Abstract: An improved rotary disc atomizer for use in, for example, spray dryers or congealers is disclosed. The rotary disc may be directly mounted to the shaft of a high-speed electrical motor. The high-speed electrical motor comprises a permanent magnet rotor and electro-magnetic bearings. The electro-magnetic bearings may be supported by one or more upper/lower bearing housings and used to enable frictionless support of the shaft/rotor and rotary disc. The atomizer system may further comprise a gas distributor enabled to dynamically adjust the velocity at which the gas leaves the radial vanes and meets with the atomized droplets.

Abstract: An improved rotary disc atomizer for use in, for example, spray dryers or congealers is disclosed. The rotary disc may be directly mounted to the shaft of a high-speed electrical motor. The high-speed electrical motor comprises a permanent magnet rotor and electro-magnetic bearings. The electro-magnetic bearings may be supported by one or more upper/lower bearing housings and used to enable frictionless support of the shaft/rotor and rotary disc. The atomizer system may further comprise a gas distributor enabled to dynamically adjust the velocity at which the gas leaves the radial vanes and meets with the atomized droplets.

Abstract: An improved waste heat-recovery method, and an apparatus embodying the method, are disclosed. Briefly, the improvement relates to recovery of latent heat. An example of how the method improves waste-heat recovery in a conventional solvent-adsorption process is discussed. The conventional process includes introducing steam, which possesses latent heat, into an activated-carbon solvent-adsorption bed to recover solvent from the carbon. A solvent-laden desorbate vapor, which also possesses latent heat, is thereby produced. The desorbate vapor is condensable to an aqueous solvent-laden fluid. The improvement comprises providing a body of liquid water, which is at a temperature lower than the desorbate vapor temperature, and passing the solvent-laden desorbate vapor and the body of liquid water together in a heat-transfer relationship, i.e., preferably through a heat transfer means, to transfer desorbate vapor latent heat into the body of water thereby heating the water.