Method of comminuting elastomeric pellets

A method of comminuting pellets comprising:

• receiving a slurry of the pellets and water in a receiving region disposed between a rotor and stator, the rotor and stator having peripheral abrasive surfaces surrounding the receiving region for defining a grinding zone therebetween;
• urging the slurry radially outward under increased pressure between the rotor and stator peripheral abrasive surfaces by rotating impeller blades in the receiving region;
• forcing the rotor and stator peripheral abrasive surfaces toward each other;
• continuing rotation of the rotor to comminute the pellets into small particles.

A method of comminuting elastomeric pellets comprising:

• receiving a slurry of the pellets and a fluid in a receiving region disposed between a rotor and stator, the rotor and stator having peripheral abrasive surfaces surrounding the receiving region for defining a grinding zone therebetween;
• urging the pellets outward from the receiving region between the rotor and stator peripheral abrasive surfaces;
• forcing the rotor and stator peripheral abrasive surfaces together toward intimate physical contact such that the elastomeric pellets provide the only medium for preventing the rotor and stator peripheral abrasive surfaces for grinding directly one upon the other;
• and,
• comminuting the elastomeric pellets between the rotor and stator peripheral abrasive surfaces by rotating the rotor peripheral abrasive surface relative to the stator peripheral abrasive surface to comminute the elastomeric pellets therebetween.