Back to results
US 6,256,902 B1Granted
Apparatus and method for desiccating and deagglomerating wet, particulate materials
OwnerJohn R. Flaherty, Bradley P. Gehringinventors
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for drying and deagglomerating substances of finely-divided solids suspended in a fluid medium. The apparatus includes the basic components of a phenumatic friction dryer, a flash dryer and a ring dryer.
Claims77
Apparatus for drying and deagglomerating wet, clumpy, caked, pasty, sticky or gelatinous material or any combination of such materials, comprising:
- a. a downstream terminus of an elongate shredding conduit;
- and,
- b. means employing a low pressure zone for classifying, by size and density, material expressed from said downstream terminus of said shredding conduit.
Apparatus for drying sludge, comprising, in combination:
- a. an elongate conduit having an upstream end and a downstream end;
- b. means for driving gas through said conduit at high speed;
- c. means for loading sludge into said conduit;
- d. means at said downstream end of said conduit for flash-drying shredded sludge;
- and,
- d. means at said downstream end of said conduit for classifying shredded sludge.
3 more elements
Apparatus for drying sludge, comprising, in combination:
- a. an elongate conduit having an upstream end and a downstream end;
- b. means at said upstream end of said conduit for driving gas through said conduit at high speed;
- c. means for loading sludge cake into said conduit adjacent to, but downstream from, said gas driving means;
- d. means for creating a low-pressure gas zone at said downstream end of said conduit;
- and,
- e. means downstream from said low-pressure gas zone-creating means for classifying shredded sludge.
3 more elements
Apparatus for drying sludge, comprising, in combination:
- a. a conduit approximately 40 feet long with an 8-inch inside diameter, having an upstream end and a downstream end;
- b. means for loading sludge into said conduit's upstream end;
- c. means for driving motive gas through said conduit at approximately 1000 to 4000 cfm, at approximately 2 to 6 psi;
- and,
- d. a flash duct at said downstream end of said conduit, wherein said flash duct is approximately 10 feet long and has an inside diameter from approximately 18 to 30 inches, wherein a downstream end of said conduit projects coaxially into said flash duct.
2 more elements
Apparatus for drying sludge, comprising, in combination:
- a. a pneumatic friction dryer;
- b. a flash duct dryer;
- and,
- c. a ring dryer.
1 more element
A method for separating entrained fluid from agglomerated particulate solid matter, comprising the steps of:
- a. driving agglomerated particulate solid matter with entrained fluid through an elongate conduit with high-speed gas for a time and distance so as to effect deagglomeration of said solid matter;
- b. expressing said deagglomerated solid matter from a downstream terminus of said elongate conduit into a contained gaseous zone at a lower pressure and higher temperature then withing said elongate conduit, thereby causing entrained fluid to be vaporized and carried away from said solid matter by said gas.
A method for drying sludge, comprising the steps of:
- a. driving sludge through an elongate conduit with high-speed gas for a sufficient time and distance to shred and partially dry said sludge;
- b. directing said shredded, partially-dry sludge through a low-pressure duct;
- and,
- c. classifying said shredded, partially-dry sludge by particle size and amount of remaining moisture.
1 more element
A method for introducing agglomerated material into a ring dryer for drying, comprising:
- a. driving agglomerated material with high-pressure motive gas through an elongate conduit until said material is partially deagglomerated;
- b. expressing said material from a terminal end of said elongate conduit into a low-pressure zone having heated gas flowing therethrough.
Apparatus for drying and deagglomerating wet, clumpy, caked, pasty, sticky or gelatinous material or any combination of such materials, comprising:
- a. an injector;
- b. means for classifying, by size and density, the materials expressed from said injector and,
- c. a peripheral deagglomeration nozzle for directing heated air against material expressed from said injector.
Apparatus for drying and deagglomerating wet, clumpy, caked, pasty, sticky and gelatinous materials or any combination of such materials, comprising:
- a. an injector;
- and,
- b. means for classifying, by size and density, the materials expressed from said injector, said classifying means comprising a duct through which heated, high-speed, low-pressure gas flows.
