CH618788A5 - Method making it possible to measure the flow capacity of a material in fluid flow and apparatus implementing the method - Google Patents

Abstract

After having loaded the material to be tested in a hopper (1), it is made to flow under gravity in the form of a main stream which is divided into two lateral streams by means of an upper separator (2A). Each of the two streams is then itself sub-divided into two new lateral streams, by means of two lower separators (2B, 2C). The four streams thus formed are collected in the form of piles in collecting tanks (3A, 3B, 3C), the two streams coming from the opposite faces of the lower separators being joined in the central tank (3A). The flow capacity of the material emerges from the visual, volumetric and/or weight comparison between the piles. This apparatus is used for all industrial applications in which the knowledge of the flow capacity of a material in fluid flow is important. <IMAGE>

Description

The present invention relates to a method for measuring the flow capacity of any fluid-flow material such as a pulverulent product or a liquid without the need, as is currently the case, either to do the actual test of the use of the product or the liquid, i.e. to carry out chronometric measurements having no precision.

The method according to the invention is characterized in that it consists in causing the material to flow by gravity in the form of a main vein, in dividing, by means of a separator, first of all the main vein in order to obtain at least one primary vein of lesser thickness, then to subdivide at least once again the primary vein into secondary flow veins of lesser thickness, to collect in the form of a heap the secondary flow veins in collecting tanks, then finally to determine, by visual, volumetric and / or weight comparison between the piles collected in the various collecting tanks, the flow capacity of the fluid flow material.

This process makes it possible to determine with very great certainty and precision whether a pulverulent product, a liquid or any other fluid-flow material, of which a sample is tested, will in practice have the desired characteristics for the industrial application to which destines him.

Thus, for example, the method can be usefully and effectively applied to solve very different problems, such as:

- the development of a new pulverulent product intended to be shaped on a known machine;

- the influence on the flow of a manufacturing parameter;

- the measurement of constancy in the flow of a product during manufacture;

- a priori control of a mass of a powdery product intended for export;

- measurement of the viscosity of a food or industrial oil, under determined conditions of use;

- an operation for sorting or calibrating the particles of a pulverulent product.

The invention also relates to the apparatus implementing the method defined above.

This apparatus is characterized by the fact that it comprises, from top to bottom, a hopper provided with an outlet nozzle, a separator comprising at least two stages, intended, on the one hand, to divide the main outlet stream of the nozzle, in order to obtain at least 55 a primary vein of lesser thickness and, on the other hand, to subdivide at least once again the primary vein into secondary flow veins of lesser thickness, and a collector made up of tanks intended to collect the secondary veins in the form of a heap.

The characteristics, advantages and particularities of the present invention will emerge from the description which is given below with reference to ^ ux appended schematic drawings representing, by way of purely explanatory and in no way limiting, an apparatus according to the invention applied to the measurement of the flow capacity of a flowable material.

More specifically, on these drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a possible embodiment of an apparatus for measuring the

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capacity of flow of a pulverulent product, implementing the present invention;

Figure 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the apparatus, in the case of application to a powdery product having good flow; FIG. 3 is a detailed diagram showing how the flow of the pulverulent product to be tested is distributed as well as the shape of the piles obtained in the three collectors, in the case of application to a pulverulent product having good flow; nor FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram similar to that of FIG. 2 showing the operation of the apparatus, this time in the case of application to a pulverulent product having an average flow;

FIG. 5 is a detailed diagram similar to that of FIG. 3, in the case of application to a pulverulent product having an average flow;

Figure 6 is an explanatory diagram similar to those of Figures 2 and 4 showing the operation of the apparatus in the case of application to a pulverulent product having a flow 2 (1 difficult; and Figure 7 is a similar detailed diagram to those of FIGS. 3 and 5, in the case of application to a pulverulent product having a difficult flow.

