Flexible silo apparatus having a top removable valve or flow control device

Abstract

A flexible silo apparatus having a top removable valve or flow control device assembly has a top removable valve or flow control device that has components to interface with the outlet of a flexible container and that can be supported upon a bridge. Various cone configurations can be added to support the cone section or bottom of a flexible container including a rigid cone, multi member cone, or “y Axis dynamic cone system. The apparatus is further enhanced with a floating bridge and the addition of a powered lifting and lowering device for the advantage of manipulating the flexible container in a vertical motion for improving the filling of product into or the discharging of product out of a flexible container.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0001]This invention relates generally to the field of bulk material handling and more specifically to a flexible silo or bulk bag apparatus.Silos, Hopper, Day Bind and Portable Bins[0002]Silos, bins, hoppers, day bins and portable bins are presently known for use as rigid storage containers for powder and granular product comprising a cone section with an outlet and using a wide variety of valves or flow control devices that can be used to control product flow. A vertical straight side section above the cone section increases the storage capacity. These storage systems are usually constructed with a storage container body made of steel, aluminum or plastic and have a support structure usually constructed of steel or aluminum and sometimes rigid plastic.[0003]It is also known that product flow from such containers can be unreliable. Brute force equipment such as a mechanical agitator, pulsing cone valve or air injector devices can be installed inside the s...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

It is also known that product flow from such containers can be unreliable.

And it is known that vibration can also contribute to unreliable or no-flow conditions when used with certain products by de-aerating and compacting the product.

Filling powder or granular product into rigid storage containers often results in blended products becoming unblended and fragile products can be damaged.

This results from the free-fall and velocity of product descending from upstream equipment through the empty volume of the container and onto the bottom of the container.

Therefore, displaced air containing airborne product exits the container and is lost to the atmosphere or must be contained and separated using a dust collection system.

Connecting or removing the valve or flow control device must be done from the underneath since no practical provision is made to load the valve from above and rest it upon a support bridge at the bin outlet.

Flexible silo materials sometimes used but are not generally conducive to washing and sterilization and are not widely used in wash down applications but instead can be replaced and discarded.

This may also require an apparatus to receive and support the valve since it is awkward to handle a valve in such a position.

This also increases the need for more robust heavy duty flexible silo fabric and seam construction which leads to higher flexible silo cost.

Air injected into a container to facilitate product flow must be evacuated, thereby, resulting in additional pollution control equipment and loss of product.

This approach requires airtight materials and seam construction and very heavy duty fabric.

There is an associated increase in container cost.

In addition, air line connections and power source connections preclude this design from practical use for mobile portable bins.

Finally, flexible silos are designed as a lower cost alternative to rigid steel bins, yet are not as easily disassembled and reassembled as one might expect.

Bulk bag discharging equipment is very tall and occupies much overhead room.

This method is cumbersome and time consuming and can be uncomfortable and awkward for an operator.

A bulk bag discharger with a full bulk bag secured can be moved from one point to another to mimic the mobility of a portable bin, however, it s a tall and cumbersome apparatus and it requires that all of its accessories are moved with it.

If multiple products are used in a process, cross contamination issues can cause concerns with using bulk bag discharging systems and conveying systems since product contacts the internals of the dust containment enclosure, valve and conveyor internals.

A sanitary bulk bag discharge apparatus is usually complex and costly to manufacture and has fixed components that have to be removed or cleaned in place.

If multiple products are used in a process, cross contamination and sanitation issues can cause concerns with using bulk bag discharging systems and conveying systems.

Therefore, during present method flexible silo filling, displaced air needs to be vented through a dust collection system often resulting in lost product.

Fragile product may suffer damage.

Product that aerates while transferring into the flexible silo will be less dense resulting in inefficient use of the container volume.

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