CA1328199C - Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper cars - Google Patents
Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper carsInfo
- Publication number
- CA1328199C CA1328199C CA000569346A CA569346A CA1328199C CA 1328199 C CA1328199 C CA 1328199C CA 000569346 A CA000569346 A CA 000569346A CA 569346 A CA569346 A CA 569346A CA 1328199 C CA1328199 C CA 1328199C
- Authority
- CA
- Canada
- Prior art keywords
- orifices
- pair
- adjacent
- sparger
- liquid
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Expired - Lifetime
Links
- 239000013590 bulk material Substances 0.000 title description 3
- BZSXEZOLBIJVQK-UHFFFAOYSA-N 2-methylsulfonylbenzoic acid Chemical compound CS(=O)(=O)C1=CC=CC=C1C(O)=O BZSXEZOLBIJVQK-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 29
- 239000002002 slurry Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 29
- 239000007921 spray Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 239000011236 particulate material Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 19
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 claims abstract description 14
- 239000000725 suspension Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 4
- 239000007788 liquid Substances 0.000 claims description 25
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims description 8
- 238000005507 spraying Methods 0.000 claims description 4
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000011144 upstream manufacturing Methods 0.000 claims 2
- 238000007599 discharging Methods 0.000 claims 1
- 239000012530 fluid Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 claims 1
- 239000013078 crystal Substances 0.000 abstract description 13
- DZHHYUFTRGJXOI-UHFFFAOYSA-M sodium;chloric acid;chlorate Chemical compound [Na+].OCl(=O)=O.[O-]Cl(=O)=O DZHHYUFTRGJXOI-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 abstract 1
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 7
- 239000000463 material Substances 0.000 description 7
- 238000005520 cutting process Methods 0.000 description 4
- 239000013618 particulate matter Substances 0.000 description 4
- 238000005406 washing Methods 0.000 description 4
- 238000011010 flushing procedure Methods 0.000 description 3
- XTEGARKTQYYJKE-UHFFFAOYSA-M Chlorate Chemical compound [O-]Cl(=O)=O XTEGARKTQYYJKE-UHFFFAOYSA-M 0.000 description 2
- 230000000295 complement effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000002195 soluble material Substances 0.000 description 2
- XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N aluminium Chemical compound [Al] XAGFODPZIPBFFR-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 229910052782 aluminium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003116 impacting effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000004519 manufacturing process Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000000465 moulding Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002904 solvent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000003860 storage Methods 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B61—RAILWAYS
- B61D—BODY DETAILS OR KINDS OF RAILWAY VEHICLES
- B61D7/00—Hopper cars
- B61D7/14—Adaptations of hopper elements to railways
- B61D7/32—Means for assisting charge or discharge
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
- B65G—TRANSPORT OR STORAGE DEVICES, e.g. CONVEYORS FOR LOADING OR TIPPING, SHOP CONVEYOR SYSTEMS OR PNEUMATIC TUBE CONVEYORS
- B65G53/00—Conveying materials in bulk through troughs, pipes or tubes by floating the materials or by flow of gas, liquid or foam
- B65G53/30—Conveying materials in bulk through pipes or tubes by liquid pressure
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Nozzles (AREA)
Abstract
Abstract of the Disclosure A sparger system for removing sodium chlorate crystal and other particulate material in slurry or solution form from a tank car comprises a plurality of spray nozzles from which water is expelled as a flat spray initially to dissolve sodium chlorate so as to cavitate the mass of sodium chlorate chlorate crystals, which break off in lumps into the cavity and then to impact the walls and roof of the tank car to flush off residual sodium chlorate cyrstal. The slurry is collected in a sump and is discharged therefrom, with additional sprays agitating the sump to break up clumps of sodium chlorate and to maintain the particulates in suspension.
Description
~32~9~
SPARt~ER SY5T}~I FOR DIS~GE OF
B~L~ I~TE:E~IAL FR015[ ~IOPPll~R CARS
The present invention relates to a sparger system for effecting the discharge of bulk material from rail hopper cars as a slurry or solution.
It is conventional to discharge particulate or bulk material from rail hopper cars by introducing a carrier liquid, usually water, into the car so as to form a slurry, which then is removed from the car through conduit pipes from a sump in the bottom portion thereof.
This slurry unloading procedure preferably is used with materials which are at least partially soluble in the carrier liquid. However, slurry unloading can be used with insoluble particulate materials which are also capable of slurry formation, if a sufficient throughput of carrier liquid is used. When the method is used for soluble materials, including sodium chlorate, it is preferred to use insufficient carrier liquid to dissolve the material, but merely sufficient to form a pumpable slurry, so as to decrease the discharge time and minimize solvent use.
