Apparatus For Automatically Sampling Solids

Abstract

A sampling apparatus for automatically sampling solids at regulated time intervals from a conduit carrying said solids comprising a base member affixed over an opening in the conduit and having a sampling tube extending through the member and the conduit and into the path of guide vanes mounted on said base member. The sampling tube has a butterfly valve to form a sampling chamber in the upper end and the lower end communicates into a sample accumulator. The apparatus has a pneumatic system with a line to purge the sample chamber before the sampling operation and lines to activate a power cylinder to operate the butterfly valve, and this system is controlled by an electrical system for timing and sequential activation of the components to obtain and transfer samples to the accumulator.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to the automatic sampling of solids, such as pelletized carbon black product, as the same is being passed through a conveyor conduit at some stage in the intermediate handling or processing of the solid particles. The apparatus is assembled and installed in such a manner as to provide the automatic withdrawal of small sample portions at regular time intervals in order that a composite sample of the solids stream being moved through the conveyor can be obtained.

The apparatus is particularly applicable to the manufacture of materials in continuous processes wherein there are at various stages solid particles to be tested for quality. A particularly useful application of the present apparatus is in the accumulation of samples of pelletized carbon black as the same is being passed from the final processing stage to storage, said black having been prepared as a suspension of carbon particles in a gaseous effluent with the particles being separated, pelletized and dried before the transfer to storage.

2. Description of the Prior Art

The body of prior art in the field of sampling apparatus is substantial. The sampling of a stream of moving solids is basically accomplished by manually inserting a container into the stream in order to obtain a "grab" sample; by inserting a probe in order to withdraw a portion of the material in a manner not dissimilar to the "grab" sample technique; and withdrawing a portion of the material flowing through a conduit by the application of a vacuum force to the materials in order to obtain the sample.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention of this present application comprises an apparatus for automatically sampling solids from a gravity conveyor conduit, having a base member affixed within an opening in the wall of the conveyor conduit. The base member has an aperture through which a sampler tube is extended and affixed in alignment with a plurality of guide vanes affixed to the base member. A valve is set within the upper portion of the sampler tube in order to form a sample chamber in the upstream end of the tube and the downstream end of the tube extends into a sample accumulator or a tank. A power means is affixed to the base member and connected to the valve in order to operate the same within the sampler tube and there is a purge means connected to the sample chamber. An activation means, such as a pneumatic system, operates to cause the power means to function and the activation means is in turn subject to a control means, such as an electrical system tied in with a timing means in order to obtain the requisite sequential action for automatic sampling.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The annexed drawing sets forth in detail illustrative views of the invention wherein like reference numerals designate like parts as follows:

FIG. 1 represents a side elevation of a sampling apparatus of the present invention partially in section and including a schematic diagram of the control and activation means;

FIG. 2 represents a view of the apparatus taken along line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 represents a view of the apparatus taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The present invention may be readily understood from the following detailed description and by reference to the drawing, particularly FIG. 1. The apparatus of the present invention is installed in a conveyor conduit 10 wherein feed of the solid particles is by gravity fall, said apparatus being inserted in the opening 12 of the downfall conduit.

The base member 14 of the automatic sampling apparatus has at least two guide vanes 16 affixed to the side of the member which extends into the conduit. The better view of the alignment of the vanes 16 is set forth in FIG. 3. These vanes are illustrated to be two in number; however, it is understood that the nature of the conduit may require that additional vanes be installed in order that the most representative sample flow of product particles is diverted across the aperture 18 of the base member 14.

Extending through the aperture 18 is a sampling tube 20 which is preferably cut at such an angle so that the cross section of the upper end of the tube is substantially horizontal and the shortest side of the tube abuts and is affixed against the base member 14. The sampling tube has in the upstream end a valve such as butterfly 22 which thus forms a sample chamber 24 in the upstream end of said tube when the valve is in the closed position. At the backside of valve 22, the requisite pivot bar, as illustrated in FIG. 2, is securely affixed to said valve and in communication with the requisite connection means described more completely hereinbelow. The pivot bar 25 extends through the sidewalls of sampling tube 20 and is sealably affixed therein by packing gland 26.