It should be noted that the apparatus shown in the drawings was designed more specifically for the treatment of a pulverulent product but that it would apply without major modification, as regards its structure, to the treatment of a fluid and, generally, to any fluid-flowing material.

The apparatus allowing the measurement of the flow capacity 30 of a pulverulent product represented by way of example in FIG. 1 consists of three essential elements, namely:

- A metering hopper element designated by the general reference 1 and intended to receive the powdery product to be tested; 35

- A separator element designated by the general reference 2 and intended to divide the stream of powdery product flowing from the hopper by gravity;

- a collecting element designated by the general reference 3

and intended to recover the pulverulent product when it has been divided by the separator.

The hopper 1 and separator 2 assemblies are mounted on a frame designated by the general reference 4, said frame being arranged so that the collecting element 3 can be placed below the separating element 2. 45

More specifically and according to the embodiment shown by way of example in FIG. 1, the hopper element 1 is arranged so that the spacing of the nozzle through which the pulverulent product flows by gravity is test is adjustable. 50

To this end, the hopper 1 consists of two complementary parts or sectors 1A and 1B capable of sliding along the upper edge of two lateral support plates 5a and 5B. The two parts 1A and 1B of the hopper are provided with blocking devices such as 6A and 6B which allow the operator to lock said parts 1A and 1B in positions symmetrical relative to the plane of symmetry XOY of the apparatus for so that the flow nozzle 7 of the hopper with a generally rectangular section has the desired spacing and 60 is arranged symmetrically with respect to said plane XOY.

It should be noted that the lateral support plates 5A and 5B on which sectors 1A and 1B of the hopper slide constitute the side walls of the hopper, between sectors 1A and 1B and are therefore advantageously made of a material 65 transparent which allows the operator to visually observe the flow of the pulverulent product inside the hopper.

These transparent side plates 5A and 5B extend downwards so as to also serve as a support for fixing the separating element 2, while allowing the operator to see as visually as the division of the product vein s' flowing over the separator is carried out normally, as will be described in detail below.

The assembly constituted by the two side plates 5A, 5B, the hopper 1 and the separator 2, is integral with a base 8 with spacers 9 which constitute the actual frame 4 of the device which has been discussed above.

The bottom of the hopper 1, upstream of the nozzle 7 in the direction of flow, is closed by means of a plate or pull tab 10 having a shoulder passing through a suitable slot 11 formed in the side wall 5A so that the operator can extract it quickly and thus allow the pulverulent product stored in the hopper 1 to flow by gravity through the nozzle 7 on the separator 2.

The separating element 2 consists of three identical dihedrons 2A, 2b and 2c arranged in a staggered manner so that, on the one hand, the edge of the upper dihedron 2A is arranged, below the nozzle 7 of the hopper 1, in the plane of symmetry XOY of the apparatus and that, on the other hand, the two lower dihedrons 2B and 2C are preferably arranged at the same height, symmetrically with respect to the plane XOY, so that the edges of these dihedra are disposed respectively in the extension of the two flow planes of the upper dihedral 2A.

In any case, the dihedrons are detachably fixed on the side plates so that their relative positions can possibly be modified according to certain particular characteristics of the pulverulent products to be tested.

On the device shown by way of example, the separator assembly 2 comprises dihedrons arranged on two stages. It should however be noted that, if it is necessary to have these two stages to obtain the separation of the vein flowing from the dosing hopper 1, as will be described in detail below, the separating element 2 may include a greater number of dihedral stages, the latter being staggered with respect to each other.

The fixing of the dihedrons in the side plates 5A and 5B is obtained by fitting them, for example, in suitable openings, such as 12A, 12B and 12c, formed in said side plates 5A and 5B.

Obviously, the openings 12A, 12B and 12c can be arranged so that the dihedrons 2A, 2B and 2C can occupy different relative positions selected according to the pulverulent products to be tested.

