Patent ID: 7270249

Claim:
Apparatus for pneumatically metering a flowable solids product to a conveying air stream line to obtain a target feed rate without the use of any mechanical parts, said apparatus comprising: an air supply, a hopper for storing a flowable solids product, said hopper having an outlet at the bottom thereof for discharging product therefrom, means for substantially continuously weighing said hopper to measure the weight of the stored flowable solids product, an eductor having a product port, a motive air port, and a discharge port, means connecting said eductor product port to said hopper outlet for receiving the flowable solids product, an eductor bypass line, means connecting said eductor bypass line to the conveying air stream line, an eductor discharge line connected to said eductor discharge port for receiving a metered amount of the flowable solids product, means connecting said eductor discharge line to said conveying air stream line into which the metered flowable solids product is fed, and means between said air supply and said eductor motive air port and said eductor bypass line responsive to the weight of the product in the hopper for controllably bypassing a portion of the air supply to substantially maintain the target feed rate of the flowable solids product at said eductor discharge port and conveying air stream line.