Abstract: A cylindrical drum having a plurality of vanes which extend radially into the drum and extend axially substantially the length of the drum rotates about its axis such that the plurality of vanes convey vegetable material from a lowest point in the interior of the drum to a highest point in the interior of the drum, there, to drop the vegetable matter downward within the interior of the drum. A plenum feeds air through a nozzle opening in a rectangular slot extending in its longest dimension substantially the length of the drum. The plenum and nozzle being housed to form a Coand{hacek over (a)}-effect nozzle body having a tear-shaped housing. Two Coand{hacek over (a)} surfaces are situated in opposed relation terminating at the nozzle. The Coand{hacek over (a)} surfaces to guide air into a combined flow. A hopper plate cooperates with the housing to form a hopper directing vegetable matter to collide with the combined flow.

Abstract: An assembly which is a composite including an end shield and a front wall. The size and shape of the end shield are adapted to the inner face of the front wall. Both parts are dimensioned and formed in such a way that they can be interconnected in a fixed manner to form a stable composite resembling a sandwich assembly. The joint surfaces between the front wall and the end shield lie on perpendicular planes and extend for some distance. The construction and connection of the individual parts and of the composite give the front region of the tumble dryer a high degree of rigidity, which obviates the need for additional reinforcement measures. The assembly thus saves material and mounting costs and resources.

Abstract: Contemplated fully automated coffee roaster have significantly reduced energy demands, use electrical heat as a heat source in a temperature-only driven program mode, and eliminate smoke and smell within the roaster. Most preferably, contemplated fully automated roasters will consume only about 10 percent of the energy as compared to known devices on a per kilogram basis of beans and require no operator experience.

Abstract: The present invention provides a clothe drier, a washing machine and a washing machine with a clothes drying function, which are improved in the effects of cleaning, deodorizing and sterilizing clothes with ozone, and permit easy replacement of an ozone generation element or safe control of the ozone. An ozone generator (40) generates ozone by applying silent discharge to air introduced therein. The ozone is sucked into a drying air duct (15) by rotation of a blower (20) and a drum (3) and mixed in air heated by a heater (21), and the resulting mixture is supplied into the drum (3) through an inlet (17). Thus, the ozone is supplied to clothes to be dried, thereby effectively deodorizing and sterilizing the clothes. Since the ozone generator (40) is disposed away from the drying air duct (15), the ozone generation element can be easily replaced.

Abstract: An apparatus for treating fabrics in a tumble dryer including a holder having at least one securement device for retaining a dryer sheet. The holder is inherently form-retaining and of such shape as to be readily tumbled with laundry in a tumble dryer, or it can be mounted to the inside surface of said tumble dryer.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for drying long fiber hay. A first step involves providing round bales of long fiber hay. A second step involves separating the bales to form a loose mass of long fiber hay. A third step involves feeding the loose mass of long fiber hay into a rotary dehydration drum. A fourth step involves separating the loose mass of long fiber hay from air containing entrained moisture by passing the long fiber hay through a cyclone separator with a first stream of air passing to an exhaust and a second stream of the loose mass of long fiber hay passing into an air lock. A fifth step involves cooling the loose mass of long fiber hay. A sixth step involves passing the loose mass of long fiber hay through a hay baler, whereby the loose mass of long fiber hay is formed back into bales.

Abstract: An automatic clothes dryer has a drying cycle followed by a cool down cycle where the cool down cycle is terminated when the sensed output temperature of the dryer drum falls below a default temperature value preselected or altered by user. This permits the user to adjust the termination cool down cycle temperature to the user's preference and touch sensitivity to the warmth of clothing removed from the dryer. The user adjusts the setting of a user variable selection device on the dryer control panel to a preferred temperature signal representing the desired temperature of articles in the dryer when the cool down cycle is terminated. The dryer has a comparator that is connected to the outlet thermistor for receiving the sensed signal representing the temperature of the air leaving the drum and that is connected to the user variable selection device for receiving the user preferred temperature signal.

Abstract: A dryer-cooler unit comprising a single vessel wherein drying and cooling occur. The unit comprises a rotary dryer and a stationary discharge hood. Cooling air is distributed through the discharge hood.

Abstract: A single pass, multiple stage, rotary drum heat exchange dryer (22) is provided for drying products such as distillers grains and includes a tubular shell (64) with a moist product inlet (66), an opposed dried product outlet (70), and an internal drying chamber (78). The chamber (78) includes a convection drying first stage (80), and conductive drying final curing stage (82) an intermediate stage (84); the stage (84) is subdivided into a plurality of preferably contiguous drying zones (86-92). The zones (86-92) include individual flighting assemblies (164, 214, 226, 234) which are of increasing density and present progressively increasing heat transfer ratios. Preferably, one of the initial zones has a heat transfer ratio of from about 1.5-2.5 ft−1, whereas another of the zones closer to the final stage has a heat transfer of from about 2.75-3.75 ft−1.

