US2749625A - Powder dryer and sterilizer - Google Patents

Description

June 12, 1956 F. CLAIRMONTE 2,

POWDER DRYER AND STERILIZER Filed Feb. 8, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.

Do na/d F. C/airmonfe INVENTOR.

BY MMZ9% June 12, 1956 D. F. CLAIRMONTE POWDER DRYER AND STERILIZER Filed Feb. '8. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Donald F. C/airmonfe INVENTOR.

BY WW 5M United States Patent POWDER DRYER AND STERILIZER Donald F. Clairmonte, Barbados, British West Indies, assignor, by direct and mesue assignments, of one-third to Baron B. Floyd, Caracas, Venezuela, and one-third to Herbert F. Cox, Jr., Syracuse, N. Y.

Application February 8, 1954, Serial No. 408,969

3 Claims. (Cl. 34-233) This invention relates generally to machines for drying and/or sterilizing powdered material and pertains more particularly to improvements in the same such as to produce a more rapid and more effective processing of the material and wherein the end product will be of more desirable and uniform quality.

In drying ovens and the like wherein an endless conveyor is utilized in transporting powdered material through the oven for processing of the same, it is well known that the initial drying action takes place on the surface of the powdered mass and that it is necessary to provide some means for breaking the crust formed thereby and turning up the underlying material so that the entire mass will be properly dried. This has been tried or attempted by many means, the most common which is the provision of stationary spring fingers projecting into the powdered mass to rake the same and break up the crust and turn up the underlying material. Also, some means may be provided for agitating either the entire machine or the endless conveyor to provide additional mixing.

The main disadvantage of such systems is that not enough agitation and mixing occurs to obtain either the necessary dehydration or uniformity of dehydration of the product being processed.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an improved form of drying and/ or sterilizing device which embodies means for effecting the most rapid and effective drying of the material under consideration, and reducing the moisture content uniformly throughout the powder to the desired level.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improvement over existing machines such as to render complete and controllable dehydration possible with a corresponding reduction in processing time, the simplicity of construction manifesting itself in reduction and ease of maintenance as well as minimizing investment and cost of operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved form of agitating means for use in the manner above described which will effect a continuous and violent agitation of the powdered material throughout the entire extent of its mass whereby the end product will be of homogeneous and uniform nature and of substantially small particle size.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of the drying and sterilizing oven;

Figure 2 is a horizontal section on enlarged scale taken along section line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an end view of the assembly;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken along the plane of section line 4-4 of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a partial perspective view of the conveyor assembly and agitating means showing the same in operation.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 10 indicates a drying and sterilizing oven generally which includes a base portion having legs 12 for supporting the device at the desired height. A supply hopper 14 is disposed at one end of the machine above the endless belt conveyor 16 operated through a power roller 18 and trained over idler rollers 20 and an end idler roller 21. A suitable source of power is provided on the base, such as at 22 and a power transfer mechanism 24 is also provided as will be readily apparent.

The machine incorporates a roof portion 26 having inspection doors 28 and beneath the roof are drying and sterilizing lamps 30 arranged in rows of banks and supported on beams 32, in the manner shown which are, in turn, engaged with the vertical screws 34, the screws being operated by hand cranks 36 for elevating each separate bank to the desired height through a cross shaft 37 and associated gears.

The upper flight of the conveyor is supported on a table 38 of the machine and the roof peak is provided with a conduit 40 having a series of openings 42 separably adjustable by the cover plates 44, each actuated exteriorly of the machine through handles 46. Instruments 48 are provided to ascertain the moisture content, these instruments being observed through the inspection doors 28 such that the proper humidity conditions may be maintained in the oven at all times by adjusting the relative height of the lamps 30 with respect to the material being dried on the conveyor 16, and by controlling the openings 42 with the cover plates 44.

A blower 48 is provided to remove air and released moisture through conduit 40 and thence to the exterior of the assembly, and a discharge apron 49 is provided at one end of the machine in register with the conveyor belt 16 to receive the end product falling from the upper flight of the conveyor belt.

In frictional engagement with the upper surface of the upper flight of the conveyor belt 16, is provided a series of agitating means 50 which take the form of coil springs as shown. These agitating means are securely anchored at their opposite ends to the side walls of the roof member and are slightly pretensioned, the amount of pretensioning depending upon the particular characteristics of the springs themselves.

It will be readily appreciated that the springs will be embedded in the powdered material disposed on the conveyor belt and will extend throughout the entire mass thereof to thoroughly mix and break up the powdered material as the belt moves along through the oven assembly. As the belt moves along, the springs will be stretched to such a point that their tension will overcome the force exerted upon them whereupon they will snap back and break through the crust and thoroughly mix the powdered material and it will be noted that this operation is continuous inasmuch as the speed of the belt, by utilizing these agitating means may be maintained at a relatively high speed. An additional elfect of this particular type of agitating means is the longitudinal distortion and movement of the same as it is flexed back and forth across the conveyor belt and through the material which further efiects a mixing and breaking of the crust such that the contents of the entire mass of the powdered material will be thoroughly mixed and operated upon. In this manner, the powdered material will be mixed both longitudinally and laterally of the conveyor belt and will not only be broken up into much smaller particles than is ordinarily accomplished by other agitating means but will also be so thoroughly mixed as to appreciably increase the drying rate and uniformity of drying within the oven assembly.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. In a drying device comprising an elongated housing, a horizontal apron defining a bottom wall in said housing, an endless conveyor including an upper flight resting on and supported by said apron for carrying a layer of hydratcd powdered material through said housing, drying means supported in said housing in overlying relationship along the longitudinal path of travel of said conveyor for dehydrating the powdered material passing thereunder; means frictionally engaging the upper surface of said conveyor and extending upwardly through the path of travel of the powdered material thereof for agitating the mate- 20 4 along the path of travel of said conveyor and being in transverse frictional engagement thereon, said flexible elements including a pre-tensioned freely movable intermediate vibrating and oscillating portion frictionally activated into a continuous agitation movement by the endless conveyor.

2. In a drying device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the intermediate portion of the flexible elements comprise a pre-tensioned coil spring of an endless uniform configuration, said coil spring affording a transverse and longitudinal distortion of the flexible element and continuous and progressive agitation of the powdered material on the conveyor.

3. In a drying device as set forth in claim 2 wherein said coil spring comprises a helically wound wire, said wire having a uniform cross section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 376,546 Pond Jan. 17, 1888 1,191,404 Cummer July 18, 1916 1,551,818 Garnsey Sept. 1, 1925 2,451,316 Bieber Oct. 12, 1948 2,503,317 Bergquist Apr. 11, 1950

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