Abstract: A process and apparatus for coating flowable contact-tolerant granules, such as seeds, includes a rotating wheel having peripheral apertures so when the granules are dropped onto the central portion, they bounce and contact other granules and are impelled by centrifugal force to fall through the peripheral apertures down a narrowing funnel preferably (but not necessarily) having a different rotation rate. The coating is spread by gentle granule-to-granule contact and contact with any coating material on the wheel and in the funnel. The granules then flow into an inclined conveyor belt, an inclined auger, or other conveyor, which rolls the granules as they are conveyed upwardly, so that the coating is further spread by gentle granule-to-granule contact.

Abstract: An object of the present invention is to suppress the increase of coarse particles due to the fusion of powder particles and reduce a ratio of particles that have been excessively spheroidized, when the powder particles are heat-treated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for indirect-heat thermal processing of material, such as a dryer or evaporator for treatment of particulate material, is provided. In one embodiment, a dryer for drying particulate material comprises a plurality of heat transfer plates arranged in spaced relationship for the flow of the material to be dried therebetween. Each heat transfer plate is provided with an inlet and an outlet for the flow of the heating fluid through the plates. A purge fluid delivery system provides a flow of purge fluid, such as air, gas or steam between the plates in a direction across the direction of flow of the material to be dried. The purge fluid delivery system provides a flow path for the purge fluid which is isolated from the flow of the heating fluid through the plates. A method for the indirect-heat processing of particulate material is also provided.

Abstract: High performance grains dryer fed by a heat generating source (1) through hot air stabilizers (2) linked to the drying column (3) and the drying tower (4), which is constituted by a series of parallel ducts (5), between which passes the downstream vertical flow of grains (6), unevenly set in oblique alignment and fed so that each duct (5) that operates as hot air entry (E) presents laterally adjacent ducts that operate as used air exit (S), causing the appearance of air flows crossed to the right (7), crossed to the left (8), concurrent (9) and countercurrent (10), the adopted air flows varying along the drying tower (4), decreasing along the same, while the perimeter walls (11) of the dryer (1) are equipped with particles separators (12) that generate air flow to the dryer (1) and separate the particles expelled by the drying process, re-conducting them to the burning in the furnace through return ducts (13).

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for filtering and drying a product. In a preferred embodiment, the apparatus comprises a container having a plurality of porous walls and a plurality of solid walls that divide the container into a plurality of product chambers, a plurality of vacuum chambers, and, preferably, a plurality of heat transfer chambers. Each product chamber shares at least one porous wall with an adjacent vacuum chamber. Each product chamber preferably shares at least one solid wall with an adjacent heat transfer chamber. According to the method of the present invention, a product is introduced into the product chambers, where the product is held while a substance is filtered from the product through the porous walls and the product is dried by reducing the pressure in the vacuum chambers and the product chambers.

Abstract: A system for drying particulate material in a drying hopper (DH) has a plurality of gas flow paths, one (FP1) of which extends from a compressed gas inlet (16) to a first sub-system (SS1) that includes a membrane dryer(MD) and a heater (EH′), whereby dried and heated gas is supplied to a lower portion (36) of the hopper, and another (FP2) of which extends from the inlet (16) to a second sub-system (SS2) that includes a mixing device (30) and a heater (EH). The mixing device uses compressed gas to induce a flow of gas from the hopper and mixes the compressed gas with gas withdrawn from the hopper. The mixed gases are heated and supplied to a second portion (34) of the hopper.

Abstract: An apparatus for drying granular objects comprises, from the top of the apparatus, a holding section; a heating section for heating the granular objects flowing down from the holding section, the heating section being provided beneath the holding section and having a plurality of air ducts to which heated air is introduced; a drying air producing section connected to the air ducts, in which the heated air from the air ducts is mixed with air taken-in from the outside of the apparatus to produce a drying air; and a drying section for drying the granular objects by directly exposing the granular objects to the drying air. The dried granular objects are taken out from a taking-out section and returned to the holding section through a bucket elevator. The apparatus further comprises a detector for detecting the temperature of the drying air. Based on the detected temperature, a control device controls the temperature of the heated air so as to keep the temperature of the drying air to a predetermined temperature.

Abstract: A heat exchanger for use on existing grain dryers or integral to new grain dryers that recovers heat from the moist hot exhaust air leaving the grain columns and uses this recovered heat to preheat ambient air being drawn into the grain dryer via a blower. The heat exchanger utilizes heat exchange columns separated from ambient air columns by heat conductive walls. The heat conductive walls allow for a transfer of heat from the moist hot exhaust air through the heat conductive walls and into the ambient air being drawn into the grain dryer through the ambient air columns. The heat conductive walls do not allow for the mixing nor contact of the moist hot exhaust air with the ambient air. Therefore, heat is transferred to the ambient air being drawn into the grain dryer without the addition of moisture to the ambient air and the resulting decrease in moisture holding capacity that would result.

