FORM 2
THE PATENT ACT 1970
(39 OF 1970)
&
The Patent Rules, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)
1 TITLE OF THE INVENTION :
A CONNECTOR/BEND ADAPTED FOR TRANSPORTING MATERIALS INCLUDING GRANULAR MATERIALS AND A SYSTEM USING THE SAME.

2 APPLICANT (S)
Name : JSW Steel Limited.
Nationality : An Indian Company.
Address : Jindal Mansion, 5-A, Dr. G. Deshmukh Marg, Mumbai - 400 026,
State of Maharastra, India.
3 PREAMBLE TO THE DESCRIPTION
COMPLETE

The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.


FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to bends in transport /conveying pipelines and, in particular, to an bends/connectors adapted for use to transport materials including granular materials through connecting tubes/pipes. More particularly, the present invention relates to a connector /bend for pipes etc. adapted for negotiating through 90° bend with minimum velocity increase and turbulence of bends favoring damage free conveying of the hard particulate material through such pipes/bends and in the process avoiding abrasive wear of inner surface of the pipes/bends. The present connector /bend is capable of providing desired flow profile to the conveyed granular materials to thereby reducing the frictional wear/damage of inner pipe wall surface by granules, reducing the number of punctures in pipes in service. Importantly, the average life of connector /bend of the present invention could be enhanced by about 6 months as compared to conventional 3 months, thus ensuring uninterrupted materials conveying without failure of pipe bends for longer duration in variety of industrial applications especially those involving pneumatic conveying of granular materials and thus having prospects of wide industrial application, including sand/dust conveying/recycling in foundries, sand/grit conveying in blasting plants and the like.
BACKGROUND ART
Tt is well known in the field of material handling through ducts, it is often necessary to transport material through pipes over large distances and heights in large industries. There is need for hard granular material being frequently conveyed pneumatically between various storage bunkers and through different processes. High speed pneumatically conveyed granular materia! through tube or pipe essentially have some erosion effect on inner walls of pipes/bends. Effect is more pronounced and severe at the bends negotiating sharp turns including preferably 90° bends as necessary. It Is often experienced in the art that severe abrasion of inner surface of the tubing/bend bore concentrated in small-localized areas causes puncturing and damages to the tube. It is due to increased magnitude of velocity and irregular flow path developed at the bends that causes faster wear/abrasion. Conventionally, to avoid erosion at the bends, long radius turns are employed.
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Such existing piping system of long radius turns at bends requires longer pipe length and larger area for layout and support structures. It is also not possible to apply long radius pipeline to lay between the complex structures. This complexities necessitated essential usage of 90° bends at many places in the conveying systems which caused frequent puncturing. This led the ongoing process to frequent stoppage and loss of material.
There has therefore been a longstanding requirement in the art for pneumatic conveying of granular material through pipes and bends, to developing a pipe bend configuration preferably a 90° bend such that the piping layout woqid not require much space, the velocity of granules will be controlled and flow path of granular materials is directed/streamlined such that the abrasive wear of the inner surface of the pipe bends will be reduced and life of bend is enhanced to ensure longer uninterrupted service without rupture or failure.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is thus the basic object of the present invention to Provide for an bend/connector adapted to reduce abrasive wear of inner wall of the bend, preferably a 90° bend, for pipelines conveying of granular material pneumatically in industrial applications such that the life of such bends can be increased and number of Punctures in pipe bends reduced, ensuring longer operation without interruption.
A further object of the present invention is directed to a bend/connector configuration for use in pneumatic conveying of granular material wherein the bend is selectively configured such that the velocity of granules is reduced at entry and also favour maintaining the flow profile straight and thus reducing the abrasion.
A further object of the present invention is directed to developing a pipe bend/connector configuration for use in pneumatic conveying of granular material wherein said bend provides a simple and inexpensive 90° bend design that will ensure straight flow and no localized increase in velocity.
3
17 APR 2009

A further object of the present invention is directed to developing a pipe bend configuration for use in pneumatic conveying of granular material wherein the bend is so configured having converging outlet that the outlet velocity of the granules is increased back to the conveying velocity, without causing damage to the bend.
A still further object of the present invention is directed to developing a pipe bend/connector configuration for use in pneumatic conveying of granular material wherein the bend reduces the number of failures/punctures and thus ensuring longer transporting of material without interruption.
A still further object of the present invention is directed to developing a system of pneumatic conveying of the granular materials using said pipe bend/connector configuration wherein the bend is adapted to providing facility of laying out pipe line in smaller area and between complex shapes of structures, enhancing life of such piping system.
A still further object of the present invention is directed to developing a pipe bend configuration for use in pneumatic conveying of granular material wherein the bend is adapted to enhance average life of such bends enhanced to about 6 months from existing 3 months, thus facilitating continuous transportation/conveying and saving in cost of spares for piping facility.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus according to the basic aspect of the present invention there is provided a connector/bend adapted for use to transport materials including granular materials through connecting tubes/pipes comprising:
a cylindrical member having operatively connected thereto a conically expanding inlet and a conically contracting outlet whereby the enlarged area at inlet drops the velocity and increases back to the conveying velocity at the outlet.
4

