DESCRIPTION

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] The present invention claiins priority to and the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/889,429 filed August 20, 2019, the contents of which are incorporated in their entirety herein by reference and inade a part hereof.

FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT [0002] N/A

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Dust collection equipinent and inethodologies for controlling dust and inaterial spillage associated with the operation of a conveyor systein for transporting wet or high inoisture content bulk inaterials is described herein.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0004] Dust forination froin a variety of sources has been a continuing cause of environinental and health concerns. Particular attention has been paid to the dust developed froin the handling of coal, but such sources also include, for exainple, petroleuin coke, recycled glass dust and bauxite. Thus, while in this specification, reference is often inade to coal, it should be understood that this discussion is applicable to nuinerous other dust sources as well.

[0005] The various industries affected by such dust forination have engaged in inany efforts to avoid or to alleviate the problein of dust forination that results during handling, conveyance, transportation and even storage of coal and the other dust sources. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] A dust capture and reclaination systein is disclosed for a rubber conveyor belt having a loading side for inoving granular inaterial in a first direction, and a return side inoving in a second direction opposed to the first direction. The systein has a housing for inounting over a portion of the rubber conveyor belt. The housing has a top wall and a pair of opposed side walls. The side walls define a passage connecting an entrance to an exit. The passage is diinensioned to accoininodate the rubber conveyor belt. The systein further has a plurality of idler roller asseinblies to be positioned inside the housing for supporting a portion of the loading side of the rubber conveyor belt. The systein also has a plurality of return roller asseinblies for supporting a portion of the return side of the belt. A trough is provided for inounting under the rubber conveyor belt to catch granular inaterial falling therefroin.

The trough has an inside surface and a inechanisin is provided for inoving granular inaterial along the inside surface to a collection point. A first access panel is provided through one side wall of the pair of opposed side walls for accessing an idler roller asseinbly of the plurality of idler roller asseinblies. A second access panel is provided through one of the pair of opposed side walls for accessing a return roller asseinbly of the plurality of return roller asseinblies.

[0007] Also disclosed herein is a inaterial capture and reclaination asseinbly for use with a rubber conveyor belt. The conveyor belt is entrained along an endless path and has a loading side and a return side. The asseinbly includes a housing having a top wall and a pair of opposed side walls. The opposed side wall define a passage connecting an entrance to an exit. The passage is diinensioned to enclose a portion of the rubber conveyor belt. A plurality of idler roller asseinblies are positioned inside the housing. The idler roller asseinbl ies are spaced froin one another along the passage and support a portion of the loading side of the rubber conveyor belt. A plurality of return roller asseinblies are positioned inside the housing and are spaced froin one another along the passage for supporting a portion of the return side of the belt. A trough is positioned under the rubber conveyor belt to catch granular inaterial falling froin the rubber conveyor belt, and the trough has an inside surface. The asseinbly has a inechanisin for inoving granular inaterial along the inside surface to a collection point. A first access panel is provided through one side wall of the pair of opposed side wal ls for accessing an idler roller asseinbly of the plurality of idler roller asseinblies. A second access panel is provided through one of the pair of opposed side walls for accessing a return roller asseinbly of the plurality of return roller asseinblies.

[0008] Other features and advantages of the invention wall be apparent froin the following specification taken in conjunction with the following Figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] To understand the present invention, it will now' be described by way of exainple, with reference to the accoinpanying drawings in which:

[0010] FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of a rubber conveyor belt with an enclosure, and a dust and inaterial capture and reclaination systein and asseinbly of the present invention. [0011] FIG. 2 is the side elevation view of FIG. 1 with panels reinoved froin a side wall.

[0012] FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view through a central portion of FIG. 1.

[0013] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view- of roller asseinblies within the enclosure.

[0014] FIG. 5 is a front elevation view of a roller asseinbly within the enclosure.

[0015] FIG. 6 is a view of FIG. 1 with certain panels reinoved froin the side walls and with inspection hatch doors open.

[0016] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the capture and reclaination systein and asseinbly with several side panels reinoved and access door in an open condition.

[0017] FIG. 8 is a perspective view in cross section showing a return roller [0018] FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing spray heads inside the housing

[0019] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view' of a skirtboard asseinbly inside the housing.

[0020] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a screw conveyor.

[0021] FIG. 12. is a perspective view of a inoving paddle conveyor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] While this invention is susceptible of einbodiinents in inany different forins, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail preferred einbodiinents of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exeinplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to liinit the broad aspect of the invention to the einbodiinents illustrated.

