Apparatus for the treatment of wet solids, especially pulpy materials, by heating or cooling

An apparatus for treatment of wet solids, especially pulpy organic materials comprising:

• a hollow treating body rotatable about a horizontal axis;
• means for feeding the material to be treated into said treating body;
• means for discharging the treated material from said treating body;
• and
• means for controlling the temperature of said treating body, said treating body comprising:
• a treating drum centered on said horizontal axis and communicating thereat with said feeding means, said drum having a polygonal cross section defined by an axially flared peripheral wall formed by a plurality of planar panels, each having a pair of nonparallel opposing edges, said peripheral wall being flanked by first and second polygonal end walls of different size centered on said horizontal axis and perpendicular thereto, said first and second end walls being connected at corresponding edges to said peripheral wall,
• a first duct having a polygonal cross section communicating with said drum at a location wholly offset from said horizontal axis and having a first longitudinal axis forming an angle therewith,
• a second duct having a polygonal cross section communicating with said first duct at said horizontal axis and having a secong longitudinal axis forming an angle therewith, said first and second longitudinal axes intersecting on said horizontal axis,
• a third duct having a polygonal cross section communicating with said second duct at a location wholly offset from said horizontal axis and having a third longitudinal axis forming an angle therewith, and
• a fourth duct having a polygonal cross section communicating with said third duct at said horizontal axis and having a fourth longitudinal axis forming an angle therewith, said third and fourth longitudinal axes intersecting at a location offset from said horizontal axis, said fourth duct having an outlet centered on said horizontal axis and communicating with the discharge means, said first, second, third and fourth ducts having substantially the same cross sectional area.