Air cannon for removal of flowable material from a material handling system

Abstract

An air cannon or aerator has a first source of a pressurized gas, such as a tank, a discharge tube assembly, a valve assembly configured to regulate the flow of pressurized gas from the tank to the discharge tube assembly, and a receiving member or basket having a first end configured to receive and seat the valve assembly and a second end configured to releasably and securely mate with the discharge tube assembly. The discharge tube assembly, valve assembly, and basket are all concentrically aligned along a central, longitudinal axis extending substantially coaxial with the longitudinal center line of the tank. The positioning of the discharge tube assembly and valve assembly close to a longitudinal center line of the tank, thereby providing for a central location for the energy discharge, and the provision of large ports in the basket facilitating substantially unobstructed fluid communication between the tank and discharge tube assembly, together facilitate smooth discharge of the pressurized gas as well as increased efficiency and force output of the air cannon.

1 . An air cannon comprising:
 a source of pressurized gas;   a discharge member configured to direct a release of a volume of pressurized gas towards a target; and   a valve assembly operatively associated with the source of pressurized gas and the discharge member and configured to control the release of a volume of the volume of pressurized gas from the source of pressurized gas to the discharge member;   wherein at least a portion of the valve assembly is in fluid communication with at least a portion of the discharge member at a position inside of the source of pressurized gas.   
   
   
       2 . The air cannon according to  claim 1 , wherein the discharge member includes an inlet port disposed inside of the source of pressurized gas. 
   
   
       3 . The air cannon according to  claim 1 , further comprising a receiving member configured to releasably mate with the discharge member and to be releasably received by the source of pressurized gas, the receiving member being configured to receive the valve assembly. 
   
   
       4 . The air cannon according to  claim 1 , wherein the receiving member includes at least one inlet port facilitating fluid communication between the source of pressurized gas and the valve assembly. 
   
   
       5 . The air cannon according to  claim 4 , wherein the at least one inlet port comprises a plurality of inlet ports disposed inside of the source of pressurized gas. 
   
   
       6 . The air cannon according to  claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the receiving member is releasably attachable to at least a portion of the discharge member by movement of the receiving member towards the discharge member in a direction collinear to the longitudinal axis of the discharge member. 
   
   
       7 . The air cannon according to  claim 3 , wherein at least a portion of the receiving member is releasably detachable from at least a portion of the discharge member by movement of the receiving member away from the discharge member in a direction collinear to the longitudinal axis of the discharge member. 
   
   
       8 . The air cannon according to  claim 1 , wherein the valve assembly and the discharge member are coaxially aligned. 
   
   
       9 . The air cannon according to  claim 1 , further comprising a receiving member having a first end coupled to the valve assembly and a second end coupled to the discharge member, the receiving member having at least one control port at the first end and at least one exhaust port between the control port and the second end, the receiving member having a discharge piston movable between a first, extended position and a second, retracted position, wherein with the piston in the first, extended position, the discharge piston covers the exhaust port and the discharge piston does not cover the control port, and wherein with the piston in the second, retracted position, the discharge piston does not cover the exhaust port and the discharge piston does cover the control port. 
   
   
       10 . The air cannon according to  claim 1  wherein the valve assembly includes a discharge piston movable between a first, extended position and a second, retracted position. 
   
   
       11 . The air cannon according to  claim 10 , wherein the source of pressurized gas is in direct fluid communication with the discharge member when the discharge piston is in the retracted position, wherein the source of pressurized gas is in fluid communication with an actuator when the discharge piston is in the extended position. 
   
   
       12 . The air cannon according to  claim 10 , wherein the discharge piston is disposed inside of the source of pressurized gas. 
   
   
       13 . The air cannon according to  claim 1 , wherein discharge member has an outlet port, and at least a portion of the source of pressurized gas is disposed between the at least a portion of the valve assembly and the outlet port of the discharge member. 
   
   
       14 . An air cannon comprising:
 a source of pressurized gas;   a discharge member configured to direct a release of a volume of the pressurized gas towards a target; and   a valve assembly operatively associated with the source of pressurized gas and the discharge member, the valve assembly configured to control the release of the volume of pressurized gas from the source of pressurized gas to the discharge member;   wherein at least a portion of the source of pressurized gas is disposed between at least a portion of the valve assembly and at least a portion of the discharge member.   
   
   
       15 . The air cannon according to  claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the valve assembly and at least a portion of the discharge member are disposed on opposing sides of the source of pressurized gas. 
   
   
       16 . The air cannon according to  claim 14 , wherein at least a portion of the valve assembly and at least a portion of the discharge member are disposed inside of the source of pressurized gas. 
   
   
       17 . The air canon according to  claim 14 , wherein the source of pressurized gas is a tank, the tank having a wall, the wall having a first portion and a second portion, wherein at least a portion of the valve assembly is located at the first portion of the wall, and at least a portion of the discharge member is located at the second portion of the wall. 
   
   
       18 . The air cannon according to  claim 14 , further comprising a receiving member having a first end coupled to the valve assembly and a second end coupled to the discharge member, the receiving member having at least one control port at the first end and at least one exhaust port between the control port and the second end, the receiving member having a discharge piston movable between a first, extended position and a second, retracted position, wherein with the piston in the first, extended position, the discharge piston covers the exhaust port and the discharge piston does not cover the control port, and wherein with the piston in the second, retracted position, the discharge piston does not cover the exhaust port and the discharge piston does cover the control port. 
   
   
       19 . The air cannon according to  claim 18 , wherein the first end of the receiving member includes a cylindrical portion of a first diameter, and the second end of the receiving member includes a cylindrical portion of a second diameter larger than the first diameter, the first end and second end are coupled together by a plurality of web portions which define the exhaust port between adjacent web portions. 
   
   
       20 . The air cannon according to  claim 19 , wherein with the discharge piston in the first, extended position, the discharge piston seals the discharge member from the source of pressurized air, and with the discharge piston in the second, retracted position, the discharge piston does not seal the discharge member from the source of pressurized air. 
   
   
       21 . The air cannon according to  claim 18 , wherein the control port has an overall cross sectional area, and the exhaust port has an overall cross sectional area, wherein the cross sectional area of the exhaust port is greater than the cross sectional area of the control port.