Patent ID: 6142714
Filing Date: 2000-11-07
Classification: A01C,B65G

Abstract:
An apparatus for accelerating particulate material, comprising:a housing having a wall with openings therein for an air inlet, a particulate material inlet, and a mixture outlet, said outlet receiving a mixture of said particulate material and air;an impeller rotatably mounted in the housing adjacent the mixture outlet, the impeller having opposite sides, one of the sides having a plurality of impeller blades thereon for accelerating particulate material;a feed auger rotatably mounted in the housing and in fluid communication with the particulate material inlet so as to convey particulate material from the particulate material inlet toward the impeller blades;a fan rotatably mounted in the housing in fluid communication with the air inlet and the impeller, the fan including a plurality of fan blades for accelerating air from the air inlet toward the housing wall and thereby providing a flow of accelerated air along the inside of the wall of the housing and circumferentially around the impeller to further accelerate the particulate material toward the mixture outlet, the rotational axes of said fan and impeller in general registration with each other;whereby the flow of accelerated air from the fan prevents particulate material from contacting the fan blades and thereby damaging the particulate material.