Free-flowing material pneumatic feed system - has three chambers in vertical alignment connected by pneumatic valves

摘要

The pneumatically-operated feed system is for free-flowing material, having three chambers vertically one above the other (14-16), and separated by first and second valves (20, 21), normally shut and pneumatically operated. The third chamber is lowermost, and has a pneumatic mechanism discharging a current of particles suspended in air. The first and second chambers are kept full of compressed air, and a detector (50) in the second one controls valve operation so as to refill it from the first one when empty. To do this, the second valve is first shut and the compressed air supply to the second chamber then shut off and the air in it vented. The first valve (20) is then opened, to refill the second chamber.