A material feeding system

Abstract

This application discloses a material feeding system that sequentially and tightly connects a silo, a feeding component, and a feeding pipe to form a closed conveying channel from the feeding point to the reaction end, isolating the external environment and making the feeding system suitable for closed application scenarios such as vacuum or inert atmospheres. This application also allows the feeding component to independently and quantitatively intercept and convey the material discharged from the outlet, separating the silo's storage function from the feeding component's metering function. This eliminates the interference of material density changes within the silo on the feeding rate, improving the accuracy of small-dose feeding. Simultaneously, a scraping component is installed near the outlet to scrape the inner wall of the silo during discharge, instantly removing the adhering layer and preventing material retention and accumulation at the outlet, ensuring smooth flow and stable discharge of adhesive materials throughout the feeding process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of chemical equipment technology, specifically relating to a material feeding system. Background Technology

[0002] The feeding system includes vibrating feeders, screw feeders, and rotary feeders. Vibrating feeders typically use vibration to cause material to fall into a downward-sloping, vibrating trough, through which the material enters the target container. Screw feeders work by having material fall into the screw's gaps under gravity, and the rotating screw transports the material to the target container. Rotary feeders operate similarly to screw feeders, with material falling into the gaps between rotating blades, which rotate vertically to deliver the material into the target container.

[0003] However, most of the aforementioned feeding systems employ open or semi-open designs, making it difficult to maintain a reliable seal in enclosed environments. Furthermore, their feeding control is not precise enough to meet the requirements for small-dose, highly repeatable feeding. Especially for materials prone to bridging or with strong adhesion, these systems commonly suffer from clogging and adhesion problems, hindering stable operation. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application aims to provide a material feeding system that sequentially and tightly connects a silo, a feeding component, and a feeding pipe to form a closed conveying channel from the feeding point to the reaction end, isolating the external environment and making the feeding system suitable for closed applications such as vacuum or inert atmospheres. This application also allows the feeding component to independently and quantitatively intercept and convey the material discharged from the outlet, separating the silo's storage function from the feeding component's metering function. This eliminates the interference of material density changes within the silo on the feeding rate, improving the accuracy of small-dose feeding. Simultaneously, a scraping component is installed near the outlet to scrape the inner wall of the silo during discharge, instantly removing the adhering layer and preventing material retention and accumulation at the outlet, ensuring smooth flow and stable discharge of adhesive materials throughout the feeding process.

[0005] To solve the above-mentioned technical problems, this application is implemented as follows: This application provides a material feeding system, the feeding system comprising: The material hopper (1), scraping component (2), feeding component (3) and feeding pipe (4); The hopper (1) is provided with a feeding port (11) and a discharging port (12); the scraping component (2) is located inside the hopper (1) near the discharging port (12); The feeding component (3) includes at least one feeding port (31), which is connected to the discharge port (12) and the feeding pipe (4) respectively; The hopper (1) is configured to feed materials into its internal storage via the feeding port (11) and discharge materials into the discharge pipe (4) via the discharge port (12); The scraping component (2) is configured to scrape off the material adhering to the inner wall of the hopper (1) when the hopper (1) is discharging material; The feeding component (3) is configured to quantitatively convey the material discharged from the outlet (12) through the feeding port (31) into the feeding pipe (4); The feed pipe (4) is configured to receive and transport the material to the reaction end.

[0006] Optionally, the feeding system includes a first control device (5); The first control device (5) is connected to the scraping component (2) and the hopper (1) respectively; The first control device (5) is configured to control the relative movement between the scraping component (2) and the hopper (1) so that the scraping component (2) dynamically scrapes off the material adhering to the inner wall of the hopper (1).

[0007] Optionally, the scraping component (2) includes a rotating shaft (21) and a scraper (22); The two opposite ends of the rotating shaft (21) are respectively connected to the first control device (5) and the scraper (22); the side of the scraper (22) away from the rotating shaft (21) is close to the inner wall of the hopper (1); The first control device (5) is also configured to drive the rotating shaft (21) to rotate, and the rotating shaft (21) is configured to drive the scraper (22) to make a circular motion, so that the scraper (22) moves relative to the inner wall of the hopper (1); The scraper (22) is configured to rotate and scrape off the material adhering to the inner wall of the hopper (1) so that it is discharged along the outlet (12).

[0008] Optionally, the scraper (22) includes a connecting part (221) and a scraping part (222). One end of the connecting part (221) is connected to the end of the rotating shaft (21) away from the first control device (5), and the other end is connected to the scraping part (222); The scraping part (222) is located on the side away from the connecting part (221) and close to the inner wall of the hopper (1), and the axial dimension of the scraping part (222) is less than or equal to the axial dimension of the hopper (1).

[0009] Optionally, the silo (1) includes a first silo body (13) and a second silo body (14) connected in sequence. The diameter of the second chamber (14) in the radial direction gradually decreases in the direction away from the first chamber (13); the feeding port (11) is opened at the end of the first chamber (13) away from the second chamber (14), and the discharge port (12) is opened at the end of the second chamber (14) with the smallest diameter; The portion of the scraping part (222) located in the first compartment (13) is parallel to the rotating shaft (21) in the axial direction, and the portion of the scraping part (222) located in the second compartment (14) is offset in the axial direction away from the rotating shaft (21).

[0010] Optionally, the feeding system further includes a second control device (6). The second control device (6) is connected to the hopper (1) and the unloading component (3) respectively; The second control device (6) is configured to control the relative movement between the hopper (1) and the feeding component (3) so that the feeding port (31) quantitatively delivers the material discharged from the discharge port (12) into the feeding pipe (4).

