioned at the second end of the ramp;
a continuous loop metering chain supported by the ramp, the metering chain having a plurality of links each of which has an aperture;
a variable speed motor driving the metering chain, such that the chain passes through powdered material in the container to the first end of the ramp and along the ramp with powdered material trapped in each aperture of each link of the metering chain being delivered to the second end of the ramp, the variable speed motor permitting the speed of movement of the metering chain to be either increased or decreased as desired to deliver a required number of bags per minute; and a wiper positioned above the metering chain, such that excess powdered material is wiped from each aperture of each link of the metering chain, thereby preventing variations in the amount of powdered material carried by each aperture of each link of the metering chain.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2404801 CA2404801A1 (en) | 2002-09-24 | 2002-09-24 | Powdered material metering apparatus |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2404801 CA2404801A1 (en) | 2002-09-24 | 2002-09-24 | Powdered material metering apparatus |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA2404801A1 true CA2404801A1 (en) | 2004-03-24 |
Family
ID=32181860
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA 2404801 Abandoned CA2404801A1 (en) | 2002-09-24 | 2002-09-24 | Powdered material metering apparatus |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA2404801A1 (en) |
Cited By (3)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN104860021A (en) * | 2015-05-22 | 2015-08-26 | 福建信达机械有限公司 | Mechanical bucket elevator with automatic discharging function and control method thereof |
| CN104874325A (en) * | 2015-06-02 | 2015-09-02 | 山东龙泰畜牧机械有限公司 | Premixing device |
| CN113291855A (en) * | 2020-08-10 | 2021-08-24 | 湖南长天自控工程有限公司 | Material piling method and material piling device |
-
2002
- 2002-09-24 CA CA 2404801 patent/CA2404801A1/en not_active Abandoned
Cited By (4)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN104860021A (en) * | 2015-05-22 | 2015-08-26 | 福建信达机械有限公司 | Mechanical bucket elevator with automatic discharging function and control method thereof |
| CN104874325A (en) * | 2015-06-02 | 2015-09-02 | 山东龙泰畜牧机械有限公司 | Premixing device |
| CN113291855A (en) * | 2020-08-10 | 2021-08-24 | 湖南长天自控工程有限公司 | Material piling method and material piling device |
| CN113291855B (en) * | 2020-08-10 | 2023-03-10 | 湖南长天自控工程有限公司 | Material piling method and material piling device |
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