Apparatus for total blend expansion

Apparatus for increasing the filling capacity of a total blend of cut tobacco comprising treating means for treating the cut tobacco by elevating the temperature of the cut tobacco to above about 130.degree. F. and below about the temperature at which the tobacco will be charred or discolored, and for elevating the moisture content of the tobacco to between about 15 to 35% such that said heating and moisturizing are performed for a time sufficient to permit cut tobacco to open from its compressed condition;

• conveying means operatively connected to said treating means and including a first mechanism which delivers cut tobacco to said treating means and a second mechanism which conveys the treated open tobacco discharged from said treating means in successions of relatively thin layers of treated tobacco, means for forming the heated and moisturized tobacco into a relatively thin dispersion in a gas, and expanding means including drying means operatively connected to said forming means for receiving the thin dispersions of tobacco and for enabling rapid reduction in the moisture content of the tobacco by conveying the thin dispersions of tobacco therethrough with a relatively dry hot gas medium which intimately contacts the surfaces of the tobacco within a period of about 5 seconds as the tobacco is maintained in the thin dispersion in a generally laminar gas flow, said hot gas medium being heated to about between 300.degree. F. and 600.degree. F. and having a water vapor pressure value which is lower than the water vapor pressure within the treated tobacco, said expanding means also including means for increasing the velocity of said hot gas relative to the tobacco dispersed therein as said hot gas and said tobacco exit from said drying means such that the tobacco opens and expands to the extent that its filling capacity is increased.

Apparatus for increasing the filling capacity of a total blend of cut tobacco comprising in combination, a first conveying means, a heating, ordering, and metering chute connected adjacent an end of said first conveying means for receiving the discharged cut tobacco and for elevating the temperature of the tobacco from about above 130.degree. F. to below about the temperature at which the tobacco will be charred or discolored and the moisture content of the tobacco to between about 15 to 35%, such that said heating and moisturizing are performed for a time period which is sufficient to permit cut tobacco to open from its compressed condition, a second conveying means adjustably connected to and adjacent a discharge end of said heating, ordering, and metering chute for receiving the treated tobacco and conveying successions of thin layers of tobacco from said ordering chute, drying means being connected to said second conveying means for receiving the layer of tobacco from said second conveying means and forming it into a thin dispersion in a gas, said drying means conveying said dispersion of tobacco therethrough within about less than 5 seconds with a relatively dry hot gas heated to about between 300.degree. F. to 600.degree. F. as the tobacco is maintained in the thin dispersion in a generally laminar gas flow, said hot gas having a water vapor pressure level which is substantially below the water vapor pressure of the water within the treated tobacco, a venturi member positioned within an outlet for said drying means for increasing the velocity of the hot gas with respect to the thin dispersion of tobacco such that said drying means and venturi member increases the filling capacity of the tobacco, and separating means connected to said drying means for separating the tobacco from said hot gas such that the tobacco can be subsequently discharged.