JP2024082084A - Air conveyance device for granule - Google Patents

Abstract

To easily make a choice between two throw-in forms for granules into a hopper according to whether a detachable separating machine body is attached to the hopper in an air conveyance device equipped with a rotary valve, which is connected to a lower part of the hopper to forcibly discharge granules from the hopper, and a mixer that mixes the granules discharged from the rotary valve with the air ejected from the blower.SOLUTION: An air conveyance device for granule comprises: a separating machine body 31 which has a separation chamber 33 inside and is coupled detachably to an upper pend part of a hopper H; a throw-in pipe T which has a throw-in port To for throwing granules into the hopper H at one end, and is provided for the separating machine body 31; an exhaust pipe D which has an exhaust port Do made open to the separation chamber 33 while suppressing the granules thrown in from the throw-in port To from flowing in, and is provided for the separating machine body 31; an introduction pipe I which is connected to the other end of the throw-in pipe T; and an air flow generation device AD which can generate an air flow for letting the granules flow from an external granule storage part C toward the throw-in pipe T through the introduction pipe I.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an air conveying device, in particular an air conveying device for powdered granular material, which comprises a hopper capable of feeding and storing powdered granular material, a rotary valve connected to the bottom of the hopper for forcibly discharging the powdered granular material from the hopper, a blower capable of ejecting air for pressurizing the powdered granular material, and a phase mixer that merges the air ejected from the blower with the powdered granular material discharged from the rotary valve and directs it toward an outlet pipe, and which uses the air ejected from the blower to air-transport the powdered granular material from the outlet pipe to a powdered granular material destination connected to the outlet pipe.

The above-mentioned air conveying device for powder and granular material is known in the art, as disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1. In this known device, a bag such as a flexible container bag containing powder and granular material is lifted and placed directly above the hopper of the air conveying device, and the powder and granular material is then dropped directly into the hopper.

JP 2020-75787 A

In the air conveying device of Patent Document 1, the only way to feed powder into the hopper is to hang a flexible container bag directly above the hopper as described above, and then drop the powder directly from the bag into the hopper, which limits the ways in which it can be fed.

The present invention was proposed in light of the above, and aims to provide an air conveying device for powder and granular material that can solve the problems of conventional structures.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an air conveying device for powder and granular material, which comprises a hopper capable of charging and storing powder and granular material, a rotary valve connected to the lower part of the hopper for forcibly discharging the powder and granular material in the hopper, a blower capable of ejecting air for compressing the powder and granular material, and a phase mixer for merging the air ejected from the blower with the powder and granular material discharged from the rotary valve and directing it toward an outlet pipe, and which is capable of air-transporting the powder and granular material from the outlet pipe to a powder and granular material conveying destination connected to the outlet pipe using the ejected air, the device comprising a hollow separator body having a separation chamber therein that is directly connected to the inside of the hopper, and a separator for separating the powder and granular material from the separation chamber or the hopper. The separator has a first feature that it is provided with an input pipe provided in the separator body and having an input port at one end that opens into the hopper and allows powder and granular material to be input into the hopper, an exhaust pipe provided in the separator body and having an exhaust port that opens into the separation chamber and can suppress the inflow of powder and granular material input from the input port, an introduction pipe connected to the other end of the input pipe and capable of introducing powder and granular material from an external powder and granular material storage section into the input pipe, and an air flow generator that can generate an air flow that causes powder and granular material to flow from the external powder and granular material storage section to the input pipe side through the introduction pipe. The separator body is detachably connected to the upper end of the hopper.

In addition to the first feature, the present invention has a second feature in that the inlet is disposed facing downward and opposite the open top surface of the hopper, and the exhaust port is disposed at a distance above the inlet.

In addition to the first or second feature, the present invention has a third feature in that the air flow generating device includes a suction blower that can suck air from within the separation chamber through the exhaust pipe and discharge it to the outside.

In this invention and this specification, "capable of suppressing the inflow of powdered or granular material introduced from the inlet" not only includes cases where the inflow of powdered or granular material introduced from the inlet into the exhaust outlet can be reliably restricted (i.e., the amount of powdered or granular material introduced into the exhaust outlet is zero), but also includes cases where the inflow can be largely restricted (i.e., the amount of inflow is very small or a small amount).

