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US 4,483,886 AGranted
Method for making free-flowing, melt-coated rubber pellets
AssigneeExxon Research & Engineering Co.
InventorRonald C. Kowalski
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A continuous method for making free-flowing, melt-coated elastomeric pellets is disclosed in which pellets are coated with particles of coating material in a zone of interference created in a pneumatic conveying system.
Claims24
A continuous method for making at least one melt-coated pellet of material comprising:
- mixing coating material with at least one stream of carrier gas to form at least one coating stream, the carrier gas having a temperature below the melting point of the coating material;
- contacting at least one pellet of macromolecular material having a glass transition temperature and melting point temperature in the elastomeric range with the coating stream, said pellet having a temperature at or above its melting point and above the melting point of the coating material, so as to form at least one layer of substantially melted coating on the pellet;
- and
- cooling the resulting melted coating to a temperature below the melting point of the coating material;
- whereby at least one melt-coated pellet is made.
2 more elements
A continuous method for making at least one melt-coated pellet of material comprising:
- mixing coating material with at least one stream of carrier gas to form at least one coating stream, wherein the carrier gas has a temperature below the melting point of the coating material and the coating stream has a velocity of about 75 to 200 feet per second;
- introducing at least one tumbling pellet of macromolecular material, said pellet having a glass transition temperature and melting point temperature in the elastomeric range and a temperature above the melting point temperature of both the coating material and the pellet, into the coating stream at substantially zero or some negative velocity in the direction of flow of the coating stream so as to create at least one zone of interference in which at least one layer of substantially melted coating material is formed on the pellet, and
- cooling the resulting melted coating to a temperature below the melting point of the coating material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.