The present invention relates to apparatus useful in the dissolution of a prilled, granulate or the like fertilising material.

In our New Zealand patent 546240 the full content which is here included by way of reference we disclose and claim

a system for dissolution of prilled, granulated or like particulate urea into water, said system having apparatus comprising or including

a reservoir in the form of a hopper to receive the particulate urea and having a water inlet, a receiver from whence a liquid stream can be fed, and

a pick up from the reservoir that feeds into the receiver,

the apparatus being operable, to be operated or being operated, such that

the pick up is of water at least substantially saturated in urea values by dissolution of urea otherwise than about the pick up.

a method of urea application where solid urea, in a container, is subject to or has been subjected dissolution with water or irrigation water in a dissolution zone above solid urea that owing to urea content in the water at that zone is substantially no longer subject to dissolution or is subject to less severe dissolution, the take off, whether for use or first storage and then use being at or below said dissolution zone.

- the use of particulate urea as a porous zone or filtering barrier zone about a liquid pickup, the liquid pick up being of water at least substantially saturated in urea values by dissolution elsewhere.

in conjunction with urea values spiking of an irrigating water flow, the use of particulate urea as a porous zone about a pickup for water, at least substantially saturated in urea values, which is then used for such spiking."

We have determined that apparatus, typified by that of our New Zealand patent 546240, when part of a vehicular assembly, as having considerable advantage to an end user. Such apparatus allows its placement under a silo, loading hopper or the like where the material to be subjected to dissolution can be loaded into the reservoir, be subject to a dissolution with heated water and then be used elsewhere for direct feed to an application locus or into an irrigation system.

By way of example we envisage in the case of urea dissolution a mobile dissolution apparatus (eg, a vehicular system - preferably a trailer) having by way of example the following capability. Mobile Urea Dissolver can be located either directly under a urea silo, a loading hopper or in position where bulk bagged urea (i.e. 500kg or 000kg) can be lifted to sufficient height to allow filling of dissolver reservoir (farmers will use their front end loader for lifting bulk bags).

Dissolver is connected to external water and electricity source (to operate pump and control panel) via water hose (stored on hose reel) and electrical cable (stored on cable reel).

Dissolver is connected via on-board multipurpose hose (stored on hose reel) to bulk liquid containment i.e. IBC, bulk liquid tank, mobile tanker or similar.

(Connection of dissolver directly to irrigation system for direct feed or urea solution has not been considered at this point)

In an aspect therefore the present invention consists in vehicular apparatus having dissolution apparatus and functionalities that allows the gravity loading of material to be subject to dissolution into a container, the intake of water from a water source into the container, optionally the heating of the water, and an outtake of the liquid carried material from a zone of dissolution in the container.

In another aspect the invention is vehicular carried urea dissolution functionality.

Preferably it carries apparatus of our NZ Patent 546240.

Preferably it has any one or more of the functionalities hereinafter described.

In a further aspect the invention is the use of a largely self contained mobile unit capable of receiving, via a carried hose, a water feed into a carried dissolution apparatus and capable of pumping the water carried urea from that carried dissolution apparatus.

Optionally the water can be heated.

In another aspect the invention is a vehicle trailerable, or otherwise moveable or advancable, over the ground, the vehicle carrying

an intake for water,

a water heater for water received from the intake,

a urea dissolmng apparatus defining a chamber:

into which particulate urea can be gravity fed from above having an inlet for heated water from the gas heater,

(111) to define in use a dissolution zone for urea above solid urea such that, owing to urea content in the water at that zone, the urea is substantially no longer subject to dissolution or is subject to less severe dissolution, (iv) having a takeoff to provide in use a liquid stream of urea dissolved in water, the takeoff being at or below the dissolution zone, and a pumped reticulation apparatus to receive the liquid stream from the takeoff.

Preferably the water heater is a gas water heater (eg of a continuous flow type).

Preferably vehicle carries a gas supply for the gas water heater.

Preferably the heated water inlet to the chamber is a spray head.

Preferably the vehicle carries apparatus to supply electricity to the pump of the pumped reticulation apparatus (eg a reeled cable and/ or genset)

Preferably the pumped reticulation apparatus includes a feed from the takeoff via a pump to a hose or reeled hose on the vehicle.

Preferably the intake for water is not from an on vehicle water storage.

Preferably the intake for water is a hose or reeled hose connectable to a source of water. Preferably the takeoff is gravity feed from at or below the dissolution zone.