According to the first feature of the present invention, when the separator body is connected to the upper end of the hopper, the air flow generating device generates an air flow through the inlet pipe to move the powder from the external powder storage section to the input pipe, and the powder in the powder storage section can be forced to flow together with the air flow through the inlet pipe and the input pipe to the separation chamber, so that the powder can be input into the hopper from the input port of the input pipe. At this time, the exhaust port of the exhaust pipe opens into the separation chamber so as to suppress the inflow of the powder input from the input port, and the inflow of the powder into the exhaust pipe side is suppressed, so that the powder can be efficiently input into the hopper from the input port. On the other hand, when the separator body is removed from the hopper and the top surface of the hopper is opened, a bag or container such as a flexible container bag containing the powder can be supported and placed directly above the hopper, so that the powder can be directly dropped into the hopper from there.

In this way, two different feeding methods for powder and granular material into the hopper can be easily selected depending on whether the separator body is attached to or detached from the top end of the hopper, making it extremely easy to use.

In addition to the second feature, the inlet is positioned facing downwards, facing the open top surface of the hopper, and the exhaust port is positioned at a distance above the inlet, so that the powder and air that enter the separation chamber from the inlet can be efficiently separated with a simple structure that simply positions the exhaust port above and away from the downward-facing inlet.

According to the third feature, the air flow generating device includes a suction blower that can suck air from within the separation chamber through the exhaust pipe and discharge it to the outside. When the separator body is connected to the upper end of the hopper, the suction blower sucks air from within the separation chamber through the exhaust pipe and discharges it to the outside, generating an air flow that sucks and flows the powder in the powder storage section through the introduction pipe toward the introduction pipe, and the powder can be fed into the hopper through the introduction port of the introduction pipe. In addition, since the blower that generates the air flow can be placed on the exhaust pipe side and does not need to be placed on the introduction pipe side, the piping configuration of the introduction pipe can be simplified, and the workability of sucking the powder using the introduction pipe is improved.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an embodiment of an air conveying device according to the present invention, in which a suction feeding device is attached; FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway side view of the essential part of the air conveying device with suction feed device (view taken along the arrow 2X in FIG. 3 ). FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the air conveying device; FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the essential parts of the hopper, rotary valve, and multiphase converter, seen from the same direction as FIG. 5X-5X line enlarged cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the portion indicated by the arrow 6X in FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the air conveying device with the suction introduction device removed, corresponding to FIG. 3 ; FIG. 3 is a side view corresponding to FIG. 2 showing an example of use of the air conveying device with the suction introduction device removed.

Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

First, in Figures 1 to 6, the air conveying device A for conveying powder and granular material is used to air convey powder and granular material from a powder and granular material storage section C (for example, a storage vessel such as a container as shown in the illustrated example, or a bag such as a flexible container bag) where the powder and granular material is accumulated and stored, to a powder and granular material destination Z (for example, a powder and granular material storage facility such as a silo or a storage tank), and is mainly composed of a hollow rectangular parallelepiped housing 1 that is placed and fixed on an installation surface (for example, the ground, etc.). At least the top wall 1t of the housing 1 is detachably connected to other housing elements (i.e., the four side walls 1s) by conventionally known connecting means (not shown).

As can be seen in FIG. 2, at least the following are housed and fixed within the housing 1: a hopper H that can be used to input and store powder from above; a rotary valve R that is connected to the bottom of the hopper H and forcibly discharges the powder from the hopper H; a conveying blower 3 that can eject air for compressing the powder; and a phase mixer M that merges the air ejected from the conveying blower 3 with the powder discharged from the rotary valve R and directs it toward the outlet pipe 4.

The outlet (downstream end) of the outlet pipe 4 faces a side opening 1i provided in one side wall 1s of the housing 1, and one end (upstream end) of a connecting pipe 5 extending into the housing 1 through the side opening 1i is detachably connected and communicated to this outlet via a joint J1 that is conventionally known. The other end (downstream end) of the connecting pipe 5 is connected directly to the powder/granular material transport destination Z or via an extension connecting pipe 5'. The side opening 1i is closed by an opening/closing lid (not shown) that is provided on one side wall 1s of the housing 1 so as to be able to be opened and closed when the air transport device A is not in use.

The air conveying device A uses the air jetted from the conveying blower 3 to assist the discharge flow of the powder and granular material in the outlet pipe 4 and the connecting pipes 5, 5', allowing the powder and granular material to be smoothly conveyed by air to the powder and granular material destination Z.

