Automatic liquid and solid material lock and release system

摘要

The liquid flow control lock may be used at the bottom of a hopper full of e.g. pulp used in papermaking. The lock has a chamber (3) with a first sliding gate (1) at the top. This gate is closed to separate the chamber from the contents of the hopper. The chamber is tapered, expanding gently towards the bottom, which may be closed by a second gate (2) which separates it from the outside environment. There is a short length of pipe (5) below the second gate, which is closed at the bottom by a third gate in the form of a flap valve which may be connected to the second gate via a coil spring (7). A switch (8) activated by the third gate and the actuators for the first and second gates may be connected to a control system (9,10).