Steam drying apparatus

A liquid-vapor separating apparatus comprising a horizontally oriented cylindrical drum having inlet means for receiving a mixture of liquid and vapor, liquid outlet means disposed in the lower portion of said drum for discharging separated liquid, vapor outlet means in the upper portion of said drum for discharging separated vapor, separating means disposed in the lower portion of said drum for separating some of said liquid from said mixture and providing a partially dried mixture, and a screen dryer disposed in the upper portion of said drum between said separating means and said vapor outlet to provide a dried vapor, said screen drier comprising:

• a. four rows of screen dryer units oriented such that said partially dried mixture passes through said screen dryer units before exiting through said vapor outlet means to remove entrained liquid therefrom including a pair of center rows of screen dryer units spaced from each other and extending generally along and adjacent the vertical center line of said drum and a pair of outer rows of screen dryer units extending along each side of said drum and space outwardly from said center rows;
• b. means joining the tops of said center rows to prevent vapor flow therebetween and to force vapor flow from the center line outwardly through said pair of center rows of screen dryer units;
• c. means attached to said pair of center rows of screen dryer units and attached to said drum either directly or indirectly to suspend said pair of center rows of screen dryer units;
• d. clip and bracket means attached to the tops of said outer rows and either directly or indirectly to said drum said clip adapted to be clipped onto said bracket to hold the tops of said outer rows in position with respect to said drum and to form a vapor flow seal between the tops of said outer rows and said drum to prevent vapor flow therebetween and to force vapor flow from the sides inwardly through said outer rows;
• e. means joining the bottoms of said outer rows to the bottoms of the adjacent one of said center rows to seal the space between said outer rows and said adjacent center row to prevent vapor flow therebetween and thereby force vapor flow through said screen dryer units, said means joining the bottoms of said rows forming drainage means adapted to collect liquid separated in said screen dryer units including means for conducting said collected liquid to the bottom of said drum;
• and
• f. means operable from below said drainage means for suspending said drainage means either directly or indirectly from said drum.