Apparatus for continuously drying granular solids

Claim 1

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRYING GRANULAR ADSORBENT HAVING A VAPORIZABLE ORGANIC MATERIAL DEPOSITED THEREON, WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: AN ENCLOSED DRYING CHAMBER ADAPTED TO CONFINE A BED OF ADSORBENT IN A STATE OF EBULLIENT MOTION WHICH RESEMBLES A BOILING FLUID WITHIN ITS LOWER SECTION, HEAT TRANSFER TUBES THROUGHOUT THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER, MEANS FOR CIRCULATING HEATING FLUID CONTINUOUSLY THROUGH SAID TUBES WHEREBY THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID BED MAY BE MAINTAINED AT A LEVEL SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT VAPORIZATION OF THE VAPORIZABLE ORGANIC MATERIAL, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING INERT STRIPPING GAS TO THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER AT A LEVEL BELOW THE TOP OF SAID HEAT TRANSFER TUBES, MEMBERS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF SHORT PASSAGEWAYS FOR THE FLOW OF STRIPPING GAS AND VAPORIZED MATERIAL AT THE SAME LEVEL IN THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER AND UNIFORMLY SPACED APART WITH LOWER ENDS ABOVE SAID HEAT TRANSFER TUBES AND UPPER ENDS BELOW THE UPPER END OF SAID CHAMBER, THE SIZE AND NUMBER OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS BEING SUCH AS TO PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE DROP SUFFICIENT TO PROMOTE UNIFORM WITHDRAWAL OF STRIPPING GAS AND VAPORIZED MATERIAL ACROSS THE HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER, HEAT TRANSFER TUBES WITHIN THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER AT A LEVEL ABOVE THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS, MEANS FOR CIRCULATING HEATING FLUID THROUGH SAID LAST NAMED TUBES WHEREBY THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID TUBES MAY BE MAINTAINED AT A LEVEL ABOVE THE CONDENSATION TEMPERATURE OF THE STRIPPING GAS AND VAPORIZED ORGANIC MATERIAL, A CONDUIT FOR THE REMOVAL OF STRIPPING GAS AND VAPORIZED ORGANIC MATERIAL TOGETHER EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID LAST NAMED HEAT TRANSFER TUBES, MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY FOR THE SUPPLY OF ADSORBENT HAVING VAPORIZABLE ORGANIC MATERIAL THEREON EXTENDING INTO SAID CHAMBER AND TERMINATING AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID FIRST NAMED HEAT TRANSFER TUBES AND SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW SAID PLURALITY OF PASSAGEWAYS, AND MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY FOR THE REMOVAL OF DRIED ADSORBENT EXTENDING FROM SAID CHAMBER AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID FIRST NAMED HEAT TRANSFER TUBES BUT SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW SAID PLURALITY OF PASSAGEWAYS, THE POINT OF ENTRY TO SAID REMOVAL PASSAGEWAYBEING LATERALLY DISPLACED FROM THE POINT OF DISCHARGE OF SAID SUPPLY PASSAGEWAY.

Claim 2

AN APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY DRYING GRANULAR ADSORBENT HAVING A VAPORIZABLE ORGANIC MATERIAL DEPOSITED THEREON, WHICH COMPRISES IN COMBINATION: AN ENCLOSED DRYING CHAMBER ADAPTED TO CONFINE A BED OF ADSORBENT IN A STATE OF EBULLIENT MOTION WHICH RESEMBLES A BOILING FLUID WITHIN ITS LOWER SECTION, HEAT TRANSFER TUBES THROUGHOUT THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER, MEANS FOR CIRCULATING HEATING FLUID CONTINUOUSLY THROUGH SAID TUBES WHEREBY THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID BED MAY BE MAINTAINED AT A LEVEL SUFFICIENT TO EFFECT VAPORIZATION OF THE VAPORIZABLE ORGANIC MATERIAL, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING INERT STRIPPING GAS TO THE LOWER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER AT A LEVEL BELOW THE TOP OF SAID HEAT TRANSFER TUBES, MEMBERS DEFINING A PLURALITY OF SHORT PASSAGEWAYS FOR THE FLOW OF STRIPPING GAS AND VAPORIZED MATERIAL AT THE SAME LEVEL IN THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER AND UNIFORMLY SPACED APART WITH LOWER ENDS ABOVE SAID HEAT TRANSFER TUBES AND UPPER ENDS BELOW THE UPPER END OF SAID CHAMBER, THE SIZE AND NUMBER OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS BEING SUCH AS TO PROVIDE A SIGNIFICANT PRESSURE DROP SUFFICIENT TO PROMOTE UNIFORM WITHDRAWAL OF STRIPPING GAS AND VAPORIZED MATERIAL ACROSS THE HORIZONTAL CROSS-SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER, HEAT TRANSFER TUBES WITHIN THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER AT A LEVEL ABOVE THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID PASSAGEWAYS, MEANS FOR CIRCULATING HEATING FLUID THROUGH SAID LAST NAMED TUBES WHEREBY THE TEMPERATURE OF SAID TUBES MAY BE MAINTAINED AT A LEVEL ABOVE THE CONDENSATION TEMPERATURE OF THE STRIPPING GAS AND VAPORIZED ORGANIC MATERIAL, A CONDUIT FOR THE REMOVAL OF STRIPPING GAS AND VAPORIZED ORGANIC MATERIAL TOGETHER EXTENDING FROM THE UPPER SECTION OF SAID CHAMBER AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID LAST NAMED HEAT TRANSFER TUBES, MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY FOR THE SUPPLY OF ADSORBENT HAVING VAPORIZABLE ORGANIC MATERIAL THEREON EXTENDING INTO SAID CHAMBER AND TERMINATING AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID FIRST NAMED HEAT TRANSFER TUBES AND SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW SAID PLURALITY OF PASSAGEWAYS, AND MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGEWAY FOR THE REMOVAL OF DRIED ADSORBENT EXTENDING FROM SAID CHAMBER AT A LEVEL ABOVE SAID FIRST NAMED HEAT TRANSFER TUBES BUT SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW SAID PLURALITY OF PASSAGEWAYS, THE POINT OF ENTRY TO SAID REMOVAL PASSAGEWAYBEING LATERALLY DISPLACED FROM THE POINT OF DISCHARGE OF SAID SUPPLY PASSAGEWAY.