Conventional hopper cars for slurry unloading generally have used nozzlss mounted in the side walls of the hopper compartment, from which streams of liquid are passed into the car for turbulent admixture with the material to be unloaded. However, formation of the slurry has been found to be uneven. In the slurry formation, a portion of the particulate matter close to the nozzles dissolves and forms a tru~ solution, this solution then forms a hollowed-out portion in the body of the particulate matter and other particulate matter from above collapses into the solution forming a slurry.
Canadian Patent No. 951,359 describes a noz~le arrangement for a hopper car in which the nozzles are arranged to direct streams of liquid which impinge in an upward direction against the junction between a side wall and an end wall of the commodity-carrying : :-:
. :, ~ : .
;
, ~ .. ;
.
~32~:~99 compartment. This arrangement is intended to form aflow pattarn in which liquid passes along the walls and tends to separate the particulate matter from the walls, so as to form a slurry in rapid and convenient manner.
In addition, directing the liquid streams against the wall junctions is intended to cause the streams to spread along the walls and clean them.
Hopper cars constructed in accordance with Canadian Patent No. 951,359 are in commercial use and have been used by the assignee of this patent application in the delivery of sodium chlorate to its customers at various locations in North America. Although these hopper cars have been found to be an improvement on previous hopper cars, the sparger system employed still leaves residual sodium chlorate which must be removed, typically using steam lances.
In addition, the sparger nozzles are prone to damage and breakage as a result of impact of lumps of the solid sodium chlorate during slurry formation. The presence of broken-off nozæles in the slurry is a danger to pumps used by the mill to off-load the slurry to storage and the remaining opening in the sparger emits a non-directional spray which is ineffective in effecting slurry formation.
In accordance with the present invention, the prior art problems have been eliminated by employing a novel sparger system which rapidly and effectively remo~es all the sodium chlorate or other soluble or insoluble particulate material from the hopper car~ thereby eliminating the nacessity for using steam lances to remove residual sodium chlorate, and a novel nozzle design, thereby eliminating the nozzle damage and break-off problem. Although the present invention is described particularly with reference to the discharge of sodium chlorate crystal in slurry form from railway hopper cars, it will be apparent that the present !~LB'~;~
.
, - . . - ~
~; . , . ~: , . .
:: .. . .
`-" 132~199 invention is applicable to removal of any soluble material, either in slurry or solution form, or any insoluble particulate material in slurry form from any enclosed environment.
Accordingly, in one aspect of the present invention, there i5 provided a method of removal of particulate material from an enclosure having side walls, end walls, a top wall, and a sump with a liquid in which the particulate material may be dissolved or suspended, which comprises spraying the liquid from a plurality of orifices in a sparger pipe extending between the side walls towards an extremity o~ the side walls adjacent the join to the end walls.
The invention also includes, in another aspect, an improvement in a railway hopper car for the transportation of a mass o~ particulate material and for the discharge of the particulate material therefrom in the form of a slurry or solution, wherein the hopper car has a top wall, downwardly-sloping side walls and end walls terminating in a lower sump having a discharge pipe communicating therewith and a sparger extending between the side walls for discharge of liquid into the mass of particulate material to form the slurry or solution for discharge from the sump through the discharge pipe, the improvement wherein the sparger comprises an elongate header pipe and a plurality of orifices in the header pipe for discharge o~ liquid therefrom and arranged in a predetermined pattern to direct sprays of the liquid in specific directions, including a first pair of orifices provided adjacent one end of the sparger pipe and being directed towards one side wall adjacent its joins to the end walls, and a second pair of orifices provided adjacent the opposite end of the sparger pipe from the one end and being directed towards the other side wall adjacent its joins to the end walls.
" s~
, , .
-` 132~
The invention is described further, by way of illustration, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway hopper car provided with a novel sparger system constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of the hopper car and sparger system of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the hopper car and sparger system of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a side view of the sparger system used in Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a plan view of the sparger system of Figure 4; and Figures 6A and 6B are perspective close-ups of two embodiments of a nozæle used with the sparger system of Figure 4.
Referring to the drawings, a railway car 10 has side walls 12, 14 and end walls 16, 18 which slope downwaxdly to a sump 20 to which is attached a discharge pipe ~2 through which a sodium chlorate slurry is discharged from the sump 20. A sparger tube 24 is positioned transversely of the railway car 10 between and extending through and attached to the side walls 12 and 14 just above the sump 20. The sparger tube 24 is connected to a source of water at one end while being closed at the other. The sparger tube 24 has a plurality of nozzles 26 extending from its upper and also its lower surface arranged to direct the water outwardly from the sparger tube 24 in a predetarmined manner, as described in more detail below. The sparger tube 24 and the nozzles 26 may be formed of any convenient material of construction, preferably aluminum.