According to an alternative embodiment not shown, it is the set of dihedrons 2A, 2B and 2C and the shoulders of the side plates 5A and 5B on which they are fixed which can be removable with respect to said side plates. It then suffices to adapt the appropriate separator assembly to the plates that are selected from a number of removable separator assemblies having different dihedral settings.

According to another alternative embodiment, not shown, the dihedrons of the lower stage of the separator, in this case 2B and 2C, can be replaced by plates arranged vertically so that the upper edges of these plates replace the edges of the dihedrons. .

As can be seen in Figure 1, the collector 3 is housed below the separator 2. This collector consists of three identical collecting tanks 3A, 3B and 3C arranged in such a way that the central collector 3A is located below the dihedron upper 2A and that its longitudinal plane of symmetry is coincident with the plane of symmetry XOY of the device.

The two lateral collecting tanks 3B and 3C are arranged symmetrically, on either side of the central tank 3A and parallel •

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Lement to the latter, the width of the collectors being determined so that the external flow planes of the lower lateral dihedrons 2B and 2C direct the flow streams of the pulverulent product which they divide, respectively on the collectors 3a and 3b, to with regard to the 2B dihedral, and on the 5 collectors 3A and 3C, with regard to the 2C dihedral.

It is obvious that the number of collecting tanks is a function of the number of dihedral stages of the separating element 2 but that the operating principle remains the same.

We will therefore now explain the operation of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 1, in three different application cases, namely:

1) in the case of a pulverulent product having good flow, with reference to Figures 2 and 3;

2) in the case of a pulverulent product having an average flow, with reference to Figures 4 and 5;

3) in the case of a pulverulent product having a difficult flow, with reference to Figures 6 and 7.

It should be noted that in order not to overload the description unnecessarily, the explanatory diagrams of operation in FIGS. 2, 4 and 6 show only the only essential elements of the apparatus, which are designated by the same references as those used. in figure 1.

Obviously, for the comparison of the results obtained in the three envisaged application cases to be valid, the apparatus must keep the same settings in these three different application cases.

The dosing hopper 1 is filled with the pulverulent product to be tested 13, taking care obviously to put the pull tab 10 in the closed position shown in phantom. The product 13 then reaches the upper level shown diagrammatically by the line. mixed HH ^

The collecting tanks 3A, 3B and 3C are placed in their receiving position in the manner which has been explained above, below the separating dihedrons 2A, 2B and 2C. The device is then ready for operation.

To do this, the operator pulls on the pull tab 10 to bring it into the open position shown in solid lines.

The powdery product 13 then begins to flow by 40 gravity, through the nozzle 7, in the form of a main vertical vein with rectangular cross section which, meeting the edge of the upper dihedral 2A, is divided into two primary veins 13A and 13B of lesser thickness which flow respectively along the two planes of said dihedron 45 2a. Due to the symmetry of the dynamic assembly thus created, it appears that the two veins 13A and 13B are symmetrically identical.

The vein 13A will, in turn, meet the edge of the lower dihedron 2b and divide into two secondary veins 13Al and 13Aj 50 of lesser thickness flowing respectively along the two planes of said dihedron 2B to fall: the first 13Al, in the collecting tank 3B where it accumulates in the form of a heap 14B; and the second 13Aj, in the central collecting tank 3A where it accumulates in the form of a heap 14A. 55

Similarly, the vein 13B will, in turn, meet the edge of the lower dihedral 2C and divide into two secondary veins 13B1 and 13Bj of lesser thickness flowing respectively along the two planes of said dihedral 2C to fall: the first 13Bl,

in the collecting tank 3C where it accumulates in the form of a 60 'heap 14c; and the second 13B2, in the central collecting tank 3A where it accumulates in the form of a heap 14A.

