Positionable gas injection nozzle assembly for an underwater pelletizing system
AssigneeGala Industries, Inc.
InventorsRobert G. Mann, Charles W. Simmons, Robert A. Ryan
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A positionable gas nozzle assembly for injecting and directing pressurized air or other gas having an inert nature into a pellet slurry so as to increase the velocity of the slurry from a pelletizer to and through a dryer. The variably positionable nozzle can be inserted, retracted and/or intermediately positioned to facilitate start-up of the pelletization process, reduce or eliminate pellet hang-up points, maximize and optimize the velocity of the pellet slurry throughput, and to adjust the aspiration level of the pellet slurry such that the internal heat of the pellets is retained for improved degrees of crystallization and/or drying.
Claims32
An injecting device for use with an underwater pelletizer apparatus that extrudes and cuts polymer strands into pellets, said apparatus including piping to introduce water into said pelletizer and a transport pathway to transport a water and pellet slurry out of said pelletizer and to a centrifugal dryer for drying said pellets, said injecting device comprising:
- a positionable nozzle assembly having a movable nozzle tube for introducing a pellet speed expediter into said water and pellet slurry to increase a velocity of the pellet slurry to and through the dryer such that more internal heat of the pellets is retained, said nozzle tube being selectively movable to different positions between a fully inserted position in which the nozzle tube is positioned forwardly to be within the piping and a fully retracted position in which the nozzle tube is withdrawn from the piping to provide unobstructed flow of the slurry through the piping and to prevent pellet hang-up on the nozzle tube.
An apparatus for processing polymers and other materials into pellets comprising:
- a pelletizer to cut polymer strands into pellets;
- a dryer for drying said pellets;
- transport piping to transport a water and pellet slurry out of said pelletizer and to said dryer;
- and
- an injector to introduce a pellet speed expediter into said water and pellet slurry within said transport piping to enhance the speed of said pellets through said processing apparatus so that said pellets retain a high degree of internal heat, said injector including a positionable nozzle tube insertable within said transport piping and selectively movable to different positions between a fully inserted position in which the nozzle tube is positioned forwardly to be within the piping and a fully retracted position in which the nozzle tube is withdrawn from the piping to provide unobstructed flow of the slurry through the piping and to prevent pellet hang-up on the nozzle tube.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.