The various nozzles 26 have a compact shape and are welded to the sparger tube 24. The compact shape "^: L~'^`''`~''' - ~ . . . :
132~19~
enables the nozzles 26 to resist damage by falling clumps of sodium chlorate. The nozzles (see Figure 6A) each is formed with a circular inlet orifice 27 and is shaped to provide an elongate outlet orifice 28 to form a fan-shaped jet of water emanating therefrom.
Alternatively, each nozzle (see Figure 6B) is formed with a uniform dimension throughout its length with an elongate passageway extending from an elongate inlet orifice 27 to an elongate outlet orifice 28. The ~an-shaped jet provides a good cutting action through themass of sodium chlorate and works its way through the ~ompacted mass of crystal chlorate, causing the sodium chlorate to collapse towards the sump 20 for removal as a slurry through pipe 22. The sodium chlorate also may be removed as a solution by the utilization of greater quantities of water, which tends to increase the discharge time and hence is less preferred.
The nozzles 26 are positioned on the sparger tube so that they complement each other in their action by cutting, undermining, flushing, directing and molding the sodium chlorate crystal in suspension, as well as completing the unloading process by washing the hopper car clean of material, thereby avoiding the necessity for operators to enter the hopper car to clean of~
residual material.
The nozzles 26 are provided in complementary groups to achieve specific cutting and washing actions, as set forth below. The two end pairs 30, 32 are directed upwards towards the corner of the side plates 12, 14 with the end plates 16, 18. As may be seen from the spray paths illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, the sprays from the nozzle pairs 30 and 32 are directed towards and, after breaking through the sodium chlorate crystal, impact the side walls adjacent the corner with the end walls and not actually in the corner as required in Canadian Patent NoO 951,939. By impacting on the side ~ L~
~32~ ~9 wall adjacent the corner, the spray directs across the face of the end walls 16, 18, flushing particulates down the respective end wall in a much more efficient manner than is achieved with the structure of Canadian Patent 5 No. 951,939.
Although the arrangement of nozzles 30, 32 and their location of impact is an improvement upon that described in Canadian Patent No. 951,359 in terms of the efficiency of removal of residual particulates, it i5 preferred to use additional nozzles 26 to obtain complete washing out of the railway car 10, as further described below.
Nozzles 34 are centrally located along the length of the sparger pipe 24 and are directed upwardly towards the end plates 16, 18 so that, after brsaking through the sodium chlorate crystal, the sprays from the nozzless 34 impact the end plates and flush upwardly and outwardly towards the junctions of the end plates 16, 18 with the side walls 12, 14, thereby washing particulates down the corners of the sloping end plates 16~ 18 into the sump 20.
Additional pairs of nozzles 36, 38 are provided, one pair located between the central nozzles 34 and each of the end pairs 30, 32 respectively. These nozzle pair 36, 38 direct sprays upwardly so that, after breaking through the sodium chlorate crystals, the sprays from the nozzls pairs 36, 38 impact with the roof o~ the hopper car, splashing outwards against the end walls 16, 18 and then downwardly and outwardly, flushing particulates down the sloping end walls 16, 18, into the sump 20.
The spray system for slurry formation also has two additional nozzles 40, 42 which are directed upward and outward towards the side walls 12, 14 so that, after breaking through the sodium chlorate crystal, the sprays from the nozzles 40, 42 impinge on the side walls 12, `... L ..I. .
,, .
1 3 ~
14 at their upper mid-section to splash upwardly and outwardly to flush particulates from those regions into the sump 20.
In operating the sparger system of the present invention, the slurry medium, namely water, is generally employed at a temperature of about 3 to about 97C, preferably about 40 to about 85C. The water is sprayed from each of the nozzles of the sparger system generally at the same pressure, usually about 5 to about 100 psi, preferably about 12 to about 40 psi.
The various spray nozzles 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42 of the sparger system, therefore, are targeted at specific areas of the side walls, end walls and roof of the hopper car 10, so that, a~ter the initial cavity formation by the sprays and cutting through to the walls and roof, all portions of the walls and roof are flushed with water to remove particulates thoroughly from the interior of the hopper car.
In this way, all the sodium chlorate crystal is removed by slurrying water and the necessity to enter the hopper car and manually remove residual particulates from the walls is avoided.
To prevent lumps of sodium chlorate crystal from plugging discharge lines and the associated pump problems, a further pair of nozzles 44 and 46 are provided arranged to spray downwardly and inwardly but offset from one another, so that the resulting fan of water causes turbulence in the sump 20, thereby holding particulates in suspension and tending to break up lumps of sodium chlorate crystal which may be present in the sump, as well as directing the material towards the discharge pipe 22.
