Agglomeration apparatus
AssigneeNestec S.A.
InventorSheng-Hsiung Hsu
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A pulverulent, water-soluble material is agglomerated by projecting the material in a stream through a moistening zone. Means are provided for directing an aqueous gas towards the stream of particulate material in the moistening zone so that the stream of particulate material is surrounded by and confined throughout its path of travel through the moistening chamber as particles of the particulate material are moistened and fused, and means are provided for drying the material. Means are also provided for feeding a cooling gas and/or a stream of steam adjacent to and about the periphery of the stream of material.
Claims16
Apparatus for agglomerating particles of a water-soluble particulate material comprising:
- (a) a vertically extending confining moistening chamber having an inlet of lesser cross-section width than the width of the confines of the chamber and an outlet vertically disposed from the inlet;
- (b) means associated with the inlet for projecting a stream of particulate material into the chamber to the outlet;
- (c) means for diffusing aqueous gas horizontally inwardly from outside and about the periphery of the vertical confines of the chamber to surround and tend to confine, under relatively quiescent conditions, a stream of particulate material projected through the chamber from the inlet to the outlet;
- and
- (d) means associated with the outlet for receiving and drying particulate material from the outlet of the chamber.
Apparatus for agglomerating particles of a water-soluble particulate material comprising:
- (a) a confining moistening chamber having a vertically extensive porous tubular shell of substantially uniform porosity disposed from an outer confining wall such that an annular channel is defined between the outer wall and the shell;
- (b) an upper inlet in the moistening chamber having a lesser cross-section width than the confines of the moistening chamber shell;
- (c) a lower outlet in the moistening chamber vertically disposed from the inlet;
- (d) means for supplying an aqueous gas to the exterior surface of the tubular shell at a substantially uniform pressure about the circumference of the shell;
- (e) means for projecting an annular stream of particulate material into the moistening chamber through the inlet to the outlet;
- and
- (f) means for receiving particulate material from the outlet and for drying the received particulate material.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.