Abstract: A heat exchanger 10 comprises a pressure vessel 14 having a feed inlet 11 in an upper part thereof for particulate material to be subjected to heat exchange and an outlet 13 at a lower part thereof for the outflow of particulate material from the vessel 14. A plurality of heat exchange elements, such as heat exchange plates 12, arranged in spaced relationship inside the pressure vessel 14 to define flow passages between adjacent heat exchange elements 12 is provided for particulate material to flow therethrough under the force of gravity. The pressure vessel 14 has an inside wall extending around the heat exchange elements 12 and further comprises a trap, such as a baffle 22, between the heat exchange elements 12 and the inside wall for trapping particulate material leaking from the flow passages between the heat exchange elements 12 to form a gas barrier 26 between the heat exchange elements 12 and the pressure vessel 14.

Abstract: As a rule a melt-good consisting of glass fragments and glass batching will be moist and tend to agglomerate and bridge-form when being preheated in a plate heat-exchanger 10 whereby the travel of the melt-good through the plate heat-exchanger 10 may be blocked. To remedy these drawbacks, the preheating stage is preceded by a drying stage of the moist melt-good. For that purpose, in the intake zone of the melt-good, the moisture of the melt-good is evaporated by means of a separate feed of hot heating gas into the already cooled flows of heating gas. At the same time the heated melt-good is made to pass through cavities 12 through which the steam may escape to the outside. Thereby condensation shall be precluded and only fluid or friable melt-good arrives at the preheating stage.

Abstract: A device for heating or cooling of bulk material including two pairs of vibrating chutes, with each pair being formed of two oppositely inclined chutes mounted one above the other and with each pair being equipped with a unidirectional vibrator, and with vibrating chutes of each pair being connected with a plurality of pairs of oppositely inclined articulated bars, and with vibrating chutes being equipped with flow ducts connected with each other in such a way that heating or cooling medium flows in the flow ducts of the vibrating chutes of each pair in the same direction so that in one chute the directions of flow of the heating or cooling material coincide with the flow of bulk material, and in the other chute they flow in opposite directions.

Abstract: A mass flow cooler for cooling particulate material comprising a vertical bin having a top end, a bottom end, a material inlet near the top end and a material discharge in the bottom end; the material discharge comprising a plurality of orifices through which the particulate material may flow; a plurality of vertical, tubular heat exchanger elements, each having an open top end and a sealed bottom end and extending from the top of the bin toward the bottom of the bin; a plurality of fluid distribution tubes corresponding to the number of heat exchanger elements, each fluid distribution tube having an open top end and an open bottom end and extending through the top end of a corresponding heat exchanger element toward the bottom end of the heat exchanger element; each fluid distribution tube being connected to a source of cooling fluid; and a discharge orifice plate positioned below the material discharge for controlling the rate at which the material flows through the bin.

Abstract: An apparatus for drying a moist particulate material having a non-uniform particle side with superheated steam includes a cylindrical part wherein a number of parallel, substantially vertical elongated chambers is located in ring form, one or more of the chambers having a closed bottom and the remaining chambers having a steam-permeable bottom, the adjacent chambers being interconnected, and an upper conical part which is also divided into chambers and which at a lower end is connected with the chambers of the cylindrical part of the apparatus, the chambers of the conical part of the apparatus being divided into smaller chambers by inclined guide plates, wherein at least part of each of the inclined guide plates in the conical part of the apparatus is hollow and can be heated by supplying superheated steam hereto.

Abstract: This application discloses several components relating to a heating apparatus which preferably are used in conjunction with each other in an apparatus for heating solid granular or particulate material, such as aggregate used to make asphalt concrete. One component of the present invention includes a heater-condenser unit which indirectly heats the material by circulating heat transfer fluid within hollow plates contained in a housing holding the material. The material is heated, the heat transfer fluid is condensed and a condensate removal means associated with the hollow plates removes the condensate from the housing. The heat transfer fluid used in the heater-condenser preferably is supplied in the form of a vapor or gas evolved from liquid contained in material heated by another type of heater. In this other type of heater, the material to be dried enters a chamber containing hollow heat exchange plates through which a primary heat transfer fluid is circulating.

Abstract: The system comprises a settling tank with a steam heating coil, connected via a pipe conduit to a sludge pump and a sludge tank in which the sludge and fuels are collected. The settling tank is also connected to a control unit which comprises gate valves, a funnel and a drain for visual inspection of the mixture. The tank is also connected to an evaporation vessel via valves, pipe conduits and a fuel pump, while the evaporation vessel is connected to a condenser. The latter is connected to a condensate vessel via an overflow pipe. In its bottom portion the condensate vessel is connected to a disinfestation tank, and in its top portion--to the vacuum side of an ejector, the pressure side of which is connected to the condenser.