The sparger system of the present invention overcomes the various prior art problems discussed above. By using a compact structure, damagP to and break-off of no7zles is prevented or at least minimized.
. S
.
-` ~32~9 7a Clumps of sodium chlorate in the discharge are eliminated and the whole contents of the hopper car are slurried and discharged, avoiding the necessity to conduct a clean-out of the car. The discharge of a typical hopper car load (100,000 kg) of sodium chlorate is complete in about 40 to 45 minutes using the preferred sparger system shown in Figures 1 to 6, in contrast to about 1~ to 2 hours for the conventional hopper car constructed as described in Canadian Patent No. 951,359.
In summary of this disclosure, the present invention provides a novel sparger system for removing particulate material, particularly crystal sodium chlorate, from hopper cars transporting the same from the manufacturing location to the end use location, in a highly efficient and rapid manner~ Modifications are possible within the scope of this invention.
~ ,B~l~
. ` ~ , ~'
SPARt~ER SY5T}~I FOR DIS~GE OF
B~L~ I~TE:E~IAL FR015[ ~IOPPll~R CARS
The present invention relates to a sparger system for effecting the discharge of bulk material from rail hopper cars as a slurry or solution.
It is conventional to discharge particulate or bulk material from rail hopper cars by introducing a carrier liquid, usually water, into the car so as to form a slurry, which then is removed from the car through conduit pipes from a sump in the bottom portion thereof.
This slurry unloading procedure preferably is used with materials which are at least partially soluble in the carrier liquid. However, slurry unloading can be used with insoluble particulate materials which are also capable of slurry formation, if a sufficient throughput of carrier liquid is used. When the method is used for soluble materials, including sodium chlorate, it is preferred to use insufficient carrier liquid to dissolve the material, but merely sufficient to form a pumpable slurry, so as to decrease the discharge time and minimize solvent use.
Conventional hopper cars for slurry unloading generally have used nozzlss mounted in the side walls of the hopper compartment, from which streams of liquid are passed into the car for turbulent admixture with the material to be unloaded. However, formation of the slurry has been found to be uneven. In the slurry formation, a portion of the particulate matter close to the nozzles dissolves and forms a tru~ solution, this solution then forms a hollowed-out portion in the body of the particulate matter and other particulate matter from above collapses into the solution forming a slurry.
Canadian Patent No. 951,359 describes a noz~le arrangement for a hopper car in which the nozzles are arranged to direct streams of liquid which impinge in an upward direction against the junction between a side wall and an end wall of the commodity-carrying : :-:
. :, ~ : .
;
, ~ .. ;
.
~32~:~99 compartment. This arrangement is intended to form aflow pattarn in which liquid passes along the walls and tends to separate the particulate matter from the walls, so as to form a slurry in rapid and convenient manner.
In addition, directing the liquid streams against the wall junctions is intended to cause the streams to spread along the walls and clean them.
Hopper cars constructed in accordance with Canadian Patent No. 951,359 are in commercial use and have been used by the assignee of this patent application in the delivery of sodium chlorate to its customers at various locations in North America. Although these hopper cars have been found to be an improvement on previous hopper cars, the sparger system employed still leaves residual sodium chlorate which must be removed, typically using steam lances.
In addition, the sparger nozzles are prone to damage and breakage as a result of impact of lumps of the solid sodium chlorate during slurry formation. The presence of broken-off nozæles in the slurry is a danger to pumps used by the mill to off-load the slurry to storage and the remaining opening in the sparger emits a non-directional spray which is ineffective in effecting slurry formation.
In accordance with the present invention, the prior art problems have been eliminated by employing a novel sparger system which rapidly and effectively remo~es all the sodium chlorate or other soluble or insoluble particulate material from the hopper car~ thereby eliminating the nacessity for using steam lances to remove residual sodium chlorate, and a novel nozzle design, thereby eliminating the nozzle damage and break-off problem. Although the present invention is described particularly with reference to the discharge of sodium chlorate crystal in slurry form from railway hopper cars, it will be apparent that the present !~LB'~;~
.
, - . . - ~
~; . , . ~: , . .
:: .. . .
`-" 132~199 invention is applicable to removal of any soluble material, either in slurry or solution form, or any insoluble particulate material in slurry form from any enclosed environment.
Accordingly, in one aspect of the present invention, there i5 provided a method of removal of particulate material from an enclosure having side walls, end walls, a top wall, and a sump with a liquid in which the particulate material may be dissolved or suspended, which comprises spraying the liquid from a plurality of orifices in a sparger pipe extending between the side walls towards an extremity o~ the side walls adjacent the join to the end walls.
