US1460960A

US1460960A - Air separator

Info

Publication number: US1460960A
Application number: US515511A
Authority: US
Inventors: William A Gibson; Charles E Needham
Original assignee: BRADLEY PULVERIZER CO
Current assignee: BRADLEY PULVERIZER CO
Priority date: 1921-11-16
Filing date: 1921-11-16
Publication date: 1923-07-03
Anticipated expiration: 1940-07-03

Description

lAABQQW 2 Sheets-Shet l 6 v S if m? I.

Inventors.

. Gvbsan Charms E. Nee-01mm W. A. GiB ON ET AL AIR SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 16. 1921 Wu ham A July 3, 1923.

Jufly 3, 1923.

W. A. GFB$ON ET AL AIR SEPARATOR Filed Nov. 16 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig.2.

m@ w m mbfi mm n M W n 1mm Mm h A.

Patent an a, 1923.

' team W are.

".5- A. GIBSON AND CEARL$ E. NEEDHAM, F ALLEHTOWN, PENNSYLV,

ooorron or a air.

. IGN'OBS TO BRADLEY PULVERIZER GOMPANY, OE BOSTON, n

.tonuanrrs, a

A SEPARA'IOR.

application filed November 18, 11. aerial Ito. 515,513..

.To all whom it may .cmwem:

Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. GIBSON and CHARLES E. NEEDHAM, both citizens of the United States, residing at Allentown, county of Lehigh, State of Pennsylvania, have invented an Improvement in Air Separaters, of'which the following description,

in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawing representing like parts.

This invention relates to improvements in air separators, in which the fine, finished material is separated from the coarser material by an ascending current of air, and the principal object of the invention is to provide means for more efiectively distributmg the material to be separated, and subjectin the same to ascending and preferably radial y projected currents of an Which Will carry only the fine, finished material upwardly and permit the tailings'to drop into a suitable conveyer.

A further object of-., the invention is to provide means for regulating the ascending air currents. 7

A further object of the invention is to providean-improved means for supporting and actuating the fan which produces the air current and the mechanism which distributes the material to be treated.

These and other objects and features of the invention will more fully-appearfrom the following description and the accompanyin drawings, and will be particularly pointe out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings,

in which- Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view through the casings of the air separator, showing the distributing mechanism and fan, and means for actuating the same, in elevation Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view on an enlargeds'cale of the mechanism for supporting and rotating the fan and distributor.

Fi 3 is a detailed view of a portion of the distributor plate and one of the distributing vanes secured thereto in angular relation to the horizontal plane of the dis--- preferably cylindrical casing 1, having a closed top 2 and a ho per-shaped bottom 3, provided with a con uit 4: through which the finished material may be discharged, and an inner, preferably cylindrical casing 5 concentric. with the outer casing, having a top 6 provided with'a central opening 7 the inner casing forming a separating chamber in which the material is distributed and separated.

A deflector 8, preferably of truncated conical form, is secured in the lower portion of the inner casing 5, and is provided at its lower end with brackets 9, which support a hollow, preferably conical member 10, provided with apertures desirably in the form of longitudinal slots 11. A cover 12, also of conical form, is fitted upon the conical member 10, and is pivotally mounted thereuponquirements of the separator. A convenient means for thus adjusting the conical cover 12, which is illustrated in Fig. 1, comprises a rod 15 preferably secured to the conical cover 12 by a ball and socket connection 16, said rod being provided with a screw-thread ed end portion 17 which engages the comlementary screw threads in a boss or racket 18 secured to the outer side of the casing. A hand wheel 19 fixedly secured upon the outer end of the rod 15 provides means for rotating the same, so that the rod may be screwed inwardly or outwardly in the bracket 18 to adjust the position ofthe conical cover 12 relatively to the conical member 10, thereby varying the efiective area of the openings through which air is projected into the separating chamber.

The lower end of the conical member 10 v is located above the deflector 8 to provide an I annular opening 20, through which the tailings may be discharged from the separating chamber. Any suitable means may be .provided for carrying away the tailings. In the construction illustrated, a hopper 21 is provided for this purpose, which is sup iltiEi ported upon brackets 22 depending from the deflector 8. The lower end of the hopper 21 communicates with a conduit 23, which extends through the wall of the hopper 3.

