GB2035968A

GB2035968A - Silo discharge apparatus

Info

Publication number: GB2035968A
Application number: GB7939963A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1978-11-22
Filing date: 1979-11-19
Publication date: 1980-06-25
Also published as: FR2442203A1; DK520078A; DD146933A5; GB2035968B; AU530097B2; AU5269879A; DE2943604A1

Abstract

A silo with a generally planar floor (1) has pneumatic apparatus for, discharge of granular or particulate material in the form of an air supply line (3) and air injection ducts (8) extending from it. The line and ducts are placed on the floor or slightly above it. They have slits (7,9) such that the material is directed towards the air supply line (3) and to a discharge opening (6) at one end thereof, provided with a closable gate (10). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Silo discharge apparatus The present invention relates to a silo discharge apparatus having a substantially planar floor.

Pneumatic silo discharge apparatus is known for use in such silos which are designed for containing granular or pulverulent materials. In such known discharge apparatus ducts are located on the floor or bottom, and the upper side and perhaps the lower side are provided with openings or slits arranged in such a way that air can be blown into the silo in a direction inclined to the silo bottom, and in the direction in which it is desired that the material should be carried, for example, towards discharge opening provided with gates in the silo wall.

Such injection ducts can be used initially for drying the material contained in the silo and, on completion of drying, and when the gates for the openings in the silo wall have been opened, to empty the silo of the granular or particulate material.

In order to empty the silo across the entire floor area, it is necessary to employ a relatively large number of ducts, since these must not be very far apart if it is to be possible to blow the silo floor completely ciean. As there must necessarily be a discharge opening for every duct, the discharged material must be removed from the same number of places as correspond to the number of ducts, which can be disadvantageous especially in the case of a circular silo.

The present invention accordingly provides a silo discharge apparatus for a silo having a substantially planar floor, the discharge apparatus comprising ducting on or adjacent to the silo floor, the ducting comprising ducts and a common air supply line, and being apertured to direct air at an inclination to the silo floor and towards the common supply line.

The invention also provides a discharge apparatus for a silo with a substantially planar floor, the discharge apparatus comprising ducting at or adjacent to the silo floor, the ducting being apertured to direct air at an inclination to the silo floor and towards a single silo discharge outlet.

The air supply line is provided with air injection openings given a direction inclined towards the silo bottom and towards the discharge opening of the silo. Hence the great advantage is achieved that only one discharge opening is necessary in the silo, preferably, at one or more of the positions at which the air supply line is connected to or passes through the silo wall.

Finally, the invention can provide that the silo is provided at the bottom with discharge openings located round or under the air supply duct. The effect is that for the whole silo, there is only one outlet, from which material can be easily removed.

The invention is further described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which: Fig. 1 is a partial plan view of a circular silo provided with injection ducts and a common air supply line in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional side view of the lower part of the silo; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view from the arrows Ill-Ill of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a partial view corresponding to Fig. 2 showing a modified form of apparatus embodying the invention; Fig. 5 is a view resembling Fig. 3 but of a modified apparatus; Fig. 6 shows in perspective a joint between an air supply line and an air injection duct in the apparatus of Figs. 1 to 3; and Fig. 7 is a similar view of such a joint in the apparatus of Figs. 4 and 5.

On the generally planar floor or bottom 1 of a circular silo 2, an air supply line 3 is mounted through which air is supplied by means of a fan 5 driven by an electric motor 4 outside the silo. One end of the air supply line ends at or passes through a somewhat larger discharge opening 6 in the silo wall. The line 3 has at its sides, and/or at the underside if required, openings or slits 7 so directioned that the blast air flowing out through them has a direction inclined towards the silo bottom and towards the discharge opening 6.

Air injection ducts 8 run from both sides of the air supply line towards the silo periphery and along its bottom. Openings or slits 9 of approximately the same kind as in the line 3 are provided in the sides and/or in the underside of these ducts 8 if required.

The direction of air injection into the silo through these slits 9 is here, as in the line 3, given an inclination towards the silo bottom 1 and towards the common air supply line 3 running across the ducts. The discharge opening 6 is provided with a closable gate 10.

The illustrated discharge apparatus acts in the following way. When it is desired to empty the silo of the material with which it is charged, the gate 10 is opened and the motor 4 is switched on. The material lying directly against the gate 10 will then slide out through the. opening 6 with air injected through the slits 7. The material lying at the gate will, by means of the air injected through the sides or the bottom of the air supply line 3, be followed by the material lying under and at the sides of this line.

When the material lying here has been blown away, air blown into the material through the slits 9 in the ducts 8 will gradually blow the other material lying on the silo bottom towards the line 3 where, as described above, it will be blown out through the opening 6 by the injected air coming from the line 3, until the silo is empty.

In the modified form of the apparatus shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 7, both the air supply line 3 and the air injection ducts 8 have been raised a little above the silo bottom 1. This is done for example, by placing the ducts 8 on short legs 11. In this case the air injection ducts 8 are provided with the injection slits 9 in the bottom of the ducts towards and under the air supply line 3 which also has the injection silts 7 in the bottom.

The effect is that it is only necessary to have a discharge opening 12 in the silo wall under the air supply line 3 itself as shown in Fig. 5, and not wider than the line as shown in Fig. 3.

Besides the fact that the silo can be emptied at either end of the air supply line 3, depending on the inclination of the slits 7 relative to the silo bottom, the material can also be extracted from the middle as well as from any other place inside the silo beneath the supply line if at some point under this line, there is a depression 1 3 which connects through an opening 1 4 to the line 3, as shown in chain dotted line in Fig. 1.

Outside the opening, the material can be shovelled away or carried away by a suitable continuous conveyor or the like.

Claims

1. A silo discharge apparatus for a silo having a substantially planar floor, the discharge apparatus comprising ducting on or adjacent to the silo floor, the ducting comprising ducts and a common air supply line, and being apertured to direct air at an inclination to the silo floor and towards the common supply line.

2. A silo discharge apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the air supply line is provided with air discharge openings inclined towards the silo floor bottom and towards a silo discharge opening.

3. A silo discharge apparatus as claimed in claim 1 or 2, wherein the silo is provided at the floor with discharge openings placed round or under the air supply duct.

4. A silo discharge apparatus for a silo with a substantially planar floor, the discharge apparatus comprising ducting at or adjacent to the silo floor, the ducting being apertured to direct air at an inclination to the silo floor and towards a single silo discharge outlet.

5. A silo discharge apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the ducting comprises an air supply line communicating with a plurality of ducts, the ducts being apertured to direct air towards the supply line.

6. A silo discharge apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the discharge outlet is at one end of the supply line.

7. A silo discharge apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the discharge outlet connects by a groove or channel with a position on the supply line between its ends.

8. A silo discharge apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 6 or Figs. 4, 5 and 7 of the accompanying drawing.