The invention also includes, in another aspect, an improvement in a railway hopper car for the transportation of a mass o~ particulate material and for the discharge of the particulate material therefrom in the form of a slurry or solution, wherein the hopper car has a top wall, downwardly-sloping side walls and end walls terminating in a lower sump having a discharge pipe communicating therewith and a sparger extending between the side walls for discharge of liquid into the mass of particulate material to form the slurry or solution for discharge from the sump through the discharge pipe, the improvement wherein the sparger comprises an elongate header pipe and a plurality of orifices in the header pipe for discharge o~ liquid therefrom and arranged in a predetermined pattern to direct sprays of the liquid in specific directions, including a first pair of orifices provided adjacent one end of the sparger pipe and being directed towards one side wall adjacent its joins to the end walls, and a second pair of orifices provided adjacent the opposite end of the sparger pipe from the one end and being directed towards the other side wall adjacent its joins to the end walls.
" s~
, , .
-` 132~
The invention is described further, by way of illustration, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway hopper car provided with a novel sparger system constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
Figure 2 is a side view of the hopper car and sparger system of Figure 1;
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the hopper car and sparger system of Figure 1;
Figure 4 is a side view of the sparger system used in Figure 1;
Figure 5 is a plan view of the sparger system of Figure 4; and Figures 6A and 6B are perspective close-ups of two embodiments of a nozæle used with the sparger system of Figure 4.
Referring to the drawings, a railway car 10 has side walls 12, 14 and end walls 16, 18 which slope downwaxdly to a sump 20 to which is attached a discharge pipe ~2 through which a sodium chlorate slurry is discharged from the sump 20. A sparger tube 24 is positioned transversely of the railway car 10 between and extending through and attached to the side walls 12 and 14 just above the sump 20. The sparger tube 24 is connected to a source of water at one end while being closed at the other. The sparger tube 24 has a plurality of nozzles 26 extending from its upper and also its lower surface arranged to direct the water outwardly from the sparger tube 24 in a predetarmined manner, as described in more detail below. The sparger tube 24 and the nozzles 26 may be formed of any convenient material of construction, preferably aluminum.
The various nozzles 26 have a compact shape and are welded to the sparger tube 24. The compact shape "^: L~'^`''`~''' - ~ . . . :
132~19~
enables the nozzles 26 to resist damage by falling clumps of sodium chlorate. The nozzles (see Figure 6A) each is formed with a circular inlet orifice 27 and is shaped to provide an elongate outlet orifice 28 to form a fan-shaped jet of water emanating therefrom.
Alternatively, each nozzle (see Figure 6B) is formed with a uniform dimension throughout its length with an elongate passageway extending from an elongate inlet orifice 27 to an elongate outlet orifice 28. The ~an-shaped jet provides a good cutting action through themass of sodium chlorate and works its way through the ~ompacted mass of crystal chlorate, causing the sodium chlorate to collapse towards the sump 20 for removal as a slurry through pipe 22. The sodium chlorate also may be removed as a solution by the utilization of greater quantities of water, which tends to increase the discharge time and hence is less preferred.
The nozzles 26 are positioned on the sparger tube so that they complement each other in their action by cutting, undermining, flushing, directing and molding the sodium chlorate crystal in suspension, as well as completing the unloading process by washing the hopper car clean of material, thereby avoiding the necessity for operators to enter the hopper car to clean of~
residual material.
The nozzles 26 are provided in complementary groups to achieve specific cutting and washing actions, as set forth below. The two end pairs 30, 32 are directed upwards towards the corner of the side plates 12, 14 with the end plates 16, 18. As may be seen from the spray paths illustrated in Figures 1 and 3, the sprays from the nozzle pairs 30 and 32 are directed towards and, after breaking through the sodium chlorate crystal, impact the side walls adjacent the corner with the end walls and not actually in the corner as required in Canadian Patent NoO 951,939. By impacting on the side ~ L~
~32~ ~9 wall adjacent the corner, the spray directs across the face of the end walls 16, 18, flushing particulates down the respective end wall in a much more efficient manner than is achieved with the structure of Canadian Patent 5 No. 951,939.
Although the arrangement of nozzles 30, 32 and their location of impact is an improvement upon that described in Canadian Patent No. 951,359 in terms of the efficiency of removal of residual particulates, it i5 preferred to use additional nozzles 26 to obtain complete washing out of the railway car 10, as further described below.
Nozzles 34 are centrally located along the length of the sparger pipe 24 and are directed upwardly towards the end plates 16, 18 so that, after brsaking through the sodium chlorate crystal, the sprays from the nozzless 34 impact the end plates and flush upwardly and outwardly towards the junctions of the end plates 16, 18 with the side walls 12, 14, thereby washing particulates down the corners of the sloping end plates 16~ 18 into the sump 20.
