Glass batch pellet production and drying process and apparatus

Apparatus for producing and drying layered pellets for glass production comprising in combination:

• a. a rotary drum with a pelletizing zone, a drying zone, a recycle zone and recycle means to recycle undersized pellets from the recycle zone to the pelletizing zone, the pelletizing zone being adapted to maintain a moving bed of recycled pellets and feed thereinto sand, particles of a calcium carbonate source and a Na.sub.2 O source comprised of sodium hydroxide which coat the recycled pellets to form product pellets and;
• b. a dryer for drying the product pellets having a dryer frame with an infeed area, a bottom receiving area up through which a drying medium is forced, an outlet, and an improved grate system integral with the bottom receiving area having first and second stationary generally vertically spaced apart portions separated by the third movable pellet transferring portion with a predetermined number of openings of predetermined area therein to permit pellets to selectively pass therethrough, the first and second stationary portions each having laterally spaced apart passages therein, the spaced apart passages of the first stationary portion being laterally offset from the spaced apart passages of the second stationary portion, the first stationary portion further overlying the second stationary portion and the third movable pellet transferring portion such that at least one half of the predetermined area of the pellet transferring portion openings is covered at any time, the uncovered pellet transferring openings being underlain by the second stationary portion so that the pellets are supported thereby until the third movable pellet transferring portion is moved laterally to thereby scrape the pellets into the passages in the second stationary portion to permit the pellets to exit the dryer through the outlet while additional overlying pellets descend to fill the pellet transferring openings of the third movable pellet transferring portion.