Abstract: An elongated slot dryer is disclosed for drying wet solid particulate material. The slot dryer is constructed in the form of a trench with at least one aperture outlet at the bottom of the trench formed by two non-connecting walls. The wet particulate material (coal) enters through the top and exits through the bottom aperture while countercurrently contacting a drying fluid emitted through perforations situated in a drying fluid access means or conduit located substantially throughout the entire length of the slot dryer. The perforations in the fluid access means or conduit are limited to the bottom one half of the fluid access means relative to the aperture outlet to ensure that drying fluid is passed at first in a downward direction and then gently turns upward to countercurrent contact with the wet descending particles. An underlying conveyor will act to continuously remove the relatively dried particulate material passing through the aperture outlet.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying low-rank coals, such as lignite, where the coal is passed through a sealed vessel in a plurality of heated fluidized beds, with fluidization effected by superheated steam flowing countercurrent to the coal flow. A composite steam is exhausted from the sealed vessel and passed to a vessel where water is sprayed therein to cool the same and remove occluded solids. A first portion of the steam is then reheated and returned to the sealed vessel as fluidizing steam, while a second portion of the steam is heated and passed through heat exchange tubes in the sealed vessel to heat the fluidizing coal, with the second portion, after passage through the heat exchange tubes discharged from the system.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying of low-rank coals, such as lignite, where the coal is passed through a sealed vessel in a plurality of heated fluidized beds with fluidization effected by superheated steam flowing counter-current to the flow of coal. A composite steam is exhausted from the sealed vessel, partially condensed, to remove an amount of water about equal to that removed from the coal, and the steam reheated and recycled to the sealed vessel. The heating of the fluidized beds is by means of heat exchange tubes passing through the beds, with a fluid, such as methanol, heated for flow through the tubes, collected and in a cooled state used in the partial condenser, and then compressed to reheat the same for reuse in the heat exchange tubes.

Abstract: An apparatus for reducing the moisture content of a material, such as grain, has a variable volume chamber, which in use is filled with the material. Material within the chamber is heated by heating means to reduce its moisture content. A pumping means is connected to the chamber to pump off fluid from the chamber, whereby a sub-atmospheric pressure can be maintained in the chamber. In use, the pressure differential between the inside and the outside of the chamber is carried by material within the chamber, and the chamber reduces in volume so that no substantial pressure load is carried by walls of the chamber. The heating means can comprise steam pipes extending across the chamber or cylindrical heating elements formed from plates which define ducts for the steam or other heating fluid.

Abstract: A heat exchanger consisting of a housing (1) with integrated caloric surfaces (3) for cooling bulk materials (8)--in particular hot foundry molding sands--comprises a retarder system in the form of a sand cascade which consists of an upper perforated plate (9) with many small individual holes (11), of a lower perforated plate (12) with few individual holes (12), said perforated plates being spaced apart by perforated plates (4,15), the sand flow through the slide system (5,6,14) being controllable and sealable.The passage holes may assume the shapes of triangular, longitudinal or T slots in order to operate such a retarder cooler over a large range of regulation.The perforated spacer plates (4) moreover form a support plate with high static load capacities to absorb the substantial weights of the bulk materials.

Abstract: A combination surge and drying apparatus is described which includes first and second bins, a jacket surrounding the first bin for passage of a hot fluid therethrough, and air coils positioned within the jacket to be heated by the hot fluid. Air within the coils is directed into and through a hollow, apertured auger positioned to discharge material from the first bin to the second bin. An overflow port is included for returning excess material from the discharge auger back to the first bin to handle surges in demand for the material and also to facilitate drying.

Abstract: In order to preserve the quality of treated coking coal, the drying and preheating operation is performed in consecutive stages. For this purpose, a set of superimposed containers is provided with vertically oriented pipes for a heating medium, the pipes in each container having separate inlets and outlets. The bottom region of each container is further provided with horizontally directed pipes having separate inlet and outlet for receiving a pressure medium which is discharged into the bottom region of each container to produce a whirling bed of the coal. In this manner, the coal is preliminarily dried in the uppermost container, then additionally dried and preheated in the intermediate container, and heated to the desired final temperature in the lowermost container.

Abstract: A heat exchanger within a dense gravity layer comprises a vertical cylindrical container with a heating surface built thereinto. The heating surface is formed by a tubular housing containing a plurality of tubes mounted in tiers. A space between the inner surface of the container and the outer surface of the housing is divided by opposite seals into two vertical cavities. These cavities are divided along the height thereof by horizontal baffle members which are arranged in chessboard pattern relative one another to form chambers located along the height in a chessboard pattern, and to accomplish repeated variation of the direction of movement of one of heat carriers.