A continuously circulating current of air is produced by a fan 24 located in the space or partitions 27 are introduced in the chamher 26 between the inner and outercasings to direct the current of air produced-by the fan directly downwardly and to prevent a rotation of air in the chamber.

By reason of the constructionaforesaid,

.the current of air produced by the fan is continuously circulated downwardly through the chamber 26 between the inner and outer casings, and passes therefrom beneath the tapered lower end 28 of the inner casing upwardly through the space between the hopper 21 and the lower end of the truncated deflector 8 into the hollow, preferably conical member 10 which extends upwardly into the separating chamber. The air is then projected through the apertures or .slots 14 in the conical member 10 radially outwardly and upwardly through the separating chamber, eventually passing through the central aperture 7 in the top of the casing which forms th separating chamber. The material is projected centrifugally into the path of the radial and ascending currents of air which are produced by reason of the air passing through the apertures above described. By varying the area of these apertures, the character of the currents which act upon the material may be varied at will, so that the separator may be adapted to operate efficiently upon materials of difl'erent quality. Such regulation also enables the separator to be set to deliver material of a predetermined fineness or quality.

A further object of the invention is to provide a more efiective means for distributing the material to be separated in the upper portion of the separating chamber. In air separators heretofore constructed, the material has been usually distributed by being projected fromthe periphery of a horizontal circular plate, from which it is thrown off in substantially the plane of the upper surface of the plate. li le present improved distributor comprises a preferably horizontal rotating distributing plate 22 iocated in the upper portion of the separating chamber, and provided with a series of inclined vanes 30. The vanes are secured by suitable brackets 31 to the periphery of the plate 29.

and desirably are inclined to the horizontal plane of the upper surface of the distributmg plate 29 so that their rear edges are higher than the plane of said plate. The

into the outer chamber 26 be-.

ascupeo vanes also preferably are inclined backwardly from radii of said horizontal plate,

as illustrated in Fig. 2. By reason of this construction, the material which is thrown ofl" from the distributor plate 29 is projected vigorously upwardl and outwardly, thus causing a more comp ete separation of the particles of the material than has-heretofore been obtained, and consequently en plate 29 being spaced apart from the collar 33 by sleeves 35 surrounding the bolts 32. The tubular shaft 34 is secured to and supported by a ar 36, which is superimposed upon a gear 3 ,which is connected to a tubular shaft 38, which surrounds the tubular shaft 34, and at its lower end is connected to and supports the spider 39 of the fan 24. The gear 37 is journalled in a bearing 40.

which is carried by cross girders 41 secured to the top 2 of the outer casing. Suitable bushings 42 are interposed between the inner tubular shaft 34 and the outer-tubular shaft 38. and a suitable bushing 43 is also provided for the bearing 40.

The upper portion of the bearing is provided with upwardly extending annular flanges 44, which forman oil chamber in which is situated the lower race 45 of a ball bearing. The upper race of said ball bearing is secured to the lower end of thegear 37 The gear 37 desirably is provided with a downwardly extending flange 48, which telescopes upon the outer flange 44 of the bearing 40. The antisfriction bearing, therefore, is so constructed that it may be partially immersed in-a lubricant, and the dust-excluded from the lubricant by the telescoping flanges which surround the bearconveniently be located uponthe opposite side of the bearing.

The gear 37 which drives the fan desirably is likewise provided with an upwardly extending annular flange 53, which forms a chamber to receive the lower race 54 of a ball bearin the upper race of which is secured to t e lower end of the gear 36 which drives the distributor. A flange 56 telescoping upon the flange 53 of the lower gear 37, serves to exclude the dust from this upper bearing. Any suitable means -may be provided for supplying oil or grease to the upper bearing.

The material may be supplied to a hopper 57 carried upon the upper end of a pipe 58, which extends downwardly through the inner tubular shaft 34, and terminates a short distance above the centre of the distributing plate 29.

Any suitable means may be provided for rotating the gears which drive the fan and the distributor respectively. As illustrated herein, the upper gear 36, which carries-and rotates the distributor, is actuated through a pinion 59 upon a horizontal shaft 60, supported by suitable bearings upon the girders 41. The shaft 60 is provided with fast and loose driving

ulleys

61 and 62.

