Apparatus and method for conveying cohesive materials

An apparatus comprising:

• a cylindrical pipe comprising a first open end, a second open end and an interior wall, said cylindrical pipe being configured to be operable for rotation about a longitudinal axis with a rotational rate at least sufficient for a cohesive material, feed fed into said cylindrical pipe, to remain substantially stationary in a layer on said interior wall during the rotation;
• a plurality of blades being configured to be operable for deflecting the cohesive material, each of said blades comprising a blade edge having a curvature substantially corresponding to a portion of said interior wall;
• a support structure for supporting said blade edges within an interior of said cylindrical pipe along a line at a fixed distance from said longitudinal axis with each of said blade edges proximate said interior wall and having an angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal axis, said support structure being independently rotatable about said longitudinal axis to rotate said plurality of balades;
• and
• an inlet feed apparatus for feeding the cohesive material into said first open end where a difference in rotational rate between said interior wall and said plurality of blades, and said angle at least in part determines a rate of conveyance of the cohesive material axially along said interior wall.

A method comprising the steps of:

• rotating a cylindrical pipe comprising a first open end, a second open end and an interior wall about a longitudinal axis with a rotational rate at least sufficient for a cohesive material, fed into said cylindrical pipe, to remain substantially stationary in a layer on said interior wall during the rotation;
• supporting a plurality of blades within an interior of said cylindrical pipe along a line at a fixed distance from said longitudinal axis with each of said blade edges proximate said interior wall and having an angle with respect to a plane perpendicular to said longitudinal axis for deflecting the cohesive material, each of said blades comprising a blade edge having a curvature substantially corresponding to a portion of said interior wall;
• independently rotating said des about said longitudinal axis;
• and
• feeding the cohesive material into said first open end where a difference in rotational rate between said interior wall and said plurality of blades, and said angle at least in part determines a rate of conveyance of the cohesive material axially along said interior wall.