Apparatus for drying sludge, comprising, in combination:
- a. an elongate conduit having an upstream end and a downstream end;
- b, means for driving gas through said conduit at high speed;
- c. means at said downstream end of said conduit for flash-drying shredded sludge;
- d. means at said downstream end of said conduit for classifying shredded sludge;
- and,
- e. means for back-feeding dried, shredded sludge to said upstream end of said conduit.
3 more elements
Apparatus for drying sludge, comprising, in combination:
- a. an elongate conduit having an upstream end and a downstream end;
- b. means at said upstream end of said conduit for driving gas through said conduit at high speed,
- c. means for loading sludge cake into said conduit adjacent to, but downstream from, said gas driving means;
- d. a duct for creating a low-pressure gas zone at said downstream end of said conduit said duct having a diameter substantially greater than the diameter of said conduit, said downstream end of said conduit projecting coaxially into said duct;
- and,
- e. means downstream from said duct for classifying shredded sludge.
3 more elements
Apparatus for drying sludge, comprising, in combination:
- a. an elongate conduit having an upstream end and a downstream end;
- b. means at said upstream end of said conduit for driving gas through said conduit at high speed;
- c. means for loading sludge cake into said conduit adjacent to, but downstream from, said gas driving means;
- d. means for creating a low-pressure gas zone at said downstream end of said conduit;
- e. means downstream from said low-pressure gas zone-creating means for classifying shredded sludge;
- and,
- f. means for back-feeding dried, shredded sludge to said upstream end of said conduit.
4 more elements
Apparatus for drying sludge, comprising, in combination:
- a. a pneumatic friction dryer;
- b. a flash duct dryer;
- c. a ring dryer;
- d. means for delivering sludge to said pneumatic friction dryer;
- and,
- e. means for pasing sludge from said pneumatic friction dryer to said flash duct dryer.
3 more elements
Apparatus for drying sludge, comprising, in combination:
- a. a pneumatic friction dryer;
- b. a flash duct dryer;
- c. a ring dryer;
- and,
- d. a deagglomeration nozzle in fluid communication with, and directed into an internal portion of, said ring dryer.
2 more elements
A method for separating entrained fluid from agglomerated particulate solid matter, comprising the steps of:
- a. driving agglomerated particulate solid matter with entrained fluid through an elongate conduit with high-speed gas for a time and distance to effect deagglomeration of said solid matter;
- b. expressing said deagglomerated solid matter from a downstream terminus of said elongate conduit into a contained gaseous zone at a lower pressure and a higher temperature than within said elongate conduit, thereby causing entrained fluid to be vaporized and carried away from said solid matter by said gas;
- and,
- c. causing said matter expressed from said downstream terminus of said elongate conduit to collide with a stream of partially deagglommerated particulate solid matter, wherein said colliding stream of partially deagglomerated particulate solid matter is matter earlier expressed from said downstream end of said elongate conduit.
1 more element
A method for drying sludge, comprising the steps of:
- a. driving sludge through an elongate conduit with high-speed gas for a time and distance so as to shred and partially dry said sludge;
- b. directing said shredded, partially dry sludge through a low-pressure duct;
- and,
- c. classifying said shredded, partially-dry sludge by particle size and amount of remaining moisture by broadcasting said shredded, partially-dry sludge from said elongate conduit in a cone-shaped spray pattern and further directing different fractions of said cone-shaped spray pattern into different portions of at least one of secondary shredding, drying and classifying apparatus.
1 more element
A method for drying sludge, comprising the steps of:
- a. driving sludge through an elongate conduit with high-speed gas for a time and distance so as to shred and partially dry said sludge;
- b. directing said shredded, partially dry sludge through a low-pressure duct;
- c. classifying said shredded, partially-dry sludge by particle size and amount of remaining moisture;
- and,
- d. recirculating said shredded, partially-dried sludge in secondary shredding, drying and classifying apparatus until a predetermined particle size and moisture content are achieved.
2 more elements
A method for drying sludge, comprising the steps of:
- a. driving sludge through an elongate conduit with high-speed gas for a time and distance so as to shred and partially dry said sludge;
- b. directing said shredded, partially dry sludge through a low-pressure duct;
- c. classifying said shredded, partially-dry sludge by particle size and amount of remaining moisture;
- and,
- d. directing a quantity of shredded, partially-dried sludge through said elongate conduit a second time for further shredding and drying, after said same sludge has been driven through said elongate conduit a first time.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.