The gear 3? which actnates the fan is driven by a pinion 63 upon a shaft 64 mounted in suitable bearings, carried by the initill till

ers 41. Preferably meansare provide for varying the speed of rotation of the fan. A convenient means comprises reversely disposed conical belt pulleys and 66, carried respectively by the shaft 64, and a counter shaft having last and loose driving pulleys 67 and 68. Thebelt, (not shown), passing over the

conical pulleys

65 and 66, may be shifted in the direction of the axis of the conical pulleys to vary the speed of rotation oi the shaft 64, and consequently the speed of rotation of the fan. Similar means may, if desired, also be provided for varying the speed of rotation of the distributor 29, but ordinarily it would be unnecessary to provide means for varying both the speed of rotation of the fan and the speed of rotation of the distributing plate.

In the operation of the machine, the material to be separated is fed into the hopper 57, from which it passes downwardly through the pipe 58 upon the horizontal distributor plate 29, from which it is gradually projected contrifugally from the, periphery of the plate. As the material passes from the periphery of the plate 29, it is caught by the angnlarly and rearwardly inclined faces of the vanes 30, and projected upwardly and outwardly in the upper portion of the separating chamber. By this construction, the material to be separated is distributed with substantial uniformity throughout the upper portion of the separating chamber. As the particles of the material are being projected in this manner, they are acted upon by the radially outward and upward currents of air which ascend through the apertures or slots in the conical member 10. The fine material which is carried by the as cendin current of air passes upwardly throng the opening 7 in the top of the inner casing, thence outwardly in the space between the tops of the inner and outer casing, and thence downwardly through the space between the inner and outer casing. The baflie plates 27 prevent a rotary motion of the air in this chamber, and also greatly facilitate the delivery of the fine finished material into the hopper 3, whence" it is carried through the conduit 4 to a suitable bin or receptacle. The heavy material which is not carried away by the ascending air current from the separating chamber passes downwardly through the space 20, between the bottom of the conical member 10 and the deflector 8, and drops into the hopper 21,

we claim is new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An air separator comprising an outer closed casin and an inner casing spaced apart theretrom providing an inner and outer chamber, means for causing a currentof air to pass continuously downwardly in one of said chambers, means for dividing said current of air into a plurality of currents and directing the same substantially radially and upwardly within and through the other chamber, means *for projecting the material into the path of the ascending currents of air, means for delivering the finished material from the chamber having the descending current of air, and means for delivering the tailings from the chamber having the upwardly ascending currents of air.

2. An air separator comprising an outer closed casin and an inner casing spaced apart therefrom providing an inner and outer chamber, means for causing a current of air to passcontinuously downwardly in one of said chambers, means for dividing said current of air into a plurality of currents and directing the same substantially radially outwardly and upwardly within Mill outer casing havin a delivery hopper for the finished materia an inner casing spaced apart therefrom roviding an inner separating chamber, distributing means for projecting the material to be separatedcentrifugally in the upper portion of said separating chamber, means for delivering the tailings from said separating chamber, a hollow member centrally located within said separating chamber having apertured walls, and means for causing'a current of air to pass continuously downwardly through the passage between said outer and inner ea ings and upwardly through sald apertures in the wall of said hollow member into and through said separating chamber thereby producing a plurality of radially outward and upward currents, in said separating chamber.

4. An air separator comprising a closed outer casing having a delivery hopper for the finished material, an inner casing spaced apart therefrom roviding an inner separating chamber, dlstributing means for projecting the material to be separated centrifugally in the upper portion of said separating chamber, means for delivering the tailings from said separating chamber, a hollow member within said separating chamber'having apertured walls, meansfor causing a current of air to pass continuously downwardly through the passa e between said outer and inner casings an upwardly through said apertures in the wall of said hollow member into and throu h said separating chamber thereby producing a plurality of radially outward and upward currents in said separating chamber, and means for regulating the -size of the apertures in said hollow member. p

5. An air separator comprising a closed outer casing having a delivery hopper for the finished material, an inner casing spaced apart therefrom dividing an inner separating chamber, distributing means for pro jecting centrifugally the material to be separated in the upper portion of said separating chamber, a hollow upwardly taperin apertured member located below and coaxially with said distributing means, means for causing a current oi air to pass continuously downwardly through the passage be tween said outer and inner casings and .upwardly through the apertures in said up wardly tapering member into and through said separating chamber thereby producing a plurality of radially outward and upward currents in said separatin chamber, and means for delivering the tallings from said separating chamber.