The base member 14 has affixed at one end on the outside, or side exterior of said conveyor conduit, a support member 28 adapted to receive and retain pneumatic power cylinder 30 by bolt means 32. The power cylinder includes a piston rod 34 connected to the piston within said cylinder and the same is enclosed by piston seal 36. The piston rod 34 at its end has a bracket member 38 attached to toggle 40 by connection means 42 and said toggle is likewise affixed by connection means 44 to pivot bar 25 described hereinabove.

This unit comprises the power means which is affixed to the backside of base member 10 and is utilized to cause withdrawal of the sample from the conduit through the sampling tube.

The apparatus includes an activation means for the above power means comprising the cylinder, piston, piston rod and connections, particularly pneumatic connections 46 extending cylinder the upper portion and the lower portion of pneumatic cylinder 30 and these pneumatic connections 46 are in turn connected with flexible conduits 48. The flexible pneumatic conduits 48 are attached to pneumatic connections 50 tied in respectively to the pneumatic lines 66 and 68 described below.

The activation means comprises a main gas line 52 connected to a source of compressed gas (not shown) and the main gas line 52 is split to a pneumatic power cylinder control line 54 having a pressure regulator 56 inserted in the line upstream of a two-way valve 58 which is connected to a pneumatic cylinder line 66 extending to the pneumatic connection 50 communicating with the upper end of power cylinder 30 and a second pneumatic cylinder line 68 communicating with pneumatic connection 50 and the lower end of power cylinder 30.

The apparatus includes a sample chamber purge means which is a pneumatic line 60, also connected to the main gas line 52, and having a pressure regulator 62 interposed in the line 60 ahead of a valve 64 which communicates downstream through pneumatic line 70. Pneumatic line 70 extends through pneumatic connection 72 extending through opening 74 of the sampling tube 20 into the bottom portion of sample chamber 24.

The control means for the apparatus of the subject invention comprises a timing means 76, such as an electronic timer, which is connected by electrical line 78 to a double-stage solenoid means 80 and by electrical line 82 to a single-stage solenoid means 84. The solenoid means 80 is a double-stage solenoid capable of operating the two-way valve 58 interposed between pneumatic lines 56 and pneumatic lines 66 and 68. The solenoid 84 is connected to the single valve 64 interposed between pneumatic lines 60 and 70 as part of the sample chamber purge system.

The base member 14 is inserted through opening 12 of the solid products conveyor conduit 10 and held in place by welds 86.

The sample withdrawn from the conduit 10 is passed through the tube 20 and into an appropriate sample accumulator 88. Referring to FIG. 2, the apparatus illustrated is previously referred to in the above description and provides detail as to the assembly and linkage required for the power means of power cylinder 30 and the valve 22. The counterpart FIG. 3 is the view of appurtenances to the base member 14 from the interior of conduit 10 illustrating the vanes 16, and particularly shows the butterfly valve 22 in an open position within tube 20 extending through aperture 18 of the base member.

The materials used in conjunction with the subject apparatus should be capable of withstanding any erosive and corrosive characteristics of the solid particles contacting the same in order to provide essentially a self-cleaning and corrosion resistant apparatus. In actual use in a carbon black manufacturing facility it has been determined that the apparatus can be suitably installed in a downfall conduit having an angle of approximately 30.degree. from vertical and in this application it was necessary to utilize stainless steel pipe for tube 20, the same having an outside diameter of 2 inches with the butterfly valve 22 being affixed downstream of the upper end of the pipe by a distance sufficient to provide a sample chamber 24 capable of holding approximately 150 cubic centimeters of pelletized carbon black. The pressurized gas in the carbon black system was air and the same was from a source at 80 to 90 p.s.i. pressure, with the pressure regulators capable of reducing the same to 25 p.s.i. pressure in regulator 56 of the activation means for the power cylinder 30, while the regulator 62 in line 60 was set to operate at the pressure of 80 to 90 p.s.i. in order to appropriately purge the sample chamber 24. The materials actually contacted by the product, i.e., the base member 14, vane 16, sample tube 20 and components included therein, together with the sample accumulator 88, are desirably of such material as to resist deterioration upon contact with the solids, i.e., stainless steel in the case of carbon black.

