Dryer hopper

A dryer for material, comprising:

• a hopper having an interior formed by a wall section, a first end section and a second end section, the wall section enclosing the side or sides of the hopper, the wall section including an inner wall forming an outer periphery for the interior of the hopper, the first end section enclosing the hopper at one end of the wall section, and the second end section enclosing the hopper at an opposite end of the hopper;
• the hopper further having an air inlet at or near the second end section and an air outlet at or near the first end section, an inlet at or near the first end section for introducing material to be dried into the interior of the hopper, and an outlet at or near the second end section for discharging material to be dried out of the hopper;
• the interior of the hopper having a hollow first portion providing an unobstructed passageway for material introduced into the interior of the hopper from the material inlet;
• and
• the interior of the hopper having a second portion in communication with the hollow first portion, the second portion including a first perforated section located about a central axis of the hopper, the first perforated section having an outer peripheral edge spaced inwardly apart from the interior wall of the wall section, the second portion further including a second perforated section, a first portion of the second perforated section being adjacent to the inner wall of the wall section and a second portion of the second perforated section providing an opening in communication with the material outlet through which material may pass, the second perforated section having an interior wall having perforations there through, the perforations being in communication with the air inlet providing a passageway for air introduced into the interior of the hopper to flow through the air inlet and through the perforations in the interior wall of the second perforated section and directing air into the interior of the hopper, the first perforated section having an open area and the second perforated section having an open area, the open area of the first perforated section being greater than the open area of the second perforated section;
• the outer peripheral edge of the first perforated section spaced apart from the inner wall of the second perforated section providing a passageway in between the interior wall of the second perforated section and the outer peripheral edge of the first perforated section, the passageway being in communication with the material outlet allowing material introduced into the interior of the hopper to pass between the interior wall of the second perforated section the and the outer peripheral edge of the first perforated section and out of the hopper through the material outlet.