Abstract: A dispenser for laundry products, particularly for fabric softener products to be used in the dryer. The dispenser comprises a hollow ball having a plurality of product dispensing openings and a further product ingress opening for placing product in the ball. A measuring cup to hold product is accessed from the product ingress opening. In accordance with one preferred embodiment, the measuring cup includes only a single opening in its side wall for releasing product from the cup and into the hollow sphere. One or more closures are associated with the dispenser. After travelling through the small hole in the cup, the product is dispensed to the exterior of the hollow ball through the product dispensing openings and thus onto product. The hollow ball is preferably a manually squeezable plastic such as polyurethane. In another embodiment, the cup includes more than the single hole in the cup walls.

Abstract: An apparatus for continuously drying unpackaged food products, in particular vegetables, comprises conveyor means for conveying the products to be dried and circulating means for feeding dry air on the product to be dried and for collecting wet air coming from the products, and being characterized in that the apparatus further comprises means for dehumidifying the wet air, said means comprising an adsorption dehumidifier device.

Abstract: A rotating vacuum kiln for heat treating solid particulate material under vacuum conditions uses a rotating refractory metal cylindrical vessel with a cool inlet zone, hot intermediate zone, and cool exit zone, with a first series of inner radiation shields provided at the hot intermediate zone adjacent to the cool inlet zone and a second series of inner radiation shields provided at the hot intermediate zone adjacent the cool exit zone to protect those two zones from the high temperatures in the hot intermediate zone. Heat for the hot intermediate zone of the cylindrical vessel is provided indirectly by electrical resistance heaters that surround the vessel and outer radiation shields are provided about the heaters to direct heat to the cylindrical vessel.

Abstract: Non-woven fabrics prepared from fibers having two different deniers useful as substrates in the preparation of dryer-activated fabric conditioning articles. By combining lower denier fibers with higher denier fibers, a substrate is produced that has the tensile strength similar to that of the lower denier substrate combined with the thickness and coating capacity similar to that of the higher denier substrate. Articles comprising said substrates contain: (A) at least about 5% fabric conditioning composition comprising fabric conditioning active; and (B) said substrate.

Abstract: A cleaning apparatus having a sealable pressure vessel and an agitator for agitating an article, such as clothing, in a liquid within the vessel to remove contaminants from the article. A fluid system supplies fresh liquid to the vessel and drains used liquid from the vessel to separate excess contaminated from the article, a portion of the contaminated liquid being retained by the article after this separation. One or more heating elements are activatable to vaporize the retained liquid, and a vacuum system is activatable to reduce the pressure in the sealed vessel while the heating elements are activated, such that the boiling point of the retained liquid is substantially reduced from that at atmospheric pressure. The liquid may be plain, ozonated or carbonated water, or a mixture thereof, and may be cooled by a heat exchanger before being introduced into the sealed vessel. Agitation during washing and drying is minimized for use of the apparatus as an alternative to dry cleaning.

Abstract: A rotating vacuum kiln and method for heat treating solid particulate material under vacuum conditions uses a rotating refractory metal cylindrical vessel with a cool inlet zone, hot intermediate zone, and cool exit zone, with a first series of inner radiation shields provided at the hot intermediate zone adjacent to the cool inlet zone and a second series of inner radiation shields provided at the hot intermediate zone adjacent the cool exit zone to protect those two zones from the high temperatures in the hot intermediate zone. Heat for the hot intermediate zone of the cylindrical vessel is provided indirectly by electrical resistance heaters that surround the vessel and outer radiation shields are provided about the heaters to direct heat to the cylindrical vessel.

Abstract: A rotating vacuum kiln for heat treating solid particulate material under vacuum conditions uses a rotating refractory metal cylindrical vessel with a cool inlet zone, hot intermediate zone, and cool exit zone, with a first series of inner radiation shields provided at the hot intermediate zone adjacent to the cool inlet zone and a second series of inner radiation shields provided at the hot intermediate zone adjacent the cool exit zone to protect those two zones from the high temperatures in the hot intermediate zone. Heat for the hot intermediate zone of the cylindrical vessel is provided indirectly by electrical resistance heaters that surround the vessel and outer radiation shields are provided about the heaters to direct heat to the cylindrical vessel.

