Apparatus for producing long pasta products including an improved drier

In an apparatus for the production of long pasta products having a press, a bar hanging arrangement from which the products are suspended while being moved longitudinally through the apparatus, and a long pasta product drier, the drier being constructed as a single level drier having a rapid heating zone and an intense drying zone, the rapid heating zone having several different climate zones of differing temperatures and at least one longitudinal duct for exhaust air and at least one longitudinal duct for fresh air and ducts which connect to said longitudinal fresh and exhaust air ducts having controllable regulating valves, the intense drying zone having a plurality of ventilated elements including longitudinal ducts for ventilation and installable slides in each ventilated element, the long pasta drier including a climate controller for each climate zone, said controller operating by blowing in air and by exhausting air for controlling said climate zones individually, the improvement comprising:

• a. said rapid heating zone and said intense drying zone being formed as a circulating system for fresh and exhaust air;
• b. inside the drier, means for individually controlling air flow in each different climate zone and for directing said air flow in each climate zone from top to bottom or bottom to top, said means including individual fans and heat exchangers;
• c. a supplemental air system for said plurality of climate zones and ventilated elements wherein the air is directed by ducts within the drier which ducts are interconnected external to the drier to control fresh air and exhaust air over the entire length of the drier;
• and
• d. at least part of the circulating air, by way of regulating means operating through said ducts of the supplementary air system external to the drier, being blown in by turbo means for automatic control of fresh and exhaust air and for maintaining an optimum ambient condition within each climate zone and ventilated element.