Patent ID: 7234915

Claim:
A sluice feeder comprising: an inlet for receiving material in a first medium at a higher pressure and discharging the material toward a center position of said rotor, said rotor including at least one concentric rotor ring, said at least one rotor ring having at least one opening in a radial direction from said inlet to an outlet for receiving material from said rotor and discharging the material in a second medium at a lower pressure; and a stator that is adapted to cooperate with said rotor, said stator including at least one stator ring having at least one opening therein, wherein at least one pocket is formed by said at least one opening of said rotor ring of said rotor and said at least opening of said stator ring of said stator, said at least one pocket alternatingly opens radially inwardly and radially outwardly and alternatingly seals radially inwardly or radially outwardly, upon rotation of said rotor relative to said stator so that the material is thrown radially outwardly by said rotor to said at least one pocket to be emptied from said at least one pocket to said outlet at the same time said at least one pocket is sealed radially inwardly toward said inlet by said at least one stator ring of said stator.