Recirculating grain dryer
AssigneeBerico Industries, Inc.
InventorWalter Y. Botkins
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Improved process and apparatus for drying are disclosed whereby a moist granular material is dried by contact with a heated gas and is then cooled by contact with a cooler gas. The cooling gas is supplied to the cooling zone at a pressure which exceeds atmospheric pressure. During passage through the cooling zone, the temperature of the cooling gas is increased, and all of it is then circulated to the heating zone in order to reuse the heat thus absorbed for drying still more granular material. Fuel utilization and drying cost can be substantially reduced, and the invention is especially suitable for use with recirculating grain dryers.
Claims17
A process for drying granular material comprising:
- a. feeding a moisture-ladened material to a heating zone and drying same therein by contact with a heating gas that is passed through the heating zone and into a gas flow space open to the atmosphere, and passing a portion of said heating gas to the atmosphere from said gas flow space without passing through said heating zone,
- b. thereafter feeding the heated granular material into a cooling zone and cooling same therein by contact with a cooling gas that is passed through the cooling zone into said gas flow space,
- c. supplying said cooling gas to the cooling zone at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure,
- d. mixing said heating gas and cooling gas within said gas flow space after passage through said respective zones, and
- e. feeding said mixed heating and cooling gases through said heating zone.
A self balancing dryer having wall means forming an enclosure enclosing at least one porous dryer column into which a moisture-ladened granular material is fed for drying therein:
- a. said dryer column comprising a heating zone and a cooling zone, said cooling zone receiving said granular material from said heating zone,
- b. said wall means being spaced outwardly from said dryer column in at least one direction forming a gas flow space therebetween extending along said dryer column heating zone and cooling zone and opening to the atmosphere without flow through said dryer column,
- c. a heating gas supply means positioned to feed a heating gas through said column heating zone and into said gas flow space,
- d. a cooling gas supply means located to feed a cooling gas through said column cooling zone at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure and into said gas flow space,
- e. said gas flow space having free communication therein permitting mixing of said heating gas received thereinto with said cooling gas received thereinto, and
- f. recycle means communicating between said gas flow space and said heating gas supply means and directing mixed heating and cooling gases to said heating gas supply means for feeding through said column heating zone.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.