IP Library Granted Patent US 12,377,421
Granted Patent B2
US 12,377,421 · App. 17/417,073 · Granted Aug 5, 2025

System and method for four dimensionally separating materials

Inventor: Thomas A. Valerio (Atlanta, GA)
B03B5/34B03B9/061B03B2009/068B03B2011/002B03B2011/008
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,377,421
App. No.
17/417,073
Granted
Aug 5, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

This application discloses a separator for separating and recovering materials from a waste stream. The separator has a cyclone having a top section and a bottom section, an impeller within the cyclone, a media inlet for accepting a flow of media or a pulsating flow of the media operatively connected to the impeller in which media or fluid flows through the impeller into the separator; a first discharge passage for a collecting a light fraction, and a second discharge passage for collecting a heavy fraction.

Claims (13)

1. A separator for separating and recovering materials from a waste stream, the separator comprising:

a source of the waste stream;

a cyclone having an impeller, a feed chute, and a media inlet for accepting media, wherein the cyclone has a cylindrical top section and a bottom section, the media inlet is through the impeller, and the waste stream enters the cyclone through the feed chute, the impeller rotates in a first direction about an axis in the cyclone, and the media inlet is in fluid connection to distribution veins within the impeller;

a source of media having a specific gravity between about 1.0 and 3.0, wherein the media enters the impeller through the media inlet as a flow of media or a pulsating flow of the media, and the source of media is in fluid connection to the cyclone through the media inlet generating an upward flow within the cyclone;

a first discharge passage for a collecting a light fraction; and a second discharge passage for collecting a heavy fraction.

2. A separator for separating and recovering materials from a waste stream, the separator comprising a source of the waste stream; a cyclone having an impeller, a feed chute, and a media inlet for accepting media, wherein the cyclone has a cylindrical top section and a bottom section, the media inlet is through the impeller, and the waste stream enters the cyclone through feed chute, the impeller rotates in a first direction about an axis in the cyclone, wherein the media inlet is coupled to the impeller by a rotary coupling such that the impeller may rotate independent of the media inlet, a source of media having a specific gravity between about 1.0 and 3.0, the media enters the impeller through the media inlet as a flow of media or a pulsating flow of the media, and the source of media is in fluid connection to the cyclone through the media inlet generating an upward flow within the cyclone; and a first discharge passage for a collecting a light fraction; and a second discharge passage for collecting a heavy fraction.

3. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the impeller has outlet ports in fluid connection with the distribution veins, wherein the media flows out of the outlet ports.

4. A separator for separating and recovering materials from a waste stream, the separator comprising: a cyclone having a top section and a bottom section, an impeller have a top section and bottom section and positioned within the cyclone, a media inlet for accepting a flow of media or a pulsating flow of the media operatively connected to the impeller, wherein media or fluid flows through the impeller into the separator; a first discharge passage for a collecting a light fraction, a second discharge passage for collecting a heavy fraction; and the media inlet is in fluid connection to distribution veins within the impeller.

5. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the media inlet is connected to the impeller through a rotary coupling.

6. The separator of claim 5 , wherein the second passage is above the third passage.

7. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the media has dirt, sand, glass fines, ferrous fines and combinations thereof.

8. The separator of claim 1 , wherein the media has a specific gravity of about 1.6 SG or higher.

9. The separator of claim 1 , further comprising an air-over-water chamber and the media is pulsed with the air-over-water chamber.

Continuity (2)
Provisional Application 62784360 · Dec 21, 2018
Related Publication 20220055038A1 · Feb 24, 2022
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