[0011] Optionally, the feeding component (3) includes a turntable (32) and a housing (33); The outer shell (33) encloses the turntable (32), and the outer shell (33) is connected to the side of the hopper (1) where the discharge port (12) is located. The second control device (6) is connected to the turntable (32). Multiple feed ports (31) are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction on the turntable (32); The plane where the discharge port (31) is located is parallel to the plane where the discharge port (12) is located. The discharge port (31) and the discharge port (12) are connected. The distance between adjacent discharge ports (31) is greater than or equal to the diameter of the discharge port (12). The second control device (6) is also configured to drive the turntable (32) to perform a circular motion so that the feed port (31) is relative to the discharge port (12). The turntable (32) is configured to rotate so that the discharge port (31) coincides with the discharge port (12) or the discharge port (31) is misaligned with the discharge port (12); When the discharge port (31) coincides with the discharge port (12), the material enters the discharge pipe (4). When the discharge port (31) and the discharge port (12) are misaligned, the discharge port (12) is opposite to the plane of the turntable (32) to prevent the material from entering the discharge pipe (4) and form the quantitative conveying.

[0012] Optionally, a guide ring (15) is provided at the discharge port (12) of the silo (1). The axis of the guide ring (15) coincides with the axis of the outlet (12), and the inner diameter of the guide ring (15) gradually decreases in the axial direction toward the material feeding component (3). The diameter of the discharge port (31) is the same as the minimum inner diameter of the guide ring (15).

[0013] Optionally, the hopper (1) is provided with a vent (16); The vent (16) is configured to introduce gas into the hopper (1) during discharge, so as to create a slightly positive pressure environment inside the hopper (1) to help carry the material to slide down to the discharge port (12).

[0014] Optionally, a control valve (41) is provided on the feed pipe (4). The control valve (41) is configured to control the mass of the material discharged through the feed pipe (4) by opening and closing.

[0015] Beneficial technical effects: In the embodiments of this application, the discharge port of the silo is directly connected to the discharge pipe through the discharge port of the discharge component, so that the entire flow path of the material from entering the silo to being transported to the reaction end is within the closed space enclosed by the shells of each component, without the need for an open material trough for transportation, thereby solving the problem of maintaining a sealed environment in traditional material supply systems.

[0016] This application abandons the traditional feeder model that integrates material storage and feeding. Instead, the hopper is solely responsible for material storage and gravity feeding, while quantitative control is performed by the feeding component. Since the feeding component intercepts a relatively stable material flow after discharge from the outlet, the volume of material propelled by each rotation depends on its own cavity size and is unaffected by fluctuations in the upstream hopper level, thus significantly improving the repeatability accuracy of small-dose feeding. Especially addressing the problem of clogging and adhesion of highly viscous materials, this application utilizes the continuous mechanical scraping action of the scraping component against the inner wall of the hopper during the discharge process. This applies active shearing force near the outlet, where bridging and adhesion are most likely to occur, forcing the material to detach from the wall and flow towards the center. Simultaneously, it prevents the secondary accumulation of scraped material, ensuring that highly viscous materials can smoothly pass through the outlet and enter the feeding component, thereby guaranteeing the long-term stable operation of the feeding system in applications involving difficult-to-flow materials.

[0017] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0018] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this application will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the material feeding system structure proposed in the embodiments of this application.

[0019] Figure label: 1. Hopper; 11. Feeding port; 12. Discharge port; 13. First hopper body; 14. Second hopper body; 15. Guide ring; 16. Vent; 2. Scraping component; 21. Rotating shaft; 22. Scraper; 221. Connecting part; 222. Scraping part; 3. Discharge component; 31. Discharge port; 32. Turntable; 33. Outer shell; 4. Discharge pipe; 41. Control valve; 5. First control device; 6. Second control device. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail. Examples of these embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0021] The terms "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of this application may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "multiple" means two or more. Furthermore, "and / or" in the specification and claims indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0022] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc., indicating the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0023] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "linking" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0024] In related technologies, there are various types of material feeding systems in existing laboratory and industrial feeding fields. Vibratory feeders are a common type, using a vibration source to vibrate the trough. The material slides down the downward-sloping trough to the target container under the vibration. This method is simple in structure and low in cost, but usually uses an open or semi-open trough structure. In addition, screw feeders and rotary feeders are also widely used. Screw feeders utilize the material's own weight to fill the gaps in the screw threads, pushing the material axially to the discharge end through screw rotation. Rotary feeders rely on material falling into the gaps between the blades of a rotating impeller, discharging the material from the bottom discharge port as the impeller rotates. Both can achieve relatively closed material conveying.

[0025] However, vibratory feeders, relying on open troughs for material conveying, have limited sealing performance, and their feed rate is easily affected by material conditions and vibration parameter fluctuations, resulting in poor controllability of feeding accuracy. For screw feeders and rotary feeders, their conveying method dictates that the material must form a large contact area with the screw or blade surface during conveying. When handling highly viscous materials, the material easily adheres to the screw threads or blade gaps. As operating time increases, the adhesive layer gradually thickens, leading to a reduction in the effective conveying cross-section, deviation of the feed rate from the set value, and difficulty in removing the adhered material online, affecting long-term operational stability and feeding consistency.

[0026] Based on the problems existing in related technologies, this application proposes a material feeding system, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the feeding system includes: 1. Hopper; 2. Scraping component; 3. Discharge component; and 4. Discharge pipe; The hopper 1 is provided with a feeding port 11 and a discharging port 12; the scraping component 2 is located inside the hopper 1 near the discharging port 12. The feeding component 3 includes at least one feeding port 31, which is connected to the discharge port 12 and the feeding pipe 4 respectively. The hopper 1 is configured to feed materials into its internal storage via the feeding port 11 and to discharge materials to the discharge pipe 4 via the discharge port 12. The scraping component 2 is configured to scrape off the material adhering to the inner wall of the hopper 1 when the hopper 1 is discharging material; The feeding component 3 is configured to quantitatively convey the material discharged from the outlet 12 to the feeding pipe 4 through the feeding port 31; The feed pipe 4 is configured to receive and transport the material to the reaction end.

