Abstract: Method of controlling and optimising a plant for dehumidifying and/or drying plastic material in granular and/or micro-granular and/or powder and/or flake or similar form, wherein the plant includes a process fluid generator and at least one dehumidifying/drying hopper intended for supplying a respective user machine, in particular a machine for treating and transforming plastic material, including a melting device for melting the plastic material and a moulding device for moulding, in particular by injection moulding and/or blow moulding and/or compression moulding, the plastic material. The method includes the steps of detecting a process parameter of the plastic material and adjusting at least one further process parameter of the plant on the basis of the detected value of the process parameter. The detected process parameter is the intrinsic viscosity of the plastic material in melted state.

Abstract: A method of making hot mix asphalt using recycled asphalt in which tertiary air is mixed with products of combustion at an exit of a refractory-lined chamber to produce hot controlled temperature process air, the temperature of the tertiary air being increased while the temperature of the products of combustion is decreased to adjust a temperature of the hot controlled temperature process air. Particles of the recycled asphalt are heated by exposing the particles to the hot controlled temperature process air in the rotary counter-flow dryer and mixer and moisture is removed from the recycled asphalt with the hot controlled temperature process air.

Abstract: A hopper structure for treating granular material, comprising an inner sidewall section arranged, in use, as an upper tubular sidewall, a tapered lower section having a delivery mouth and an elongated insert body wherein said insert comprises an upper portion and a lower portion arranged at said lower tapered portion of the hopper and having its conicity facing away from said upper portion, said upper portion axially extending from the base of the lower portion up to at least one half of the upper tubular section at an angle ??0 with respect to a vertical line.

Abstract: An apparatus and method operations are provided for flash drying paste provided on strips of battery plate grids, wherein the paste is dried through contact with a plurality of heated rollers. The plurality of heated rollers are individually driven and heating of the heated rollers is controlled on an individual basis with a feedback loop. The plurality of heated rollers are positioned so as to move the pasted strip of battery plates through contact with the heated rollers; as a result of this contact with the heated rollers, moisture is removed from the paste, so as to provide a pasted strip that with a sufficiently low moisture content to be divided into battery plate grids.

Abstract: A device for treatment of wounds using reduced pressure is provided. The device includes a pump, a reservoir connected to said pump for collecting exudate from a wound, an inlet to the reservoir for connecting the reservoir with the wound so as to allow the pump to expose the wound to the reduced pressure, a wound pad to be arranged in the wound cavity, and a sealing covering the wound and the wound pad. The wound pad consists of an open-cell polyurethane foam which is fully impregnated with a soft hydrophobic silicone gel, and the foam has a hardness of 1.0-6.0 kPa measured according to ISO 3386-1 at at 40% compression The wound pad can be used with an absorbent member. A method is also provided for manufacturing the wound pad.

Abstract: A method of filling a drying system 24 with product comprises providing a washing unit 22, and a drier or driers 26a, 26b arranged such that one at a time the driers 26a, 26b receive product 48 discharged from the output of the washing unit 22. The washing unit 22 is configured to receive product 48 which is continuously weighed 104 as it is delivered to the washing unit. The product is washed in the washing unit 22 by being passed through the washing unit at a substantially constant speed, allowing the arrival time at the drier 26a, 26b to be predicted. The weight of product loaded into the drier is regulated by controlling the flow of product into the drier.

Abstract: Method for controlling a drying course of a laundry dryer including the steps of (a) starting a drying course by using high temperature drying air, and sensing dryness of a drying object periodically, (b) determining a dryness saturation time point at which the dryness sensed thus exceeds a preset reference value Q, (c) determining a load of the drying object according to the drying saturation time point T_sat, and (d) varying a drying algorithm depending on the load of the drying object determined thus, whereby preventing a small amount of laundry from sticking to a drum in a drying course by varying a control algorithm of the drying motor in a case an amount of the drying object is determined to be small accurately with reference to a saturation time point of an electrode sensor.

Abstract: A hopper structure for treating granular material, comprising an inner sidewall section arranged, in use, as an upper tubular sidewall, a tapered lower section having a delivery mouth and an elongated insert body wherein said insert comprises an upper portion and a lower portion arranged at said lower tapered portion of the hopper and having its conicity facing away from said upper portion, said upper portion axially extending from the base of the lower portion up to at least one half of the upper tubular section at an angle ??0 with respect to a vertical line.