Preferably the vehicle is adapted to be trailerable.

Preferably there is a drawbar and there is a hose reel near the rear of the vehicle for and/ or of each of the intake for water and the pumped reticulation apparatus.

The present invention is also the use of a mobile unit capable of receiving, via an inlet or a carried hose, a water feed into a carried dissolution apparatus and capable of pumping the water carried urea from that carried dissolution apparatus via an oudet or another carried hose.

Preferably the water feed to the dissolution apparatus is via a carried water heater.

Preferably the mobile unit is a vehicle of any aspect of the present invention.

In another aspect the invention is apparatus substantially as herein described with reference to any one or more of the accompanying drawings.

Optionally an electrical feed is provided to a control apparatus and/ or the pump.

As used herein the term "(s)" following a noun means one or both of the singular or plural forms.

As used herein the term "and/ or" means "and" or "or". In some circumstances it can mean both.

Preferred forms of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompany drawings in which

Figure 1 is an exploded view of apparatus in accordance with the a first embodiment of present invention,

Figure 2 shows the assembled vehicle of the components of Figure 1 (a trailer system) located relative to a silo for loading of for example urea into the dissolution apparatus on the trailer, Figure 3 shows the apparatus as depicted in Figure 1 of our aforementioned patent specification (the references of Figure 3 being as in that patent specification included here by way of reference),

Figure 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention which is a trailer (shown for convenience without its wheels and without hoses of the shown hose reels),

Figure 5 shows the embodiment of Figure 4 from above,

Figure 6 shows an isometric section of the dissolution chamber,

Figure 7 shows a simplified flow diagram relating to the Figure 4, 5 and 6 embodiment, and

Figure 8 shows as a flow diagram some of the valving/logic functions better explained by

Figure 9, and

Figure 9 shows the overall flow arrangement diagrammatically.

In our New Zealand patent 546240 we disclose, and this is in respect of Figure 3 above shows a first container 1 with a solids inlet 2 that has the reservoir 1 substantially in the form of a hopper. Feeding in preferably from the side of the reservoir 1 is an inlet 3 for a liquid infeed. This is preferably a water inflow able to be valved by a valve 4.

As can be seen the infeed 3 preferably has multiple openings that allows the liquid to spread about the surrounding zone of erodible urea forms 5.

A pickup conduit 6 with openings 7 in a zone 8 of substantially no longer substantially eroding urea transfers liquid with its entrained urea values into a second reservoir or receiver 9.

There is then the prospect of an outtake by pumping, valving or otherwise at 10 from the level of the urea spiked liquid in the receiver or reservoir 9.

Preferably the level of water that is unsaturated in the zone 5 is to about the level 11 and this preferably corresponds to the level 12 of the liquid in the receiver 9. In this respect preferably a float or the like control 13 interacts with the water infeed 4.

The person skilled in the art will appreciate other control systems can be utilised to balance outtake at 10 with water intake so as to ensure a proper profiling of the liquid and its urea content between the inlet 3 and the pickup 6.

Principle

The apparatus preferably is a vessel with a water inlet near the top and solution oudet near the bottom. The water inlet to the dissolver is controlled to ensure the liquid level is always at or above the inlet pipe. This can be achieved by the use of many devices such as level probes, float switches or pressure gauges which can be within a still well or within the dissolver itself.

Solution exits the outlet via a lower pipe which is preferably perforated at the bottom to ensure granules do not enter and block the holes. The receiver is generally filled with the material to be dissolved (granules or prills). The inlet water is turned on and water percolates through the granules within the vessel. Granules dissolve and as the liquid flows through the granules it becomes saturated. At this point no more dissolution occurs and the liquid simply flows to the bottom of the vessel and fills all void space between the granules. As no dissolution is occurring at the zone about the pickup at the bottom of the vessel the granules stay intact and pack down to form an efficient filter. This ensures the solution which flows through the outlet is both saturated and free of undissolved granules.

Contaminants within the granules either, float at or above the liquid level within the first reservoir (for contaminants less dense than the solution formed) or sink to the bottom of the vessel (for contaminants more dense than the resulting solution) and build up at the bottom. In this way, contaminants are effectively removed from the solution.

Operational parameters

The distance between the inlet and outlet "X" is preferably adjusted to ensure a profile such that at a given solution flow rate, the liquid passing through the granules reaches saturation before it reaches the outlet pipe (the "pickup").