[0027] It should be noted that silo 1 is a storage container for materials, used to store materials supplied in a single batch; the materials include highly viscous materials, powdered materials, granular materials, etc. The feeding port 11 and the discharging port 12 on the silo 1 form a channel for material to enter and exit; The silo 1 is arranged vertically, and the shape of the silo 1 can be a cylindrical, conical, square, or a variable diameter structure with the diameter gradually decreasing from top to bottom; The total volume and height of silo 1 can be determined based on the maximum demand within a single supply cycle. The material of the silo 1 can be made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy or engineering plastics. For high-viscosity materials or working conditions that require anti-corrosion treatment, stainless steel with polished surface is preferred to reduce the adhesion between the material and the silo wall. The inner wall of the silo 1 can also be coated with a ceramic or diamond-like anti-stick coating to further reduce the tendency of material adhesion. The wall thickness of silo 1 must meet the strength requirements under slightly positive pressure working conditions while also taking into account lightweight design; The feeding port 11 is located at the top of the silo 1, and the discharge port 12 is located at the bottom of the silo 1. A sealing cover is provided at the feeding port 11. After the material is added, the feeding port 11 can be completely sealed by the cover to ensure the airtight performance of the entire feeding system. The scraping component 2 is located in the area near the discharge port 12 because the material flow is most concentrated at the discharge port 12, and it is also most prone to adhesion due to squeezing and friction. The feeding component 3 is an independent quantitative transfer structure, which has at least one feeding port 31. The feeding port 31 is connected to the discharge port 12 of the silo 1 and the downstream feeding pipe 4, thereby constructing a closed material conveying path between the silo 1 and the feeding pipe 4. The feed pipe 4 is the end conveying pipeline, which is responsible for guiding and conveying the quantitatively received material to the reaction end. In terms of functional cooperation, the silo 1 is responsible for storing the material and discharging it downstream through the discharge port 12. The scraping component 2 cleans the silo wall through physical action during the discharge process. The feed component 3 uses its discharge port 31 to quantitatively intercept the discharged material. The feed pipe 4 receives the quantitative material and completes the closed conveying.

[0028] The feeding system provided in this embodiment forms a closed conveying channel from the feeding point to the reaction end by sequentially and tightly connected the hopper 1, the feeding component 3, and the feeding pipe 4, isolating the external environment and enabling its application in closed environments such as vacuum or inert atmospheres. The feeding component 3 independently and quantitatively intercepts and conveys the material discharged from the outlet 12, improving the accurate control of small-dose feeding. This embodiment also provides a scraping component 2 near the outlet 12, which dynamically scrapes the inner wall of the hopper 1 during the discharge process to immediately destroy the bridging structure formed by the highly viscous material at the narrowing of the hopper wall and remove the adhering layer, effectively preventing the material from stagnating and accumulating at the outlet 12, and ensuring the smooth flow and stable discharge of viscous material throughout the feeding process.

[0029] The scraping structure in this embodiment ensures that the material only comes into contact with the feeding system at one point during the conveying process, between the discharge port 12 of the hopper 1 and the unloading component 3. This significantly reduces the contact area between the material and the internal structure of the feeding system. Even if adhesion occurs at this contact point, it can be removed promptly by the relative shearing action between the unloading component 3 and the discharge port 12, combined with the joint cleaning of the scraper 22. This reduces the risk of material adhesion and further enhances the feeding system's adaptability to highly viscous materials and its long-term operational reliability.

[0030] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the feeding system includes a first control device 5; The first control device 5 is connected to the scraping component 2 and the hopper 1 respectively; The first control device 5 is configured to control the relative movement between the scraping component 2 and the hopper 1, so that the scraping component 2 dynamically scrapes off the material adhering to the inner wall of the hopper 1.

[0031] It should be noted that the first control device 5 is connected to the scraping component 2 and the hopper 1 to form a drive-type control architecture; The first control device 5 serves as the power and control source. Its connection with the scraping component 2 transmits driving force to the scraping component 2, while its connection with the hopper 1 drives the hopper 1 or acquires the status signal of the hopper 1. Based on this connection, the first control device 5 is configured to control the relative movement between the scraping component 2 and the hopper 1. This relative movement can be either the first control device 5 driving the scraping component 2 to move while the hopper 1 remains fixed, the first control device 5 driving the hopper 1 to move while the scraping component 2 remains fixed, or both being driven simultaneously to move in opposite directions. Regardless of the specific implementation, the purpose is to enable the scraping part of the scraping component 2 to dynamically sweep along the inner wall surface of the hopper 1 through this relative movement, thereby continuously peeling off the material adhering to the inner wall during the operation of the feeding system, avoiding the problem of the actual feeding amount deviating from the set value due to material retention on the inner wall. This controllable dynamic scraping mode allows the feeding system to operate stably for a long time even in applications with highly viscous materials, further improving the overall reliability and service life of the feeding system.

[0032] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the scraping component 2 includes a rotating shaft 21 and a scraper 22; The two opposite ends of the rotating shaft 21 are respectively connected to the first control device 5 and the scraper 22; the side of the scraper 22 away from the rotating shaft 21 is close to the inner wall of the hopper 1; The first control device 5 is also configured to drive the rotating shaft 21 to rotate, and the rotating shaft 21 is configured to drive the scraper 22 to perform circumferential motion, so that the scraper 22 moves relative to the inner wall of the hopper 1; The scraper 22 is configured to rotate and scrape off the material adhering to the inner wall of the hopper 1, so that it is discharged along the outlet 12.

