Drying system

• US 8,006,406 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2007
• Issued: 08/30/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Whirlaway Drying Systems, LP
• Original Assignee: ISCD Holding LP
• Inventors: Dingee, H. Clay IV
• Primary Examiner(s): GRAVINI, STEPHEN MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US11/888,522
• Publication Number:
  US 20080028633A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,490 Days
• Field of Search: 343/71, 344/06, 344/13, 344/97, 705/14, 110/234, 110/252, 427/213, 422/160, 137/527.6, 119/211, 119/204
• US Class Current: 34/371
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 17/103 with specific material feeding arrangements, e.g. combined with disintegrating means
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 17/107 pneumatically inducing within the drying enclosure a curved flow path, e.g. circular, spiral, helical; Cyclone or Vortex dryers swirl or curved flow path induced mechanically, i.e. by rotating element F26B3/0923
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 2200/18 Sludges, e.g. sewage, waste, industrial processes, cooling towers
• CPC Class Codes: F26B 3/10 the gas or vapour carrying the materials or objects to be dried with it
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 137/7902 Valve mounted on end of pipe

Abstract

A method and apparatus for drying and reducing the particle size of malleable material. Preferred embodiments of the invention include a drying apparatus for use with a malleable material, comprising a blower, an airlock feeder, a main line which contains an accelerator, a conditioning chamber, and a dehydration chamber, a polishing line which contains an accelerator, a conditioning chamber, and a dehydration chamber, and a squid line blower for providing pressurized heated air to the apparatus. An alternative preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a method of drying and size reducing malleable material.

Claims

1. A drying apparatus configured to dry a malleable material comprising:

a) a blower configured to generate air;

b) an airlock feeder configured to receive the air from said blower;

c) a main line configured to receive the air from the airlock feeder, wherein the main line comprises an accelerator, a conditioning chamber, and a dehydration cone having a main outlet; and

d) a first squid line blower configured to provide pressured air to the main line, wherein the dehydration cone comprises an exhaust duct having an adjustable damper configured to regulate discharge pressure and exhausted air at the dehydration cone main outlet.

2. The drying apparatus of claim 1, wherein the airlock feeder is adapted to feed the malleable material into the air provided by the blower so that the material is entrained in the air.

3. The drying apparatus of claim 2, wherein the accelerator is adapted to increase a speed of the air with the entrained material to cyclonic speed.

4. The drying apparatus of claim 1 wherein the exhaust duct is configured to regulate the moisture of the air discharged from the hydration cone main outlet.

5. The drying apparatus of claim 4 wherein the exhaust duct is configured to exhaust a portion of the moist air from the dehydration cone.

6. The drying apparatus of claim 1 wherein the squid line is configured to provide the pressurized air to the dehydration cone.

7. The drying apparatus of claim 2 wherein the exhaust duct is configured to exhaust a portion of the moist air from the dehydration cone.

8. The drying apparatus of claim 2 wherein the squid line is configured to provide the pressurized air to the dehydration cone.

9. The drying apparatus of claim 2, wherein the conditioning chamber is configured to reduce a particle size of the entrained material.

10. The drying apparatus of claim 2, wherein the dehydration cone is configured to separate moist air from the entrained material.

11. The drying apparatus of claim 2 wherein the exhaust duct is configured at an upper portion of the dehydration cone.

12. The drying apparatus of claim 11 wherein material is configured to be discharged from a bottom of the dehydration cone.

13. The drying apparatus of claim 1 comprising a second dehydration cone configured to receive the regulated discharged air from the first hydration cone main outlet.

14. The drying apparatus of claim 13 comprising a second squid line blower configured to provide pressured air to the second dehydration cone, wherein the second dehydration cone comprises an exhaust duct having an adjustable damper configured to regulate discharge pressure and exhausted air from the second dehydration cone.