# US 5,343,633 A · Apparatus for rapidly drying a wet, porous gel monolith

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- Number: US 5,343,633 A
- Document ID: US5343633A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 08/028,961
- Filed: 1993-04-29
- Granted: 1994-09-06
- Earliest claimed: 1992-06-26
- Assignees: Yazaki Corporation
- Inventors: Shiho Wang; Fikret Kirkbir; Satyabrata Raychaudhuri; Arnab Sarkar
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US5343633A

## CPC

- C03B 19/12: by liquid-phase reaction processes
- F26B 3/04: the gas or vapour circulating over or surrounding the materials or objects to be dried (F26B3/14 takes precedence)
- F26B 5/005: {by dipping them into or mixing them with a chemical liquid, e.g. organic; chemical, e.g. organic, dewatering aids (F26B3/005 takes precedence; using chemical vapours or gases F26B21/40)}
- F26B 7/00: Drying solid materials or objects by processes using a combination of processes not covered by a single one of groups F26B3/00 and F26B5/00 {(F26B1/005, F26B5/04, F26B23/026 take precedence)}
- F26B 21/40: using gases other than air
- C03B: MANUFACTURE, SHAPING, OR SUPPLEMENTARY PROCESSES
- F26B: DRYING SOLID MATERIALS OR OBJECTS BY REMOVING LIQUID THEREFROM (drying devices for combines A01D41/133; racks for drying fruit or vegetables A01F25/12; drying foodstuffs A23; drying hair A45D20/00; body-drying implements A47K10/00; drying household articles A47L; drying gases or vapours B01D; chemical or physical processes for dewatering or like separating liquids from solids B01D43/00; centrifugal apparatus B04; drying ceramics C04B33/30; drying yarns or fabrics in association with some other form of treatment D06C; drying frames for laundry without heating or positive air circulation, domestic laundry-or spin-driers, wringing or hot pressing laundry D06F; furnaces, kilns, ovens F27)

## Abstract

A process and apparatus are described for rapidly drying a wet, porous gel monolith of glass or ceramic, at subcritical temperatures without inducing any cracking of the gel. The wet gel is immersed in a liquid solvent in a chamber, and the liquid solvent is then heated and expelled from the chamber. Further heating, with or without the presence of a flowing inert gas, fully dries the wet gel. When an inert gas is used, the gas is delivered to the chamber with a controlled solvent partial vapor pressure, to correspondingly control the driving force for drying the gel.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A drying chamber assembly for drying a wet, porous gel monolith, comprising:
an outer container having a closed side wall and a bottom wall;
an inner container having a closed side wall and a top wall, the inner container being disposed with its side wall radially inwardly of the side wall of the outer container, to define a thin annular space between the two side walls, and to define a drying chamber between the bottom wall of the outer container and the side wall and top wall of the inner container;
an inlet port extending through the top wall of the inner container;
an outlet port extending through the side wall of the outer container; and
means for expelling liquids, while in a liquid state, from the drying chamber via the outlet port.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A drying chamber assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the means for expelling liquids includes
a tube extending from the outlet port downwardly through the thin annular space to a position adjacent to the bottom wall;
a pump connected to the outlet port; and
a condenser connected to the outlet port, for condensing solvent vapor expelled from the drying chamber.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

A drying chamber assembly as defined in claim 1, wherein the closed side wall of the outer container and the closed side wall of the inner container are substantially cylindrical and concentric with each other.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

A drying chamber assembly as defined in claim 3, wherein the outer container and the inner container are formed of quartz.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

A drying chamber assembly as defined in claim 1, and further including means for selectively supplying a predetermined gas to the drying chamber via the inlet port.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

A drying chamber assembly as defined in claim 1, and further including means for controllably heating the drying chamber.

### Claim 7

A drying chamber assembly for drying a wet, porous gel monolith, comprising:
an outer container formed of quartz and having a closed, substantially cylindrical side wall and a bottom wall;
an inner container formed of quartz and having a closed, substantially cylindrical side wall and a top wall, the inner container being disposed concentrically within the outer container, to define a thin annular space between the two side walls, and to define a drying chamber between the bottom wall of the outer container and the side wall and top wall of the inner container;
an inlet port extending through the top wall of the inner container;
an outlet port extending through the side wall of the outer container;
a tube extending from the outlet port downwardly through the thin annular space to a position adjacent to the bottom wall;
a pump connected to the outlet port, for selectively expelling liquids from the drying chamber;
a condenser connected to the outlet port, for condensing solvent vapor expelled from the drying chamber;
means for selectively supplying a predetermined gas to the drying chamber via the inlet port; and
means for controllably heating the drying chamber.

### Claim 8

A drying chamber assembly for drying a wet porous gel monolith, comprising:
an outer container having a closed side wall and a bottom wall;
an inner container having a closed side wall and a top wall, the inner container being disposed with its side wall radially inwardly of the side wall of the outer container, to define a thin annular space between the two side walls, and to define a drying chamber between the bottom wall of the outer container and the side wall and top wall of the inner container;
an inlet port extending through the top wall of the inner container;
an outlet port extending through the side wall of the outer container;
a tube extending from the outlet port downwardly through the thin annular space to a position adjacent to the bottom wall;
a pump connected to the outlet port, for selectively expelling liquids from the drying chamber via the tube and the outlet port; and
a condenser connected to the outlet port, for condensing solvent vapor expelled from the drying chamber.

### Claim 9

A drying chamber assembly for drying a wet, porous gel monolith, comprising:
a quartz outer container having a substantially cylindrical closed side wall and a bottom wall;
a quartz inner container having a substantially cylindrical closed side wall and a top wall, the inner container being disposed with its side wall radially inwardly of and concentric with the side wall of the outer container, to define a thin annular space between the two side walls, and to define a drying chamber between the bottom wall of the outer container and the side wall and top wall of the inner container;
an inlet port extending through the top wall of the inner container;
an outlet port extending through the side wall of the outer container; and
means for expelling liquids from the drying chamber via the outlet port.