Abstract: A roasting apparatus for coffee beans comprises a housing and a horizontal drum on the housing rotatable about an axis with an opening on a first end thereof for receiving and discharging beans and a plurality of openings on a second end opposite the first end of size sufficient to pass air and insufficient to pass the beans. The apparatus includes a heater in the housing capable of heating the drum to roast the beans and a fan adapted to move air through the first and second ends of the drum. A pair of doors pivotally mounted on a common hinge between the fan and the drum are movable between a closed position during roasting substantially blocking passage of free flow of air through the drum and an open position permitting free flow of the air once the beans are sufficiently roasted. A chaff collector is secured to the housing at an end opposite the drum first end. The collector has a plurality of openings of size sufficient to pass air and insufficient to pass chaff from the beans.

Abstract: A method and a facility for dehydrating plants, particularly for dehydrating forage. The method consists in introducing the forage to be dehydrated in a drier with a retention time and a temperature that are suitable to achieve the at least partial drying of the leaves of the forage. The forage, when it leaves the drier, is subjected to an operation for separating the leaves from the stalks, and the leaves and stalks thus separated are then subjected, separately from each other, to additional treatments that include at least one additional drying for at least one of the two components constituted by the leaves and the stalks.

Abstract: The present invention features a kit or an attachment apparatus for roasting a small quantity of green coffee beans upon a rotisserie unit. The kit or apparatus is rotationally mounted to an oven or a grill. The kit contains a perforated, cylindrical, hollow drum that has at least one internal fin for stirring the tumbling coffee beans within the hollow drum, as it is caused to rotate. The drum is attachable to a spit of the rotisserie, which is, in turn, attachable to a drive motor. The drive motor and the distal end of the spit are each mounted by attachment brackets to respective, end walls of the oven or grill. The cylinder can receive the green coffee beans through the removal of an end lid of the drum, or through a hatch door located in a mid-portion of the cylindrical drum. A layer of insulation is wrapped about one portion of the spit, and acts as a handle for removing the heated drum of roasted beans from the oven or grill.

Abstract: A bean roasting system (10) is provided for use on a barbecue grill (12). The system includes a housing member (22) generally formed as a cylindrical tubular member, formed from a metallic composition with a mesh or plurality of openings which will allow convective heat to pass within the housing member (22). The system includes a rotational mechanism (36) for rotating the housing member (22) about its longitudinal axis. The rotational mechanism includes a motor mechanism (44) coupled to an axially directed rod (48) which extends through and is coupled to housing member (22) for causing housing member (22) to rotate about its longitudinal axis. First and second bracket members (70 and 72), respectively, releasably coupled to opposing end walls of barbecue grill (12), rotatively support axially directed rod (48) so as to permit housing (22) to rotate over barbecue grill (12).

Abstract: A device and method for drying a fluorescent material are provided. The device includes a container having a predetermined space for containing a fluorescent material, a first driver for rotating the container, a heater for heating the container, a vacuum unit for creating a partial vacuum in the container to discharge moist air from the container, a supplier for supplying dry air to the container, an exhausting unit for exhausting the fluorescent material dried in the container, and a controller for controlling the respective device and the first dryer. The drying method includes the steps of placing a cleaned fluorescent material into a dryer, heating the dryer while rotating the dryer, injecting dry air into the dryer and exhausting moist air from the dryer, and vacuum-transferring the fluorescent material from the dryer to a predetermined storage tank.

Abstract: An outer cylindrical stationary housing is mounted on a support frame. An inner removable rotating drum mounted at an angle of 6-7 degrees from the base of the apparatus is turned by a shaft driven by an electric motor turning the shaft at 2-4 rpm. A heater element maintains about 350 degrees F in the rotating drum to roast nuts and multiple vanes mounted within the inner rotating drum keep the nuts tumbling so that they are evenly heated.

Abstract: A new anhydrous sodium dichromate in flakes, Na.sub.2 Cr.sub.2 O.sub.7, m.p. 356.degree. C. (dec. 400.degree. C.) is described, characterized in that it comes in flakes with an area of approx. 1 cm.sup.2, thickness 0.5 mm and apparent specific gravity 1.10 (absolute 2.748) at 25.degree. C; it is not deliquescent, nor does it become powdery. It is prepared from dihydrate sodium dichromate or aqueous solutions thereof using a new process in two stages, namely a) evaporation-melting of the dihydrate salt or concentrated aqueous solution at a strictly controlled temperature of around 380.degree. C. and no higher, and b) flaking of the melted mass obtained thereby, as it is being rapidly cooled to 150.degree.-160.degree. C. The apparatus for carrying out the process is also disclosed; the apparatus includes a dehydrator-melter oven, a flaker rotating at 10-20 revs per minute and a heat recovery system.

