Gas treatment of particulate materials in storage containers

A method of treating particulate material utilizing a vertical container having an interior vertical wall, and first and second generally conical, generally rigid, oscillatable false bottoms mounted within said vertical container concentric with said interior vertical wall and having enlarged open tops and smaller discharge openings in the open bottoms thereof, said method comprising the steps of:

• introducing particulate material into an open top portion of the vertical container;
• effecting oscillation of the first false bottom to effect discharge of particulate material thereabove into the second false bottom;
• and
• effecting discharge of particulate material from the second false bottom by effecting oscillation of the second false bottom, the particulate material being discharged through the discharge opening at the bottom of the vertical container.

An assembly for treating particulate material comprising:

• a vertical container having a vertical interior wall;
• a first generally conical discharge means;
• a second discharge means having a generally conical bottom and having an elongated tubular top portion;
• means for mounting said first and second discharge means within said vertical container so that they are substantially concentric with said container, and have discharge openings substantially concentric with a discharge opening disposed at the bottom of said vertical container;
• means for oscillating said first and second discharge means within said container;
• a distributing member mounted to each of said discharge means and including a peak portion disposed along a center line of the discharge openings and vertically above the discharge opening with which it is associated, and defining an annular space between said distributing member and said generally conical discharge portion;
• and
• means for introducing treatment fluid to the interior of said second discharge means to effect treatment of particulate material therein.