[0033] It should be noted that the first control device 5 is a motor, which is installed on the hopper 1 and close to the feeding port 11; specifically, the motor is located at the center of the top of the hopper 1, and the output shaft of the motor is connected to one end of the rotating shaft 21 that extends out of the hopper 1. One end of the rotating shaft 21 is connected to the first control device 5 to receive driving force, and the other end is connected to the scraper 22 to output power. The side of the scraper 22 away from the rotating shaft 21 is arranged close to the inner wall surface of the hopper 1, so that the scraper 22 and the inner wall maintain a spatial relationship that enables the scraping action. The radial gap between the scraper 22 and the inner wall of the hopper 1 is 0.5mm to 10mm. For highly viscous soft materials, a tight gap of 0.5mm to 2mm is preferred to achieve effective scraping. For materials containing hard particles, a larger gap of 3mm to 10mm is preferred to avoid rigid jamming between the scraper 22 and the particles. The thickness of the scraping section 222 is 1 mm to 10 mm; for example, a range of one or any two of 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, 7 mm and 10 mm. The number of scrapers 22 can be 2 to 8; multiple scrapers 22 can be evenly distributed around the circumference of the rotating shaft 21, and multiple scrapers 22 can alternately sweep the wall of the hopper 1, thereby improving the scraping frequency and uniformity; when 4 scrapers 22 are set and symmetrically distributed, a balanced scraping force can be applied to the wall of the hopper 1 at the same time, which is beneficial to the dynamic balance of the rotating shaft 21. The scraper 22 is made of 304, 316L or 630 stainless steel, etc. The surface of the scraper 22 can be electrolytically polished to reduce the adhesion of materials.

[0034] In practice, the first control device 5 drives the rotating shaft 21 to rotate, and the rotating shaft 21 in turn drives the scraper 22 connected to its end to perform circumferential motion. This allows the scraper 22 to continuously sweep around the fixed inner wall of the hopper 1. During the rotation, the scraper 22 uses its relative motion with the inner wall to forcibly peel off the material adhering to the inner wall. With the pushing and guiding effect of the scraper 22, the peeled material is discharged along the direction of the discharge port 12.

[0035] In this embodiment, the rotating shaft 21 drives the scraper 22 to make continuous circular motion, so that the scraping action of the scraper 22 on the inner wall is not limited to a certain fixed direction or local area, but can perform circumferential dynamic cleaning of the inner wall of the hopper 1, especially the entire annular area around the discharge port 12. Compared with reciprocating or intermittent motion, this continuous rotating scraping method can more effectively destroy the annular bridging structure formed by high viscous materials on the surface of the hopper 1 wall, and avoid the problem of material accumulation on the back side of the scraper 22 caused by unidirectional scraping, thereby ensuring that the feeding component 3 can always obtain a continuous and stable material supply. In addition to shearing and scraping the wall surface during rotation, the scraper 22 also generates a certain amount of material agitation and guiding effect near the discharge port 12. This helps to push the scraped material towards the center of the discharge port 12, thereby accelerating the transfer efficiency of the material from the silo 1 to the downstream. It also ensures that the stripped material can be discharged in time without accumulating again at the bottom of the silo and forming secondary adhesion.

[0036] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the scraper 22 includes a connecting part 221 and a scraping part 222; One end of the connecting part 221 is connected to the end of the rotating shaft 21 away from the first control device 5, and the other end is connected to the scraping part 222; The scraping part 222 is located on the side away from the connecting part 221 and close to the inner wall of the hopper 1, and the axial dimension of the scraping part 222 is less than or equal to the axial dimension of the hopper 1.

[0037] It should be noted that the rotational motion of the rotating shaft 21 is transmitted to the scraping part 222 through the connecting part 221. The scraping part 222 is the execution end on the scraper 22 that directly contacts the material and the bin wall. Its side away from the connecting part 221 is set close to the inner wall of the bin 1 to realize the scraping function. The scraper 22 can be made from a single plate by stamping or bending. The connecting part 221 and the scraping part 222 are bent at a certain angle. The whole has no welding or riveting points and has high structural strength. Alternatively, the connecting part 221 and the scraping part 222 can be machined separately and then fixedly connected by bolts, pins or welding, which makes it easy to replace the worn scraping part 222 while retaining the connecting part 221, reducing maintenance costs and is suitable for working conditions where the scraping part 222 needs to be replaced. Alternatively, the connecting part 221 of the scraper 22 can be configured as a thin sheet or spring steel sheet structure with elastic deformation capability. When the scraping part 222 is squeezed by material or slightly interferes with the bin wall, the connecting part 221 can generate elastic bending, so that the scraping part 222 automatically fits tightly to the bin wall and compensates for installation errors or bin wall deformation.

[0038] The axial dimension of the scraping part 222 does not exceed the axial dimension of the hopper 1, so that the axial coverage width of the scraping part 222 is constrained within the axial width range of the hopper 1 itself and will not exceed the edge of the hopper 1. The axial length of the scraping section 222 is 0.6 to 1.0 times the axial length of the hopper 1, prioritizing coverage of the area where the discharge port 12 is located; The radial extension length of the scraping part 222, that is, the distance from the outer edge of the scraping part 222 to the axis of the rotating shaft 21, is 0.4 to 0.9 times the inner diameter of the hopper 1, ensuring that the coverage area of ​​the scraper 22 extends from the wall of the hopper 1 to the area near the center.

[0039] In this embodiment, the scraper 22 is configured as a combination of a connecting part 221 and a scraping part 222. The connecting part 221 serves as an intermediate force transmission component between the rotating shaft 21 and the scraping part 222, and can adjust the radial extension distance of the scraping part 222 according to the actual installation space, so that the scraping part 222 can be better positioned to the scraping position close to the inner wall of the hopper 1. The side of the scraping part 222 away from the connecting part 221 is close to the inner wall of the hopper 1, so that the scraping action directly acts on the wall adhesion layer. With the rotation of the rotating shaft 21, the scraping part 222 can effectively destroy the adhesion interface between the material and the wall surface in a sweeping manner. The axial dimension of the scraping part 222 does not exceed the axial dimension of the hopper 1 to ensure that the sweeping range of the scraping part 222 is completely within the effective working area of ​​the hopper 1, avoiding ineffective scraping caused by the scraping part 222 exceeding the edge of the hopper 1 or interference with external components of the hopper 1. This dimensional relationship also allows the scraping part 222 to cover the inner wall of the area where the discharge port 12 is located in the axial direction, preventing the leaving of dead corner areas that are not scraped due to insufficient axial width of the scraping part 222, and ensuring the long-term unobstructed flow of the discharge port 12.

