Abstract: A twin screw extruder with a material homogenizing unit is the subject of this disclosure. Two extruder screws are located within a housing positioned and configured so that screw turns and screw lands of a first screw mesh with respective screw lands and screw turns of a second screw. A homogenizing zone housing is connected to the dual cylinder housing. Two cell rotors are connected to respective extruder screws and are located within the homogenizing zone housing. A plurality of radially distributed cell walls may be disposed on each cell rotor defining a plurality of open conveyor cells where the cell rotors and cell walls of each rotor are configured to mesh a cell wall with an opposing conveyor cell. The cell walls may be arranged with a slope differing from a slope of the extruder screws. The cell walls may be arranged parallel to or at an angle to an axis of said cell rotors.

Abstract: A mixing and kneading apparatus with a kneading shaft bearingly supported in a cylindrical housing, a plurality of disk elements mounted perpendicularly and axially spaced apart on the kneading shaft. The disk elements carry scraper edges arranged essentially transversely to the plane of the disk elements and facing the housing wall at a slight distance. The housing wall, the kneading shaft, and the disk elements are optionally heatable or and coolable. In order to obtain an intensive intermixing and a uniform retention time of all of the product particle present in the toroidal reaction space, at least one mixer arm connected to the housing or the kneading shaft projects into the toroidal space to a distance at least in the vicinity of the axial and radial center of the toroidal cross section between two axially adjacent disk elements. The mixing arm applies a mixing and/or transport action onto the goods or products present between the inner wall of the housing and the kneading shaft.

Abstract: A plate-type dryer or like heat-treatment apparatus has a plurality of annular horizontal plates upon which material is treated while a shaft surrounded by these plates carries a plurality of generally radial arms from which scraper blades are suspended. According to the invention, each blade is carried by a hanger which is pivotally mounted on the arm and reaches rearwardly to support the blade, another pivot providing a further degree of freedom ensuring full line contact of the lower edge of the blade with the plate.

Abstract: A method of operating a particle-treating apparatus having a hollow foraminous drum centered on and rotatable about an upright axis comprises the steps of feeding particles into the upper portion of the interior of the drum, rotating the drum about the axis at a speed sufficient to form the particles into an annular body lying on the inner surface of the drum, passing a drying gas radially inward through the drum into the interior thereof and withdrawing the gas axially from the interior to at least partially fluidize the body and dry the particles, and collecting the particles beneath the drum as the body moves off the lower edge thereof. The rate of gas flow through the drum and the rotation rate of the drum are such that the body moves axially down in the interior toward the lower edge of the drum.