GB1266671A - - Google Patents

Abstract

1,266,671. Spray producers. MARCONA CORP. 11 Feb., 1970 [23 May, 1969; 10 July, 1969], No. 6544/70. Heading B2F. [Also in Division B8] Slurrifiable material is unloaded from a ship or storage container in which it has become solidified by pulping or re-slurrifing by jets of water traversable over the bottom of the material from the region of a sump from which the resultant slurry is simultaneously removed. The inner bottom of a ships hold or a container is provided with one or more sumps 116, Fig. 13, through the centre of which extends a vertically adjustable hollow shaft 203 closed by an end plate 210 to form a recess 280 provided with nozzles to produce the water jets upon connection to a high pressure water supply 208. The shaft 203 is rotated stepwise to traverse the jets around the sump by a linear actuator 227, Fig. 15, acting through a pawl and ratchet, which comprises a housing 241 having a piston 242, and an actuator passage 257 controlled by a spool valve 250 which is reversed by an arm 262 on a piston rod 243 engaging stops 263, 264 on the actuating rod 261 of the valve which is caused to snap over when reversing by springs passing over dead centre. The nozzles 285, 286, Fig. 19, are provided in a sleeve portion 281 of a piston 282 urged by a spring to be displaced to close the nozzles which are opened when water pressure raises the piston to align the nozzles with openings 354, 355 in the shaft 203. Each sump 166 may have fixed flushing nozzles such as 157, 158, Fig. 10 and distribution manifolds 160, 162 which are rotatable. Each nozzle, Fig. 21, may comprise a shell 179 and a plunger 180 attached to a piston 182 biased closed by a spring which is overcome by water pressure. As shown in Fig. 12 the height of the shaft 203 is remotely controlled by a piston and cylinder device 145, 149 actuated by a reversing valve. In another embodiment the shaft 203 is continuously rotated by a hydraulic motor.