US2185962A - Digester apparatus - Google Patents

Description

`Ian. 2,-'l940. J FLETCHER 2,185,962

DIGESTER APPARATUS Filed Jar 1. 25, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet James Flecher a&

ATTORNEY.

.Fan. 2, 1940.

J. FLETCHER I 2,1'85,962

DIGESTER APPARATUS Filed Jan. 2:5, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. James F/ezfcher Patented Jan. 2, 1940 DIGESTER APPARAT'US James Fletcher, Akron, Ohio, assignor to The Babcock & Wilcox Company, Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 23, 1937, Serial No. 121,9l6

11 Claims.

This invention relates to material handling devices and has reference more particularly to improved mechanism for feeding chips to digesters, and distributing the chips therein. The general object of the invention is to provide apparatus whereby chips may be uniformly delivered to a distributor which stratifies the deposited chips within the digester so that improved results as to yield and quality of the pulp may be obtained in distributor in a supply which was uniform over' the active surfaces of the distributor. It is an object of the invention to overcome these difilcul- -ties, and to that end the invention contemplates a feeding mechanism in which a conical feed regulator may be tilted at any one of several circumferential positions in order to vary the eccentricity and size of the feeder discharge opening on 'difierent sides of the feedex 80 Other objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds, and the invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is mainly a vertical section, indicating a 86 chip feeding mechanism operatively associated with the charging port of a digester.

Fig. 2 is a View in the nature of a horizontal section taken on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1. y

Fig. 3 is'a detailed View in the nature of a vertical section showing one of the circumferentially spaced devices for tilting the conical feed regulator.

Fig. 4 is a View in the nature of a horizontal section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 1 of the drawings shows the chip handling apparatus as it is arranged when the digester o is being filled with chips from a bunker which is located above the hopper l2. .The chips are fed from the hopper l2 by a feeder which may be driven by an electric motor !4. They are discharged from the eeder downwardly through a removable sub-hopper IS temporarily positioned in 'the charging port |8 of the digester o. After passing through the charging port of the digester i! they are engaged by a distributor 20 which uniformly distributes the chips within the digester 24 are journaled. The latter are arranged to" run upon elevated tracks 26. -With this arrangement of elements, the chip handling devices may be readily moved from one digester to another.

Secured to the framework,22 is a funnel-shaped base 28 which is 'shown as supporting the hopper |2 and the motor I4. The latter operates a conical feeder 30 mounted upon an upright shaft 32 which is journaled in bearings carried by the inwardly extending radial arms 34 of the base 28. The Operating connections between the shaft 32 and the motor l4 include a shaft 36 journaled horizontally within the base 28,as shown, the beveled gears 38', 40, andvthe drive shaft coupling 42.

In order that the annular flow of chips from the feeding mechanism may be uniform, and to compensate for variations in the' flow of chips from different bunkers to the feeding mechanism, a conical feed regulator 44 is mounted within the hopper l2. to be tilted to provide an eccentric discharge opening around the feeder 30. As shown, it may be tilted at any one of three positions which are uniformly circumferentially spaced about the base 28. At each of these positions, the base 28 is formed with an outwardly extending housing 50, as indicated in Figs. 2, 3, and 4. Within each portion 50 acrank arm 52 is mounted upon an adjusting bolt 54 which extends through the opposite walls of the housing 50. .The mld-por- This .feed regulator is arranged i tion of each bolt is polygonal in cross section tas clearly indicated in Figs. 3 and 4, and the arm 52 is formed with a similarly shaped opening so that it' is non-rotatably fixed upon the bolt.

Beneath the head 54 of each bolt is mounted a sleeve 58 which has its circumferential fiange 60 adapted to bear against one of the walls of the portion 54. A similar sleeve 62 bears against the opposite wall 64 of the portion 50 and is directly engaged by a nut 66. The tightening of this nut will bind the entire bolt structure rigidily against the walls of the portions 50 and maintain the bolt fixed against rotation relative to the base 28.