Optionally, if the distance "X" is fixed, the flow-rate is adjusted to ensure saturation is reached.

Control of either flow rate or contact distance, or both, ensures sufficient contact time is given for saturation to be achieved.

The apparatus of Figure 1 is a trailer assembly (but it could be another vehicular form eg, truck).

Figure 1 shows:

14. Trailer Chassis

15. 8 x 5 750kg Trailer Body

16. 45kg LPG Bottle (two)

17. Polyethylene Toolbox

18. 200L Polyethylene Drum

19. Rinnai Infiniti™ Water Heater

20. Rotomac Pump

21. Cable Float Switch

22. 2 x 7S Filter Holding

23. Single Cartridge Premixer Assembly

24. Slide Gate Spool

25. Control Cabinet

26. Rip stop PVC Sidewalls 27. Stainless Hose Reel

28. Cable Reel

Figure 2 shows a hopper 45 able to dump urea directly into the dissolution apparatus carried by the trailer assembly 46. Also shown is a water storage tank able to drop water into the underlying dissolution apparatus of the vehicle 46 or to provide a water head to an intake hose.

The dissolution can occur at that site on the concrete pad 48 shown or instead it can be moved to where a hose on the reel can be connected to water and then moved nearer to where, as the material dissolves, there can be an outtake.

As stated in the quoted part from the earlier patent, preferably the control of the flow rate or contact distance, or both, ensures sufficient contact time given for saturation to be achieved. There is the prospect that given the appropriate solution flow rate (as the outtake) there is the appropriate control. In this respect preferably the control systems referred to (eg, under the control of the control panel of cabinet 25) can be such as to balance outtake at 10 (of apparatus of our earlier mentioned patent) with the water intake (ie of the apparatus of our earlier mentioned patent) (the outtakes and intakes being via hoses, pumped in the case of the outtake, if required) so as to ensure a proper profiling of the liquid and its urea content.

The Rinnai Infiniti™ water heater or other type system (whether a continuous gas water heater (eg of the califont of other type) or other) can be used to heat the water as previously stated.

The embodiment of Figures 6 and 7 shows a preferred layout [wheels of the trailer not shown] where there is

29. Spray Head

30. Dissolver Tank

31. Mount General Assembly

32. Heater Mount

33. Sump General Assembly

34. 45 DEG PVC Fitting

35. 45 Kg LPG Bottle

36. Pump Assembly

37. Pump Mounting Plate

38. JRGUMAT Thermoblend Valve

39. Rear Mount

40. M25 Hose Reel

41. 12 MM Hose Reel

42. Rinnai XD250

43. Mounting Bracket 44. Electrical Closure

The embodiment of Figures 6, 7 and 8 has the urea fed into the dissolver's tank from a silo, hopper or bulk bag. This is a gravity drop into the open top of the container.

Externally supplied water then enters the system via the water inlet hose of the hose reel 41 and flows into the water heater 42. This supply of water is heated in the water heater 42 and then fed into the dissolver tank via the spray head 30 to dissolve the solid urea.

The urea solution exits at the bottom of the dissolvent tank via a PVC outlet 34 and is pumped away by dispatch pump 36 to a suitable destination via the outlet hose of the hose reel 40. Suitable destinations include storage vessels or irrigation systems.

Figure 9 shows the overall arrangement as in use. Shown is

45— town supply water input via a control

46— LPG supply to a heater

47— the gas heater to heat some the water from 45

48— a tempering valve to mix the heated/ unheated water from 45 thereby to drop the heated water temperature from say 45°C to say 30°C, the valve to receive a controlled feed of unheated water.

49 - a temperature gauge

50— a water flow meter

51— a valve

52— a pressure sensor

53— a solenoid valve controlled by, inter alia, a level switch

54 - a spray ring into the urea tank

55— a valve of the water supply to 54

56 - the urea tank (shown as 56' in Figures 4, 5 and 6)

57 - the overflow tank (shown as 57' in Figures 4,5 and 6)

58— an outflow valve of the urea

59— a sump

60 - a drain

61— an outtake pump

62— a float switch of customers storage of the dissolved urea in vessel 63

63— vessel

64 - RCD from supply.

Hoses and hose connections are affixed as is appropriate to the apparatus of Figures 4,5 and 6 to operate as in Figure 9. It is believed that apparatus in accordance with the different embodiments of the present invention will make it easy for an efficient usage of urea on farmland and/ or elsewhere.