Continuous flow expander for expanding particulate material

An expander for particulate fodder comprising:

• a. steam means for providing high enthalpy pressurized processing steam and ejection steam,
• b. a pressurized region connected to receive said processing steam and including means for heating, steaming and pressurizing particulate fodder by said processing steam prior to expansion into puffed form,
• c. injection means for introducing particulate fodder into said pressurized region while substantial pressure is maintained in said pressurized region, whereby processing of particulate fodder previously introduced may be continued during the introduction of additional particulate fodder,
• d. a restrictive opening connected to receive particulate fodder which is ejected therethrough by said ejection steam for expansion into puffed form,
• e. transport means for moving particulate fodder through said pressurized region to said restrictive opening, and
• f. control means for controlling the enthalpy upstream of said restrictive opening within a predetermined range assuring a dry expended fodder, regardless of the rate of enthalpy absorption by the fodder material and its included moisture.

A continuous flow expander for particulate fodder material, comprising:

• a. steam means for creating high enthalpy, dry processing and ejecting steam from available, non-boiler feed water sources,
• said steam means including a steam boiler with a boiler feed water source and first heat exchanger means connected thereto, a source of available city water connected to said first heat exchanger means and to a drum separator and a second heat exchanger means,
• said steam boiler converting boiler feed water into boiler steam,
• said first heat exchanger means converting said available city water into a secondary source of processing steam by enthalpy supplied by said boiler steam,
• said drum separator including internal baffles to reduce the velocity of incoming processing steam below the disengaging velocity of vapor in the steam, whereby the quality level of said processing steam as received from said first heat exchanger means is substantially increased,
• said second heat exchanger means including a heat exchanger in which processing steam creates a source of ejecting steam from available water,
• b. processing means for heating, steaming and pressurizing particulate fodder material prior to its expansion into puffed form,
• said processing means including a processing steam and fodder separator and a reactor connected thereto by a steam pipe and a fodder pipe,
• said separator including baffle means to reduce the velocity of the incoming processing steam below the disengaging velocity of steam and fodder, whereby the fodder may exit said separator by said fodder pipe and the processing steam may exit said separator by said steam pipe, said reactor including in addition to said steam and fodder pipes from said separator, a fodder outlet pipe and a steam outlet line, and an internal vertical screw of smaller diameter than the inner diameter of said reactor,
• said screw rotating to transparent fodder from said fodder pipe at the bottom of said reactor to said fodder outlet pipe at the top of said reactor,
• said smaller diameter allowing fodder material to fall back into said reactor for recirculating to assure uniform processing,
• said reactor being adapted for flowing processing steam from said steam pipe counter to the flow of fodder material for optimum enthalpy transfer to the fodder material,
• c. injector means for injecting particulate fodder material into said separator of said processing means without reducing the pressure in said separator or said reactor,
• said injector means including a cylindrical sleeve connected at a first opening with a source of particulate fodder material, at a second opening with said separator of said processing means, at a third opening with said drum separator of said steam means and at a fourth opening with the atmosphere, said means including a first and second piston internally closely fitting within said piston sleeve and in spaced relationship with each other to create a fodder carrying cavity therebetween;
• said means also including hydraulic actuator means connected to said pistons for cycling said cavity between said first sleeve opening for filling of said cavity from said fodder material source and said second sleeve opening for discharging said cavity into said separator of said processing means,
• said third sleeve opening being aligned with said second sleeve opening for flowing processing steam from said drum separator of said steam means through said cavity when said cavity is at said second opening to sweep fodder material from said cavity into said separator of said processing means, said second piston being spool shaped with a smaller central diameter for flowing processing steam from said third sleeve opening, around said second piston, into said second sleeve opening, and into said separator of said processing means when said cavity is not at said second opening, said first piston closing said first sleeve opening when said cavity is not at said first opening to prevent discharge of fodder material into said sleeve,
• said cavity venting through said fourth sleeve opening after being pressurized at a said second and third sleeve openings and before recommunicating with said first sleeve opening, and
• d. an ejection nozzle connected to said fodder outlet of said reactor through a fodder material metering value valve adapted for receiving fodder material and connected to said second heat exchanger means of said steam means for receiving a supply steam for ejecting the fodder material from said metering valve through said nozzle into the atmosphere for expansion into puffed form.

An expander for particulate fodder, comprising:

• a. a pressurized region in which particulate fodder is pressurized prior to expansion into puffed form,
• b. a recirculating steam boiler system including a heat exchanger means and a substantially closed first circuit for circulating a flow of boiler steam to said heat exchanger means and a residual flow back to said boiler,
• c. a liquid supply system including a circuit separate from said first circuit, for creating a source of processing steam from said liquid supply by use of steam from said boiler, connected with said heat exchanger means to pick up heat therein and to said pressurized region,
• d. means for introducing particulate fodder into said pressurized region while substantial pressure is maintained in said pressurized region, whereby processing of particulate fodder previously introduced may be continued during the introduction of additional particulate fodder,
• e. a restrictive opening through which the pressurized particulate fodder is ejected into a region of pressure lower than that of said pressurized region for expansion into puffed form, and
• f. transport means for moving pressurized fodder through said pressurized region to said restrictive opening.