Apparatus for the drying of wet, pasty and/or fusible materials

An apparatus for the drying of material, especially wet, pasty and/or fusible substances, comprising:

• an axially elongated thermally conductive cylindrical wall defining a cylindrical drying space having a substantially horizontal axis;
• means forming at least one annular heating chamber along the exterior of said wall;
• means for passing a heating fluid through said heating chamber to heat said wall;
• a pair of end walls dispoed at opposite axial ends of said space and closing same;
• feeder means for introducing material to be dried into said space at one end thereof adjacent a respective end wall;
• discharge means connected to said space at an opposite end thereof adjacent the other end wall for discharging dry material from said space;
• inlet means communicating with said space at least at one of said ends thereof for introducing a hot drying fluid into said space for direct contact with the material therein;
• outlet means connected to said space at a location axially separated from said inlet means for discharging said drying fluid from said space;
• a shaft extending along said axis and journaled for rotation relative to said walls;
• drive means connected with said shaft for rotating same;
• a plurality of first disks mounted on said shaft and lying in respective planes transverse to said axis, said first disks comprising outwardly extending arms reaching toward said wall and defining openings located relatively outwardly from said axis;
• a plurality of second disks mounted on said shaft and alternating with said first disks axially therealong whereby each first disk and a second disk axially spaced therefrom define a respective drying cell of adjustable axial length, said second disks being formed with openings communicating between said cells and located relatively inwardly with respect to said axis;
• respective blades mounted on outer portions of said disks and positioned to scrape material from said wall and mix said material with said drying fluid as said material passes through said openings in said disks from cell to cell from said feeder means to said discharge means;
• and
• respective rollers journaled on outer portions of at least some of said disks and having a predetermined spacing from said wall for comminuting material drying in said space to a predetermined particle size.