GB2148748A

GB2148748A - Means for pneumatic gathering of milled peat

Info

Publication number: GB2148748A
Application number: GB08328854A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Juhani Lindholm
Original assignee: TURVERUUKKI Oy
Current assignee: TURVERUUKKI Oy
Priority date: 1983-10-28
Filing date: 1983-10-28
Publication date: 1985-06-05
Also published as: GB2148748B; GB8328854D0

Abstract

For gathering milled peat, a gatherer carriage (2) for moving over a bog is provided with suction tubes (5), a cyclone (11) for separating the peat from the suction air, a receptacle (6) wherein the peat collects, and a blower (3) for producing suction. The receptacle (6) is made bipartite so that one part (9) of the receptacle, to which the peat and suction air are first conducted, collects the coarser peat particles, and the other part (10) collects the finely divided peat particles separated from the suction air by the cyclone (11). The partition separating the parts (9 and 10) of the receptacle (6) may consist of a flap (8) provided with hinges and which, when the receptacle is being emptied, opens under gravity. As a result, only part of the peat to be gathered goes through the cyclone and therefore the wear of the cyclone will be less, and the cyclone can be dimensioned smaller and lighter than previously. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Means for pnuematic gathering of milled peat The present invention concerns a means for pneumatic gathering of peat, consisting of a carriage moving on the bog and comprising a blower or equivalent member for producing suction, a conduit for sucking up peat from the surface of the bog, a separatorforseparating the peat from the suction air, and a receptacle wherein the peat gathers.

In gathering milled peat, a pneumatic procedure has been applied on the side of mechanical procedures, in said procedure the peat being drawn from the surface of the bog along with an air flow into a gatherer carriage moving on the bog. The pneumatic procedure presents the advantage of a chance to influence the quality of the peat being gathered by adjusting the driving speed or the velocity of the suction air, because heavier, wet peat particles are left on the surface of the bog at a low velocity ofthe suction air or with a high driving speed, and only the dried layer of peat is gathered.

Hereby, it is possible to moll and gatherthick layers during favourable drying periods and when rainy weather is impending, to draw only a thin, dried layer from the surface of the bog. When the pneumatic procedure is used, the average oncethrough harvests decrease if compared with the mechanical methods, but experience has taught that the annual overali yield is between 15 and 40% higher.

Gathering carriages of different types have been used in pneumatic peat gathering, comprising a blower with the aid of which the peat is drawn into the carriage, a separator with which the peat is separated from the suction air, and a receptacle in which the peat is gathered. The suction air may be circulated in these carriages or it may be blown into open air after the peat separation. The location of the blower varies; it is located either after the receptacle, in which case the receptacle carries a vacuum, or before the receptacle and the peat separator, whereby the air flow containing peat particles flows therethrough. A cyclone has been employed as peat separator on the carriages, into which the whole air flow drawn from the bog and containing the peat is conducted.

In peat aathering carriages in present usage, the cyclones serving as peat separators have to be dimensioned very large. On one hand, this is due to the powerful abrasive effect of the peat in the air flow, owing to which the velocity of the air flow must not attain high values, and on the other hand it is due to the arching tendency of the peat. Big cyclones however, present the drawback of poor separating power and heavy weight. Since the cyclone must be located above the receptacle in the carriage, the stability of the carriage is impaired by the high location of the centre of gravity owing to the weight of the cyclone and, in addition, the great weight of the cyclone detracts from the useful load of the carriage compared with the overall weight.

The object of the present invention is to provide a carriage to be used as a pneumatic peat gathering means and wherein the drawbacks presented in the foregoing are avoided. The invention is characterized in that the peat-gathering receptacle of the carriage has been constructed in two parts so that one part of the receptacle, with the suction tube connected to it and wherefrom the suction air flows further to the separator; serves as gatherer of coarser peat particles, and the other part gathers the more finely divided peat particles separated from the suction air by the separator. By this design is achieved that only a small portion of the peat that is gathered enters the separator together with the suction air, whereby the size of the separator can be reduced and its degree of separation improved.

Since also the wear of the separator is less than before, it is possible to reduce the thickness of its walls and thereby to increase the useful load of the carriage and to improve its stability.

One embodiment of the invention is characterized in that the suction tube is connected to the upper portion of the part of the receptacle which gathers the coarser peat particles so that said peat particles descend to the bottom of the receptacle under gravity effect. In the subsequent separation of more finely divided peat particles, a cyclone may further be used wherein the separation of peat particles from the suction air takes place by the effect of centrifugal force.

