US2679113A

US2679113A - Drying and separating unit

Info

Publication number: US2679113A
Application number: US268254A
Authority: US
Inventors: Therell L Sipe
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1952-01-25
Filing date: 1952-01-25
Publication date: 1954-05-25
Anticipated expiration: 1971-05-25

Description

y 25, 1954 T. L. SIPE 2,679,113

DRYI'NG AND SEPARATING UNIT Filed Jan. 25, 1952 INVENTOR. ZHERZZL l. SIRE WW5 m Patented May 25, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,679,113 DRYING AND SEPARATING UNIT Therell L. Sipe, Parma, Ohio Application January 25, 1952, Serial No. 268,254

1 Claim.

dicated to a drying and separating unit and more particularly to a drying unit which may be used for drying clothes, fruit, vegetables, grain and various other materials of solid or granular form and also for extraction and separation of chemicals and elements and allied use.

One general object of this invention is to provide a compact form of drying unit which is efficient and fool-proof in operation and of a form which is economical to manufacture and to the accomplishment of these ends the unit constitutin this invention removes moisture from the articles undergoing treatment therein by centrifugal force, by heat, and by condensation, all three of these expedients being effective at the same time.

With the foregoing and other objects in view that will hereinafter appear, the nature of this invention will be more clearly understood by reference to the following detailed description, the appended claim, and the illustrated embodiment in the annexed drawing.

In said annexed drawing:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a preferred form of the drying unit constituting this invention, a portion of the casing thereof being broken away to show the interior construction; and

Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-section view taken substantially along the line 2-2; Fig. 1.

Referring now more ing, the drying unit there shown comprises a casin I, preferably of cylindrical form, provided at one end with a door 2 for access to the interior of a perforated rotary vaporizing chamber 3 which extends from one end to the other of said casing. Located inside said casing l and preferably below said chamber 3 is one or more heaters A which may be of the electric-resistance type and when one is employed as illustrated, the same is disposed directly beneath said chamber 3 and extends parallel thereto from one end to the other of said casing I. It is to be understood that the electric-resistance type of heater shown was used for purposes of illustration, and other types of heaters suitable for this purpose may be employed.

The end of the casing l opposite to door 2 has mounted thereon a variable speed electric drive motor 5 having its drive shaft (not shown) operatively connected with said chamber 3 to rotate thte latter within said casing I.

Disposed within said casing l and surrounding said chamber 3 is a coolant tube 6 having an inlet particularly to said draw- 2 for a coolant fluid at one the other end, said tube 6 being zig-zagged in casing i so as to define a cold wall. A tank arrangement may be substituted for the coolant tube 6 in order to adapt the unit to its various applications. This substitution is well known to those skilled in the art and further description is not necessary. Insulating walls I are located on opposite sides of heater 4 and chamber 3, with the upper portions of insulating walls I ending just below the coolant tube 6, providing circulation into the cold wall chamber, and the lower portions of walls 1 being provided with openings 8 through which condensate collecting on said tube ii may run down to the bottom of casing I. At the bottom of said casing l is an openin to Which the suction port of a vacuum pump 9 is connected to remove the condensate running thereto as aforesaid and to reduc the pressure within casing I to a value less than atmospheric. Said pump 9 may be driven as by means of an electric motor I0, and in addition to the suction line leading to the bottom of casing I, another suction line H leads to the top of the casing to assist in the creation of a partial vacuum in the casing especially at times when large volumes of condensate are flowing to the bottom opening.

A tube (not shown) may be inserted into the drying or separating chamber which contains a valve controllin the flow of air, catalyst or negative catalyst being admitted to said chamber. This tube will vary in size and is used solely for the purpose of speeding up the reactions, if it so be desired.

In the operation of this unit the door 2 is opened and the material to be dried or dehydrated, whether they be clothes, fruits, vegetables, grain or other materials as previously mentioned, are loaded into the perforated rotary chamber 3. The motors 5 and I0 and the heater 4 are then energized and coolant or refrigerant is caused to flow through tube 6. Thus, the chamber 3 r0- tates at a desired speed to tumble the material therein, thereby exposing all of the surface area thereof to the heating influence of the heater 4 and if the speed of rotation is sufficient the liquids in the material will be centrifugally thrown through the perforated wall of chamber 3. The heater 4, in turn, vaporizes the liquids inside and outside said chamber a whereby the vapors in contacting the exposed portions of tube 6 will condense thereon and run down to the openings 8 at the bottom of casing I. At the same time, the

end and an outlet at partial vacuum in the casing I will permit expansion of the vapors.

In this way, the rotation, the heating, the partial vacuum, and the cold wall all cooperate to produce an eificiently operating drying unit which thoroughly and quickly dehydrates or dries the material loaded into chamber 3.

When the unit is to be operated as a separator, the temperature and vacuum of said chamber 3 will be strictly controlled.

It is to be understood that special holders or racks (not shown) may be provided in chamber 3 to accommodate material of special shape or having surfaces which it is desired to dry more than others. The rotary chamber 55 has the additional function of loosening and fluning up the material therein, vvhereas otherwise heating of certain moist materials without the rotation or agitation will cause the same to be baked and take the form of lumps which would have to be subjected to further treatment in a pulveriser or the like.

I claim:

A unit of the character described for removing liquids from matt 1 prising a rotary perforated chainb i such are adapted to be Laded, means for rotating said chamber, a casing surrounding said chamber, heating means in for vaporizing liquids in the materials, means providing relatively cooler surfaces onto which such vapors condense for discharge from within said casing, insulating walls between said casing and chamber exposing a portion only of such relatively cooler surfaces, said means providing relatively cooler surfaces comprising a tube which at least partly encircles said chamber and through which a refrigerant is adapted to be circulated, said tube having its upper portion exposed to the vaporized liquids and a lower portion from which the condensed liquids collected on such upper portion run to the bottom of said casing, and means for creating a partial vacuum in said casing and having communication with said casing at the top and bottom thereof whereby vaporized liquids are drawn past the exposed upper portion of said tube and condensed liquids are withdrawn from the bottom of said casing.

Reiercnces Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 316,48 i Rice Apr. 28, 1885 1,564,782 Harris Dec. 8, 1&25 1,625,548 Kobiolke Apr. 19, 1927 1,672,326 Kobiolke June 5, 1928 1,948,357 Newkirk Feb. 20, 1934 2,495,535 Morrison Jan. 24, 1950 2,555,821 Smith June 5, 1951