Apparatus for discharging material from a mill

1. A pulp lifter for installation in a grinding mill downstream of a grate formed with apertures that allow slurry to pass to the pulp lifter for removal from the mill by the pulp lifter, the pulp lifter having a leading edge and a trailing edge with respect to rotation of the mill and comprising:

a first wall means bounding an interior space, and

a second wall means dividing the interior space into first and second sections,

wherein the first wall means includes a leading edge wall formed with an inlet opening providing access to the second section and an inner edge wall formed with an outlet opening for discharge of slurry from the second section, the second wall means includes a guide that extends substantially from an outer end of the leading edge wall to a trailing end of the inner edge wall, and the first section of said interior space is open at the trailing edge of the pulp lifter.

2. A pulp lifter according to claim 1 , wherein the guide is concave towards the leading edge wall of the first wall means.

3. A pulp lifter according to claim 2 , wherein the guide is curved.

4. A pulp lifter according to claim 2 , wherein the guide has an outer segment at an acute angle to an outer edge of the pulp lifter and has an inner segment at an acute angle to the trailing edge of the pulp lifter.

5. A pulp lifter according to claim 4 , wherein the guide is curved and is concave towards the leading edge wall of the first wall means.

6. A pulp lifter according to claim 1 , wherein the first wall means includes a back wall, the second wall means includes an intermediate wall in spaced confronting relationship with the back wall, and the guide is disposed substantially perpendicular to the back wall and connects the back wall to the intermediate wall.

7. A pulp lifter according to claim 6 , wherein the intermediate wall is substantially coextensive with the back wall, whereby the intermediate wall and the guide define a chamber at a trailing side of the guide, said chamber being isolated from both the first section and the second section of the interior space.

8. A pulp lifter according to claim 6 , wherein the intermediate wall has a trailing edge boundary that substantially coincides with a trailing side of the guide, whereby the first section of the interior space is bounded by the intermediate wall, the guide and the back wall.

9. A grinding mill including a grate formed with apertures that allow slurry to pass through the grate from an upstream side of the grate to a downstream side of the grate, and a plurality of pulp lifters installed on the downstream side of the grate and distributed about an axis of rotation of the mill for removing slurry from the mill, each pulp lifter having a leading edge and a trailing edge with respect to rotation of the mill, each two successive pulp lifters about the axis of rotation of the mill being respectively a leading pulp lifter and a trailing pulp lifter with respect to rotation of the mill, and each pulp lifter comprising:

a first wall means bounding an interior space, and

a second wall means dividing the interior space into first and second sections,

and wherein the first wall means includes a leading edge wall formed with an inlet opening providing access to the second section and an inner edge wall formed with an outlet opening for discharge of slurry from the second section, the second wall means includes a guide that extends substantially from an outer end of the leading edge wall to a trailing end of the inner edge wall, and the first section of a leading pulp lifter is in communication with the second section of its trailing pulp lifter by way of the opening in the leading edge wall of the trailing pulp lifter.

10. A grinding mill according to claim 9 , wherein the guide has an outer segment at an acute angle to an outer edge of the pulp lifter and has an inner segment at an acute angle to the trailing edge of the pulp lifter.

11. A grinding mill according to claim 9 , wherein the first wall means includes a back wall, the second wall means includes an intermediate wall in spaced confronting relationship with the back wall, and the guide is disposed substantially perpendicular to the back wall and connects the back wall to the intermediate wall.

12. A grinding mill according to claim 11 , wherein the intermediate wall is substantially coextensive with the back wall, whereby the intermediate wall and the guide define a chamber at a trailing side of the guide, said chamber being isolated from both the first section and the second section of the interior space.

13. A grinding mill according to claim 11 , wherein the intermediate wall has a trailing edge boundary that substantially coincides with a trailing side of the guide, whereby the first section of the interior space is bounded by the intermediate wall, the guide and the back wall.

14. A grinding mill according to claim 9 , wherein the first wall means includes a back wall and the interior space of the leading pulp lifter is bounded by the leading edge wall, the back wall and the inner edge wall of the leading pulp lifter, the leading edge wall of the trailing pulp lifter, and the grate.

15. A pulp lifter assembly, for installation in a grinding mill on a downstream side of a grate formed with apertures that allow slurry to pass through the grate from an upstream side of the grate to the downstream side of the grate, the pulp lifter assembly comprising a plurality of mutually adjacent pulp lifters each having a leading edge and a trailing edge, each two adjacent pulp lifters being respectively a leading pulp lifter and a trailing pulp lifter, and each pulp lifter comprising:

a first wall means bounding an interior space, and

a second wall means dividing the interior space into first and second sections,

and wherein the first wall means includes a leading edge wall formed with an inlet opening providing access to the second section and an inner edge wall formed with an outlet opening for discharge of slurry from the second section, the second wall means includes a guide that extends substantially from an outer end of the leading edge wall to a trailing end of the inner edge wall, and the first section of a leading pulp lifter is in communication with the second section of its trailing pulp lifter by way of the opening in the leading edge wall of the trailing pulp lifter.

16. A pulp lifter assembly according to claim 15 , wherein the first wall means includes a back wall, the second wall means includes an intermediate wall in spaced confronting relationship with the back wall, and the guide is disposed substantially perpendicular to the back wall and connects the back wall to the intermediate wall.

17. A pulp lifter assembly according to claim 16 , wherein the intermediate wall is substantially coextensive with the back wall, whereby the intermediate wall and the guide define a chamber at a trailing side of the guide, said chamber being isolated from both the first section and the second section of the interior space.

18. A pulp lifter assembly according to claim 16 , wherein the intermediate wall has a trailing edge boundary that substantially coincides with a trailing side of the guide, whereby the first section of the interior space is bounded by the intermediate wall, the guide and the back wall.

19. A pulp lifter structure for installation in a grinding mill, the pulp lifter structure including:

an outer pulp lifter having a leading edge and a trailing edge with respect to rotation of the mill and comprising a first wall means bounding an interior space and a second wall means dividing the interior space into first and second sections, wherein the first wall means includes a leading edge wall formed with an inlet opening providing access to the second section and an inner edge wall formed with an outlet opening for discharge of slurry from the second section, the second wall means includes a guide that extends substantially from an outer end of the leading edge wall to a trailing end of an inner edge wall, and the first section of said interior space is open at the trailing edge of the pulp lifter,

a grate formed with apertures for allowing slurry to pass to the pulp lifter for removal from the mill by the pulp lifter,

an inner pulp lifter defining a channel for receiving slurry from the outlet opening of the outer pulp lifter and conveying the slurry radially inward relative to the mill,

a discharger for receiving slurry from the channel of the inner pulp lifter and discharging the slurry from the pulp lifter.