[0023] FIGS. 1-7 show a belt conveyor systein 10 and a dust and granular inaterial reclaination systein, asseinbly, and enclosure 100 (dust reclaination systein 100 for short) enclosing a portion of die conveyor systein 10. The dust reclaination unit 100 can be a standalone unit for retrofiting to an existing conveyor systein 10, or the dust reclaination systein 100 can he inanufactured or asseinbled and sold together with the belt conveyor systein 10 as new equipinent

[0024] The belt conveyor systein 10 has a driving head pulley 12, a tail pulley 14, and an endless belt 16 entrained thereabout. The belt 16 has a loading side 18 for transporting granular inaterial in a first direction as shown by arrow 20 and a return side 22 inoving in a second direction opposite to the first direction shown by arrow 24. An electric inotor and gearbox turn the driving head pulley 12. The belt 16 is pulled tight with a tensioning systein to produce friction between it and the driving head pulley 12. The friction overcoines the load and drag forces and the belt inoves in the direction of the arrow 20 around the endless circuit froin the tail pulley 14 to the head pulley 12, loaded with inaterial, and back to the tail pulley 16 einpty of inost inaterial.

[0025] The belt can be inade of inetal, rubber, plastic, coinposites, fabric, inetal and coinbinations of any of these. The inaterial conveyed on the conveyor belt includes granular, wet or high inoisture content bulk inaterials including, for exainple, coal, petroleuin coke, recycled glass, bauxite, grains, oilseeds, absorbent clay, borax, fertilizers ainong inany others. The inaterial can be friable i.e., easily cruinbled to forin dust and sinall particles. The inaterial can be of varying granularity froin particles having a width diinension that spans an entire width of the conveyor belt, on the large end of sizes, to inediuin sized particles having a width of two feet to about 12 inches, to inediuin-sin all particles having a width of less than 12 inches but greater than 3 inches, to sinall particles having a width of less than 3 inches but greater than 0.1 inches, to very sinall particles having a width diinension of less than 0.1 inches to a ininiinuin level of detection such as 0.01 inches, 0.001 inches (thousandths of an inch), 0.0001 inches (ten thousandths of an inch), 0.00001 inches (hundred thousandths of an inch), and so on.

[0026] The dust reclaination systein 100 has a housing 102 for inounting over a portion of the robber conveyor belt 16. The housing 102 has a top wall 104, a pair of opposed side walls 106 defining a passage 108 connecting an entrance 110 to an exit 112. The housing 102 is shown having a fiat top wall 104 to forin a fiat roof. However, the top wall 104 could be configured to forin a gable roof, a hip roof, a dutch roof, a inansard roof, a shed roof, and a gainbrel roof for exainple.

[0027] The opposed side wails 106 are seginented having a botoin portion 126 and atop portion 128. The top portion has reinovable panels 130 that can be reinoved to access the passage 112 to clean and service the systein 100 and the idler roller asseinblies 116. A first panel 132 has three widows 134 to see inside the passage and a second panel 136 has two viewing windows 138. The nuinber, size, and shape of the windows can vary provided they allow for visual inspection froin outside to inside of the housing. The panel is held in place by a pin or pins that can be reinoved by hand of an operator of the systein and the panel lifted away to access the passage 112.

[0028] FIG. 4 shows the bottoin portion of the side wall 126 has access doors 140 for servicing the return roller asseinblies 116. The access door 140 is inounted by a pair of hinges 154 to the sidewall and has a inechanisin for locking and unlocking the door. The door can also have a handle 148. The locking inechanisin shown includes an arin 156 pivotally inoveable froin a locked condition to an unlocked condition. The arin 156 is inoveable by a hand of an operator of the systein without the use of a tool. When the access door 140 is in an open condition, the return roller asseinblies 116 can be reinoved through the access door 140 for servicing and then returned into place through the open access door. The door can then be closed and locked during operation of the systein.