[0040] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the hopper 1 includes a first hopper body 13 and a second hopper body 14 connected in sequence; The diameter of the second chamber 14 in the radial direction gradually decreases away from the first chamber 13; the feed port 11 is located at the end of the first chamber 13 away from the second chamber 14, and the discharge port 12 is located at the end of the second chamber 14 with the smallest diameter; The portion of the scraping part 222 located in the first compartment 13 is parallel to the rotating shaft 21 in the axial direction, and the portion of the scraping part 222 located in the second compartment 14 is offset in the axial direction away from the rotating shaft 21.

[0041] It should be noted that the diameter of the first hopper 13 is uniform in the axial direction, while the diameter of the second hopper 14 gradually decreases in the radial direction away from the first hopper 13, making the hopper 1 as a whole an inverted cone structure. The bottom of the cone narrows to form the discharge port 12. This structure can use gravity to guide the material to converge to the bottom, which is suitable for the storage and natural discharge of high-viscosity laboratory materials such as powders and pastes, and can meet the needs of laboratory single-batch material storage. The setting of the feed port 11 and the discharge port 12 forms a flow path on the silo 1 in which the material enters from the top and bottom through the wide opening, and is discharged from the narrow opening after passing through the conical contraction. The spatial orientation of the scraping part 222 is different in different bin sections. The part of the scraping part 222 located in the first bin 13 is parallel to the rotating shaft 21 in the axial direction, that is, it extends vertically. The part of the scraping part 222 located in the second bin 14 is offset in the axial direction away from the rotating shaft 21, that is, it bends outward to fit the conical wall of the second bin 14, so that the overall shape of the scraping part 222 is adapted to the variable diameter profile of the bin 1. The vertical section of the scraping part 222 located in the first compartment 13 has a length of 0.8 to 1.0 times the axial length of the first compartment 13, and the length of the bent section located in the second compartment 14 has a length of 0.7 to 1.0 times the axial length of the second compartment 14. The scraping part 222 inside the second compartment 14 has a bending angle of 5° to 45°, which matches the cone angle of the second compartment 14.

[0042] In this embodiment, the hopper 1 is configured as a tapered structure with a constant diameter at the top and a tapered lower section, allowing the material to naturally converge towards the center during gravity fall, reducing the tendency for material to stagnate on the hopper wall. The discharge port 12, located at the smallest diameter end of the tapered section, further facilitates concentrated material discharge. The scraping section 222 remains parallel to the rotating shaft 21 within the constant diameter first hopper 13, and offsets outward within the tapered second hopper 14 to conform to the inclined inner wall. This segmented configuration ensures that the scraper 22 maintains a uniform scraping gap with each section of the hopper 1's inner wall, effectively cleaning the entire material flow path from the top of the hopper to near the discharge port 12, avoiding scraping blind spots or excessive gaps caused by a mismatch between the shape of the scraping section 222 and the hopper's contour. The outward offset of the scraping section 222 in the conical section can also apply a directional pushing force to the inner wall of the contraction area, pushing the material adhering to the conical surface toward the discharge port 12, so that the high-viscosity material will not accumulate rapidly in the diameter-changing area inside the silo due to the cross-sectional contraction.

[0043] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, a guide ring 15 is provided at the discharge port 12 of the silo 1; The axis of the guide ring 15 coincides with the axis of the outlet 12, and the inner diameter of the guide ring 15 gradually decreases in the axial direction toward the material feeding component 3. The diameter of the discharge port 31 is the same as the minimum inner diameter of the guide ring 15.

[0044] It should be noted that the guide ring 15 is located at the discharge port 12, and its axis is aligned with the axis of the discharge port 12 to ensure that the two are coaxial and aligned. The inner diameter of the guide ring 15 gradually decreases axially downwards, forming a contraction channel like a funnel or cone. This embodiment of the application includes a guide ring 15, whose tapered inner wall can gather and concentrate the material discharged from the outlet 12 towards the center, preventing the material from lingering or spreading at the edge of the outlet 12. Especially for highly viscous materials, this contraction and guiding effect can break the adhesion phenomenon formed by surface tension at the outlet 12, ensuring that the material is concentrated and introduced into the discharge port 31. The matching size relationship between the diameter of the discharge port 31 and the minimum inner diameter of the guide ring 15 ensures that there are no steps or gaps when the material enters the discharge port 31 from the outlet of the guide ring 15, preventing the material from accumulating and clogging in the transition area.

[0045] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the hopper 1 is provided with a vent 16; The vent 16 is configured to introduce gas into the hopper 1 during discharge, so as to create a slightly positive pressure environment inside the hopper 1 to help carry the material to slide down the discharge port 12.

[0046] It should be noted that the vent 16 is located at the top of the hopper 1, serving as an interface for external gas to enter the interior of the hopper 1. The air inlet can be connected to inert gas or atmospheric pressure auxiliary airflow. By introducing auxiliary gas, a slightly positive pressure environment is formed inside the hopper 1, which helps to carry high-viscosity materials downwards, overcoming the defects of high-viscosity materials sticking together and getting stuck during feeding.

[0047] In this embodiment, the slightly positive pressure environment is a direct manifestation of the airtight performance. Only when all interfaces of the silo are well sealed can the internal pressure of the silo 1 be maintained higher than that of the outside. The positive pressure environment can effectively prevent external air or impurities from seeping back into the silo 1, ensuring that the material is not contaminated by the external atmosphere.

