GB1402510A - Process and apparatus for moulding a pulp of smokable material into fibres - Google Patents

Abstract

1402510 Moulding smokable material pulp into fibres TAMAG BASEL AG 30 Nov 1973 [21 Dec 1972] 55652/73 Heading A2C [Also in Division B5] A process for moulding a pulp of smokable material into fibres comprises moulding the pulp by extrusion into moist fibres which break off into an upwardly flowing gas stream, drying the fibres in the gas stream, and separating the dry fibres from the moist fibres by adjusting the flow of the gas stream such that the dried fibres are discharged upwardly with the gas stream. An apparatus for carrying out this process comprises a vortex chamber 60 upwardly traversable by a gas stream, an extruder nozzle 63 located at the bottom of the vortex chamber, pointing upwards into the chamber and having a plurality of pulp outlet openings 66 connected to a pulp storage and pressure loading means for the pulp, and an outlet opening 80 for the gas stream located in an upper region of the vortex chamber and leading to a fibre separator 82 which permits fibres carried along by the outflowing gas stream to drop downwards whilst the gas stream is extracted in a different direction. The gas stream is introduced through two rings of air nozzles 78 and 79 which extend from the external atmosphere into the vortex chamber 60 and compresed air openings 67 uniformly distributed over the base plate 64 of the extrusion nozzle 63. The air outlet opening 80 is tangentially connected by a pipe 81 to the fibre separator 82 which comprises a T-shaped pipe 83 extending vertically. In use pulp is driven by pump 75 and extruded through outlets 66 in small strands and at the same time hot air is driven by the blower 72 and expelled through the outlet openings 67 so as to flow around the fibres. The fibres break off and the air induced by blower 85 enters through the nozzles 78 and 79 into the vortex chamber and flows in the form of a cyclone upwards about the axis 62. The still moist fibres are carried along by these flows and are forcibly carried upwardly and leave the vortex chamber with the air stream through the pipe 81. The fibres then fall downwardly out of the fibre separator whilst the air is extracted upwards through the blower 85. The wall of the housing 61 may be heatable and additives may be injected by means of a nozzle system 88 in the tube or into the vortex chamber 60. The specific examples disclose pulps for use in the process comprising:-1) wheat crush, wheat straw, rice chaff, oat straw, coconut shells with fibres, cocoa shells, magnesium formate, tartaric acid, potassium nitrate, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, vanillin, calcium carbonate, liquid paraffin, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, pectin, glyoxal, glycerine diethylene glycol, fruit concentrate, invert sugar and coffee bean residues; and 2) natural tobacco waste, magnesium formate, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, glycerine and glyoxal. When fibres formed from 2) are treated further glycerine from 89 may be sprayed thereon.