US3385071A - Handling fluent material - Google Patents

Description

May 28, 1968 F. o. PAULSON HANDLING FLUENT MATERIAL 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 2, 1.966

INVENTOR FRANK 0. PAULSON Q B) W M Qpmh ATTORNEYS wst y 28, 1968 F. o. PAULSON 3,385,071

HANDLING FLUENT MAT ER IAL :LLed Sept. 2, 1966 3 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR FRANK 0. PAULSO/V a gwwh HANDLING FLUENT MATERIAL Filed Sept. 2, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 nvvs/vron FRANK 0 PAULSON ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,385,071 HANDLING FLUENT MATERIAL Frank O. Paulson, 308 Parkwood Estates Drive, Charleston, S.C. 29407 Filed Sept. 2, 1966, Ser. No. 577,069 12 Claims. (Cl. 61-63) This invention relates to materials-handling equipment and, more particularly, to hydraulic systems for delivering and building up an accumulation of solid materials carried in a fluid mixture.

In discharging fiuent conveyed solids at a point Where a. controlled buildup of the solid materials is desired, for example in building levees with the discharge from suction dredges, it is necessary to materially reduce the kinetic energy stored in the fluent mixture as it discharges from the pipeline in order to reduce the scouring and washing effect resulting from the excess water in the system. Various means have been employed for this purpose. One of the more effective means is that described and claimed in Letters Patent No. 2,652,695 granted to me on Sept. 22, 1953, to which reference may be had for a more full and complete description of both the principle of operation of the energy absorbing impulse wheel and its use in my levee building machine.

In this arrangement the fluid mixture discharged from the dredge pipeline is directed against cup shaped buckets mounted on the periphery of a rotatable impulse wheel. By braking the impulse wheel, the kinetic energy of the discharged fluid mixture is eifectively absorbed and the mixture falls to the fill area with a materially reduced velocity. The total amount of fluid in the mixture is still present however and is deposited along with the solid material. An undesirable amount of washing still exists when this fluid runs off the fill area.

I have found in the practice of my aforesaid invention that the denser solid matter is carried along at the bottom of the dredge pipeline and with a velocity appreciably less than the lighter liquid portion. After striking the cup shaped buckets of the impulse wheel most of the heavier solid matter drops straight downwardly while the lighter liquid portion, at a greater velocity, tends to issue uniformly from the buckets in a peripheral sheet. When the buckets are constructed with a small transverse oval configuration most of the liquid portion will then issue to the sides.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a means to catch the aforesaid lighter liquid portions issuing to the sides and convey it to a separate location thereby further reducing the scouring and washing effect on the solid materials being built up.

The objects and advantages of the present invention, and its construction and arrangement of parts, will be further apparent from a consideration of the following specification and accompanying drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views:

FIG. 1 is an enlarged side elevation view, partially in section, showing the invention in relation to an energy absorbing impulse wheel can be claimed and described in US. Patent No. 2,652,695;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the invention of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial sectional view along the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevation view of the invention in use in building a levee with a dredge discharge line rigged out on a boom from a floating barge;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the invention ap- 7 plied to the levee building machine of US. Patent No.

2,652,695; and,

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the apparatus in FIG. 5.

In the drawings, the numeral 11 designates generally an energy absorbing impulse wheel having a plurality of cup shaped buckets 12 peripherally secured thereto and rotatably mounted by the shaft 16 in bearings 17 to the truss members 18, 19 and 21. These truss members form a part of the fluid mixture conveying system and are shown by way of illustration only. They may be altered as required to support the impulse wheel in appropriate relationship to the nozzle 9.

The basic operation of the impulse wheel is not a part of this invention and is not described or shown in full detail. As a point in illustration, the speed of rotation of the buckets on the impulse wheel must be controlled and held, as by braking the impulse wheel, to an optimum speed, normally to a peripheral speed of approximately one half the velocity of the fluid mixture striking them. This braking arrangement can be obtained by any conventional means.

FIGS. 1 and 3 graphically illustrate how the fluid mixture 50 tends to separate when striking the buckets 12 into a predominantly liquid portion 51 issuing lateral- 1y to each side and a predominantly solids portion 52 tending to drop vertically downward. The substance of the invention resides in a splash plate and trough member, designated 40, placed on each side of the wheel 11, outwardly of the truss members 18 and 19 to collect the predominantly liquid portion 51, of the fluid mixture 50 that issues laterally from the buckets. The member 40 may either be supported from the shaft 16 by bearings 41, as shown in the drawings, or otherwise rigidly attached, as by bolting, to the truss member 19. The member 40 consists of anessentially vertically suspended splash plate part 42 having its bottom edges turned inwardly to form a liquid collecting trough portion 43. The splash plate part 42 conforms generally to the shape of the lower portion of the impulse wheel and is only necessary to be placed outwardly of those buckets 12 absorbing the energy from the flow of the fluid mixture from the nozzle.

The trough 43 slopes downwardly and extends rearwardly terminating in a fitting 44 to telescopically receive one leg of a Y-shaped conduit member 45. This Y-shaped member 45 combines the liquid flow from both side trough members 40 into a single discharge line 46 delivering the liquid portion to a place that does not wash the fill area 53 being built up. If discharge of the liquid portion is desired at a greater distance any number of conduit sections can be added. One or more cross bars 47 form a lateral brace between the trough members 40 and a bracket arrangement 48, see FIG. 4, is used to support the Y-shaped member 45.