[0048] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the feeding system also includes a second control device 6; The second control device 6 is connected to the hopper 1 and the unloading component 3 respectively; The second control device 6 is configured to control the relative movement between the hopper 1 and the feeding component 3, so that the feeding port 31 quantitatively conveys the material discharged from the discharge port 12 into the feeding pipe 4.

[0049] It should be noted that the second control device 6 is different from the first control device 5. The second control device 6 is configured to control the relative movement between the hopper 1 and the feeding component 3. This relative movement is specifically manifested in the change of the relative position or coordination state between the discharge port 12 of the hopper 1 and the discharge port 31 of the feeding component 3, so that the discharge port 31 can intercept and transport the material discharged from the discharge port 12 in a quantitative manner to the feeding pipe 4, thereby realizing the regulation of the material supply.

[0050] In this embodiment, the second control device 6 can dynamically change the docking area or connection sequence of the discharge port 12 and the discharge port 31 during the material discharge process by adjusting the relative positional relationship between the hopper 1 and the discharge component 3. This enables the control of the material throughput per unit time, allowing the feeding system to not only rely on the cavity volume of the discharge component 3 itself for quantitative feeding, but also to compensate for fluctuations in material density or flowability through the adjustment of relative motion, thereby improving the repeatability accuracy of small-dose feeding.

[0051] When it is necessary to stop the material supply, the second control device 6 can control the relative movement of the hopper 1 and the feeding component 3 to a position where the discharge port 12 and the feeding port 31 are completely misaligned, cutting off the material flow path and avoiding the problem of material leakage or sticky residue after the traditional valve is closed. The second control device 6 and the first control device 5 are independent of each other but can work together, so that the scraping action and the quantitative conveying action each have independent power sources and control logic, avoiding the overload of a single control device, and realizing flexible adjustment of the action sequence of the two according to different working conditions, further improving the comprehensive adaptability and operational stability of the feeding system in the feeding scenarios of multiple varieties and multiple viscosities of materials.

[0052] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, the feeding component 3 includes a turntable 32 and a housing 33; The outer shell 33 encloses the turntable 32, and the outer shell 33 is connected to the side of the hopper 1 where the discharge port 12 is located. The second control device 6 is connected to the turntable 32. Multiple feeding ports 31 are arranged on the turntable 32 at equal intervals along the circumferential direction; The plane where the discharge port 31 is located is parallel to the plane where the discharge port 12 is located. The discharge port 31 and the discharge port 12 are connected. The distance between adjacent discharge ports 31 is greater than or equal to the diameter of the discharge port 12. The second control device 6 is also configured to drive the turntable 32 to perform a circular motion, so that the feeding port 31 moves relative to the discharge port 12; The turntable 32 is configured to rotate so that the discharge port 31 coincides with the discharge port 12, or to rotate the discharge port 31 and the discharge port 12 out of alignment. When the discharge port 31 coincides with the discharge port 12, the material enters the discharge pipe 4. When the discharge port 31 and the discharge port 12 are misaligned, the discharge port 12 is opposite to the plane of the turntable 32 to prevent the material from entering the discharge pipe 4, thus forming the quantitative conveying.

[0053] It should be noted that the outer shell 33 encloses the turntable 32, providing housing space and protection for the turntable 32; The shape of the outer casing 33 matches that of the turntable 32, such as Figure 1 As shown, it can be a flat cylindrical or disc-shaped shell with a circular cavity inside to accommodate the turntable 32; The outer shell 33 is integrally formed with the hopper 1, and the upper end face of the outer shell 33 is provided with a feeding interface that connects with the discharge port 12 of the hopper 1, and the lower end face is provided with a discharge interface that connects with the discharge pipe 4. The axes of the feeding interface and the discharge interface coincide in the circumferential direction. The inner diameter of the feeding interface and the discharge interface matches the inner diameter of the discharge port 12 of the hopper 1 and the discharge pipe 4, which is 10mm to 100mm. The inner diameter of the outer shell 33 is larger than the outer diameter of the turntable 32, and the single-sided gap between the two is 0.5mm to 3mm, so as to ensure that the turntable 32 can rotate freely while maintaining good sealing performance; The axial thickness of the outer shell 33, i.e. the height between the upper and lower end faces, can be determined based on the thickness of the turntable 32 and the depth of the feed inlet 31 to be accommodated. The outer shell 33 can be made of stainless steel, aluminum alloy, etc.; the inner surface of the outer shell 33 that contacts the turntable 32 can be fitted with a PTFE bushing or coated with a wear-resistant coating to reduce friction and wear between the outer shell 33 and the turntable 32.