If we now refer to FIG. 3, or can see that with a pulverulent product 13 having good flow, we obtain in the three collectors 3A, 3B and 3C three heaps 14A, 14B and 6s 14c having substantially the same height. The pile 14A in the central collector 3A is symmetrical in shape with a very slight slope angle relative to a very rounded central ridge. On the contrary, the lateral piles 14B and 14c have a ridge also rounded but very clearly deferred towards the outside of the collecting tanks 3B and 3C with respect to the central plane of symmetry XOY of the device.

This symmetrically wide distribution comes from the fact that the pulverulent product tested having precisely a good flow, the particles flowing in contact with the planes of the lateral dihedrons 2B and 2C do not undergo a significant slowdown compared to the other particles constituting the veins. The latter therefore have a flow whose general line is very clearly parabolic and without breakage. Furthermore, the flows on the two dihedrons 2B and 2C remain symmetrical.

If the same experiment as described above is repeated, with the same apparatus and with the same settings, but successively using a pulverulent product 13 having an average flow (case of FIGS. 4 and 5) then a pulverulent product 13 having difficult flow (case of Figures 6 and 7), we see that:

1 °) the operation of the apparatus remains identical in its main lines, namely: separation of the initial vein into two primary symmetrical veins of lesser thickness 13A and 13B then separation of each of these last two veins into secondary veins of lesser thickness 13Al, 13Aj, on the one hand, and 13B1, 13B2, on the other hand, also of lesser thickness;

2) the shape of the heaps 14A, 14B and 14c recovered in the collectors 3A, 3B and 3C, for its part, is significantly different depending on the flow capacity of the pulverulent product which is tested.

Thus, if we refer to FIG. 5 concerning the measurement of the flow capacity of a pulverulent product 13 having an average flow, it can be seen that, this time and compared with the previous case: the central pile 14A is higher than the lateral piles 14B and 14c; the slope angle is much greater and the ridge much more pronounced; and that finally the crests of the lateral piles 14B and 14c have come considerably closer to the plane of symmetry XOY of the apparatus.

If one finally refers to FIG. 7 concerning the measurement of the capacity of flow of a pulverulent product 13 having a difficult flow, one notes that, this time, the central pile 14a has a height almost double of that of the lateral piles 14B and 14c and that the crests of the latter have come closer to the plane of symmetry XOY of the apparatus.

Contrary to the symmetrically wide distribution of a pulverulent product having a good flow, in the case of a product having a medium flow or a difficult flow, one obtains a symmetrically narrowed distribution with respect to the central pile, the narrowing of the assembly relative to the plane of symmetry of the apparatus as well as the height of the central pile being all the more important as the flow is more difficult.

This is due to the fact that the particles flowing in contact with the planes of the lateral dihedrons 2B and 2C undergo a significant slowing down compared to the other particles constituting the veins. The latter consequently have a flow whose general line is approaching more and more the straight line and with a break all the more pronounced as the flow capacity is more difficult. The puncture made by the central veins 13Aî and 13Bj with respect to the external veins 13Al and 13B1 therefore increases as the flow capacity is less good.

In conclusion, it can be seen that the weight of the mass of pulverulent product 13, collected in the central collector 3A, is inversely proportional to the flow capacity of the pulverulent product tested or that, in other words, the measurement of the masses collected in the central collector characterizes the flow.

Obviously the collecting tanks can advantageously include graduations making it possible to measure the

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volumes of the heaps which piled up in the collecting tanks and which we could visually appreciate.

As seen above, the number of collecting tanks is a function of the number of dihedral stages of the separating element 2, without changing the method for measuring the flow capacity of the product tested, in accordance with the 'invention.

It should be noted simply that it is necessary to divide the main vein successively into two primary veins and each of these, at least once again, into two secondary veins. io

In other words, at least four secondary veins must be obtained, that is to say that the separating element must comprise at least two stages.

As explained above, several parameters influence the flow measurement. These parameters are: is

- relative positions of the separator dihedrons;

- spacing of the two sectors of the hopper determining the section of the outlet orifice;

- quantity of mass of the pulverulent product which has to flow, since the cohesion of the mass, and consequently its flow, depends on the quantity.