The installation of the present sampling apparatus in a conveyor conduit is particularly adapted to a gravity fall conduit and the same must be one in which the angle of the conduit is not such as to cause bridging. The apparatus will function adequately in a vertical conduit with the installation of the appropriate guide vanes; however, it is desirable for the conduit to have an inclination in the range 45.degree. to 85.degree. from horizontal, preferably 60.degree. to 70.degree. horizontal.

The operation of the apparatus of the present invention through one cycle is that the timer 76 transmits a control impulse to solenoid 84 which opens valve 64 for a limited period of time in the order of 1 second to allow a jet of compressed gas to be transmitted into the sample chamber 24 to blow any accumulated solids therefrom, and the solenoid is then activated to close valve 64 and cut off the air pressure. In a limited time, approximately 1 minute, the timer 76 transmits a control impulse to solenoid 80 which activates valve 58 to open and pass a jet of compressed gas into power cylinder 30 for movement of the piston and piston rod 34 to open the valve 22 and allow the sample to be recovered from sample chamber 24 through the tube 20 into the sample accumulator 88. After a short time, approximately 1 second, a second impulse is transmitted from the timer 76 to the solenoid 80 to activate valve 58 and divert the pneumatic gas stream to cylinder 30 to close the butterfly valve 22 thus completing the cycle.

This cyclical process is repeated at sufficient intervals to provide the requisite number of samples required for the period. In the above carbon black manufacturing situation the cyclical process was repeated every 16 minutes to provide approximately 85 samples in a 24 hour period, thus having a cumulative and composite sample of approximately 5 gallons of solid product for recovery and analysis on a daily basis.

Having thus described and disclosed my invention what is claimed is set forth below.

Claims

I claim:

1. An apparatus for automatically sampling solids from a gravity conveyor conduit which comprises:

a base member adapted to be affixed in an opening of said conveyor conduit, said member having an aperture;

a plurality of guide vanes affixed to said base member above said aperture on the side of said base member communicating with the interior of said conveyor conduit;

a sampler tube having a first end affixed through the aperture of said base member with valve means forming a sample chamber in the upstream end adapted to communicate through said tube and the second end of said tube extending into a sample accumulator;

a sample chamber purge means connected to said chamber;

a power means affixed to said base member on the side exterior of said conveyor conduit and connected to the valve means in said sampler tube;

an activation means communicating with said power means; and

a control means for said sample chamber purge means and said activation means.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first end of said sampler tube is cut at an angle to have a substantially horizontal cross section with the shortest side of said tube being mounted flush with said base member.

3. The apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the sampler tube valve means is a butterfly valve.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power means is a pneumatic power cylinder affixed to said base member with the piston thereof having a rod connected to actuate the valve in said sampler tube.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sample chamber purge means is a pneumatic line extending from a pressurized gas source through the wall of the said sampler tube into the lower portion thereof with said pneumatic line having a pressure regulator upstream of a valve controlled by a single-stage solenoid means.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the activation means is a pneumatic line extending from a compressed gas source through a pressure regulator and valve means to said power means.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein the control means are electrical lines extending from a timing means to operation means for the valve means of said activation means and the valve of said sample chamber purge means.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said operation means are solenoids.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the valve means of said activation means is a two-way valve and the operation means thereof is a double-stage solenoid.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the timing means is an electronic timer preset to sequentially operate to transmit electrical signals to said control means.