Additional pairs of nozzles 36, 38 are provided, one pair located between the central nozzles 34 and each of the end pairs 30, 32 respectively. These nozzle pair 36, 38 direct sprays upwardly so that, after breaking through the sodium chlorate crystals, the sprays from the nozzls pairs 36, 38 impact with the roof o~ the hopper car, splashing outwards against the end walls 16, 18 and then downwardly and outwardly, flushing particulates down the sloping end walls 16, 18, into the sump 20.
The spray system for slurry formation also has two additional nozzles 40, 42 which are directed upward and outward towards the side walls 12, 14 so that, after breaking through the sodium chlorate crystal, the sprays from the nozzles 40, 42 impinge on the side walls 12, `... L ..I. .
,, .
1 3 ~
14 at their upper mid-section to splash upwardly and outwardly to flush particulates from those regions into the sump 20.
In operating the sparger system of the present invention, the slurry medium, namely water, is generally employed at a temperature of about 3 to about 97C, preferably about 40 to about 85C. The water is sprayed from each of the nozzles of the sparger system generally at the same pressure, usually about 5 to about 100 psi, preferably about 12 to about 40 psi.
The various spray nozzles 30, 32, 34, 36, 38, 40 and 42 of the sparger system, therefore, are targeted at specific areas of the side walls, end walls and roof of the hopper car 10, so that, a~ter the initial cavity formation by the sprays and cutting through to the walls and roof, all portions of the walls and roof are flushed with water to remove particulates thoroughly from the interior of the hopper car.
In this way, all the sodium chlorate crystal is removed by slurrying water and the necessity to enter the hopper car and manually remove residual particulates from the walls is avoided.
To prevent lumps of sodium chlorate crystal from plugging discharge lines and the associated pump problems, a further pair of nozzles 44 and 46 are provided arranged to spray downwardly and inwardly but offset from one another, so that the resulting fan of water causes turbulence in the sump 20, thereby holding particulates in suspension and tending to break up lumps of sodium chlorate crystal which may be present in the sump, as well as directing the material towards the discharge pipe 22.
The sparger system of the present invention overcomes the various prior art problems discussed above. By using a compact structure, damagP to and break-off of no7zles is prevented or at least minimized.
. S
.
-` ~32~9 7a Clumps of sodium chlorate in the discharge are eliminated and the whole contents of the hopper car are slurried and discharged, avoiding the necessity to conduct a clean-out of the car. The discharge of a typical hopper car load (100,000 kg) of sodium chlorate is complete in about 40 to 45 minutes using the preferred sparger system shown in Figures 1 to 6, in contrast to about 1~ to 2 hours for the conventional hopper car constructed as described in Canadian Patent No. 951,359.
In summary of this disclosure, the present invention provides a novel sparger system for removing particulate material, particularly crystal sodium chlorate, from hopper cars transporting the same from the manufacturing location to the end use location, in a highly efficient and rapid manner~ Modifications are possible within the scope of this invention.
~ ,B~l~
. ` ~ , ~'
Claims (10)
1. A method of removal of particulate material from an enclosure having side walls, end walls, a top wall, and a sump with a liquid in which the particulate material may be dissolved or suspended, which comprises;
spraying said liquid from a plurality of orifices in a sparger pipe extending between said side walls towards an extremity of said side walls adjacent to but not into the join to said end walls, said plurality of orifices including (a) orifices from which said liquid is sprayed towards said end walls adjacent the mid-portion of the width thereof adjacent an upper portion thereof and from which said liquid is sprayed towards said side walls adjacent the mid-portion of the width thereof adjacent an upper portion thereof, (b) orifices from which said liquid is sprayed towards said top wall adjacent the join with said end walls, and (c) a pair of orifices from which liquid is sprayed into said sump, and discharging from said sump a fluid mixture of said particulate formed in said sump as a result of said spraying step to maintain solid particulates in suspension.
spraying said liquid from a plurality of orifices in a sparger pipe extending between said side walls towards an extremity of said side walls adjacent to but not into the join to said end walls, said plurality of orifices including (a) orifices from which said liquid is sprayed towards said end walls adjacent the mid-portion of the width thereof adjacent an upper portion thereof and from which said liquid is sprayed towards said side walls adjacent the mid-portion of the width thereof adjacent an upper portion thereof, (b) orifices from which said liquid is sprayed towards said top wall adjacent the join with said end walls, and (c) a pair of orifices from which liquid is sprayed into said sump, and discharging from said sump a fluid mixture of said particulate formed in said sump as a result of said spraying step to maintain solid particulates in suspension.
2. The method of claim 1 wherein said particulate material is sodium chlorate, said liquid is water, said water is sprayed from said orifices as a fan-shaped jet, and said sodium chlorate is formed into a slurry thereof by said spraying.
