Systems and apparatus for use of wet recycled abrasive and methods of operation of said systems and apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed herein are components, systems, and methods of operating an abrasive fluid jet system that recycles and reuses abrasive particles. The systems and methods described enable accurate metering and consistent feeding of wet abrasive particles thereby reducing the time and cost of operations associated with drying the recycled abrasive particles prior to reuse. The system may adjust a ratio of wet abrasive to dry abrasive being provided to a cutting head to form an abrasive fluid jet. Components of the system may overcome challenges associated with clumping and other issues that result in difficulty metering wet abrasive.

1 . A method of metering wet abrasive, the method comprising:
 feeding wet abrasive including abrasive particles and a fluid through an abrasive inlet of a vessel and into an interior volume of the vessel;   forming a first layer within the interior volume, the first layer consisting of the abrasive particles and the fluid, wherein all of the interstitial spaces between the abrasive particles are filled with the fluid;   forming a second layer within the interior volume, wherein a majority of the second layer is the fluid, and the second layer is above the first layer; and   measuring a flow rate of the abrasive particles and the fluid that exits the interior volume via an abrasive outlet.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 pressurizing the interior volume via a pressure medium supplied through an inlet that is separate from the abrasive inlet and provides passage through the vessel and into the interior volume.   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the inlet is an air inlet and the pressure medium is air supplied through the air inlet. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein the inlet is a water inlet and the pressure medium is water supplied through the water inlet. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising:
 vibrating the vessel.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the interior volume has a length that extends from a top of the vessel to a bottom of the vessel, the abrasive inlet provides passage through the top of the vessel, the abrasive outlet provides passage through the bottom of the vessel, and the first layer is closer to the bottom of the vessel than the second layer is from the bottom of the vessel. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 transitioning a valve from an open configuration in which the abrasive particles and the fluid exits the interior volume via the abrasive outlet to a closed configuration in which the flow rate is reduced to zero.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 conveying the abrasive particles and the fluid, after measuring the flow rate of the abrasive particles and the fluid, to a mixing chamber of an abrasive waterjet cutting head; and   entraining the abrasive particles into a waterjet generated by the abrasive waterjet cutting head to form an abrasive waterjet.   
     
     
         9 - 45 . (canceled)