HOSE VALVE FOR FEEDING FINE GRAINED MATERIAL
The tube valve is for the output of a finely granulated material preferably dry lime mud that maintains a level of dry matter content of 65-90%. The tube valve has an elastic inner tube arranged within a pressure chamber that surrounds the elastic inner tube. A tube valve is used as an outlet from the pressurized process. The tube valve has a minimum length that is twice a diameter of the tube. A column of lime mud can be held within it as a pressure lock. The column of lime mud can be caused to descend through the tube valve by controlling a difference in pressure between an inner surface and an outer surface of the tube such that the diameter of the tube expands essentially uniformly along its length by 5-10% or by at least 4-6 millimeters.
1 . A tube valve for an output of finely granulated material, comprising:
an elastic inner tube arranged within a pressure chamber that surrounds an elastic inner tube,
the elastic inner tube having a minimum length SL Min that has a relationship to a diameter SD of the elastic inner tube as: 2*SD<SL Min <5*SD;
ends of the elastic inner tube fixedly arranged in the pressure chamber under an axial tensile prestress between two anchors at ends of the pressure chamber,
the elastic inner tube, when in an unloaded and non-mounted state, being 3-10% shorter than a length of the elastic inner tube when in a mounted state, the elastic inner tube having means for acquiring a waist with a form of an hour-glass, and
the pressure chamber is connected through connections to a regulator arrangement that is adapted to regulate a pressure in the pressure chamber from a first pressure being essentially equal to a pressure established within the elastic inner tube to a second pressure being lower than the pressure established within the elastic inner tube.
2 . The tube valve according to claim 1 , wherein the anchors at the ends of the tube valve have been designed as two tension rings that exert tension outwardly against the flexible inner tube and towards walls of the pressure chamber.
3 . The tube valve according to claim 2 , wherein the flexible inner tube is manufactured from natural rubber or other similar elastic material.