Abstract: A coffee bean roasting device includes a heating oven and a roasting drum in the heating drum, infrared heaters attached to inner walls of the heating oven, and a cooling drum provided under the roasting drum. The device further includes agitating blades spirally provided on inner walls of the roasting drum and the cooling drum and having smooth inner circumferential edges, a suction blower for sucking air in either of the drums, an exhaust passage for exhausting burnt gases produced in the roasting drum out of the device, a pressure sensor provided in a passage from an opening of the roasting drum to the exhaust passage, a pressure regulating device for regulating pressures in the roasting drum with the aid of differences between pressures detected by the pressure sensor and atmospheric pressure, a temperature sensor provided on an inner wall of the heating oven in opposition to the roasting drum, and a water spray nozzle for spraying water into the roasting drum through its opening.

Abstract: Raw coffee beans or nuts are put in a revolving drum divided into at least four independant modular sectors each of which carries a given quantity of the product through a succession of similarly independent work stations to be heated, roasted, cooled and discharged ultimately through an outlet. The air used to cool the product is recycled from the roasting station, being drawn from the drum into a separator, freed of any skins or husks that may be entrained from the roast, then directed into a cooling system that lowers its temperature to sub-ambient level before returning it to the drum; the option exists of enriching the recycled air with additional aromas before it finally enters the cooling station.

Abstract: Wet and pliable strands of freshly extruded spaghetti are draped over horizontally disposed rods whose respective ends rest in helical grooves in a first pair of mutually parallel, rotating shafts which carry the rods and the spaghetti through a drying oven, the rods being transferred to helical grooves in a second pair of mutually parallel, rotating shafts which carry the rods and spaghetti through the oven in a direction transverse to the direction in which they are carried by the first pair of shafts.

Abstract: A plurality of rotatable containers has perforations for draining treated and untreated liquids while retaining nut product initially received therein either in a liquid slurry or dry. A closed, controllable oven environment, encloses said containers and has means for alternately evacuating liquids and nut products gravitationally from the containers to different locations, respectively to roast, dry, cool and dehydrate the nut product. Environmental temperature control for not only the oven but also cooling bins, controls heating and cooling to within certain ranges, and includes air percolation through drained and collected nut product. A process for preparing nut, bean and seed-like products is described for roasting, drying, dehydrating and cooling the products. The process includes a soaking of the product in a liquid solution at selected temperatures, agitation of the solution, draining of the liquids and maintenance of predetermined temperature in a closed environment.

Abstract: A coffee roaster in which roasting is automatically terminated by the provision in the roaster of a temperature sensing device which detects the temperature of the coffee beans during the steps of stirring and roasting and produces at a predetermined appropriate temperature a signal which is used to terminate the roasting.

Abstract: A control system is provided for a fabric drying machine which includes both an automatic dry control and a timer mechanism. The timer mechanism includes operator movable actuators for positioning various timer switches. Machine cycles are controlled either entirely by the automatic dry control or partially by the automatic dry control and partially by the timer mechanism. In a particular cycle the control system functions to provide first a drying cycle controlled by the automatic dry control and then a secondary no-heat tumbling cycle controlled by the timer mechanism.

Abstract: An electronic control system to regulate heating and cooling cycle temperatures in a clothes dryer drying program. Operation is controlled according to a preselected combination of a heating schedule and a cooling schedule. Provision is made to sense and control according to the temperature of the air used to dry articles such as clothes in the clothes dryer. Provision is further made to give a visual indication of the drying program selected and to cancel the program selected and indication thereof upon completion of the drying program or selection of an alternative program. The final state of the articles being dried is determined by tumbling the articles in the presence of heated force-convected air until the desired state of dryness is obtained and terminating the application of heat and continuing tumbling and forced-convection until the articles are cooled to a desired temperature whereupon said tumbling is terminated.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are disclosed for drying and pelletizing organic material such as animal waste, sewage and the like. The organic material is dried in two stages using a high temperature, rotating primary drying drum, and a lower temperature secondary louvred drying drum. The primary drum includes an inlet section and an outlet section. The inlet section includes a plurality of transverse chain curtains for increased heat transfer to the organic material, for breaking up the organic material and for cleaning the sides of the drum. The primary drum outlet section includes a plurality of vanes angularly attached to the inside of the drum to form an auger to retain the material in the drum until it is partially dried to a desired level. The organic material is then transported to the secondary louvred dryer. The louvred dryer includes an input section, an output section and a central pelletizing section formed by adjacent portions of the input and output sections.

Abstract: The invention relates to a process for manufacturing effervescent tablets consisting in the steps of careful humidifying of the acid+base mixture, pre-drying and final drying and granulating.It has been found that these operations can be performed in a single apparatus, either integrally in fluid bed, or with vacuum-drying.