Milling apparatus

Abstract

Milling apparatus suitable for mechano-chemical breakdown of contaminated media reliant upon housed ball mill units each able to be cradle mounted to receive a rotational drive of a shaft and to feed material downwardly from housing to housing.

1 . A milling apparatus comprising
 a shaft having a drive coupling and carrying agitator forms to rotate with the shaft,   a drum about the agitators on a part of a length of the shaft thereby defining a chamber for impact elements to be energized by agitation, the drum having an inlet and an outlet for process stream material,   a drive having a drive coupling to complement that of the shaft, and   a support for the shaft of the drum which enables the drive via coupled couplings to rotate at least the shaft and the agitators about a shaft axis when the shaft axis is substantially horizontal.   
     
     
         2 - 15 . (canceled) 
     
     
         16 . The milling apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein a partition in the drum prevents impact elements from accessing said outlet and allows finer material to access said outlet. 
     
     
         17 . A milling apparatus comprising
 a plurality of shafted chambers containing impact masses capable of being energized by agitator formations carried by each shaft when rotated, each chamber having an inlet and an outlet, and   a drive to rotate the shafts,   an inlet of a first one of said chambers receiving a solids stream and an outlet discharging to an inlet of a second one of said chambers, and the outlet of said second chamber discharging either (I) for harvesting output, or (II) to an inlet of a third one of said chambers.   
     
     
         18 . In combination, a shafted housing having of a ball mill,
 a mount to cradle the housing yet to allow shaft rotation when the housing is fixed in the mount, and   a coupler of a drive to couple to the shaft so as to drive, in use, the cradled ball mill by rotating the coupled shaft.   
     
     
         19 . The milling apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein each shaft is disconnected for removal from its drive. 
     
     
         20 . The milling apparatus according to  claim 17 , wherein each shafted chamber as a unit is replaced by disconnection from its drive.