Abstract: A manure removal and drying system is used in an agricultural setting. The system includes a static pressure control system for regulating an amount of static pressure in a high pressure area of the agricultural setting, a variable speed loading system for varying a speed of operation of the system based on an amount of manure being removed and dried in the agricultural setting, a moisture sensing control system for detecting moisture from the manure in order to activate or deactivate the system, a selective capacity control system for selectively scaling a distance the manure in the agricultural setting is moved, and a friction reduction system for reducing the buildup of friction within the system caused by the movement of belts.

Abstract: A manure removal and drying system is used in an agricultural setting. The system includes a static pressure control system for regulating an amount of static pressure in a high pressure area of the agricultural setting, a variable speed loading system for varying a speed of operation of the system based on an amount of manure being removed and dried in the agricultural setting, a moisture sensing control system for detecting moisture from the manure in order to activate or deactivate the system, a selective capacity control system for selectively scaling a distance the manure in the agricultural setting is moved, and a friction reduction system for reducing the buildup of friction within the system caused by the movement of belts.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for is provided for supporting and connecting drier cassettes of an air knife type of drier. The drier cassettes exhaust air on traveling printed matter and are joined and supported by expander units that also exhaust air on the printed matter to increase drying efficiency. Gas or air is supplied to either the drier cassettes or the expander units or both and window apertures may be provided to allow the gas to communicate between the drier cassettes and the expander units. The relative exhaust pressures of the expander units and the drier cassettes may be regulated to create a pressure gradient on the printed matter as it travels through the exhaust so that the path of the paper suffers from less disruption.

Abstract: A system for cleaning a reticle. There is provided a clean chamber and a reticle having a pair of opposing edges and a pair of opposing surfaces which is to be cleaned disposed in the clean chamber. A gas inert to the reticle is directed in a direction tangential to each of the surfaces of the reticle and along one the edge of the reticle. The gas is exhausted from a location spaced from the other of the pair of opposing edges and remote form the one edge. An optional monitor monitors the particles in the exhausted gas. The gas is preferably applied in pulses which have a pulse length of from about 0.05 second to about 1 second and a pulse repetition rate of from about 0.5/second to about 40/second. The gas is preferably ionized and preferably is applied at a pressure of from about 20 psi to about 120 psi. The stepper chamber is vibrationally isolated from the blow-off chamber.

Abstract: A manure drying system for reducing the moisture content in manure collected in an animal husbandry operation, and a method of carrying out the manure drying process. The system and method include providing an animal confinement facility having a ventilation system operating within the facility which causes an air flow. Accumulation apparatus for collecting and selectively holding manure produced by the animals and channeling apparatus for directing at least some part of the air flow produced within the facility onto the manure collected by the accumulation apparatus are also provided. The use of the apparatus and method cause a significant reduction in the moisture content of the manure accumulated and facilitate handling and disposal operations.

Abstract: The invention permits the ends of a hollow fiber bundle to be dried, without drying the intermediate portions of the bundles, thereby enabling the bundle to be potted. The apparatus includes at least one drying member having two couplings for coupling a source of forced hot air to respective ends of a sheath designed to contain a bundle of hollow fibers. At each of its ends, the sheath includes at least one axial opening through which the hot air penetrates into the sheath, and at least one lateral opening through which the hot air leaves the sheath after passing over the ends of the fibers. The inlet air flow rate to the sheath and the dimensions of the openings are selected so that all of the air entering each of the ends of the sheath leaves via a corresponding lateral opening.

Abstract: In the process and apparatus for kiln-drying of malt, at least two zones (A and B) are provided for preliminary drying and one zone (A1) is provided for secondary drying and/cooling of the malt. The unsaturated exhaust air from the secondary drying and/or cooling zone (A1) is admixed as return air with the intake air system, while in the preliminary drying zones (A and B) respectively different preliminary drying times are achieved by the degree of their loading with malt, the design of the floor surface and/or by adjusting the volume flow, the temperature and/or the moisture content of the intake air, so that during the secondary drying in the secondary drying zone (A1), a predrying process is always in operation in at least one predrying zone (A or B). Each individual zone (A, B and A1) is separated in operation as to air technology from the others.

Abstract: A fluidized-bed dryer includes a vertical fluidized-bed drying chamber divided into at least two sections by at least one vertical partition. Each of the drying chamber sections has an inlet through which wet material is to be introduced into the respective drying chamber section, an outlet through which dry product is to be discharged from the respective drying chamber section, and a horizontal porous supporting shelf for preventing the wet material in the respective drying chamber section from falling during drying. Each drying chamber section is joined with a heated-air chamber through which heated air is introduced into the respective chamber section through the supporting shelf. The individual drying chamber sections operate batchwise repeatedly in staggering manner and independently of each other.