Abstract: A pneumatic conveyor draws particles of tobacco from a vibrating trough by causing an air stream to flow from its intake end, which is adjacent to the trough, to its intake end which is connected to a suction generating device. A cyclone separator is installed in the conveyor to segregate the particulate material from the air stream and to discharge such material into a duct which feeds the material by gravity to an intermittently operated cell wheel evacuator. The latter drops batches of particulate material into the magazine of the distributor in a cigarette rod making machine. The conveyor has an elongated diffusor which is disposed upstream of the cyclone separator to decelerate the air stream, and such diffusor is followed by an arcuate portion whose radius of curvature is greater than the radius of the cylindrical wall surrounding the chamber of the cyclone separator.

Abstract: Apparatus for expelling moisture from a continuous stream of tobacco which passes through a conditioning zone defined by a hollow rotary drum-shaped dryer has a control unit employing a computer whose output signal is indicative of the quantity of moisture to be expelled from tobacco per unit of time during travel through the dryer in order to ensure that the final moisture content of tobacco will match a predetermined value. The signal which is generated by the computer is used to regulate a valve in a conduit connecting the conditioning zone with a source of steam. The rate of steam admission or the pressure of admitted steam increases when the quantity of moisture which is contained in tobacco entering the dryer per unit of time decreases and vice versa. This ensures that the total quantity of moisture in the conditioning zone remains at least substantially constant even though the moisture content and/or the quantity of tobacco in the stream entering the dryer varies within a wide range.