In order to obtain the best possible correlation between the measurements of the flow capacity of the pulverulent products and the industrial applications which it is desired to make of them, it is obviously advantageous to determine experimentally the optimum values of these parameters and, consequently, d '' have an adjustable device allowing easy series of comparable experiments.

The industrial applications of the invention are manifold since the latter can be applied whenever the flow capacity of any fluid-flow material such as a pulverulent product or a liquid has an important character.

Thus, among the possible applications of the invention, the following are non-limiting examples:

- the development of a new product based on powdered product, intended to be shaped on a known machine;

the influence on the flow of a manufacturing parameter such as, for example: temperature of introduction of a liquid fat, temperature of the mass, mixing time,

etc .;

- in manufacturing, the measurement of constancy in the flow of a product;

- the control of a mass of a pulverulent product, intended for export, to ensure that its shaping on site will not give rise to difficulties and possibly avoid sending doubtful masses;

- measurement of the viscosity of a food or industrial oil, under determined conditions of use;

- An operation for sorting or calibrating the particles of a pulverulent product, by simply adjusting the spacing between the flow planes of the dihedrons of the separating element.

3 sheets of drawings

Claims (11)

618,788 2 1. Method for measuring the flow capacity of a fluid-flow material, in particular of a pulverulent product or a liquid, stored in a dosing hopper, characterized by the fact that it consists in flowing by gravity the material in the form of a main vein to be divided, by means of a separator, first of all the main vein in order to obtain at least one primary vein of less thickness, then to subdivide at least once again, the primary in secondary flow veins of lesser thickness, to collect in the form of a heap the secondary flow veins in collecting tanks, then finally to determine, by visual, volumetric and / or weight comparison between the heaps collected in the different collecting bins, the flow capacity of the flowing material. 2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that we first divide the main vein into two primary lateral veins of lesser thickness then subdivides, in turn tet at least once again, each of these lateral veins primary in two secondary lateral veins of lesser thickness and that these four secondary veins are collected in the form of a heap in three collecting tanks. 3. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that one collects in the form of a heap in three collecting tanks so that the central tank collects the two central veins and the external tanks each collect one of the two external veins. 4. Method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the main vein as well as the lateral veins, both primary and secondary, have a cross section of generally rectangular shape. 5. Apparatus for implementing the method according to claim 1, characterized in that it comprises, from top to bottom, a hopper provided with an outlet nozzle, a separator comprising at least two stages, intended, on the one hand, to divide the main vein leaving the nozzle, in order to obtain at least one primary vein of lesser thickness and, on the other hand, to subdivide at least once again the primary vein into secondary flow veins of lesser thickness, and a collector made up of tanks intended to collect in the form of a heap the secondary veins. 6. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the separator consists of at least three parallel dihedrons arranged in staggered rows on at least two stages, and that the collector consists of at least three collecting tanks. 7. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 and 6, characterized in that the dosing hopper consists of two complementary elements with adjustable spacing determining an outlet orifice of rectangular shape whose width can be determined at will. 8. Apparatus according to any one of claims 6 and 7, characterized in that the constituent dihedrons of the separator are arranged in such a way that the edge of the upper dihedral is disposed substantially in the vertical plane of symmetry of the outlet nozzle of the dosing hopper while the upper edges of the dihedrons lower stages are arranged, for each stage, substantially at the same height and respectively in the extension of the flow planes of the corresponding dihedrons of the immediately upper stage. 9. Apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that the separator of the lower stage consists of plates arranged vertically. 10. Apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8, characterized by the fact that the constituent dihedrons of the separator are mounted on the frame of the apparatus in an adjustable manner so that their relative positions can be modified at will relative to each other. 11. Apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 10, characterized in that the frame of the apparatus comprises two side plates made of a transparent material, allowing the operator to visually observe the flow of the material tested from the dosing hopper to the collecting tanks.