3. The method of claim 2 wherein said water has a temperature of about 3° to about 97°C and is sprayed from said orifices with a pressure of about 5 to about 100 psi.
4. The method of claim 3 wherein said temperature is about 40° to about 85°C and said pressure is about 12 to about 40 psi.
5. In a railway hopper car for the transportation of a mass of particulate material and for the discharge of said particulate material therefrom in the form of a slurry or solution, wherein said hopper car has a top wall, downwardly-sloping side walls and end walls terminating in a lower sump having a discharge pipe communicating therewith and a sparger extending between said side walls for discharge of liquid into said mass of particulate material to form said slurry or solution for discharge from said sump through said discharge pipe, the improvement wherein:
said sparger comprises an elongate header pipe and a plurality of orifices in said header pipe for discharge of liquid therefrom and arranged in a predetermined pattern to direct sprays of said liquid in specific directions, including:
a first pair of orifices provided adjacent one end of said sparger pipe and being directed towards one side wall adjacent to but not into its joins to said end walls, at second pair of orifices provided adjacent the opposite end of said sparger pipe from said one end and being directed towards the other side wall adjacent to but not into its joins to said end walls, a third pair of orifices located adjacent the central portion of the length of said sparger pipe and being directed one toward each end wall adjacent its joint to the top wall approximately at the mid-section of the width thereof, at fourth pair of orifices located one on either longitudinal side of the third pair of orifices and being directed towards each side wall adjacent its join to the top wall approximately at the mid-section of the width thereof, a fifth pair of orifices located between said first pair of orifices and said third pair of orifices and directed towards said top wall between the sparger from said first and third pairs of orifices and adjacent its join to each of said end walls, and a sixth pair of orifices located between said second pair of orifices and said third pair of orifices and directed towards said top wall between the sparger from said second and third pair of orifices and adjacent its join to each of said end walls.
said sparger comprises an elongate header pipe and a plurality of orifices in said header pipe for discharge of liquid therefrom and arranged in a predetermined pattern to direct sprays of said liquid in specific directions, including:
a first pair of orifices provided adjacent one end of said sparger pipe and being directed towards one side wall adjacent to but not into its joins to said end walls, at second pair of orifices provided adjacent the opposite end of said sparger pipe from said one end and being directed towards the other side wall adjacent to but not into its joins to said end walls, a third pair of orifices located adjacent the central portion of the length of said sparger pipe and being directed one toward each end wall adjacent its joint to the top wall approximately at the mid-section of the width thereof, at fourth pair of orifices located one on either longitudinal side of the third pair of orifices and being directed towards each side wall adjacent its join to the top wall approximately at the mid-section of the width thereof, a fifth pair of orifices located between said first pair of orifices and said third pair of orifices and directed towards said top wall between the sparger from said first and third pairs of orifices and adjacent its join to each of said end walls, and a sixth pair of orifices located between said second pair of orifices and said third pair of orifices and directed towards said top wall between the sparger from said second and third pair of orifices and adjacent its join to each of said end walls.
6. The hopper car of claim 5 wherein said plurality of orifices further include:
at seventh pair of orifices located one adjacent each end of aid sparger and directed downwardly into said sump to effect a swirling motion therein.
at seventh pair of orifices located one adjacent each end of aid sparger and directed downwardly into said sump to effect a swirling motion therein.
7. The hopper car of claim 5 or 6 wherein each of said plurality of orifices comprises a nozzle of compact shape having a generally circular opening at its upstream end and a generally elongate opening at its downstream end to provide flat compact sprays from said nozzles.
8. A sparger for use in a railway hopper car for transportation of a mass of particulate material, which comprises:
an elongate header pipe and a plurality of orifices in said header pipe for discharge of liquid therefrom and arranged in a predetermined pattern of sprays of liquid in specific directions for the discharge of the particulate material from the railway hopper car, including:
a first pair of orifices provided adjacent one longitudinal end of said header pipe and arranged to form a first divergent pair of sprays directed towards said one end, a second pair of orifices provided adjacent the opposite longitudinal end of said header pipe and arranged to form a second divergent pair of sprays directed towards said opposite end, second pair of orifices being aligned with the first pair of orifices parallel to the axis of said header pipe, a third pair of orifices located adjacent the central portion of the length of said header pipe and arranged to form a third divergent pair of sprays directed away from said header pipe, a fourth pair of orifices located one on either longitudinal side of the third pair of orifices and arranged to form a fourth divergent pair of sprays directed one towards said one longitudinal end and the other towards said opposite longitudinal end, a fifth pair of orifices located between said first pair of orifices and said third pair of orifices and arranged to form a fifth divergent pair of sprays directed away from said header pipe, and a sixth pair of orifices located between said second pair of orifices and said third pair of orifices and arranged to form a sixth divergent pair of sprays directed away from said header pipe.