The powders that can be transported by air include numerous granular materials (e.g., wood chips, feed, etc.) or powders (e.g., cement, powdered chemicals, powdered food ingredients, etc.) that are fluid enough to be transported by air.

The hopper H mainly consists of a hopper body Hm with an upward-facing rectangular inlet Hi at its upper end through which powder and granular material can be added from above. The hopper body Hm is formed in a rectangular tube shape that gradually narrows downward, and its open lower end is detachably connected and communicated with the inlet Ri of the rotary valve R (described below) via a joint J2 that is well known in the art. A mesh member 9 is fixed to the open lower end of the hopper H, which allows powder and granular material to pass through but prevents the passage of large foreign objects.

A rectangular upper opening 1to is formed in the upper wall 1t of the housing 1, into which the upper end of the hopper H is fitted and supported. The mounting plate 2, which is rectangular in plan view and surrounds the upper opening 1to, is laminated and fixed (for example, by welding, bolting, etc.) to the upper surface of the upper wall 1t with the outward flange Hf of the outer periphery of the upper end of the hopper H sandwiched between the mounting plate 2 and the upper wall 1t. In addition, the mounting plate 2 and the upper wall 1t are formed with a number of bolt holes spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, through which a number of co-fastening bolts b1, described later, pass.

Next, an example of a rotary valve R will be described in detail. As is clear from Figures 2 and 4, the rotary valve R comprises a valve housing Hr having an inlet Ri at the upper end and an outlet Ro at the lower end, a rotor 10 rotatably housed and supported within the valve housing Hr, and a valve motor 11 that drives the rotor 10 to rotate. The outlet Ro is formed in a rectangular shape, and is detachably connected and communicated with the rectangular inlet Mi of the phase mixer M described below via a joint J3 that is conventionally known.

The valve housing Hr is fixed and supported on the inner wall of the housing 1 via a support means (not shown).

The rotor 10 is integral with a rotating shaft 10a that is rotatably supported by the valve housing Hr and crosses its center, and a number of vane plate sections 10b that are radially protruded from the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 10a. When the rotor 10 is rotated by a valve motor 11, the powder and granular material put into the hopper H can be forcibly discharged to the outlet Ro side (and therefore into the phase mixer M) at a discharge flow rate that corresponds to the motor rotation speed.

2 and 4, the phase mixer M comprises a square cylindrical phase mixer body 21 having an inlet Mi at its upper end facing the outlet Ro of the rotary valve R, and a substantially horizontal circular tube section 22 whose central section is integrally joined (for example, welded) to the lower part of the phase mixer body 21. The phase mixer body 21 is mainly made up of front and rear side walls 211, 212 that are inclined so as to approach each other as they go downward, and substantially vertical left and right side walls 213, 214 that integrally connect the left and right side edges of the front and rear side walls 211, 212, and is formed in a box shape that tapers downward and is open at the top and bottom ends.

The lower ends of the front, rear, left and right side walls 211-214 are airtightly connected (for example, welded) to the opening edge of an upward opening 22o that is rectangular in plan view and formed by cutting out the upper part of the central peripheral wall of the circular pipe section 22. The inside of the circular pipe section 22 directly below the opening 22o forms a confluence area for the powder discharged from the rotary valve R and the air that is sprayed from the conveying blower 3 and flows inside the circular pipe section 22. At least one of the phase mixer main body 21 and the circular pipe section 22 is fixed and supported by the inner wall of the housing 1 via a support means (not shown).

One end (upstream end) of the circular pipe section 22 is connected and communicated with the downstream end of the air introduction pipe 23 extending from the conveying blower 3 fixed at an appropriate position on the inner wall of the housing 1 via a conventionally known joint J4. On the other hand, the other end (downstream end) of the circular pipe section 22 is detachably connected and communicated with the inlet end of the aforementioned outlet pipe 4 via a conventionally known joint J5.

The housing 1 of the air conveying device A contains a power supply and a control device for operating the conveying blower 3 and the rotary valve R (specifically, the blower motor 31 and the valve motor 11), as well as the dust collector S (specifically, the motor 36a of the suction blower 36), which will be described later, although these are not shown. Note that the motors 31, 11, and 36a may each be configured as hydraulically operated motors.

