System, apparatus, and method for reducing moisture content of particulate material
AssigneeNovatec, Inc.
InventorsRobert W. Brown, John W. Doub, Jr.
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system for drying particulate material in a drying hopper (DH) has a plurality of gas flow paths, one (FP1) of which extends from a compressed gas inlet (16) to a first sub-system (SS1) that includes a membrane dryer(MD) and a heater (EH′), whereby dried and heated gas is supplied to a lower portion (36) of the hopper, and another (FP2) of which extends from the inlet (16) to a second sub-system (SS2) that includes a mixing device (30) and a heater (EH). The mixing device uses compressed gas to induce a flow of gas from the hopper and mixes the compressed gas with gas withdrawn from the hopper. The mixed gases are heated and supplied to a second portion (34) of the hopper.
Claims10
A system for drying solid bulk material in a hopper, comprising:
- an inlet for compressed gas;
- a first sub-system, including a membrane dryer and a heater, connected to said inlet, the first sub-system supplying dried heated gas to a first portion of the hopper;
- and
- a second sub-system, including a mixing device connected to said inlet along a gas flow path that bypasses said membrane dryer, and a heater, the mixing device using gas from said inlet to induce the withdrawal of gas from the hopper and to mix the withdrawn gas with gas supplied from said inlet, and the mixed gases being heated and supplied to a second portion of the hopper.
A method of drying material in a chamber, that comprises:
- supplying a first portion of gas from a source of compressed gas to a membrane dryer;
- supplying gas dried by the membrane dryer, and heated, to a first portion of the chamber;
- supplying a second portion of gas from said source, independently of said membrane dryer, to a gas mixing device;
- withdrawing gas from the chamber and using the mixing device to mix the withdrawn gas with the second portion of gas;
- and
- supplying the mixed gases to a second portion of the chamber.
Apparatus for drying particulate material in a drying hopper, comprising:
- an inlet for receiving compressed air;
- a first flow path connected to the inlet, that includes a membrane dryer and that provides compressed air from the inlet to the membrane dryer;
- a first heater that receives and heats dried compressed air from the membrane dryer;
- a first diffuser in the hopper that receives dried heated air from the first heater;
- a second flow path connected to the inlet separately from the membrane dryer and that provides compressed air from the inlet to a mixing device that withdraws air from an upper portion of the hopper and mixes the compressed air provided to the mixing device with air withdrawn from the hopper;
- a second heater that receives and heats the mixed air from the mixing device;
- and
- a second diffuser in the hopper, above the first diffuser, that receives heated mixed air from the second heater.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.