A further aspect of the present invention directed to a connector /bend wherein the gradual increase and decrease along the central axis is adapted to maintain the now in a straight line with no localized increase in velocity.
A still further aspect of the present invention directed to a connector /bend wherein the conical expanding inlet and a conical contracting outlet both are connected to said cylinder at 90°.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention directed to a system for conveying material between various storage bunkers involving connecting pipelines/tubular members comprising operatively connecting the tubular members/pipelines at bends preferably at 90° bends with connector /bend according to the present invention.
A still further aspect of the present invention directed to a system for conveying material wherein the material comprise granular material which is, pneumatically transported from one bunker to another.
The present invention and its objects and advantages are described in greater details with reference to the accompanying non limiting illustrative figure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING FIGURE
Figure 1: is the schematic illustration of the 90° bend accordjng to the present invention having preferred conical inlet and outlet connected to a cylindrical portion of the bend enhancing the life of bend when used in pneumatic conveying of granular materials.
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION WITH REFERENCE TO THE ACCOMPANYING FIGURE
As already described the present invention is directed to developing a novel configuration of the pipe bend, more preferably 90° bend, for use in pipe lines used to conveying granular material such that the abrasion of inner pipe wall particularly in such bends is avoided and the life of bends is enhanced ensuring continuous material handling improving plant efficiency and productivity. Importantly also, the selective configuration comprising the conical inlet and outlet of the cylindrical bend(CB) facilitate use of such bends in piping layout coveying relatively smaller area and also these are adapted to be installed at locations between complex support structures.
Reference is first invited to accompanying Figure 1 that illustrates schematically the preferred embodiment of the 90° bend involving selective conical and cylindrical inlet and outlet connections. Such shape of the pipe bend according to the present invention provides a new design of 90° bend shape adapted for erosion resistance. The design consists of a conical expanding inlet(CI) and a conical contracting outlet(CO) both connected to a cylinder at 90°. In this novef bend configuration, the enlarged area at diverging inlet drops the velocity and increases back to the conveying velocity at the converging outlet. Importantly, the gradual increase and decrease along the central axis keeps the flow in a straight line avoiding any turbulent/swirling motion and thus reducing the effect of wear/abrasion due to friction. The design configuration for the 90° bend shape, for use in piping for pneumatic conveying of granular materials, has been first tested using CFD software for computational techniques applied to flow properties of materials, before being used in the plant and found to have better flow profile and no localized increase in velocity.
The 90° bend for pipeline for pneumatic conveying according to the present invention when installed in actual plant operation the observed benefits were the following:
- Cylindrical bend (CB) design with conical inlet (CI) and outlet(CO) has shown least increase in velocity.
-The configuration of bend also maintained the flow profile straight thus reducing the friction and abrasion.
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-Number of failures /puncturing occurrences has been substantially reduced.
-Average life of the bend increased from existing 3 months to about 6 months in the new modified design.
It is thus possible by way of the present invention to providing a connector/pipe bend for pneumatic conveying of granular materials and more particularly a 90° bend shape having selectively configured conical inlet and outlet at the entry and exit of a cylindrical central part of said pipe bend/connector that favours reducing the velocity of granular material carried in compressed air medium at gradually expanding inlet/ and restoring conveying velocity at the contracting outlet. Such connector/bend thus favor flow of materials in desired straight profile eliminating friction and abrasive wear of inner wall causing puncturing of the bend and thus reducing the failure rate, downtime for replacement/repair, saving on related manpower and costs, to thereby ensuring longer uninterrupted service of conveying granular materials pneumatically through pipe line avoiding process stoppage or loss of materials. Advantageously, the life of the pipe bend according to the invention is enhanced to 6 months as compared to existing 3 months increasing the productivity in material handling plant and thus favoring a number of industrial applications involving pneumatic conveying of granular materials.
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WE CLAIM:
1. A connector /bend adapted for use to transport materials including granular materials
through connecting tubes/pipes comprising:
a cylindrical member having operatively connected thereto a conically expanding inlet and a conically contracting outlet whereby the enlarged area at inlet drops the velocity and increases back to the conveying velocity at the outlet.
2. A connector /bend as claimed in claim 1 wherein the gradual increase and decrease along the central axis is adapted to maintain the flow in a straight line with no localized increase in velocity.
3. A connector /bend as claimed in anyone of claims 1 or 2 wherein the conical expanding inlet and a conical contracting outlet both are connected to said cylinder at 90°.
4. A system for conveying material between various storage bunkers involving connecting pipelines/tubular members comprising operatively connecting the tubular members/pipelines at bends preferably at 90° bends with connector /bend as claimed in anyone of claims 1 to 3.
5. A system for conveying material as claimed in claim 4 wherein the material comprise granular material which is pneumatically transported from one bunker to another.
6. A connector /bend adapted for use to transport materials including granular materials through connecting tubes/pipes and a system for conveying material through pipelines using such connecter/bend substantially as herindescribed and illustrated with reference to the accompanying figure.