Abstract: Disclosed herein is apparatus (1) for suspending hot sticky pellets discharged from a pelletizer into a swirling bath of liquid, (2) for transportation of the resulting slurry to a liquid and pellet separator in a manner which avoids agglomeration of the pellets, and (3) for recycling the liquid through the foregoing steps.

Abstract: A heating device having a screw rotatable within a barrel therefor, such as a part of an extruder, especially constructed to circulate and heat a granular or particulate work load of fusible material while still in its particulate condition. The essential purpose is to heat the material to a uniform temperature just under plasticization in preparation for entering melting apparatus, such as a downstream melting section of an extruder. The screw has a core and a main thread defining a main channel in which the portions of the core surface extending side-by-side longitudinally of the channel deviate from an average core diameter throughout the length of the heating device to circulate the work load transversely of the channel and to heat the work load while in a granular condition.