Spray booth and system for manufacture of cellulose insulation

A system for producing cellulose insulation, the system comprising:

• a shredder configured to receive a supply of input cellulose material, and shred the cellulose material;
• a fiberizer configured to receive the cellulose material after being shredded by the shredder, the fiberizer configured to reduce the cellulose material to cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers and cellulose dust;
• a de-duster configured to receive the cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers and cellulose dust, and separates the cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers from the cellulose dust;
• a spray booth comprising a vertically-oriented cylindrical housing, an inlet positioned about a top of the cylindrical housing and configured to receive the cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers, a rotatable shaft positioned axially within the cylindrical housing, and a plurality of nozzles arranged about the cylindrical housing and configured to spray a mist of liquid fire-retardant chemicals interior towards the rotatable shaft and onto the cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers to produce wetted cellulose fiber;
• and
• a dryer configured to receive the wetted cellulose fibers and to dry the wetted cellulose fiber to produce cellulose insulation.

A system for producing cellulose insulation, the system comprising:

• a shredder configured to receive a supply of input cellulose material and shred the cellulose material;
• a metering bin having an interior and configured to receive the cellulose material after being shredded by the shredder, the metering bin comprising:
• a first trough extending upwards into the interior;
• a first auger at a bottom of the first trough;
• a second trough extending upwards into the interior;
• and
• a second auger at a bottom of the second trough;
• a first fiberizer configured to receive the cellulose material from the first auger and reduce the cellulose material to cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers and cellulose dust;
• a second fiberizer configured to receive the cellulose material from the second auger and reduce the cellulose material to cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers and cellulose dust;
• a de-duster configured to receive the cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers and cellulose dust from the first and second augers, and configured to separate the cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers from the cellulose dust;
• a dust collector configured to receive the cellulose dust;
• a spray booth configured to receive the cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers, the spray booth comprising a vertically-oriented cylindrical housing, an inlet positioned at a top of the cylindrical housing, a rotatable shaft comprising a plurality of vanes and paddles extending radially therefrom positioned axially within the cylindrical housing, and a plurality of nozzles arranged about the cylindrical housing and configured to spray a mist of liquid fire-retardant chemicals interior towards the rotatable shaft onto the cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers to produce wetted cellulose fiber;
• and
• a dryer configured to receive the wetted cellulose fibers on a conveyor belt, a chamber configured to receive the wetted cellulose fibers from the conveyor belt at a fiber inlet, a hot air source upstream of the fiber inlet, the hot air source directing a flow of hot air into the chamber, wherein the wetted cellulose fibers are received into the flow of hot air in the chamber, and a venturi downstream of the fiber inlet, the venturi configured to increase the velocity of the flow of hot air past the cellulose fibers to dry the cellulose fibers to produce cellulose insulation.

A spray booth for producing cellulose insulation, the spray booth comprising:

• a vertically-oriented cylindrical housing;
• an inlet positioned about a top of the cylindrical housing and oriented tangentially to the cylindrical housing and configured to receive cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers under the force of a flow of air;
• a rotatable shaft positioned axially within the cylindrical housing, the rotatable shaft comprising a plurality of vanes and paddles extending radially therefrom;
• and
• a plurality of nozzles arranged about the cylindrical housing and configured to spray a mist of liquid fire-retardant chemicals interior towards the rotatable shaft and onto the cellulose fibers and matrices of cellulose fibers to produce wetted cellulose fiber.