Solids flow system

Claim 1

IN A SOLIDS FLOW SYSTEM DEVICE FOR PARTICULATE MATERIALS SUCH AS MOIST COAL OR THE LIKE, APPARATUS COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION, AN UPRIGHT CIRCULAR BIN SHELL HAVING AN OPENING AT THE TOP SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID SHELL, AN INVERTED SUBSTANTIALLY RIGHT CIRCULAR CONICAL HOPPER SHELL, THE BOTTOM OF SAID BIN SHELL HAVING AN INTERNAL DIAMETER EQUAL TO THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF THE TOP OF SAID HOPPER SHELL, THE BOTTOM OF SAID BIN SHELL BEING JOINED TO THE TOP OF SAID HOPPER SHELL IN RESPECTIVE COAXIAL RELATION, SAID HOPPER SHELL HAVING A STEEP SLOPE AND A CENTRAL OUTLET SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE BOTTOM THEREOF IN A PLANE NORMAL TO THE AXIS OF SAID SHELLS, SAID AXIS FURTHER INTERSECTING SAID PLANE AT THE CENTER OF SAID OUTLET, A RIGHT CIRCULAR CAP CONE POSITIONED IN SAID BIN SHELL IN SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIAL RELATION THERETO, AN INVERTED RIGHT CIRCULAR HOPPER CONE POSITIONED IN SAID HOPPER SHELL IN SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIAL RELATION THERETO, SAID CONES HAVING BASES SUBSTANTIALLY CONTIGUOUS AND POSITIONED ABOVE THE JOINT BETWEEN SAID SHELLS, SAID JOINT BETWEEN SAID SHELLS BEING POSITIONED CONSIDERABLY CLOSER TO SAID BASES OF SAID CONES THAN IT IS TO SAID OUTLET, THE BASE DIAMETERS OF SAID RESPECTIVE CONES BEING SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL AND LESS THAN THE INTERNAL DIAMETER OF SAID BIN SHELL, MEANS FOR HOLDING SAID CONES RIGIDLY IN SUBSTANTIALLY COAXIAL RELATION TO SAID SHELLS, THE PERIMETER OF THE BASES OF SAID CONES BEING HORIZONTALLY AND RADIALLY INWARDLY SPACED FROM THE INSIDE OF THE LOWER END OF SAID UPPER SHELL TO PROVIDE AN ANNULAR PASSAGE OF SOMEWHAT INCREASING AREA IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION BETWEEN THE BASE OF SAID HOPPER CONE AND SAID JOINT BETWEEN SAID SHELLS, THE LOWER END OF SAID HOPPER CONE BEING ABOUT AT THE LEVEL OF SAID OUTLET, SAID HOPPER CONE AND SAID HOPPER SHELL HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY COINCIDENT AXES AND TOGETHER EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY DIRECTLY TO SAID OUTLET, THE BASE INTERIOR ANGLE OF SAID HOPPER CONE BEING STEEP AND SUBSTANTIALLY AT LEAST AS GREAT AS THE BASE INTERIOR ANGLE OF SAID CAP CONE, THE INTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID SHELLS AND THE SURFACES OF SAID CONES BEING SMOOTH AND THE ANNULAR SPACE THEREIN RELATIVELY UNIMPEDED.