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US 5,096,415 AGranted
Reaction furnace
AssigneeCustom Equipment Corporation
InventorRobert G. Coucher
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A reaction furnace includes a rotating core within a heated shell, the core and shell defining an active annular zone. An interrupted helical screw carried by the core conveys material from an inlet at one end of the zone to an outlet at the opposite end of the zone. The furnace is operated with the annulus only partially filled. Volatiles rise to a void space at the top of the annulus and are drawn off.
Claims25
A method of heating a material, whereby to alter its character to produce a product, comprising:
- introducing said material into a first end of an annular reaction zone defined by a first cylindrical surface and a second cylindrical surface concentric with and of smaller diameter than said first cylindrical surface, said reaction zone being narrow in cross section compared to the cross section of the volume defined by said first cylindrical surface having a selected length between said first end and a second end of said zone;
- maintaining migration through said reaction zone to discharge from said second end at ar ate selected to provide a prescribed residence time of said material in said reaction zone;
- orienting said reaction zone and introducing said material to said reaction zone such that a portion of said reaction zone remains unfilled along the entire said length;
- and
- heating said first cylindrical surface at a rate sufficient to transform said material to said product as it moves from said first end to said second end.
2 more elements
A method of regenerating activated carbon, comprising:
- introducing particulate spent carbon material into one end of an annular active zone defined by a first cylindrical surface of a larger diameter and a second cylindrical surface of a smaller diameter, said first and second cylindrical surfaces being concentric with respect to each other;
- maintaining transfer of said material through said annular zone to fill a portion of the successive cross-sectional areas along the length of said annular zone, while maintaining a void space in the remainder of said zone;
- and
- heating said first cylindrical surface sufficiently to conduct sufficient heat energy from said first cylindrical surface into said material to drive volatile constituents from said spent carbon, thereby reactivating said carbon;
- while
- rotating said second cylindrical surface with respect to said first cylindrical surface, thereby to promote the release of said volatile material from said spent carbon.
3 more elements
A method of regenerating activated carbon, comprising:
- introducing particulate spent carbon material into a first end of an annular reaction zone defined by a first static cylindrical surface and a second rotating cylindrical surface concentric with and of smaller diameter than said first cylindrical surface, said reaction zone being narrow in cross section compared to the cross section of the volume defined by said first cylindrical surface having a selected length between said first end and a second end of said zone;
- maintaining migration of particulate carbon material through said reaction zone to discharge activated carbon from said second end at a rate selected to provide a prescribed residence time of said carbon material in said reaction zone;
- orienting said reaction zone and introducing said material to said reaction zone such that an upper portion of said reaction zone remains unfilled along said length whereby volatile constituents released from said carbon material within said zone migrate to said upper portion;
- and
- heating said first cylindrical surface at a rate sufficient to volatilize impurities from said carbon material as it moves from said first end to second end, thereby to regenerate said activated carbon material.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.