an elongate header pipe and a plurality of orifices in said header pipe for discharge of liquid therefrom and arranged in a predetermined pattern of sprays of liquid in specific directions for the discharge of the particulate material from the railway hopper car, including:
a first pair of orifices provided adjacent one longitudinal end of said header pipe and arranged to form a first divergent pair of sprays directed towards said one end, a second pair of orifices provided adjacent the opposite longitudinal end of said header pipe and arranged to form a second divergent pair of sprays directed towards said opposite end, second pair of orifices being aligned with the first pair of orifices parallel to the axis of said header pipe, a third pair of orifices located adjacent the central portion of the length of said header pipe and arranged to form a third divergent pair of sprays directed away from said header pipe, a fourth pair of orifices located one on either longitudinal side of the third pair of orifices and arranged to form a fourth divergent pair of sprays directed one towards said one longitudinal end and the other towards said opposite longitudinal end, a fifth pair of orifices located between said first pair of orifices and said third pair of orifices and arranged to form a fifth divergent pair of sprays directed away from said header pipe, and a sixth pair of orifices located between said second pair of orifices and said third pair of orifices and arranged to form a sixth divergent pair of sprays directed away from said header pipe.
9. The sparger of claim 8 wherein said plurality of orifices further includes:
a seventh pair of orifices located one adjacent each end of said header pipe on the opposite side of said header pipe from said first and second pair of orifices and arranged to form a pair of sprays directed towards each other in angularly-offset manner.
a seventh pair of orifices located one adjacent each end of said header pipe on the opposite side of said header pipe from said first and second pair of orifices and arranged to form a pair of sprays directed towards each other in angularly-offset manner.
10. The sparger of claim 8 or 9 wherein each of said plurality of orifices comprises a nozzle of compact shape having a generally circular opening at its upstream end and a generally elongate opening at its downstream end to provide flat compact sprays from said nozzle.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000569346A CA1328199C (en) | 1988-06-13 | 1988-06-13 | Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper cars |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000569346A CA1328199C (en) | 1988-06-13 | 1988-06-13 | Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper cars |
Publications (1)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| CA1328199C true CA1328199C (en) | 1994-04-05 |
Family
ID=4138193
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA000569346A Expired - Lifetime CA1328199C (en) | 1988-06-13 | 1988-06-13 | Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper cars |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| CA (1) | CA1328199C (en) |
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP4356999B1 (en) * | 2022-10-20 | 2026-01-07 | Livoo AB | A hopper for transporting sludge |
-
1988
- 1988-06-13 CA CA000569346A patent/CA1328199C/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
Cited By (1)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EP4356999B1 (en) * | 2022-10-20 | 2026-01-07 | Livoo AB | A hopper for transporting sludge |
Similar Documents
| Publication | Publication Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| US5110366A (en) | Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper cars | |
| US5222512A (en) | Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper cars | |
| US5013530A (en) | Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper cars | |
| CA2167490C (en) | Automatic flushing apparatus for a hydrator | |
| US5002615A (en) | Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper cars | |
| CA1328199C (en) | Sparger system for discharge of bulk material from hopper cars | |
| NL9400884A (en) | Coagulating-sedimenting processing device. | |
| JPH01297133A (en) | Apparatus and method for feeding, dispersing and dissolving hydratable dry chemicals | |
| WO2003071594A1 (en) | Carrier type substrate processing device | |
| JP3919386B2 (en) | Method and apparatus for applying an adhesive to powder particles transported in a tube by an air current | |
| JP7402714B2 (en) | Fluidized bed granulator or fluidized bed/entrained bed granulator | |
| US3552799A (en) | Sparger type unloading apparatus for railroad cars | |
| JP3272201B2 (en) | Conveyor belt surface cleaning device | |
| KR102013755B1 (en) | A scrubber | |
| KR20030031417A (en) | Cleaning nozzle | |
| JP2004267043A (en) | Food-washing apparatus and food-washing method | |
| GB2347846A (en) | Vehicle wheel washing apparatus | |
| KR100390661B1 (en) | Apparatus for Spraying a Fluid and Apparatus for cleaning having the same | |
| JP3679903B2 (en) | Powder suspension equipment | |
| US3359041A (en) | Apparatus for a liquid discharge of lading | |
| US4151234A (en) | Process for preparation of sulfur nuggets for storage and transportation | |
| JP3180573B2 (en) | Empty can cleaning equipment | |
| KR200188164Y1 (en) | Surface cleaning device of filter paper | |
| CN222434176U (en) | A quartz sand purification acid extraction production line | |
| CN211190062U (en) | Material accumulation preventing device for feed inlet of solid-liquid phase mixing kettle and mixing kettle |
Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| MKEX | Expiry |