[0029] In one preferred forin of the invention, the botoin portion of side wall 126 also has through holes to define ports 142. A fluid supply line 144 connects a source of liquid or gas under pressure (not shown) to a spray head 146 inounted inside the passage 112 (FIG. 8). A portion of the fluid supply line passes through the port. The spray head 146 is inounted over the trough 118 and directs a pressurized streain of air or liquid onto the inside surface of the trough 120 to inove granular inaterial and dust thereaiong to the collection point 124. Three ports 142 are shown but a fewer or a greater nuinber of ports 142 could be provided. The spray heads can direct spray can direct spray in any direction desired including in the saine direction as the belt is inoving, in an opposite direction of belt direction, directly downward, at an acute angle to the belt direction, an obtuse angle, or perpendicular to the belt direction. [0030] FIG. 4 shows the plurality of idler roller asseinblies 106 are spaced froin one another and are inounted in aligninent between the head and tail drive rollers 14,16. Each idler roller asseinbly 106 has a set of three roller asseinblies — two lateral idler roller asseinblies 152 flanking a central roller asseinbly 150 The rail 158 extends cross wise through the passage and is inounted at opposed ends to the housing 102. Each roller asseinbly 150,152 can he slid along the rail 158 froin an operating position as shown in FIG. 4, inside the housing, to a service position outside of the housing. The idler roller asseinblies 150,152 can be serviced after reinoval of the respective reinovable side wall panel 130. A base of each idler asseinbly can be secured to the rati using threaded fasteners or other securing inechanisin. The centrally disposed roller asseinbly 150 has a roller 160 that rotates about a first axis of rotation parallel to a line drawn perpendicular across a width of the conveyor belt 12. The lateral roller asseinblies 152 have a lateral roller 162 that rotates about a second axis of rotation disposed at an acute angle to the first axis of rotation. The three roller asseinblies 150,152 forin a trough shaped support for the conveyor belt 16 (FIG. 6). [0031] FIGS. 4-7 show two varieties of rollers. The first type of roller is known as an iinpact roller 164. The iinpact roller 164 as best seen in FIG. 5 has a generally cyiindricaliy shape with an outer surface in the forin of a repeat pattern of square shaped valleys 166 and square shaped peaks 168 The second type of roller is a standard roller 170 that is cylindrically shaped and has a sinooth outer surface that has a constant diaineter. In one preferred einbodiinent, the iinpact rollers 164 are placed in locations where granular inaterial is dropped onto the belt 16 during a loading process. The standard rollers are placed in places where loading does not occur.

[0032] FIGS. 5 and 8 show a return roller asseinbly 116 having a return roller 172 that spans the width of the conveyor belt and is slidably inounted on a rail 172, siinilar to the idler roller asseinblies. The return roller 172 is generally cylindrical and has an outer surface having a repeating pattern of square peaks 174 and square valleys 176. At opposed ends 178 are square peaks 174 that have a greater axial diinension than the other square peaks. The return roller asseinblies can be accessed through the access door 140 and slid out for servicing and slid into operating position by an operator of the systein. The return roller asseinblies are positioned below and in partial contact with tire return side 22 of the belt 16. [0033] FIG. 9 shows the trough 118 inounted under the rubber conveyor belt 16 to catch granular inaterial failing therefroin. The trough 118 can be inodular having nuinerous seginents of trough panels inounted under the belt 16. Individual trough panels can be reinoved for servicing without having to reinove all of the trough panels.

[0034] FIG. 10 shows an optional skirtboard asseinbly 200 that is inounted along lateral edges of the belt and inside the housing 102 to reduce spillage. The skirtboard is adjustable as shown by the arrows 202 to various levels of height above the loading side 18 of the bel t.

One suitable skirtboard asseinbly is sold by Benetech under the tradeinark MaxZone ^® 150. [0035] Two loading chutes 180 are shown for loading bulk inaterial onto the belt 16. The loading chutes have a generally rectangular housing defining an internal passageway for directing the grain froin a top end 182 of the chute to a bottoin end 184 of the chute. A portion of the top wall 104 is reinoved to forin a hole to allow' grain to flow' through the chutes onto the belt 16. The chutes have inspection doors 186 near the top of the chutes. The inspection doors are inoveable froin an open condition to a closed condition as needed to service the chute.

[0036] An unloading chute 188 is provided at one end of the systein 100 where granular inaterial is offloaded froin the belt for storage or for transport elsewhere.

[0037] The dust reclaination systein 100 have a plurality of legs 190 supporting the systein. The legs 190 can have varying lengths or can be adjustable for leveling and adjusting the slope to a desired degree the belt 16 travels with respect to a horizontal surface. The systein 100 is shown at an angle of 16° but can he varied froin 0° to 30°, inore preferably froin 0° to 20°, and inost preferably froin about 0° to 15°.

[0038] FIG. 11 show's an alternative inechanisin 122 for inoving dust through the trough in the forin of a screw conveyor 192 extending along a length of the conveyor belt 12 and powered by a inotor not shown. Dust is conveyed out of the trough to a collection location not shown.

[0039] FIG. 12 shows another einbodiinent of the inechanisin 122 for inoving dust through the trough using a plurality of paddles 196 that inove in reciprocating fashion as indicated by arrow's 198 to direct bulk inaterial to the collection area or container such as a sack or bag. [0040] It is conteinplated using other dust recovery inechanisins including oscillating cleaning with sacks, pneuinatic conveying, Benetech PACS with collection sacks, and air collection with bags or cartridges. The dust reclaination inechanisins 130,140 can be retrofitted to existing standard roller conveyor belt systeins or be in included as part of the initial conveyance systein when initially installed.

[0041] Many inodifications and variations of the present inventi on are possible in light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood within the scope of the appended claiins the invention inay be protected otherwise than as specifically described.