Each arm 52 is pivotally connected at its upper end with an upwardly and outwardly extending link 10 pivoted at its upp`er end to a downwardly extending lug 12 fixed with reference to the lower surface of the feed regulator 44. With this arrangement of elements the feed`'egulator may be tilted at any one of a selected number of positions in order to provide an eccentric discharge opening compensating for variations in the flow chips from bunkers positioned above the chip feeding mechanism.

The chip distributor 28 is journaled within the charging port |8 by a spider 80 temporarily positioned in seats 82 provided in the charging port sleeve 84, and the shaft of the distributor is operatively connected to the shaft 32 by a .coupling sleeve 88 and a universal joint 90 between which the drive shaft 82 is positioned After one digester is filled the chip feeding mechanism is moved along the tracks to another digester, the sleeve 86 and the universal joint 88 allowing the shaft 32 to become diseonnected from the distributor. Thereafter the lifting device including the drum 94, the handwheel 88 and the cable 98, may be employed to raise the distributor and the sub-hopper IS from their operative positions in the charging port !8.

I claim:

1. In combination with a chip distributing mechanism for digesters, a hopper, a rotatable chip feeder in the hopper, and a tiltable feed regulator adjustably secured to the hopper and positioned around the feeder.

2. A chip feeding mechanism for digesters comprising, a hopper, a substantially conical chip' feeding 'device centrally positioned near the hopper outlet, means for continuously rotating said chip feeding device to cause chips to be discharged from the hopper, and a tiltable conical feed regulator co-operating with said device to provide an annular but eccentric chip discharge opening between said device and the regulator.

3. A chip feeder including a tiltable conical feed regulator and a rotating feeder element within the regulator.

4. A chip feeder having a conical feed regulator and a rotating feeder element within the regulator and co-operating therewith to form an eccentric and annular discharge opening.

5. A chip feeder for digester chip distrlbutors including, a hopper, a rotary feeding element in the hopper, means for continuously rotating said element to discharge chips from the hopper, a conical feed regulator encompassing said element, and means for tilting the feed regulator toward any one of a plurality of positions to provide an eccentric and annular discharge opening between said feeding element and the 6 regulator.

- 6. In material feeding apparatus, a hopper receiving material in streams varying in their direction of flow, a rotating feeder within the hopper, a feed regulator extending around the feeder and forming an annular discharge opening therewith, and means spaced about the feeder for tilting the feed regulator at any one of a plurality of positions dependent upon the direction of 'approach of the stream of material discharging into the hopper.

7. In chip feeding mechanism, a hopper, a feeder in the hopper, a conical feed regulator about the feeder, and means for tilting the feed regulator at any one of several positions spaced circumferentially relative to .the feeder and the regulator.

8. A chip distributor for digesters comprising, in combination, a carriage adapted to be portably supported at an elevation above the charging opening of the digester, a chip directing 'hopper mounted on the carriage, a rotating chip feeder mounted centrally of the discharge opening of the hopper, means for driving said feeder, and a funnel-shaped feed regulator disposed around said feeder, and means for tilting the feed reg-. ulator with reference to the feeder.

9. In combination with a digester and a chip distributor, a chip directing hopper arranged above the charging opening of the digester, a rotating chip feeding and guiding member mounted near the outlet of the hopper, and a funnel-shaped feed regulator tiltably mounted around said chip feeding guide member.

10. A chip feeding mechanism for digesters, comprising, in combination, a hopper adaptd to be portably mounted at an elevation above the charging opening of the digester, a rotating chip feeding member mounted centrally of the discharge opening of the hopper, a feed regulator extending around said member and co-operating therewith to form a downwardly contracting passage through 'which chips are uniformly distributed into the charging opening of the. digester, and means to adjust the feed regulator.

11. A chip feeding regulator for digesters ini cluding a hopper, a rotating feeding member' mounted in the outlet of the hopper, a feed regulator in the form of the surface of a frustrum of an inverted cone positioned around said member so as to present a hopper discharge opening circumscribing the feeding member, and means to adjust the feed regulator.

JAMES FLETCHER.

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