Abstract: A travelling bed drier is disclosed, for operation of a carbonization or coking plant in which pre-heating of coal is performed. Adapted so that a fluidized bed drier can be superposed thereon, the travelling. bed drier possesses a heat exchange tube within a frame, the tube displaying a surface increased through suitable design such as fins or ribs, a conical tapering in the direction of the coal feed, and discharge connections located at different levels on a side of the frame lying opposite vapor or hot gas entry, the connections being for the discharge of exhaust gas-containing vapors.

Abstract: In a coking process, coal to be coked is preheated in a cascaded whirling bed drier into which the coal is charged from above and exposed to an indirect heat transfer while whirling in a coal-steam mixture. Hot gas applied to the heating pipes in respective cascades of the drier is branched off from the total amount of hot gases discharged from a dry cooler in which hot coke from the coke oven is cooled by recirculating cooler gas constituted by a partial gas stream discharged from the cascades of the drier and reunited with the other partial stream subject to a heat exchange for generating steam. Steam from the whirling beds is discharged from the cascaded drier, separated from the entrained dust particles, and then the excessive steam is drained in a branch conduit and the remaining steam is compressed and reintroduced into the lowermost whirling bed in the drier.

Abstract: A preheating moist fine material, such as pit coal and lignate, peat, wood, oil shale, or even ores or limestone for cement production, and an apparatus for carrying out the method are disclosed. Moist fine material is mixed above a heater with predried and preheated material until the mixture is made fluid. The fluid mixture slides down between and piles up to a level above the heater. A part of the predried and preheated fine material is removed from below the heater in an amount corresponding to another part thereof and is conveyed to above the heater with the moist fine material.

Abstract: In accordance with the present invention, a grain dryer having a heat exchange assembly is provided. The grain dryer comprises a housing and a generally vertical granular-material conduit for conducting granular material through the housing. The heat exchange assembly of the dryer comprises heat exchange means having a gas passageway and at least one tubular radiator element disposed in the passageway. Means is provided for causing hot combustion gas to flow through the hollow interior of the radiator element to heat the element, with the temperature of the discharged combustion gas being reduced. A gas conduit directs the flow of discharged combustion gas from the tubular radiator element through the passageway of the heat exchange means externally of the tubular radiator element to increase the temperature of the discharged combustion gas.

Abstract: Cereal grain dryer comprising an elongated vertical casing defining an open ended enclosure. A combustion chamber provides hot combustion gases divided into two streams: one flowing into a coil lining an upper section of the casing and the other flowing through a radiator which heats up air before the latter moves horizontally across the enclosure by passing through two orifices of the casing. The casing is likewise horizontally traversed by a cold air stream passing through two further casing orifices, below the hot air stream. The cereal grains fall vertically through the enclosure and are moved by gravity. They are dried with a good thermal efficiency without coming in contact with the combustion gases.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying and processing moisture-containing solids comprising organic and/or mineral inorganic components, wherein a maximum utilization of energy is attained by providing for an energetic cross-linkage between the drying and subsequent processing stages. With energetic cross-linkage between a pair of the component units of a system at least some of the energy generated in a first component unit is fed for utilization in a second component unit and at least some of the energy from the second component unit is fed to the first component unit so as to serve as at least a partial energy input for that first component unit.

Abstract: A process and apparatus for drying wet solid material are provided. The process comprises introducing material into a dryer, bringing it into contact with one side of a plurality of heated surfaces located therein and vaporizing liquid in the material. The liquid is withdrawn from the dryer, compressed to a pressure greater than in the dryer and returned to the other side of the heated surfaces where, upon condensation, latent heat energy is released therefrom and used to vaporize liquid in material on the opposite side of the heated surfaces, withdrawing the condensate from the heated surfaces and substantially dried solids from the dryer.The apparatus comprises a housing having entrance and exit openings and means for delivering material into and dried material therefrom located in the openings and isolating the dryer interior from the outside atmosphere. A plurality of hollow heat exchange means connected to an external heat source and to atmosphere are disposed in the interior of the dryer.

Abstract: The apparatus consists of a hollow cylindrical case arranged at an angle to the horizontal axis of its rotation. Disposed in a space inside the case are coils each bent into a helix of suitable shape, arranged coaxially relative to other coils and connected to manifolds which are attached to an internal wall of the case, each with only one of its ends and are connected to a space between the walls of the case passing wherethrough is a heat carrier. The points where the coils are connected to the manifolds are separated from the internal wall of the case by a distance anywhere between 1/3 and 1/2 of the internal diameter of the case of the drier.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for the substantially continuous cooling of recovered casting sand in discrete compartments of a bunker whereby the sand in each compartment is cooled while substantially at rest in heat exchange relation with heat exchanger means disposed within the compartment, and the sand thoughput through the compartments is controlled by gates.