Abstract: In a first aspect, a first method of drying a substrate is provided. The first method includes the steps of (1) lifting a substrate through an air/fluid interface at a first rate; (2) directing a drying vapor at the air/fluid interface during lifting of the substrate; and (3) while a portion of the substrate remains in the air/fluid interface, reducing a rate at which a remainder of the substrate is lifted through the air/fluid interface to a second rate. The drying vapor may form an angle of about 23° with the air/fluid interface and/or the second rate may be about 2.5 mm/sec.

Abstract: An apparatus for thermally de-coating and/or drying coated and/or contaminated materials comprises a support and an oven pivotally mounted to the support. The oven has charging portion for receiving material to be treated and a changeover portion. Incorporated within the changeover portion is a heat treatment chamber through which a stream of hot gases can be passed. The oven is pivotally moveable between a first position in which the changeover portion is higher than the charging portion and a second position in which the charging portion is higher than the changeover portion. The arrangement is such that the oven can be repeatedly moved between the first and second positions so that material within the oven falls from one portion to the other portion, passing through the stream of hot gasses in the heat treatment chamber. A method of using the apparatus is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying particulate material in which the drying and discharge of the particulate material may be superimposed in such a way as to permit continuous drying of particulate material even when the supply is not continuous. The quantity of heat supplied to the particulate material is controlled as a function of signals (i; hi) from temperature sensors mounted in the particulate material, which signals represent temperatures detected locally, and also as a function of a preselectable residence time (Tv) of the particulate material at a temperature within a preselectable target temperature range (min, max) and a preselectable throughput of dried particulate material such that the particulate material discharged has a temperature within the target temperature range (min, max) at least during the residence time (Tv).

Abstract: An apparatus for drying resin pellets to be supplied to a molding machine under reduced pressure of a desired level by a reduced pressure drying means comprises a preheating means for heating resin pellets to be supplied to the reduced pressure drying means to a temperature level that allows the moisture of the resin pellets to turn into steam under reduced pressure but maintain the resin pellets in an unmolten state.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and device for drying mash-products, and more particularly to a 2-step device for drying mash-products comprising a first drying unit (a flow rotary drying unit) and a second drying unit (a mixing rotary drying unit), the first drying unit and the second drying unit being arranged in series, and a 2-step method for drying mash-products.

Abstract: A process for drying a polymeric material present on a substrate is provided. Temperatures of the polymeric material is measured and the ambient temperature in the vicinity of the substrate. A temperature of the substrate is also measured. A variation in the measured ambient temperature is detected. The substrate temperature, polymeric temperature, ambient temperature or a substrate drying spin speed is adjusted in response to the detected variation in the measured ambient temperature.

Abstract: By establishing a relatively flat, for example, non-sharply conical, top profile of wood chips in a treatment vessel (such as a chip bin), the chips will be more uniformly steamed or otherwise treated (or have the treatment time of the chips extended) compared to if a conventional sharply conical top profile is established in the treatment vessel. The relatively flat top profile of the chips in the treatment vessel is established by utilizing a plurality (typically at least three, and preferably four or more) individually controlled gates (typically having a substantially polygon shape, such as triangular). The gates are mounted below the inlet of chips into a treatment vessel so to deflect, not significantly affect, or substantially preclude the flow of chips past them into the vessel depending upon the positions of each.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying grain which includes a method and apparatus for unloading the grain from a grain dryer of a type including spaced apart first and second walls for defining a passageway or grain column for directing grain flowing downwardly by gravity between the first and second walls. A substantially horizontal shelf is disposed below the outlet port of the grain confinement walls for receiving grain thereon from the grain column. A channel is disposed below the shelf for receiving grain which is pushed off of the shelf. A discharge port is disposed in the channel. A strip of material is disposed for moving along above the shelf for metering grain from the shelf to the channel as the strip moves along the shelf. A paddle is disposed for movement in the channel for pushing grain from the channel into the discharge port. The dryer also has a central air passage from top to bottom, which lends itself to being used for three mode drying, if desired.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlling grain flow within a column of a grain dryer is disclosed. The grain dryer includes a metering roll positioned to contact grain advancing out of a discharge opening of the column. The grain dryer further includes a regulator member which is movable between a flow regulating position and a trash escape position. The regulator member contacts either the metering roll, or grain supported by the metering roll when the regulator member is positioned in the flow regulating position. The regulator member is spaced from the metering roll by a distance sufficient to enable a trash object to advance between the regulator member and the metering roll when the regulator is positioned in the trash escape position. A method of controlling grain flow within a column of a grain dryer is also disclosed.