6. An air separator comprising a closed outer casing having a delivery hopper for the finished n at; inner casing spaced apart therefrom an inner separating chamber, distributing means for pro nee s ll. An" air separator comprising a closed outer casing having a delivery hopper for the finished material, an inner casing spaced apart therefrom dividing an inner separating chamber, distributing means for projectin centri'lugally the material to be separat in the upper portion of said separating chamber, a hollow conical member located below and co-axial with said distributin means, having its wall provided with longitudinally extending apertures converging toward the a x of said hollow conical member, means or causing a current of air to 'pass continuously downwardly through the passage between said outer and inner casings and radially outwardly and upwardly through the apertures in said conical member means for delivering the tailings from said separating chamber, a conical covering member superimposed upon said conical member, having apertures complementary to those in said conical member, and means for rotarily adjusting said conical covering member whereb the effective area of said apertures may be varied.

8. An air separator comprising a closed outer casing, having a delivery hopper for the finished material, an inner casingspaced apart therefrom providing a separating chamber, distributing means for projecting material to be supported centrifugally in the upper portion of said separating chamber, means including vertical bafie plates crossing the passage between the inner and-outer casings for causing a current of air to pass continuously downwardly through the passage between the inner and outer casings and acting to pre vent rotary movement of the air in said passage, means for dividing said current of air into a plurality of currents and directing the same radially and upwardly through said separating chamber.

9, An air separator comprising a closed outer casing hrs/5m a delivery hopper for the finished material, an inner casi spaced apart therefrom providing an inner separating chamber, means for causing a continuous current of to pass downwardly: rough the passage between said outer and inner he. a M "it l in a casings upwardly acrea e were outer casing having a delivery hopper for the finished material, an inner casing spaced apart therefrom providing an inner separating chamber, means for causing a contmuous current of air to pass downwardly through i the passage between said outer and inner cash s and upwardly through said separating 0 amber, a rotatable horizontal centrifugal distributing plate located centrally in the upper ortion of said separating chamber, provi ed with peripheral vanes having the planes of their upper surfaces inclinedto the horizontal and also inclined rearwardly from radii of said plate and operable to roject'the material upwardly and outward y as it is discharged by the centrifugal action of said plate.

11. A distributor for air separators comprising a rotatable circular plate provided with peripheral vanes'having the lanes of their upper surfaces inclined to t e plane of said plate and alsowinclined rearwardly from radii of said plate, and operable upon rotation of said plate to project the mate rial deposited thereon upwardly and outwardly as it is discharged by the centrifugal action of said plate.

12. An air separator comprising .a closed outer casing, having a delivery'hopper for the finished materia an inner casing spaced apart therefrom, orming a separating chamber, means for delivering the tailings from said separati chamber, a rotatable fan located between t e tops of said casings,

a distributor within said separating chamber, central, concentric, tubular shafts connected respectively to andsupporting said fan and distributor, superimposed driving members connected to the respective tubular positioned to project the material.

shafts and anti-friction bearings intermediate of the hubs of said driving members.

13. An air separator comprising a closed outer casing, having a delivery hopper for the finished material, an inner casing spaced apart therefrom, forming a separating chamber, means for delivering the tailings from said separating chamber, a rotatable fan located between the tops of said casings, a distributor within said separatin chamber, central concentric tubular sha ts connected respectively to and supporting said fan and distributor, a supporting bearing for the outer tubular shaft having an upwardly extending annular flange, a driving pinion connected to said outer tubular shaft, provided with a flange telescoping the flange on said bearing, and an anti-friction bearing in the chamber formed by said telescoping flanges.

14. An air separator comprising a closed outer casing, having a delivery hopper for the finished material, an inner casing spaced apart therefrom, forming a separating chamber, means for delivering the tailings from said separating chamber, a rotatable fan located between the tops of said casings, a distributor within said separating chamber, central concentric tubular shafts conflanges,'and means for supplying the 011 to said anti-friction bearings.

In testimony whereof, we have signed our names to this specification.

A. G E.

my r

nniaa