Method and apparatus for treating particulate-shaped material, in particular for mixing, drying, graduating, pelletizing and/or coating the material

An apparatus for treating particulate material, comprising:

• a container having a process chamber for containing said particulate material and a container central duct separated from said process chamber, said container further having a longitudinal mid-axis;
• said process chamber being arranged around said longitudinal mid-axis of said container and being formed as an annular chamber, said process chamber further having a lower region and an upper region which is open;
• said container central duct forming a flow duct for process air and opening into said lower region of said process chamber, and communicating with said upper region of said process chamber so as to conduct process air in at least one first operating state;
• a fan arranged in a lower region of said container central duct for producing a flow of said process air in said container central duct from top to bottom and arranged immediately adjacent to an opening area of said container central duct into said process chamber, wherein said fan has fan blades whose radially outer ends at least partly project into said opening area of said container central duct into said process chamber;
• wherein said radially outer ends of said fan blades are curved backwards as viewed in a direction of rotation of said fan.

An apparatus for treating particulate material, comprising:

• a container having a process chamber for containing said particulate material and a container central duct separated from said process chamber, said container further having a longitudinal mid-axis;
• said process chamber being arranged around said longitudinal mid-axis of said container and being formed as an annular chamber, said process chamber further having a lower region and an upper region which is open;
• said container central duct forming a flow duct for process air and opening into said lower region of said process chamber, and communicating with said upper open region of said process chamber so as to conduct said process air in at least one first operating state, by said container central duct widening circumferentially and opening towards said upper region of said process chamber;
• wherein said container is connectable to an external process air feed system and has a feed air duct which is connected to said container central duct, and wherein above said process chamber there is arranged a filter which is connected into the flow path of said feed air duct.

An apparatus for treating particulate material, comprising:

• a container having a process chamber for containing said particulate material and a container central duct separated from said process chamber, said container further having a longitudinal mid-axis;
• said process chamber being arranged around said longitudinal mid-axis of said container and being formed as an annular chamber, said process chamber further having a lower region and an upper region which is open;
• said container central duct forming a flow duct for process air and opening into said lower region of said process chamber, and communicating with said upper region of said process chamber so as to conduct process air in at least one first operating state;
• a fan arranged in a lower region of said container central duct for producing a flow of said process air in said container central duct from top to bottom and arranged immediately adjacent to an opening area of said container central duct into said process chamber, wherein said fan has fan blades whose radially outer ends at least partly project into said opening area of said container central duct into said process chamber;
• wherein said process chamber is rotatably fixed relative to said container central duct about said container longitudinal mid-axis;
• wherein said container is connectable to an external process air feed system and has a feed air duct which is connected to said container central duct;
• and
• wherein at least one of a valve and a gate is provided in order to connect said feed air duct to said container central duct so as to conduct said process air or to seal off said container central duct with respect to said feed duct.

An apparatus for treating particulate material, comprising:

• a container having a process chamber for containing said particulate material and a container central duct separated from said process chamber, said container further having a longitudinal mid-axis;
• said process chamber being arranged around said longitudinal mid-axis of said container and being formed as an annular chamber, said process chamber further having a lower region and an upper region which is open;
• said container central duct forming a flow duct for process air and opening into said lower region of said process chamber, and communicating with said upper region of said process chamber so as to conduct process air in at least one first operating state;
• a fan arranged in a lower region of said container central duct for producing a flow of said process air in said container central duct from top to bottom and arranged immediately adjacent to an opening area of said container central duct into said process chamber, wherein said fan has fan blades whose radially outer ends at least partly project into said opening area of said container central duct into said process chamber;
• wherein said process chamber is rotatably fixed relative to said container central duct about said container longitudinal mid-axis;
• wherein said container is connectable to an external process air feed system and has a feed air duct which is connected to said container central duct;
• and
• wherein at least one of a valve and a gate is provided in order to connect said feed air duct to said container central duct so as to conduct said process air or to seal off said container central duct with respect to said feed air duct, and wherein said at least one of said valve or said gate has at least one operating position in which both said feed air duct is connected to said container central duct and said container central duct is connected to said open upper region of said process chamber, both so as to conduct process air.

An apparatus for treating particulate material, comprising:

• a container having a process chamber for containing said particulate material and a container central duct separated from said process chamber, said container further having a longitudinal mid-axis;
• said process chamber being arranged around said longitudinal mid-axis of said container and being formed as an annular chamber, said process chamber further having a lower region and an upper region which is open;
• said container central duct forming a flow duct for process air and opening into said lower region of said process chamber, and communicating with said upper region of said process chamber so as to conduct process air in at least one first operating state;
• a fan arranged in a lower region of said container central duct for producing a flow of said process air in said container central duct from top to bottom and arranged immediately adjacent to an opening area of said container central duct into said process chamber, wherein said fan has fan blades whose radially outer ends at least partly project into said opening area of said container central duct into said process chamber;
• wherein said container is connectable to an external process air feed system and has a feed air duct which is connected to said container central duct, and wherein above said process chamber there is arranged a filter which is connected into the flow path of said feed air duct;
• wherein said feed air duct has a first shoe arranged above said filter and covering a sector of said filter, and the second shoe opposite said first shoe and underneath said filter, which is connected to said container central duct, and wherein said first and said second shoe can be set into a circulating movement on said filter.