Multi-Outlet Hopper Agitation for Bulk Material Blockage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conveying apparatuses for bulk materials are prone to blockages due to ambient temperature and humidity, causing significant downtime in production lines.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus with a hopper and agitator arrangement that includes helical agitation surfaces and multiple outlets, controlled by a circuitry system to agitate and urge bulk material towards outlets, preventing cohesion and enabling efficient conveyance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If bulk material is conveyed through a conduit in ambient conditions, then the conveying process is simple, but the conduit becomes blocked due to cohesion caused by temperature and humidity
Solution Approach 1:
The hopper is divided into multiple outlets instead of a single outlet, distributing the bulk material flow across multiple paths. This segmentation prevents material cohesion and blockages by reducing the concentration of material at any single point, thereby improving reliability without requiring complex additional components
Solution Approach 2:
The agitator arrangement performs preliminary action by continuously agitating the bulk material in the hopper before it reaches the outlets. This pre-agitation prevents cohesion and ensures material remains in a conveyable state, preventing blockages before they can occur in the conduit
2Productivity
If a single outlet is used for bulk material conveyance, then the apparatus structure is simple, but material cohesion causes blockages and downtime
Solution Approach 1:
The single outlet is segmented into multiple outlets, each with its own valve. This allows the system to serve multiple production lines or destinations simultaneously, improving productivity by enabling parallel material distribution while maintaining manageable complexity through modular valve control
Solution Approach 2:
The hopper with multiple outlets and valves serves multiple functions: it can supply material to different production lines, different destinations, or operate in different modes (single outlet mode or multiple outlet mode). This multi-functionality improves productivity without proportionally increasing complexity
3Reliability
If ambient temperature and humidity are not controlled, then energy consumption is low, but bulk material cohesion increases causing blockages
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the natural agitation caused by material accumulation and gravity to create self-service mixing and prevention of cohesion. The multiple outlets and valves allow the system to self-regulate material flow without requiring external environmental control, maintaining reliability while avoiding additional energy consumption for climate control
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 apparatus effectively counters cohesion of bulk materials, ensuring continuous operation by reducing blockages and enhancing the efficiency of material conveyance.
Implementation Method 1
an agitator arrangement configured to agitate the bulk material in the hopper in order to counteract cohesion of the bulk material, and configured to urge the bulk material in the hopper towards the plurality of outlets
Implementation Method 2
at least one set of first arch-breaking units arranged on the rotary shaft, each set comprises: a helical material conveyor provided with an auger-form helical strip that spirals on the outer side of the radial direction of the rotary shaft
Implementation Method 3
The apparatus comprises a plurality of valves which are connected to the plurality of outlets. The plurality of valves are configured to allow or restrict conveyance of bulk material from the hopper via the plurality of outlets
Data Source
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AI summary
An apparatus (400) for receiving and conveying bulk material is provided. The apparatus comprises a hopper (110) for receiving bulk material, at least one outlet (320) configured to enable bulk material, received by the hopper, to exit the hopper, and an agitator arrangement (120). The agitator arrangement is configured to agitate the bulk material in the hopper in order to counteract cohesion of the bulk material, and configured to urge the bulk material in the hopper towards the at least one outlet.