One embodiment of the invention is furthermore characterized in that the carriage can be dumped for emptying the receptacle of the peat collected therein and that the parts of the receptacle are separated by a flap which opens when the carriage is dumped so that both parts of the receptacle are emptied simultaneously. The flap may be mounted by the aid of hinges in the upper part of the flap, whereby when the carriage is dumped it opens automatically under gravity effect. Closing of the flap takes place similarly when after being dumped the carriage is lowered back to its normal position.

The invention is described more in detail in the following by the aid of an example by referring to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 presents a means according to the invention in elevational view and partly sectioned, and Fig. 2 is the section Il-Il of Fig. 1.

The means depicted in the drawing and intended for pneumatic gathering of peat consists of a gatherer carriage 2 provided with wheels 1 and which may be attached e.g. to a tractor. The carriage 2 comprises a blower 3, suction tubes 5 provided with suction heads 4, a receptacle 6, in the upper part of which the suction tubes 5 terminate and which has been divided with the aid of a flap 8 hinged on its top end, into a larger part 9 and a smaller part 10, a cyclone 11 located above the smaller part 10 of the receptacle and communicating with each part 9 and 10 of the receptacle, and a tube 12 which connects the cyclone 11 to the blower 3.

The gatherer carriage 2 is used to collect the dried peat layer 13 from the surface 14 of the bog. The gathering takes place while the carriage 2 is moving and the suction heads 4 are drawing peat 13 by action of the suction produced by the blower 3. This causes the peat to be drawn by the suction tubes 5 into the upper part of the part 9 of the receptacle 6, wherefrom the course peat particles descend onto the bottom of the receptacle under gravity effect. In contrast, the suction air and the more finely divided peat particles move as indicated by the arrow 15 in Fig. 1, to the cyclone 11 where separation of the finely divided particles takes place by the centrifugal force effect.Hereby, the said particles gather, as shown by the arrows 16, in the part 10 of the receptacle, the suction air proceeding, as shown by the arrows 17, into the tube 12 departing from the cyclone 11, and thence further through the blower 3 into open air.

During peat gathering, the flap 8 is in the position in which it constitutes an airtight partition between the parts 9 and 10 of the receptacle. When the carriage 2 is dumped for emptying from the receptacle the peat collected therein, the flap carried by the hinges 7 turns under gravity effect into the position 8' indicated by interrupted lines in Fig. 1, whereby the peat is enabled to flow out from both parts of the receptacle. When the carriage 2 after being emptied is lowered down to its normal horizontal position, the flap returns to its intial position.

It is obvious to a person skilled in the art that different embodiments of the invention are not confined to the embodiment example presented in the foregoing and may instead may vary within the scope of the claims following below. For instance, it is possible that the part of the receptacle gathering coarser peat particles is provided with a cyclone, or that a cyclone constitutes the said part of the receptacle in its entirety, whereby the separation of coarser peat particles is also based on centrifugal force.

Claims

1. A means for pneumatic gathering of milled peat, comprising a carriage for moving on a bog, said carriage comprising a suction-producing device, a tube for drawing the peat from the surface of the bog, a separator for separating the peat from the suction air, and a receptacle in which the peat gathers, wherein the receptacle is made bipartite so that one part of the receptacle, to which the peat drawing tube has been connected and wherefrom the suction air further goes to the separator, serves as collector of the coarser peat particles and the other part collects the more finely divided peat particles separated from the suction air by the separator.

2. Means according to Claim 1, wherein the suction tube has been connected to the upper part of the part of the receptacle gathering coarser peat particles so that said peat particles descend onto the bottom of the receptacle under gravity.

3. Means according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein the separator consists of a cyclone in which the finely divided peat particles are separated from the suction air under the effect of centrifugal force.

4. Means according to any one of the preceding Claims, wherein the carriage can be dumped for emptying the receptacle of the peat collected therein and that the parts of the receptacle are separated by a flap which opens when the carriage is being dumped so that both parts of the receptacle are emptied simultaneously.

5. Means according to Claim 4, wherein the flap is arranged to open under gravity.

6. Means according to Claim 5, wherein the flap is mounted by the aid of hinges in the upper part of the flap.

7. Means for pneumatic gathering of milled peat, substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.