Method and apparatus for conditioning tobacco

A method of contacting tobacco with at least one additive to thereby change the condition of tobacco, comprising the steps of continuously supplying into a predetermined contact zone at least one spray of finely dispersed additive;

• feeding a continuous stream of tobacco particles toward a location without said contact zone;
• propelling across said contact zone a continuous body of at least substantially separated tobacco particles whereby such particles are contacted and conditioned by the dispersed additive, including propelling the particles of tobacco from said location so that the particles have flight spans extending across said zone;
• measuring the rate of tobacco feed;
• changing the rate of delivery of dispersed additive into said contact zone as a function of deviations of said rate of tobacco feed from a predetermined rate;
• and changing the flight spans of particles of tobacco as a function of deviations of said rate of tobacco feed from said predetermined rate.

Apparatus for contacting tobacco with at least one additive to thereby change the condition of tobacco, comprising means defining a contact zone and including means for continuously supplying into said contact zone at least one spray of finely dispersed additive;

• means for moving across said contact zone a continuous body of at least substantially separated tobacco particles whereby such particles are contacted and conditioned by the dispersed additive, including impeller means located without said contact zone and conveyor means for feeding a continuous stream of tobacco particles into the range of said impeller means whereby the latter propels the particles thus fed into and across said contact zone, said impeller means being adjustable to vary the length of flight spans of tobacco particles which are propelled across said contact zone;
• means for monitoring the rate of tobacco feed to said impeller means and for producing signals indicative of the feed rate;
• a source of additive;
• an adjustable feeding device for delivering additive from said source to said supplying means at a variable rate;
• means for adjusting said feeding device in response to said signals;
• and means for adjusting said impeller means in response to said signals so that the length of flight spans of tobacco particles respectively increases and decreases when the rate of tobacco feed to said impeller means respectively increases and decreases.

Apparatus for contacting tobacco with at least one additive to thereby change the condition of tobacco, comprising means defining a contact zone and including means for continuously supplying into said contact zone at least one spray of finely dispersed additive, said means for supplying additive comprising a plurality of spray nozzles;

• a source of additive;
• means for moving across said contact zone a continuous body of at least substantially separated tobacco particles whereby such particles are contacted and conditioned by the dispersed additive, including impeller means located without said contact zone and conveyor means for feeding a continuous stream of tobacco particles into the range of said impeller means whereby the latter propels the particles thus fed into and across said contact zone;
• means for monitoring the rate of tobacco feed to said impeller means;
• and means for connecting varying numbers of nozzles with said source as a function of changes in the rate of tobacco feed to said impeller means.

Apparatus for contacting tobacco with at least one additive to thereby change the condition of tobacco, comprising means defining a contact zone and including means for continuously supplying into said contact zone at least one spray of finely dispersed additive;

• means for moving across said contact zone a continuous body of at least substantially separated tobacco particles whereby such particles are contacted and conditioned by the dispersed additive, including tobacco impeller means located without said contact zone and means for conveying a continuous stream of tobacco particles into the range of said impeller means whereby the latter propels the thus conveyed particles into and across said contact zone, said impeller means providing a tobacco trajectory having a flight span and being adjustable to vary the length of flight spans of tobacco particles which are propelled across said contact zone;
• means for adjusting said impeller means to thereby change the length of said flight spans;
• means for monitoring the rate at which tobacco is conveyed to said impeller means and for producing signals which are indicative of said rate;
• and means for actuating said adjusting means in response to said signals.

Apparatus for contacting tobacco with at least one additive to thereby change the condition of tobacco, comprising means defining a contact zone and including means for continuously supplying into said contact zone at least one spray of finely dispersed additive;

• means for moving across said contact zone a continuous body of at least substantially separated tobacco particles whereby such particles are contacted and conditioned by the dispersed additive, including impeller means located without said contact zone and means for conveying a continuous stream of tobacco particles into the range of said impeller means whereby the latter propels the thus conveyed particles into and across said contact zone;
• means for monitoring the rate at which tobacco is conveyed to said impeller means and for producing signals which are indicative of said rate;
• a source of additive;
• an adjustable feeding device for delivering additive to said supplying means at a variable rate;
• and means for adjusting said feeding device in response to said signals.