Patent ID: 7392895

Claim:
A method for discharging poorly pourable bulk materials from a receptacle ( 4 ) with an outlet opening ( 5 ), wherein the bulk material is rendered free-flowing in the receptacle ( 4 ) by means of a first agitating element ( 1 ) and discharged from the receptacle ( 4 ) by means of a second agitating element ( 2 ), wherein the first agitating element ( 1 ) comprises a worm conveyor fixed ( 8 ) on a shaft ( 3 ) and the second agitating element ( 2 ) comprises a spiral conveyor fixed ( 6 ) on said shaft ( 3 ), wherein a rotation of the worm conveyor transports the material situated between turns of the worm conveyor upward to a surface of the bulk material, breaking up the bulk material, wherein the material that has been brought up to the surface of the bulk material by the worm conveyor flows downward again due to a gravitational force such that a first portion of the material flowing downward flows back along an outer space around the worm conveyor and a second portion of the material flowing downward moves down through a center of the worm conveyor, thereby generating two circulating flows of bulk material in the receptacle ( 4 ), and wherein a rotation of the spiral conveyor causes broken up bulk material situated at a bottom of the receptacle ( 4 ) to be transported to the outlet opening ( 5 ).