US3486644A - Loader for an incinerator - Google Patents

Description

Dec. 30, 1969 BAKKER ETAL LOADER FOR AN INCINERATOR Filed Oct. 14, 1968 R. rw N e r z md my; m /f M4 M2 Mmafl arm 1 7% M United States Patent 3,486,644 LOADER FOR AN INCINERATOR Lubertus Bakker, James C. Conde, and Eugene D. Krumm,

Wellsville, N.Y., assignors to The Air Preheater Company, Inc., Wellsville, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 14, 1968, Ser. No. 767,204 Int. Cl. B23]: 5/00; F23g 5/00 US. Cl. 214-23 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to a feeding mechanism for trash and refuse or the like where it is moved from a collection bin into an incinerator where it is consumed.

Description of prior art In the many operations employing the combustion of fuel the leakage of smoke and gases from the combustion process being carried out within the incinerator back to the surrounding atmosphere has constituted a real problem as expressed in US. Patents No. 1,925,249 and No. 3,303,946. Although the slightly negative pressure maintained within the combustion chamber of a furnace usually creates a normal flow of gas into the furnace and out the stack of the furnace into the upper atmosphere, the prob lem of polluting the atmosphere around the furnace still exists. Especially is this true when warranted by unstable conditions as may result, for example, when an excessive amount of material such as wet garbage is fed into the combustion chamber of the incinerator. Improper combustion may result in the production of excessive gas and smoke at slightly elevated pressures which may find its path of least resistance back through an open loading door to the space surrounding the incinerator.

In this day of increased attention to the pollution of our atmosphere by smoke and fumes of all types it is important that ways be found to preclude what may be an accidental or occasional discharge to the atmosphere of combustion gases or the simple escape of combustion gases through an open loading door when a charge of material is being loaded therethrough into the incinerator.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention therefore relates to a feeder arrangement for an incinerator that precludes the passage of smoke therethrough from the housing enclosing a chamber having an incomplete combustion of refuse placed therein.

The invention generally provides for an arrangement of cooperating feeder members or pivoted doors, one of which is continuously covered by an imperforatesealing cover while the other thereof is adapted to compress a mass of refuse or trash sufliciently to offer a substantial resistance to the passage of gas therethrough. The refuse is compressed in a confined hopper or passageway to the incinerator and is arranged in the feeder to offer increased resistance to the flow of gas as the compaction of material being moved therethrough increases. Thus, the feeder door having the sealing cover is normally closed to preclude 3,486,644 Patented Dec. 30, 1969 the leakage of smoke therethrough, but as it opens the compaction of refuse in the hopper increases its reslstance to the leakage of smoke so that the smoke and gases generated in the housing have little chance of escaping to the atmosphere.

A more complete understanding of my invention may be realized by referring to the following description which may be reviewed in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the loading mechanism attached to an incinerator housing, and

FIGURES 2, 3, and. 4 are schematic drawings indicating various steps in the operating sequence of the device of FIG. 1.

THE INVENTION In the drawing the numeral 10 indicates the housing of an incinerator having a loading port or opening 12 through which the incinerator is to be charged with trash or refuse. A loading door or ram 14 is pivoted at 16 at the upper edge of the opening 12 whereby it is adapted to swing downwardly over arcuate compaction door 36 and advance refuse compacted thereby into the incinerator and close the opening to the flow of gas and smoke.

An arcuate hopper 26 is arranged with an axial edge 28 thereof aligned with the bottom edge of the port 12 in the housing 10. The hopper 26 is arranged to tightly abut the housing adjacent the port to preclude the leakage between abutting members of gases generated within the incinerator.

An end plate 30 abuts each end of the arcuate hopper 26 and extends vertically along the lateral sides of the port 12 to provide end walls for the hopper and walls adjacent opposite ends of the loading door 14. An imperforate cover plate 22 abuts the housing 10 along one edge thereof over the port 12 and extends diagonally downward at a declination of about 45 to the approximate lateral midpoint of the end plates 30 to provide a cover over the loading door 14 as it is moved to an open position and thus preclude the escape of gas and smoke from the incinerator directly to the atmosphere.

The end plates 30 support bearing means at either end position at the projected center of the arcuate hopper 26. By this arrangement a compaction member 36 secured to a rod 38 is rotatable in the bearings of the end plates so that it may rotate in the arcuate hopper 26 and from the load position shown in FIG. 2 to a feed position shown in FIG. 4 whereby trash placed in the hopper 26 may be advanced or fed to the incinerator by the loading door 14. As the trash is so advanced it is also compressed so that it offers increased resistance to fumes escaping from the open incinerator port 12 back through the refuse being fed through the hopper.

The hopper 26 may be secured to the housing 10 of the incinerator as a permanent accessory or it may be mounted on suitable rollers or casters 52 whereby it may be temporarily moved into position adjacent the housing 10 and used as needed.