[0054] like Figure 1 As shown, the turntable 32 is generally flat and disc-shaped with smooth edges, maintaining a clearance fit with the inner wall of the outer shell 33; The diameter of the turntable 32 is determined according to the number and spacing of the required feeding ports 31, ranging from 100mm to 500mm; the thickness of the turntable 32 must ensure that the feeding ports 31 have sufficient depth to accommodate a fixed amount of material, ranging from 5mm to 30mm. A sealing element is provided between the outer shell 33 and the turntable 32. For example, PTFE sealing rings or O-rings are respectively embedded on the upper and lower surfaces of the inner wall of the outer shell 33. The sealing rings form a sliding sealing fit with the upper and lower surfaces of the turntable 32, which does not affect the rotation of the turntable 32 and can effectively prevent material leakage and external gas from entering. The second control device 6 is a motor, which is located at the center of the housing 33. The center of the turntable 32 is provided with a mounting hole for connecting to the second control device 6, so that the output shaft of the motor is directly connected to the turntable 32 to drive the turntable 32 to make circular motion inside the housing 33. The discharge ports 31 are arranged at equal intervals on the body of the turntable 32 along the rotation direction of the turntable 32. The cross-sectional shape of the discharge ports 31 is circular, elliptical, waist-shaped or fan-shaped, etc., to adapt to the flow characteristics of different materials. The ratio of the depth to the diameter of the discharge port 31 is 0.5 to 2.0. The diameter of the discharge port 31 is determined according to the target single feeding amount and is 5mm to 30mm. The number of discharge ports 31 is preferably four or eight. The plane of the discharge port 31 is parallel to the plane of the discharge port 12, so that they are directly connected. The distance between adjacent discharge ports 31 is not less than the diameter of the discharge port 12, so that a discharge port 12 can cover at most one discharge port 31 area at any given time. The distance between adjacent discharge ports 31 is at least 1.0 to 2.0 times the diameter of the discharge port 31. On this basis, when the second control device 6 drives the turntable 32 to rotate, the turntable 32 moves relative to the stationary hopper 1, so that the discharge ports 31 on the turntable 32 alternately coincide with or are misaligned with the discharge port 12 during the rotation. When the discharge port 31 coincides with the discharge port 12, a smooth material channel is formed between the discharge port 12, the discharge port 31 and the discharge pipe 4, allowing the material to be discharged and enter the discharge pipe 4. When the feed inlet 31 and the discharge outlet 12 are misaligned, the discharge outlet 12 is blocked by the non-opening plane area of ​​the turntable 32, the material channel is blocked, and the material cannot be discharged into the feed pipe 4. Through this periodic switching of overlap and misalignment, the material is quantitatively conveyed from the discharge outlet 12 into the feed pipe 4.

[0055] In this embodiment, the outer shell 33 encloses the turntable 32, sealing the rotating component 32 internally. This blocks external gas from entering the hopper 1 through the gap in the feeding component 3, further enhancing the system's airtightness in vacuum or inert atmosphere environments. The equally spaced feeding ports 31, combined with the uniform rotation of the turntable 32, ensure that each feeding port 31 receives the same number of materials passing under the discharge port 12 per unit time. The material falls naturally into the feeding port 31 by gravity and is carried away from the discharge port 12 area and into the feeding pipe 4 as the turntable 32 rotates. This achieves highly repeatable quantitative feeding based on a fixed volume and fixed speed, solving the problem of significant pulsation at low speeds in traditional screw or star feeders. The spacing between adjacent discharge ports 31 ensures that the discharge port 12 can be completely covered by the solid plane of the turntable 32 during the rotation of the discharge port 31. Compared with the traditional gap fit, this surface contact sealing and blocking method can more reliably cut off the material flow for highly viscous materials and avoid leakage and dripping caused by material stringing or adhesion.

[0056] During the rotation of the turntable 32, a relative shearing motion is formed between the lower edge of the discharge port 12 and the upper surface of the turntable 32, which can cut off and peel off the material adhering to the edge of the discharge port 12. Combined with the active cleaning of the inner wall of the hopper 1 by the scraping component 2, the overall feeding system can improve the long-term stable feeding capability of the feeding system for high-viscosity materials in a closed and high-precision scenario.

[0057] In some embodiments of this application, such as Figure 1 As shown, a control valve 41 is provided on the feed pipe 4; The control valve 41 is configured to control the quality of the material discharged through the feed pipe 4 by opening and closing.

[0058] In this embodiment, the feeding tube 4 is connected to the outer shell 33 in the feeding component by a nut sleeve; The bottom end of the feed pipe 4 is connected to the inside of the high-temperature reactor, which can directly transport the material to the reaction station; A shut-off control valve 41 is installed in the middle of the feed pipe 4. By opening and closing the valve, the start and stop of the entire feeding process can be quickly controlled, so as to realize flexible control of the feeding process.

[0059] To enable those skilled in the art to more clearly understand this application, a material feeding system provided in this application will now be described in detail through the following embodiments.

[0060] Example 1 (1) In the initial state, the control valve 41 is closed, the discharge port 31 and the discharge port 12 on the turntable 32 are misaligned, the discharge port 12 is blocked by the solid plane of the turntable 32, and the silo 1 is in a closed storage state. (2) After the high-viscosity material is added through the feeding port 11 at the top of the silo 1, the feeding port 11 is closed and kept sealed. According to the experimental requirements, an appropriate amount of auxiliary gas is introduced into the silo 1 through the vent 16 to establish a micro-positive pressure environment. (3) When it is necessary to supply material to the reaction end, the first control device 5 and the second control device 6 are started. The first control device 5 drives the rotating shaft 21 to rotate. The rotating shaft 21 drives the scraper 22 to make a circular motion. The scraping part 222 of the scraper 22 continuously sweeps along the inner wall surface of the hopper 1 to continuously scrape off the material adhering to the inner wall of the first hopper 13 and the second hopper 14, so as to avoid the material from sticking and accumulating. At the same time, the second control device 6 drives the turntable 32 to rotate at a constant speed. When the discharge port 31 on the turntable 32 rotates to be directly aligned with the discharge port 12 of the hopper 1, the highly viscous material in the hopper 1 enters the discharge port 31 through the discharge port 12 and the guide ring 15 in sequence under the combined action of gravity and micro-positive pressure airflow. The material falls from the discharge port 31 into the discharge pipe 4 under the action of gravity. (4) As the turntable 32 continues to rotate, the feeding port 31 containing the material rotates away from the area of ​​the discharge port 12. After the feeding port 31 has completely rotated away, the discharge port 12 is blocked again by the solid plane of the turntable 32, and the material stops being discharged. Each rotation of the turntable 32 to the feeding port interval completes one quantitative feeding. (5) Then the control valve 41 in the middle of the feed pipe 4 can be opened, and the material is stably conveyed to the reaction end along the feed pipe 4; by adjusting the rotation speed of the turntable 32, the feeding frequency of the material can be changed, so as to achieve quantitative and uniform feeding. (6) When the experimental feeding is completed or the target feeding amount is reached, the feeding can be stopped by closing the control valve 41. At the same time, the discharge port 12 is blocked and cut off by the turntable 32 to achieve double sealing and prevent material leakage.