Abstract: A method of drying a fiber web in a paper-making machine includes the step of providing a heated dryer roll which carries the fiber web. The dryer roll has a shell consisting essentially of compacted graphite cast iron. The dryer roll is rotated such that the dryer roll has a peripheral speed which is greater than approximately 6000 feet per minute.

Abstract: An apparatus for processing a solid-liquid material comprises a housing formed with a series of interconnected chambers defined by chamber walls with at least two drums mounted in series within the chambers. Each chamber receives one of the at least two drums for rotatable movement therein. Each chamber and the associated drum are dimensioned to define a region therebetween to retain the solid-liquid material. The regions of adjacent chambers communicate with each other to define a continuous passage from drum to drum through the apparatus. An inlet in the housing admits the solid-liquid material to the passage, and an outlet permits extraction of a processed solid-liquid material from the passage. Each drum rotates in a direction opposite to the adjacent drum to advance the solid-liquid material through the passage from drum to adjacent drum in a sinuous path such that the curvature of the solid-liquid material changes when passing from drum to adjacent drum.

Abstract: A grain dryer has a horizontal plenum connected to a source of heated forced air and has at least one generally perforated wall. A substantially enclosed grain conduit extends along the plenum and has one of its sidewalls being the perforated wall of the plenum. The grain conduit has upper and lower ends to receive and discharge, respectively, a quantity of grain to be dried by heat conveyed to the grain through the perforated wall of the plenum. The lower end of the grain conduit defines an opening generally dwelling in a substantially vertical plane and having upper and lower discharge ports, separated by a plate extending across the central portion thereof to close the flow of grain therethrough.

Abstract: A chill roll assembly is disclosed having plural harmonic drives for rotationally driving corresponding plural sets of chill rolls. The harmonic drives are independently controllable to support either synchronous or asynchronous chill roll assemble operation. Synchronous mode facilitates the processing through the chill roll assembly of a single web. Asynchronous mode, on the other hand, facilitates the processing of multiple webs through the chill roll assembly.

Abstract: An improvement to a coal processing system where hard materials found in the coal may cause jamming of either inflow or outflow rotary airlocks, each driven by a reversible motor. The instantaneous current used by the motor is continually monitored and compared to a predetermined value. If an overcurrent condition occurs, indicating a jamming of the airlock, a controller means starts a "soft" reverse rotation of the motor thereby clearing the jamming. Three patterns of the motor reversal are provided.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for discharging food or feed product from a cooler. Food or feed product may be introduced in a cooler formed of a large bin. The product is cooled by drawing a low volume of air having a high static pressure drop through the product. Trough-shaped gates are positionable beneath discharge openings in a lower portion of the bin to inhibit discharge of product. Product is intermittently discharged from the openings by selectively moving the gates at least partially away from the openings to permit product to flow through the openings. In preferred embodiments, a driver moves the gates intermittently in first and second directions by causing the gates to swing about a pivotal mounting point.

Abstract: A roll up and drying device to be incorporated in a rust cleaning machine includes a main shaft on which a pair of spaced, identical circular plates are concentrically and fixedly mounted on the main shaft and a plurality of connecting ribs screw connecting the spaced plates adjacent to the peripheries of the plates. The connecting ribs are in the shape of truncated cones.

Abstract: A process for the production of hot mix asphalt (HMA) by the treatment of virgin material alone or adding reclaimed or recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) (up to 100% of the HMA). The HMA is first heated in either a parallel or a counter flow rotating drum which is supplied with hot combustion gases generated by a remote low NO.sub.x burner. The process is controlled by a micro-processor which controls RAP temperature, mixture gradation, emissions and production rate as a function of measured drum conditions such as temperature at the drum inlet, drum speed, drum slope, drum RPM, output hydrocarbons, drum gas outlet temperature, and amount of aggregate added.