Conventional control apparatus responsive to movement of the compaction member 36 within the hopper 26 and the loading door 14 may be adapted to operate the respective members in the proper sequence desired. Thus control apparatus may be designed to operate in response to movement of plate 36 to provide for complete opening and closing of the loading door. Similarly switching means may be actuated by the arm 52 on the shaft 38, while the relative movement of the several members is dependent upon a predetermined sequence desired.

The operating sequence is started by a complete closure of the loading ports 12 by loading door 14 and a complete opening of the hopper 26 by movement of the compaction door 36 to an extreme upper position shown in FIG. 1 whereby a load of trash or rubbish may be placed into the hopper without interference with the compaction door. When the hopper is properly loaded the compression member 36 is actuated by closure of the proper controls 37 and the motor means 40 accordingly acts through transmission means 42 to rotate the member 36 about its axis or pivot 38 to slowly compress the trash in the hopper 26. After the compaction member 36 has moved downwardly to partially compact the rubbish, a circuit in a conventional timer 46 is completed and the loading door 14 of the incinerator is actuated by motor 44 to move it to an open position. The door 14 is thus moved to an open position whereby the lower edge thereof lies adjacent the compaction member.

The compaction door 36 continues to rotatably swing on its pivot 38 until it lies adjacent the lower edge of por 12, whereupon suitable switching means in controller 46 is operated to Open the circuit to operating means 40 and thus terminate movement of the compaction member 36 and commence actuation of the operating means 44 and the connected loading door 14. As the loading door 14 closes it sweeps the compacted refuse resting upon the compaction door 36 through the port 12 and into the incinerator housing 10. Upon closure of the port 12 by door 14 the compaction member is returned to its open position whereby trash may again be loaded into the hopper 26 in preparation for another feeding cycle.

While we have shown and specifically described one embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that various changes may be embodied in our invention without departing from the spirit thereof.

Thus, while electric operating and switching means is disclosed in connection with the invention, it is to be understood that equivalent mechanical, hydraulic or pneumatic means can be used without resorting to invention. It is therefore intended that all material shown in the accompanying drawings or described in the accompanying specification shall be interpreted as illustrative only and not in a limited sense.

We claim:

1. In an incinerator comprising a housing with a loading port at one side thereof, a collection hopper with an arcuate bottom surface adjacent the loading port of the housing, an arcuate compaction member pivoted at the projected center of said arcuate hopper, means for ID- tating the compaction member about its pivoted support within the hopper to compress rubbish placed in the hopper, a loading door pivoted on the incinerator housing and arranged to close the loading port, said loading door pivotally attached to said incinerator and having an arcuate movement substantially concentric to the arcuate surface of the compaction member, means for moving the loading door about its axis, and imperforate means cooperating with said loading door adapted to direct fumes from the incinerator through the collection hopper and the rubbish compressed therein when the loading door is moved to open the loading port of the incinerator.

2. An incinerator as defined in claim 1 wherein the imperforate means cooperating with the loading door of the incinerator comprises a cover plate that abuts the incinerator housing adjacent the pivot for the loading door and extends to a point adjacent the pivot for the compaction member.

3. In an incinerator having a housing with a loading port at one side thereof, a collection hopper with an arcuate bottom surface adjacent the loading port, an arcuate compaction member pivoted to fixed support at the projected center of said arcuate hopper, means for rotating the compaction member about its axis within the arcuate hopper to compress rubbish placed in said hopper, a loading door arranged to close the loading port, said loading door pivotally attached to said incinerator and having an arcuate movement similar to the arcuate surface of the compaction member, means for moving the loading door about its axis, and cover means over said loading door adapted to direct fumes from the incinerator' through the collection hopper and the rubbish compressed therein when the loading door is moved to open the loading port of the incinerator.

4. An incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein the arcuate surface of the compaction member when moved to .the edge of the hopper adjacent the loading port is substantially concentric with the surface generated by movement of the loading door as it is pivoted about its axis on the housing.

5. An. incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein the bottom surface of the hopper member is substantially concentric with the surface defined by the edge of the compaction member as it is pivoted about its axis.

6. An incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein the entire Width of the hopper and the compaction member therein is somewhat less than the width of the loading door to permit unencumbered passage of rubbish compacted thereby through the loading port and into the incinerator housing.

7. An incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein the arcuate compaction member is pivoted to fixed bearing means as a point wherein the distance of its pivot point to the loading port is substantially equal to the radial length of the loading door.

8. An incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein the abutting edges of the arcuate hopper and the lower edge of the loading port substantially coincide to provide a continuous transition from the arcuate hopper to the interior of the incinerator housing.

9. An incinerator as defined in claim 3 wherein rotation of the arcuate compaction member about its axis to a position adjacent the lower edge of the loading port provides a relationship whereby the arcuate compaction member is substantially concentric to the surface generated by movement of the loading door.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1965 Martin 214-23 2/1967 Reilly 214-423 US. Cl. X.R.

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