[0061] In summary, the feeding system of this application embodiment retains only one material contact point between the hopper's outlet and the turntable's discharge port, significantly reducing the contact area between highly viscous materials and the core components of the equipment, thereby reducing the risk of material adhesion and residue. Furthermore, the built-in scraper structure in the hopper continuously rotates and scrapes the inner wall of the hopper under the drive of the first control device, promptly cleaning the adhering material at the outlet and guide ring. This, combined with the shearing action of the turntable on the edge of the outlet, creates a synergistic cleaning effect, solving the problems of material adhesion and blockage caused by large areas of material covering the screw surface in traditional screw feeders and by material filling the gaps between blades in star feeders.

[0062] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiment," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0063] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of this application, the scope of which is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A material feeding system, characterized in that, The feeding system includes: The material hopper (1), scraping component (2), feeding component (3) and feeding pipe (4); The hopper (1) is provided with a feeding port (11) and a discharging port (12); the scraping component (2) is located inside the hopper (1) near the discharging port (12); The feeding component (3) includes at least one feeding port (31), which is connected to the discharge port (12) and the feeding pipe (4) respectively; The hopper (1) is configured to feed materials into its internal storage via the feeding port (11) and discharge materials into the discharge pipe (4) via the discharge port (12); The scraping component (2) is configured to scrape off the material adhering to the inner wall of the hopper (1) when the hopper (1) is discharging material; The feeding component (3) is configured to quantitatively convey the material discharged from the outlet (12) through the feeding port (31) into the feeding pipe (4); The feed pipe (4) is configured to receive and transport the material to the reaction end.

2. The material feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding system includes a first control device (5); The first control device (5) is connected to the scraping component (2) and the hopper (1) respectively; The first control device (5) is configured to control the relative movement between the scraping component (2) and the hopper (1) so that the scraping component (2) dynamically scrapes off the material adhering to the inner wall of the hopper (1).

3. The material feeding system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The scraping component (2) includes a rotating shaft (21) and a scraper (22); The two opposite ends of the rotating shaft (21) are respectively connected to the first control device (5) and the scraper (22); the side of the scraper (22) away from the rotating shaft (21) is close to the inner wall of the hopper (1); The first control device (5) is also configured to drive the rotating shaft (21) to rotate, and the rotating shaft (21) is configured to drive the scraper (22) to make a circular motion, so that the scraper (22) moves relative to the inner wall of the hopper (1); The scraper (22) is configured to rotate and scrape off the material adhering to the inner wall of the hopper (1) so that it is discharged along the outlet (12).

4. The material feeding system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The scraper (22) includes a connecting part (221) and a scraping part (222); One end of the connecting part (221) is connected to the end of the rotating shaft (21) away from the first control device (5), and the other end is connected to the scraping part (222); The scraping part (222) is located on the side away from the connecting part (221) and close to the inner wall of the hopper (1), and the axial dimension of the scraping part (222) is less than or equal to the axial dimension of the hopper (1).

5. The material feeding system according to claim 4, characterized in that, The silo (1) includes a first silo body (13) and a second silo body (14) connected in sequence. The diameter of the second chamber (14) in the radial direction gradually decreases in the direction away from the first chamber (13); the feeding port (11) is opened at the end of the first chamber (13) away from the second chamber (14), and the discharge port (12) is opened at the end of the second chamber (14) with the smallest diameter; The portion of the scraping part (222) located in the first compartment (13) is parallel to the rotating shaft (21) in the axial direction, and the portion of the scraping part (222) located in the second compartment (14) is offset in the axial direction away from the rotating shaft (21).

6. The material feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The feeding system also includes a second control device (6); The second control device (6) is connected to the hopper (1) and the unloading component (3) respectively; The second control device (6) is configured to control the relative movement between the hopper (1) and the feeding component (3) so that the feeding port (31) quantitatively delivers the material discharged from the discharge port (12) into the feeding pipe (4).

7. The material feeding system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The feeding component (3) includes a turntable (32) and a housing (33); The outer shell (33) encloses the turntable (32), and the outer shell (33) is connected to the side of the hopper (1) where the discharge port (12) is located. The second control device (6) is connected to the turntable (32). Multiple feed ports (31) are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction on the turntable (32); The plane where the discharge port (31) is located is parallel to the plane where the discharge port (12) is located. The discharge port (31) and the discharge port (12) are connected. The distance between adjacent discharge ports (31) is greater than or equal to the diameter of the discharge port (12). The second control device (6) is also configured to drive the turntable (32) to perform a circular motion, so that the feed port (31) moves relative to the discharge port (12); The turntable (32) is configured to rotate so that the discharge port (31) coincides with the discharge port (12) or the discharge port (31) is misaligned with the discharge port (12); When the discharge port (31) coincides with the discharge port (12), the material enters the discharge pipe (4). When the discharge port (31) and the discharge port (12) are misaligned, the discharge port (12) is opposite to the plane of the turntable (32) to prevent the material from entering the discharge pipe (4) and form the quantitative conveying.

8. The material feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The silo (1) is provided with a guide ring (15) at the discharge port (12); The axis of the guide ring (15) coincides with the axis of the outlet (12), and the inner diameter of the guide ring (15) gradually decreases in the axial direction toward the material feeding component (3). The diameter of the discharge port (31) is the same as the minimum inner diameter of the guide ring (15).

9. The material feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hopper (1) is provided with a vent (16); The vent (16) is configured to introduce gas into the hopper (1) during discharge, so as to create a slightly positive pressure environment inside the hopper (1) to help carry the material to slide down to the discharge port (12).

10. The material feeding system according to claim 1, characterized in that, A control valve (41) is provided on the feed pipe (4); The control valve (41) is configured to control the mass of the material discharged through the feed pipe (4) by opening and closing.

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