Method and apparatus for drying or heat treating granular material

A drying apparatus for drying granular material fed thereto in a continuous flow, said apparatus comprising a conical heating drum having an inlet end and an outlet end, heating means in said container, conveying means in said container adjacent said inlet end to displace a particulate medium capable of retaining heat from said inlet end to a heat chamber within said conical heating drum, shower means in said heat chamber for displacing said particulate medium for direct contact with a flame during a predetermined time so that said medium is quickly heated to an approximate desired temperature, a mixing and drying conical drum disposed entirely about said conical heating drum and having an inlet end and outlet end, auger means in said mixing and drying conical drum for conveying said heated particulate medium discharged from said outlet end of said heating drum with a humid granular material introduced at said inlet end of said mixing and drying conical drum, whereby to dry said material by heat transfer between said particulate medium and said granular material, said mixing and drying conical drum having a dryer section and a separator section, said dryer section being disposed in a portion of its inlet end, said separator section being disposed in a portion adjacent its outlet end and having a particulate medium extractor element and a granular material conveyor, an annular cone-shaped trough secured about said drum separator section and rotated therewith, whereby to recycle said particulate medium while still hot, means to recover said dried granular material and drive means drivingly coupled to impart rotation to all said conical drums and conveying means.