Hitachi, Ltd.

Isao Honma

Masakatsu Sakamoto

Kenji Uchida

Yukishige Kamino

Takafumi Karino

Syosaku Watanabe

An apparatus including at least one horizontal feed pipe from which a mixture of liquid and particulate solid material to be transported is discharged into a high-pressure transport pipe by the action of a driving liquid delivered through a vertical pipe connected to the horizontal feed pipe to apply pressure to the mixture in the horizontal feed pipe through an intermediate liquid having a specific gravity lower than that of the mixture and higher than that of the driving liquid. Prior to initiation of an operation, the horizontal feed pipe and a lower portion of the vertical pipe below a float mounted therein are charged with the intermediate liquid and an upper portion of the vertical pipe above the float is charged with the driving liquid. Upon the mixture being delivered by a low-pressure mixture pump to the horizontal feed pipe, the intermediate liquid flows into the vertical pipe and raises the level of the float to return the driving liquid from the vertical pipe to its tank. Then, the driving liquid is delivered by a high-pressure driving liquid pump to the vertical pipe from which the intermediate liquid is forced into the horizontal feed pipe to thereby discharge the mixture from the latter into the high-pressure transport pipe, thereby transporting the particulate solid material to a predetermined destination. A mixture feeding device and an intermediate liquid feed device and their modifications are disclosed.

Apparatus for hydraulically transporting particulate solid material

In transporting solid material of a wide particle size distribution ranging from small to large size particles, a liquid is added to the solid material as a transporting medium to convert the solid material into a slurry to be hydraulically transported. The slurry that has performed the function of transporting the solid material is passed through a water removing device and a solid-liquid separating device to produce a suspension which is stored in a heavy medium tank and returned, after adjusting the concentration of the solid material therein, to the starting point of transportation so that the suspension can be recycled for use as a heavy transporting medium.

System for hydraulically transporting solid material

A capsule hydraulic-transportation system for use in continuously transporting capsules through a pipe line, in which system a discharge duct is connected in parallel at a forwarding station to a plurality of feeding ducts for feeding capsules, and the plurality of feeding ducts are by turns in timed sequence operated to continuously charge capsules into and transport same through the discharge duct to the pipe line.

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Abiko, Japan

Isao Honma