The configuration of the air conveying device A described above is conventionally known as an air conveying device for powdered or granular material, and is disclosed, for example, in the aforementioned Patent Document 1. However, the technical feature of the present invention is that a suction feed device KT, which will be described next, is detachably attached to such an air conveying device A. When this suction feed device KT is set on the air conveying device A, even if the powdered or granular material storage section C is separated from the hopper H of the air conveying device A, it is possible to suck up the powdered or granular material from there and easily feed it into the hopper H. Next, an example of the suction feed device KT will be described mainly with reference to Figures 1 to 3, 5, and 6.

The suction feed device KT is equipped with a separator 30 for separating the air from the powder and granular material sucked together with the air from the powder and granular material storage section C and feeding the air into the hopper H, and a suction and exhaust device AD that can suck the air separated from the powder and granular material by the separator 30 and discharge it to the outside. The suction and exhaust device AD is an example of an air flow generating device of the present invention that can generate an air flow that moves the powder and granular material from the external powder and granular material storage section C to the feed tube T through the introduction tube I.

The separator 30 is equipped with a hollow box-shaped (rectangular in the embodiment) separator body 31 that has a separation chamber 33 inside that communicates with the inside of the hopper H and is detachably connected to the upper end of the hopper H, an input pipe T provided in the separator body 31 that has an input port To at one end that opens into the separation chamber 33 and allows powdered material to be input into the hopper H, and an exhaust pipe D provided in the separator body 31 that has an exhaust port Do that opens into the separation chamber 33 and can suppress the suction of the powdered material input from the input port To.

The separator body 31 has an open lower end formed in a rectangular shape, and is formed in approximately the same shape as the inlet Hi at the upper end of the hopper H (and therefore the upper opening 1to of the upper wall 1t of the housing 1). Outward flanges 31f are connected to the outer periphery of the lower end of the separator body 31, and these outward flanges 31f are detachably connected to the upper wall 1t and the mounting plate 2 fixed thereto via multiple bolts b1. In this case, nuts n1 that screw onto the bolts b1 are fixed (for example, welded) to the underside of the upper wall 1t.

The feed inlet To, which opens at one end of the feed tube T, is arranged facing downward and opposite the open top surface (i.e., the inlet Hi) of the hopper H. To face downward, the middle part of the feed tube T that crosses the separation chamber 33 is bent downward into a smoothly curved arc shape.

The other end of the input pipe T extends outward through one side wall 31s of the separator body 31 and is fixed (for example, welded, screwed, etc.) to that side wall 31s. The downstream end of the input pipe I, which can suck and introduce powder from an external powder/granular material storage section C into the input pipe T, is detachably connected and communicated with the open end of the input pipe T extending outward from the one side wall 1s via a conventionally known joint J6.

The upstream end of the inlet pipe I functions as a suction port capable of sucking in the powder by being placed close to and facing the powder in the powder storage section C. It is also desirable that the inlet pipe I be given a suitable degree of flexibility so that the suction operation can be performed without difficulty.

The exhaust port Do is located in the separator body 31 at a position sufficiently above the inlet To to prevent the powder fed from the inlet To from being sucked into or mixed in with the exhaust port Do. The exhaust port Do is formed by, for example, an exhaust tube 34 fixed to the other side wall 31s' of the separator body 31 and penetrating the inside and outside of the wall. The upstream end of a flexible exhaust tube 35 is connected and communicated with the outer end of the exhaust tube 34 via a joint J7 that is well known in the art. The dust collector S connected to the downstream side of the exhaust tube 35 is installed and fixed to the installation surface (e.g., the ground) around the housing 1.

The dust collector S is equipped with a suction blower 36 having an inlet 36i that is detachably connected and communicated with the downstream end of the exhaust tube 35 via a conventionally known joint J8 and capable of sucking in air from the separation chamber 33, and a bag-shaped dust collection filter 37 that is detachably connected and communicated with the outlet 36o of the suction blower 36 via a conventionally known joint J9. The air sucked in from the separation chamber 33 by the suction blower 36 is filtered and purified by the dust collection filter 37 before being discharged into the atmosphere. Dust and other particles that collect in the dust collection filter 37 during use are removed by cleaning as needed.

