Fiberizing lignocellulose steamed under pressure and apparatus

Claim 1

THE CONTINUOUS PROCESS OF TREATING CELLULOSIC FIBER-BEARING MATERAL SUCH AS WOOD CHIPS FOR FIBERIZING THEM INTO PULP, WHICH COMPRISES MAINTAINING AT SUPER-PRESSURE AND SUPER-TEMPERATURE ABOVE 212* F. AND ENCLOSED CONDUIT HAVING AT LEAST ONE MATERIAL-SUPPORTING SECTION LEADING TO FREE-FALL SECTION FOLLOWED BY A CLOSEDEND TERMINAL SECTION HAVING AN ORIFICE IN ITS PERIPHERAL WALL FOR DETERMINING THE DIAMETER OF FRAGENTS PASSING THERETHROUGH, SUPPLYING A STREAM OF PRESSURED STREAM FLOWIG THROUGH THE CONDUIT TO EXIT FROM THE ORIFICE, FEEDING SUCH CHIPS INTO THE CONDUIT WHILE MIMNIMIZING LOSS OF STEAM PRESSURE THEREFROM, CONVEYING SUCH CHIPS ALONG THE MATERIAL-SUPPORTING SECTION WHILE SOFENED BY THE STEAM, DROPPING THE SOFTENED CHIP DOWN THE FREE-FALL SECTION, AND EJECTING CHIP FRAGMENTS OF PREDETERMINED SIZE RANGE FROM THE ORIFICE MINIMIZED AS TO SHEARING AND DEGRADATION THEREOF AS A RESULT OF TREATING THEM BY THE FOLLWING STEPS: SPEEDING THE CHIPS IN THE CLOSED END TERMINAL SECTION IN THE PLANE OF THE ORIFICE BY PROJECTIVE AND CENRIFUGAL FORCE TO FORM THEM INTO A WHIRLING TURULENT MASS OF MOBOLIZED GASSUSPEDED PARTICLES WHEREIN THE CHIPS ARE GENERALLY DIMINUTED ALONG THEIR LINES OF CLEAVAGE, MAINTAINING THE ORIFICE IN UNOBSTRUCTED CONDITION BY ROTATION OF THE WHIRLING MASS CONCENTRATED TO WIPE IT CLEAN, AND FORCING FRAGMENTS FROM THE WHIRLING MASS THROUGH THE ORIFICE WITH THE STREAM OF STEAM EXITING THERETHROUGH WHILE REDUCING SPECIFICALLY THEIR DIAMETER FURTHER ALONG THEIR LINES OF CLEVAGE BY THREADING THEM THROUGH THE ORIFICE.