Abstract: Apparatus for opening and pre-conditioning a case or hogshead of tobacco in which the tobacco is a laminated body, comprises a chamber for receiving the laminated tobacco body and device for emitting an air/moisture jet stream in said chamber capable of being reciprocated in a plane parallel to and in close proximity to the tobacco laminae or of being rotated in the plane about an axis normal to the plane to lift one lamina or more progressively from the tobacco body.Additional structure may be provided whereby water may be added to the jet stream and the separated tobacco fed directly to a silo to await cutting without further treatment.

Abstract: An apparatus for air drying tobacco leaves is provided. The apparatus comprises a vertical hopper section disposed beneath the discharge end of a tobacco leaf supply conveyor, an air-permeable conveyor to transport supplied tobacco leaves oriented in parallel to a direction of air flow, a drying chamber provided to cover the air-permeable conveyor, drying air circulating means, tobacco leaf layer level sensors, and means for controlling the rate of supply of tobacco leaves according to the signals provided from said sensors. The apparatus can obtain a good drying efficiency for air drying tobacco leaves.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for treating tobacco leaves by impregnating them with liquid carbon dioxide under high pressure. Tobacco leaf containers, in the form of open buckets, are mounted on a turntable which rotates intermittently step by step. In the preferred apparatus, the buckets are mounted in pairs, and when one pair of buckets is at a filling station, the buckets are filled with tobacco. The turntable then rotates to bring this filled pair of buckets to an impregnating station, while another pair of buckets is brought around to the filling station. At the impregnating station, lids are tightly applied and sealed to the buckets, and the impregnating liquid carbon dioxide is introduced, held for a predetermined time, and then released, after which the lids are removed.

Abstract: A tobacco treating apparatus including an outer, rotatable, hollow drum having a tobacco inlet at one end and a tobacco outlet at the opposite end with an inner, hollow drum extending through the tobacco inlet end, generally coaxial with the outer drum and extending a distance longitudinally into the outer drum a distance less than the entire length of the outer drum. The outer and inner drums cooperate to define an annular gas flow-through passageway which is open to an exhaust chamber. Tobacco to be treated is introduced into the inner drum and flows therefrom into the outer drum while a stream of tobacco treating gas is introduced into the tobacco outlet end to flow in counter-current direction to the flow of tobacco through the outer drum so that virtually all of the tobacco is contacted and treated by the gas. The treating gas leaves the outer drum through the annular flow-through passageway and into the exhaust air chamber from which it is exhausted from the apparatus.

Abstract: Tobacco ribs, whose moisture content is at least 38 percent and which are heated to a temperature of at least 60 degrees C., are admitted into a cylindrical chamber containing a centrally located nozzle which is surrounded by a driven impeller having arcuate vanes serving to direct tobacco particles at a uniform rate into a high-speed stream of air or steam which issues from the orifice of the nozzle and leaves the chamber through a tapering outlet to pass through a Laval nozzle and into a dryer. The latter is designed to heat a stream of air to a temperature of approximately 350 degrees C. and to mix such air with the stream which admits the particles of tobacco whereby the particles are heated to a temperature of approximately 80 degrees C. and their moisture content is reduced to or below 20 percent.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for steam injection of tobacco bales for use in the opening process. In the apparatus, at least one orificed steam injection plate is brought in flush contact with a tobacco bale that is stationary or in motion and steam is caused to emit from the orifice and is thereby injected into the bale moistening, conditioning and loosening the bonds between the tobacco leaves. In the method, as the tobacco bale is conveyed past the steam injection orifice plate, the plate is moved in flush contact therewith, steam is supplied to the plate and emits therefrom through the orifices to penetrate the tobacco bale. The bale so conditioned is subsequently broken up by a rotating cylinder.

Abstract: This invention relates to a forced air recirculation tobacco curing apparatus which provides support for tobacco bins within the apparatus and is adapted to permit a loading vehicle to drive in and out of the apparatus to load or unload the bins.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for drying and expanding cut tobacco by introducing the tobacco into an elongated tubular shaped conduit through which high temperature, high velocity superheated steam is recycled. The conduit has a reduced area section into which the tobacco is introduced and provision is made to allow recycle of steam and hence minimal energy consumption.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for moistening tobacco leaves (31) by passing bundles of leaves (31) through a space (7) containing atomized water which bundles according to the invention are passed through said space (7) while being suspended from the base thereof with the leaves hanging downwardly which bundles to this end are clamped with the base of the bundle in spaced apart clamping means (8) which are freely rotatably connected to an endless conveyor chain (2) said clamping means (8) during their passage through the said moisture containing space (7) are rotated by frictional engagement with one or more endless belts (11,11') while the nozzles (21,22) which atomize the water create turbulence in said space (7).

Abstract: Dry, compacted masses of tobacco are conditioned by inserting an array of parallel perforated probes into the mass and passing high pressure steam through the probes and probe perforations into the tobacco mass as the probes are inserted and withdrawn. The conditioning apparatus includes a frame supporting a probe array and a ram for moving the array toward and away from a tobacco mass supported by a conveyor. The probes are flexibly mounted to prevent bending, and extend through a stripper plate which is supported from the array by way of a latching mechanism. The stripper plate holds the tobacco mass in place to prevent lifting of the mass upon withdrawal of the probes.

Abstract: A steaming doffer for use in the moistening and opening of tobacco from bales is described. The device includes a plurality of pairs of arms fixedly mounted to a rotatable axle. Each arm member pair is angularly offset from each adjacent pair so that the outer extremities of the arm members lie on helices. A plurality of axially-directed steam-jet forming openings are provided at the outer extremity of each arm member and communicate with an external source of steam through a bore in the axle member which feeds a bore in each arm member.

Abstract: An apparatus for drying tobacco under relatively high absolute humidity drying conditions to increase the filling power of tobacco.

Abstract: A steaming doffer for use in the moistening and opening of tobacco from bales is described. The device includes a plurality of pairs of arms fixedly mounted to a rotatable axle. Each arm member pair is angularly offset from each adjacent pair so that the outer extremities of the arm members lie on helices. A plurality of axially-directed steam-jet forming openings are provided at the outer extremity of each arm member and communicate with an external source of steam through a bore in the axle member which feeds a bore in each arm member.

Abstract: A method and a device for conditioning tobacco leaves or parts thereof in a coil or bobbin in which the tobacco material is conducted towards or away from a stretched belt portion of a reel, wherein a conditioning medium is continuously fed to the windings of the bobbin containing the tobacco material and to at least part of the belt portion extending away therefrom in order to control the tobacco leaf material already during winding on or off respectively of the bobbin so that the aforesaid storage and treatment conditions respectively can be better controlled.