The dust collector S including the suction blower 36 and the exhaust tube 35 cooperate to form the suction exhaust device AD. In this case, the suction exhaust device AD is designed to suck air from the separation chamber 33 with the suction blower 36 as described below, so that the powder in the powder storage section C away from the air conveying device A can be sucked into the input tube T via the introduction tube I and input into the hopper H from the input port To. In consideration of the functional use of the suction exhaust device AD, the suction blower 36 is a blower with a capacity (in other words, suction power) large enough to suck the powder from the powder storage section C through the introduction tube I into the input tube T.

The suction port 36i of the suction blower 36 may be connected directly to the exhaust pipe 34 (i.e., without passing through the exhaust tube 35), thereby connecting the dust collector S directly to the exhaust pipe 34.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

The air transport device A can be used in two ways: with the suction feed device KT attached (see Figures 1 to 3), or with the suction feed device KT removed (see Figures 7 and 8).

First, the former use will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. In this case, when using the air conveying device A, the operation unit of the control device in the housing 1 is operated to start the conveying blower 3, the rotary valve R, and the dust collector S.

In particular, when the dust collector S (specifically the suction blower 36) is started, the air in the separation chamber 33 (and thus the input pipe T and the introduction pipe I) in the separator body 31 is sucked in by the suction blower 36 through the exhaust pipe 34 and the exhaust tube 35. Therefore, by bringing the outer end opening of the introduction pipe I close to the powder mass in the powder storage section C, the powder in the suction powder storage section C can be sucked into the input pipe T through the introduction pipe I, and the sucked powder is continuously fed into the hopper H from the input port To of the input pipe T.

The powder and granular material that is placed in the hopper H is then forcibly discharged by the rotary valve R to the inlet Mi of the phase mixer M, and flows down through the phase mixer main body 21.

Meanwhile, when the conveying blower 3 is started, the air that is ejected from the blower 3 flows vigorously through the air inlet pipe 23 into one end of the circular pipe section 22 of the mixer M, and this air passes through the circular pipe section 22 toward the outlet pipe 4.

The powder discharged from the rotary valve R into the mixer body 21 merges with the air from the conveying blower 3 inside the circular pipe section 22 and flows toward the outlet pipe 4. At this time, the powder flows smoothly inside the outlet pipe 4 and the connecting pipes 5, 5' with the help of the air, so that it is supplied smoothly to the powder supply destination Z.

Next, the usage mode when the suction feed device KT is removed from the air transport device A will be explained with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

In this case, the separator body 31 of the suction feed device KT is removed from the housing 1 of the air conveying device A, and the inlet Hi of the hopper H is opened as shown in FIG. 7. From this state, the discharge tube portion Ba at the bottom of the bag B (e.g., a flexible container bag, etc.) containing the powder or granular material is inserted from above into the hopper H, as shown in FIG. 8. The bag B is transported, for example, by a transport vehicle, close to the air conveying device A, and lifted by a support means CL (e.g., a lifting device such as a crane) and moved directly above the hopper H. Next, the discharge tube portion Ba, which had been tied and closed with a closing device such as a string (not shown), is opened, and the powder or granular material in the bag B can fall into the hopper H under its own weight.

At the same time, if the conveying blower 3 and rotary valve R of the air conveying device A are operated, the powder and granular material fed into the hopper H will flow smoothly and be supplied to the powder and granular material supply destination Z through the outlet pipe 4 and connecting pipes 5, 5' by the air conveying device A with the same air assist action as described above.

In the embodiment described above, the suction feed device KT attached to the air conveying device A includes a separator body 31 having a separation chamber 33 therein and detachably connected to the upper end of the hopper H, a feed tube T provided on the separator body 31 and having an inlet To at one end that opens into the separation chamber 33 and allows powdered material to be fed into the hopper H, an exhaust pipe D provided on the separator body 31 and having an exhaust port Do that opens into the separation chamber 33 and prevents the powdered material fed from the inlet To from being sucked into the exhaust port Do, and a suction exhaust device AD that can suck air from the separation chamber 33 through the exhaust pipe D and discharge it to the outside. An introduction pipe I that can suck and introduce powdered material from an external powdered material storage section C into the feed tube T is connected to the other end of the feed tube T.

