Method and apparatus for cleaning and drying metal chips

A process for the production of cleaned and dried metal chips by the removal of fluid and other impurities therefrom comprising the following steps:

• entraining fluid-containing metal chips in a gas,
• providing a cyclone separator having a wall, said wall being of heat-conductive material and comprising internal and external surfaces,
• applying heat to a substantial portion of the external surface of said wall of said cyclone separator to produce a fluid-vaporizing temperature on the internal surface of said wall,
• introducing said gas with entrained fluid-containing chips into said cyclone separator,
• providing a source of hot and/or steam and introducing said hot water and/or steam along with said gas with entrained fluid-containing chips into said cyclone separator,
• causing said fluid-containing chips to contact the internal surface of said heated wall of said cyclone separator thereby
• purging and vaporizing fluid from said chips,
• exhausting hot gases including entrained vaporized fluid purged from said chips from one end of said cyclone separator, and
• exiting dried metal chips from the other end of said cyclone separator.

A process for the production of dry metal chips by the removal of fluid therefrom comprising the following steps:

• entraining fluid-containing metal chips in a gas,
• providing a cyclone separator having a wall, said wall comprising internal and external surfaces,
• heating a substantial portion of said wall of said cyclone separator to fluid-vaporizing temperature,
• introducing said gas with entrained fluid-containing chips into said cyclone separator,
• causing said fluid-containing chips to contact the internal surface of said heated wall of said cyclone separator thereby
• purging and vaporizing fluid from said chips,
• exhausting hot gases including entrained vaporized fluid purged from said chips from one end of said cyclone separator, and
• exiting dried metal chips from the other end of said cyclone separator,
• heating said wall of said cyclone separator to fluid-vaporizing temperature by effecting combustion in a combustion chamber surrounding said wall of said cyclone separator,
• conducting the hot gaseous products of combustion from said combustion chamber to and introducing them into a continuous centrifuge,
• extracting extractable fluid from starting metal chips centrifugally in said continuous centrifuge,
• entraining said metal chips in said hot gaseous products of combustion introduced into said continuous centrifuge from said combustion chamber, and
• conducting said gaseous products with entrained chips from said continuous centrifuge to and introducing the same into said cyclone separator, thereby providing an essentially closed system,
• providing a source of hot water and/or steam and introducing the same together with entrained chips into said cyclone separator either directly or by introducing said hot water and/or steam into said continuous centrifuge and thence into said cyclone separator along with metal chips conducted from said continuous centrifuge into said cyclone separator.

In a metal chip drying apparatus, the combination comprising

• cyclone separator means having a wall, said wall being of heat-conducting material and having inner and outer surfaces, and having inlet means for the entry into said cyclone separator means of gas-entrained metal chips,
• outlet means for the exit of dried chips from said cyclone separator means,
• outlet means at the opposite end of said cyclone separator means for the exit of exhaust gases therefrom,
• combustion chamber means about the outer surface of the wall of said cyclone separator means for the combustion of fuel therein,
• inlet means into said combustion chamber means for the entry of heat and flame thereinto,
• burner means associated with said inlet means into said combustion chamber means and with fuel source means,
• outlet means for exit of gaseous products of combustion from said combustion chamber means,
• jacketed rotary drum dryer or jacketed screw conveyor means, associated with said outlet means for the exit of dried chips from said cyclone separator means, and having a jacket provided with inlet means thereinto,
• conduit means communicating between said outlet means of said combustion chamber means for the exit of gaseous products of combustion therefrom and said inlet means into said jacket means jacketing said rotary drum dryer or screw conveyor.

A process for the production of dry metal chips by the removal of fluid therefrom comprising the following steps:

• entraining fluid-containing metal chips in a gas,
• providing a cyclone separator having a wall, said wall being of heat-conductive material and comprising internal and external surfaces,
• applying heat to a substantial portion of the external surface of said wall of said cyclone separator to produce a fluid-vaporizing temperature on the internal surface of said wall,
• introducing said gas with entrained fluid-containing chips into said cyclone separator,
• causing said fluid-containing chips to contact the internal surface of said heated wall of said cyclone separator thereby
• purging and vaporizing fluid from said chips,
• exhausting hot gases including entrained vaporized fluid purged from said chips from one end of said cyclone separator,
• exiting dried metal chips from the other end of said cyclone separator,
• providing said heat to said cyclone separator wall external surface by the combustion of combustible material in a combustion chamber surrounding the same,
• exhausting gaseous products of combustion from said combustion chamber and conducting the same to and introducing the same into the jacket of a jacketed rotary drum dryer or a jacketed screw conveyor, thereby heating the same,
• introducing said dried metal chips from said cyclone separator into said rotary drum dryer or screw conveyor and further drying the same therein by means of the heat produced in the jacket thereof by the gaseous products of combustion from said combustion chamber.

A process for the production of dry metal chips by the removal of fluid therefrom comprising the following steps:

• entraining fluid-containing metal chips in a gas,
• providing a cyclone separator having a wall, said wall comprising internal and external surfaces,
• heating a substantial portion of said wall of said cyclone separator to fluid-vaporizing temperature,
• introducing said gas with entrained fluid-containing chips into said cyclone separator,
• causing said fluid-containing chips to contact the internal surface of said heated wall of said cyclone separator thereby
• purging and vaporizing fluid from said chips,
• exhausting hot gases including entrained vaporized fluid purged from said chips from one end of said cyclone separator, and
• exiting dried metal chips from the other end of said cyclone separator,
• heating said wall of said cyclone separator to fluid-vaporizing temperature by effecting combustion in a combustion chamber surrounding said wall of said cyclone separator,
• extracting extractable fluid from starting metal chips centrifugally in a continuous centrifuge,
• entraining said metal chips in said hot gaseous products of combustion introduced into said continuous centrifuge from said combustion chamber,
• conducting said gaseous products with entrained chips from said continuous centrifuge to and introducing the same into said cyclone separator,
• providing a jacketed rotary drum dryer or jacketed screw conveyor,
• using the hot gaseous products of combustion from said combustion chamber for heating of the said rotary drum dryer or screw conveyor by introducing them into the jacket thereof,
• introducing said dried metal chips from said cyclone separator into said rotary drum dryer or screw conveyor and further drying the same therein,
• and then conducting said hot gaseous products of combustion from the jacket of said rotary drum dryer or screw conveyor to and introducing them into said continuous centrifuge, thereby providing an essentially closed system.