System and method for gyratory sifter deblinding
Enhanced action cleaning elements enable increased deblinding efficiency of gyratory sifters. The enhanced action cleaning elements increase the collisions between the elements and the screens of the gyratory sifters to enhance deblinding the screens of the gyratory sifter.
1. A system comprising:
a gyratory sifter comprising a screen and a ballbox disposed below the screen;
a plurality of cleaning elements disposed between the screen and the ballbox, the cleaning elements comprising
a central sphere having an outer surface; and
a plurality of spherical protuberances spaced equally around the outer surface of the central sphere wherein the cleaning elements impart vertical momentum to each other as a result of collisions therebetween caused by operating the gyratory sifter wherein the vertical momentum causes the cleaning elements to contact the screen.
2. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:
six spherical protuberances equally spaced about the outer surface of the central sphere forming three pairs of diametrically opposed spherical protuberances on the surface of the central sphere.
3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the spherical protuberances have substantially equal radii.
4. The system according to claim 3 , wherein the radii of the spherical protuberances are approximately equal to the radius of the central sphere.
5. The system according to claim 1 , wherein the non-spherical cleaning elements are made from at least one of gum rubber, nylon, urethane, silicone and ethylene propylene diene M-class rubber.
6. A system comprising:
a gyratory sifter comprising a screen and a ballbox; and
a plurality of polyhedral cleaning elements retained between the screen and the ballbox wherein the plurality of polyhedral cleaning elements collide with each other and the ballbox and impart vertical momentum to each other as a result of those collisions wherein the polyhedral cleaning elements have shapes selected from a group consisting of docedahedrons, stellated docedahedrons, icosidodecahedrons, rhombic triaconlahedrons and square antiprisms.
7. A method comprising:
placing a plurality of enhanced action cleaning elements between a screen and a ballbox of a gyratory sifter wherein the enhanced action cleaning elements have a nonuniform surface wherein the non-spherical cleaning elements are made from at least one of gum rubber, nylon, urethane, silicone and ethylene propylene diene M-class rubber and further wherein the non-spherical cleaning elements comprise an inner sphere and a plurality of protuberances spaced about a circumference of the inner sphere;
applying circular motion to the screen and the ballbox of the gyratory sifter wherein the circular motion is directed along a plane parallel to the screen of the gyratory sifter;
colliding the enhanced action cleaning elements wherein the collisions impart momentum perpendicular to the screen on the enhanced action cleaning elements;
striking the screen with the enhanced action cleaning elements; and
separating solids by particle size.
8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the protuberances are semi-spherical and wherein the protuberances are substantially equally spaced about a circumference of the inner sphere and wherein the protuberances have substantially equal radii.
9. The method according to claim 8 wherein the radii of the semi-spherical protuberances are approximately equal to the inner radius of the inner sphere.