As a result, when the separator body 31 is connected to the upper wall 1t of the housing 1 (and therefore the upper end of the hopper H) as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the suction and exhaust device AD (suction blower 36) sucks air from the separation chamber 33 inside the separator body 31 through the exhaust pipe D and discharges it to the outside, generating an air flow that forces the powder and granular material in the powder and granular material storage section C to flow through the introduction pipe I and the introduction pipe T. This air flow then sucks the powder and granular material in the powder and granular material storage section C into the separation chamber 33 through the introduction pipe I and the introduction pipe T, so that the sucked powder and granular material can be forcibly introduced into the hopper H through the introduction port To of the introduction pipe T.

At this time, the exhaust port Do of the exhaust pipe D is located at a position away from the inlet To, which can prevent the powdered material fed from the inlet To into the hopper H from being sucked into the exhaust port Do, and the powdered material is prevented from being sucked into the exhaust pipe D. Therefore, of the powdered material and air that enter the separation chamber 33 from the inlet To, almost only the air can be sucked and discharged to the outside by the suction and exhaust device AD, so that the powdered material can be efficiently fed into the hopper H.

On the other hand, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, when the separator body 31 is removed from the upper wall 1t of the housing 1 (and therefore the upper end of the hopper H) and the top surface of the hopper H is opened, a bag B such as a flexible container bag can be hung and placed directly above the hopper H, and the powdered material can be dropped directly into the hopper H.

In this way, depending on whether the separator body 31 is attached to or detached from the upper end of the housing 1 (and therefore the hopper H), two different feeding methods for powder and granular material into the hopper H can be easily selected, making the device extremely easy to use.

The separator body 31 of the embodiment is formed in a hollow rectangular parallelepiped shape, the inlet To is arranged facing downwards facing the open top surface of the hopper H, and the exhaust outlet Do of the exhaust pipe D is arranged at a distance above the inlet To. As a result, even if the separator body 31 is formed in a simple box shape, the powder and granular material and air that enter the separation chamber 33 from the inlet To can be efficiently separated with a simple structure in which the exhaust outlet Do is simply arranged above and away from the downward-facing inlet To.

In the embodiment, an air suction and exhaust device AD is used as an air flow generating device capable of generating an air flow that causes the powder to flow from the external powder storage section C to the input tube T through the introduction tube I. The air suction and exhaust device AD mainly comprises a suction blower 36 that can suck air from the separation chamber 33 through the exhaust tube D and exhaust it to the outside. As a result, the blower that generates the air flow (i.e., the suction blower 36) can be placed on the exhaust tube D side and does not need to be placed on the introduction tube I side, which greatly simplifies the piping configuration of the introduction tube I and improves the efficiency of the powder suction operation using the introduction tube I.

Although an embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, and various embodiments can be implemented within the scope of the present invention.

For example, in the above embodiment, the air conveying device A is a stationary air conveying device A that is fixedly installed at a predetermined position on the ground or a fixed object (e.g., a building, etc.), but the air conveying device of the present invention is not limited to being a stationary device, and may be installed on a moving object (e.g., a vehicle) and movable together with the moving object.

In the above embodiment, a container is used as an example of the powder storage section C that contains the powder to be sucked by the suction feed device KT, but the powder storage section C is not limited to the embodiment. For example, a powder storage container other than a container, or a bag such as a flexible container bag, may be the powder storage section, or a powder storage location piled up on the ground, etc. may be the powder storage section.

In the above embodiment, a powder storage facility such as a silo or storage tank is exemplified as the powder destination Z for the powder transported from the air transport device A through the outlet pipe 4 and the connecting pipe 5, but the powder storage facility is not limited to the embodiment as long as it is at least a facility that can temporarily store the powder and remove it to the outside. Also, the powder may be temporarily piled up on the ground without using such a powder storage facility, in which case the ground becomes the powder destination Z.

In the above embodiment, the separator body 31 is detachably attached to the upper wall 1t of the housing 1 (and therefore to the upper end of the hopper H) and is configured as a rectangular hollow box body. However, the separator body of the present invention may have any structure that can separate at least the powder and granular material and the air therein and feed them onto the open top surface of the hopper H. For example, the separator may have a cylindrical separator body like a conventionally known cyclone separator.

In the above embodiment, an example was shown in which no partition plate or filter was provided inside the separator body 31. However, in the present invention, in order to facilitate separation of the powder and granular material fed from the feed port To and the air, a partition plate or filter that allows air to flow between the feed port To and the exhaust port Do may be provided inside the separator body 31.

