Improvements in or relating to the distribution of particulate material.

摘要

An apparatus for distributing particulate material in- dudes a feeder (2) having a charging inlet (4) and a discharge outlet duct (12) having converging walls. Coaxially aligned with the discharge outlet duct (12) is a deflector (26) including a first spreader (28) having diverging outer walls, and a second spreader (30) contiguous with the diverging walls of the first spreader (28) and having diverging walls of an angular inclination to the direction of flow of the particulate material greater than that of the first spreader (28). The charging inlet (4) may have attached thereto an extension (32) and an expansion chamber (38) into which a feed pipe 48 projects, the expansion chamber and the feed pipe being external to a receiving vessel. The particulate material may be fed into feeder (2) entrained in air. The material leaving the second spreader (30) is uniformly distributed and may form a hollow curtain of uniformly distributed particulate material. The curtain may fall Into a spray mixing vessel, and a circular baffle (60) may contain the curtain. The baffle (60) may carry fins (62) and divide the curtain into pre-determined separate streams. The streams may be led away for use elsewhere, and streams may be formed at the discharge end of the second spreader (30) rather than by the use of fins.