Gravity-Based Coal Screening Apparatus with Adjustable Decks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing coal screening apparatuses are hazardous due to moving parts, requiring additional prescreening and post-screening units, and pose risks of injury from vibration and falling debris.
Innovation Solution
A standalone screening apparatus that relies primarily on gravity for separation, eliminating moving parts and incorporating a barricade system for safety, with adjustable decks and a spray mechanism for efficient coal separation without vibration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If vibration mechanisms are used to separate coal particles, then separation efficiency is improved, but safety hazards increase due to dangerous moving parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the vibration mechanism entirely from the screening apparatus, extracting the dangerous moving parts that caused safety hazards while maintaining separation functionality through gravity-based screening surfaces
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical vibration system with a gravity-based system where coal particles are separated by flowing over stationary screening surfaces, substituting active mechanical motion with passive gravitational force
2Reliability
If multiple separate units (prescreening and post-screening) are used to achieve complete coal separation, then separation completeness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines prescreening and post-screening functions into a single integrated apparatus with multiple screening surfaces arranged in sequence, merging what were previously separate units into one cohesive system
Solution Approach 2:
The single apparatus performs multiple functions including prescreening, main screening, and post-screening operations simultaneously, making the device universal for complete coal separation without requiring multiple specialized units
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly enhances safety by eliminating vibration and the need for additional units, allowing for efficient separation of coal grades while preventing worker accidents through a barricade system and adjustable deck angles.
Implementation Method 1
the coal screening apparatus is designed to slow down the flow of coal to allow more coal to go through the screen without damaging the screen
Data Source
AI summary
An upper deck in a top flume before a lower deck in a bottom flume, each deck is adjustable from form about 10 to about 70 degrees, or from about 20 to about 45 degrees, and has a frame divided into a grid containing blank or screen panels that have openings to selectively permit smaller aggregate to pass through, while larger aggregates pass over the screens. The top flume has an opening for feeding the larger aggregates to the top of the deck adjacent the flume, and a bottom with an opening for feeding smaller aggregates under the deck. The bottom flume has an upstream side with an opening at the bottom to receive the smaller aggregates from the upstream adjacent flume and a downstream side having an opening adjacent the bottom of the side to discharge the larger aggregates, and the bottom has an opening it discharge the smaller aggregates.