Method and apparatus for drying or heat-treating products

A method for heat-treating products comprising the steps of:

• loading the products to be treated into at least one transport receptacle;
• providing a filtering element selected from the group consisting of at least one net and sieve above a bottom of said transport receptacle;
• charging said transport receptacle into a charging lock chamber, adjusting a pressure of the charging lock chamber a pressure of a treatment chamber,
• transferring said transport receptacle into said treatment chamber by means of a main conveyor means,
• heat-treating said product with infrared radiation,
• transferring said transport receptacle into a discharging lock chamber,
• adjusting a pressure of the discharging lock chamber to atmospheric pressure, and
• discharging said transport receptacle from said discharging lock chamber.

An apparatus for heat treating products, comprising:

• at least one transport receptacle for being filled by said products;
• a charging lock chamber for changing said transport receptacle into said apparatus;
• a treatment chamber including a main endless conveyor for conveying said transport receptacle;
• at least one heat source for heating said products;
• a discharging lock chamber for discharging s aid transport receptacle from said apparatus,
• means for adjusting a pressure within said apparatus, and
• a secondary endless conveyor associated to each lock chamber for transferring said transport receptacle with said products to be treated into said treatment chamber or discharging the same therefrom, and wherein each lock chamber is adapted to be shut off pressure tight from an ambient atmosphere and an atmosphere provided in said treatment chamber, the endless conveyors in said charging and discharging lock chambers having respective surfaces which are rougher than a surface of the main endless conveyor in the treatment chamber.

An apparatus for heat treating products comprising:

• at least one transport receptacle for receiving said products;
• a charging lock chamber for receiving the one transport receptacle;
• a treatment chamber including a main conveyor means for conveying said transport receptacle,
• at least one heat source for heating said products in said treatment chamber;
• a discharging lock chamber for discharging said one transport receptacle from said apparatus,
• means for varying a pressure within each of said treatment and charge chambers,
• a conveyor associated to each of the chambers for transferring said one transport receptacle with said products to be treated into said treatment chamber or discharging the same therefrom, said treatment chamber being divided into at least two spaced apart microwave treatment zones and one downstream treatment zone, each of which is provided with its own conveyor.