Solid-Liquid Inter-Phase Indicator Controller (Patent No: 867105)

Inventor: Cymbalisty, Lubomyr M.O.

Location: Edmonton

Comments: N/A

Description: The embodiment of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An apparatus for remotely indicating and controlling the level of solid material comprising:
a) a base;
b) a first hydraulic actuator fixedly mounted to the base above the level of the solid material and characterized by a reciprocating stroke;
c) a feeler positioned above the level of the solids and attached to said first actuator and stroked thereby;
d). a second hydraulic actuator hydraulically coupled to said first hydraulic actuator and characterized by a reciprocating stroke;
e) indicating means attached to said second hydraulic actuator for 'showing the position of the stroke of said second hydraulic actuator; and
f) activating means for actuating said second hydraulic actuator whereby the actuation is hydraulically communicated to the first hydraulic actuator and the feeler is moved into abutting relationship with the solids thereby arresting the feeler and the first and second actuators said second actuator being at a position on the indicating means indicative of the level of the solids.

2. The apparatus of Claim I wherein the second actuator is a dual acting actuator and the means for actuating the second actuator comprises;
a) a high pressure gas supply;
b) a pneumatic servo valve having an input communicating with the gas supply and a plurality of outputs communicating with at least one actuator; and
c) a control timer having a preset cycle and operatingly connected to the pneumatic servo valve to alternately activate one of the servo valve outputs.

3. The apparatus of Claim 2 which additionally comprises;
a) a vessel containing the solid material;
b) a solids discharge valve mounted in the underside of the vessel;
c) a valve operator adapted to open and close said solids discharge valve; and
d) control means for controlling said valve operator and responsive to the position of indicating means.

4. The apparatus of Claim 3 wherein the first actuator is a dual acting actuator pneumatically communicatingly connected on one side with a second of the outputs of the pneumatic servo valve, whereby the control timer periodically and alternately activates the pneumatic pressurized gas supply to the first and second dual acting actuators thereby driving them reciprocally.

5. The apparatus of Claim 4 wherein said first actuator comprises;
a) a closed cylinder;
b) a dual acting piston sliding mounted within said cylinder;
c) a piston rod fixedly attached at one end to the piston and at the other end to the feeler and extending out through the of the cylinder; and
wherein said second actuator comprises;
a) a second closed cylinder;
b) a dual acting piston slidingly mounted within said second closed cylinder;
c) a second piston rod fixedly attached at one end to said second piston, and at the other end attached to the indicating means.

6. The apparatus of Claim 5 wherein the indicating means comprises;
a) a control position transmitter having as an input a rotatable shaft for angularly indicating a specific position;
b) a lever arm fixedly attached at one end to the rotatable shaft and having a rectangular slit space at the other end of the arm;
c) a pin attached to the end of the second piston rod and slidably mounted to move within the rectangular slit.

7. The apparatus of Claim 6 wherein the activating means comprises;
a two cam timer having two separate control cycles; and wherein said pneumatic servo valve is a four-way servo valve having an input from the high pressure gas supply and responsive to the first control cycle of the two cam timer, whereby the two cam timer controls application of the pressurized gas to activate and inactivate the first actuator and the second actuator alternately.

8. The apparatus of Claim 7 wherein the control means is responsive to the angular position of the rotatable shaft of the control position transmitter, and additionally comprises;
a) a two-way pneumatic servo valve responsive to the second control cycle of the two cam timer, said control means responsively supplying high pressure gas to the two-way pneumatic valve input which at the appropriate portion of the second cam timer cycle causes the solids valve operator to open the solids discharge valve.