In FIG. 4 a dredge discharge line 1 is supported by a boom 56 rigged out from a floating barge 57 moored in a stream 58 and moved along in a direction parallel to the levee building line by normal anchor and mooring gear not shown. The impulse wheel 11 fitted with rough members 40 is supported at the outer end of the boom by the truss members 18 and 19, see FIG. 1. As the dredge discharge mixture is delivered from nozzle 9 the solid matter 52 drops down to build up the levee 53 while the water 51 caught by the troughs is discharged well away from the newly deposited fill and on the side toward the barge to readily drain back into the stream 58.

When the invention is applied to my levee building machine, shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, it is necessary to alterthe outflow lines since the orientation of the dredge dis charge line 1 with respect to the levee fill area is entirely 0 different. In this instance the outflow line must lead off to one or both sides rather than rearwardly. In the preferred arrangement an L-shaped conduit member 59 is fitted to each trough member 49 and extends outwardly at each side of the machine discharging the liquid portion 51 to each side of the levee fill area 53. Bracket arms 60 support the conduits 59 in the proper position. The conduit 59 is extended down the slope of the levee as far as required, ending in a fan shaped discharge 61, with a lip 62, the purpose of which is to spread the fluid 61 into a thin sheet of water beyond the levee, thereby decreasing the washing action of the fluid 51 on the slope of the levee. It is understood, however, that an F-shaped conduit member (not shown) could combine the liquid from both troughs and discharge it to one side through the extending leg of the F-shaped conduit should it be undesirable to discharge any water to the other side.

As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. This improved apparatus has proved to be highly beneficial and efiicient in levee building.

What is claimed is:

1. In a hydraulic material handling system for handling a fluid mixture of liquid and solid particles having a discharge means for delivering the fluid mixture against a series of movable concave buckets wherein the mixture is separated into a predominantly liquid portion and a predominantly solid particles portion, the combination therewith of trough means to intercept said liquid portion and convey it apart from said solid particles portion.

2. The combination in accordance with claim 1 wherein said liquid portion issues generally to the sides of said buckets and said trough means comprises an upper vertically oriented plate member spaced outwardly at each side of said buckets to intercept said liquid portion and a lower trough portion to convey said liquid portion apart from said solid particles portion.

3. The combination in accordance with claim 2 wherein said lower trough portions further comprise a conveying portion and a discharge portion having a liquid spreading means.

4. The combination in accordance with claim 2 wherein said lower trough portions at each side of said buckets converge into a single liquid conveying member.

5. In a hydraulic material handling system for handling a fluid mixture of liquid and solid particles having a discharge means delivering the fluid mixture against an energy absorbing impulse wheel with a plurality of concave buckets about the periphery thereof, wherein the fluid mixture issues substantially from the concave buckets in a predominantly liquid portion and a predominantly solid particles portion, the combination comprising trough means to receive said liquid portion and convey it apart from said solid particles portion.

6. The combination in accordance with claim 5 wherein said liquid portion issues generally to the sides of said buckets and said trough means comprises an upper vertically oriented plate member spaced outwardly at each side of said buckets to intercept said liquid portion and a lower trough portion to convey said liquid portion apart from said solid particles portion.

7. The combination in accordance with claim 5 wherein said lower trough portions further comprise a conveying portion and a discharge portion having a liquid spreading means.

8. The combination in accordance with claim 5 wherein said lower trough portions at each side of said buckets converge into a single liquid conveying member.

9. In a hydraulic levee building machine for constructing a levee from the fluid mixture discharged from a hydraulic dredge pump having a discharge nozzle including means for connecting it to the pump, a plurality of energy absorbing movable buckets each having a concave surface, means supporting said movable buckets in line with said nozzle so as to receive the discharge of the fluid mixture against the concave surfaces of said buckets whereby said buckets are moved and a braking means connected to said movable buckets to apply a load to the buckets to control their velocity, whereby the absolute particle velocity of the fluid mixture is substantially reduced and issues from the buckets in a substantially liquid portion and a substantially solid particles portion, the combination comprising trough means to receive said liquid portion and convey it apart from said solid particles portion.

10. The combination in accordance with claim 9 wherein said liquid portion issues generally to the sides of said buckets and said trough means comprises an upper vertically oriented plate member spaced outwardly at each side of said buckets to intercept said liquid portion and a lower trough portion to convey said liquid portion apart from said solid particles portion.

11. The combination in accordance with claim 10 wherein said lower trough portions further comprise a conveying portion and a discharge portion having a liquid spreading means.

12. The combination in accordance with claim 10 wherein said lower trough portions at each side of said buckets converge into a single conveying member having a liquid spreading discharge means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1953 Paulson 61-63 7/1967 Sensibar et a1 61-63 X

Claims (1)

1. IN A HYDRAULIC MATERIAL HANDLING SYSTEM FOR HANDLING A FLUID MIXTURE OF LIQUID AND SOLID PARTICLES HAVING A DISCHARGE MEANS FOR DELIVERING THE FLUID MIXTURE AGAINST A SERIES OF MOVABLE CONCAVE BUCKETS WHEREIN THE MIXTURE IS SEPARATED INTO A PREDOMINANTLY LIQUID PORTION AND A PREDOMINANTLY SOLID PARTICLES PORTION, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF TROUGH MEANS TO INTERCEPT SAID LIQUID PORTION AND CONVEY IT APART FROM SAID SOLID PARTICLES PORTION.

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