In the above embodiment, the inlet To of the feed tube T is opened into the separation chamber 33, and the powdered material is fed from the inlet To into the hopper H through the separation chamber 33. However, in the present invention, the inner end of the feed tube T where the inlet To is open may be extended downward from the structure of the embodiment, and the inlet To may be opened directly into the hopper H, so that the powdered material may be fed into the hopper H from the inlet To.

In the above embodiment, the separator body 31 is removably connected to the housing 1 (specifically, the upper wall 1t) of the air conveying device A to which the upper end of the hopper H is fixed, and the separator body 31 is connected to the upper end of the hopper H via the housing 1. However, in the present invention, the separator body 31 may be directly and removably connected to the upper end of the hopper H.

In the above embodiment, the suction and exhaust device AD, whose main component is a suction blower 36 capable of sucking air from the separation chamber 33 through the exhaust pipe D and discharging it to the outside, is exemplified as an "air flow generating device" capable of generating an air flow that causes the powder to flow from the external powder storage section C to the input pipe T through the input pipe I, but the air flow generating device of the present invention may be disposed on the input pipe I side, rather than on the exhaust pipe D side as in the embodiment. In this case, although not shown, for example, a blower that generates an air flow in the input pipe I toward the input pipe T side may be disposed in series in the middle of the input pipe I, and the powder and air from the powder storage section C may be caused to flow together in this blower. Alternatively, a blower that generates an air flow from the powder/granular material storage section C toward the input tube T in the input tube I and a cyclone separator that uses the suction force of the blower to separate the powder/granular material and air sucked into the input tube I from the powder/granular material storage section C and guide the powder/granular material to the input tube T may be installed in parallel in the middle of the input tube I.

In particular, when the blower of the air flow generating device is inserted into the inlet pipe I as described above, there is no need to provide a suction blower 36 in the exhaust pipe D as in the previous embodiment. However, it is desirable to connect a dust collection filter 37 similar to that in the previous embodiment to the atmospheric opening of the exhaust pipe D to prevent dust particles and small amounts of powder mixed in the air exhausted from the exhaust pipe D from scattering into the surrounding area.

Description of the Related Art A...Air conveying device for powder and granular material AD...Suction and exhaust device as an air flow generating device C...Container as an external powder and granular material storage section D...Exhaust pipe Do...Exhaust port H...Hopper I...Introducing pipe M...Mixer R...Rotary valve T...Feeding pipe To...Feeding port Z...Powder and granular material conveying destination 3...Conveying blower as a blower 4...Outlet pipe 31...Separator body 33...Separation chamber 36...Suction blower

Claims (3)

The air conveying device for powdered or granular material includes a hopper (H) capable of charging and storing powdered or granular material, a rotary valve (R) connected to the lower part of the hopper (H) and forcibly discharging the powdered or granular material in the hopper (H), a blower (3) capable of ejecting air for pressurizing the powdered or granular material, and a phase mixer (M) that merges the air ejected from the blower (3) with the powdered or granular material discharged from the rotary valve (R) and directs the air toward an outlet pipe (4), and the ejected air is used to air convey the powdered or granular material from the outlet pipe (4) to a powdered or granular material conveying destination (Z) connected to the outlet pipe (4),
the separator body (31) is provided with a hollow separator body (31) having therein a separation chamber (33) directly communicating with the inside of the hopper (H); an input pipe (T) provided in the separator body (31) having at one end an input port (To) that opens into the separation chamber (33) or the hopper (H) and through which powder or granular material can be input into the hopper (H); an exhaust pipe (D) provided in the separator body (31) having an exhaust port (Do) that can suppress the inflow of the powder or granular material input from the input port (To) and opens into the separation chamber (33); an introduction pipe (I) connected to the other end of the input pipe (T) and capable of introducing powder or granular material from an external powder or granular material storage section (C) into the input pipe (T); and an air flow generating device (AD) capable of generating an air flow that causes the powder or granular material to flow from the external powder or granular material storage section (C) to the input pipe (T) through the introduction pipe (I);
The separator body (31) is detachably connected to the upper end of the hopper (H). The powder/granular material air conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the inlet (To) faces downward and faces the open upper surface of the hopper (H), and the exhaust port (Do) is spaced above the inlet (To). The air conveying device for powdered or granular material according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the air flow generating device (AD) includes a suction blower (36) capable of sucking air from within the separation chamber (33) through the exhaust pipe (D) and discharging it to the outside.