Granular material

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY BLENDING A PLURALITY OF STREAMS OF POTATO GRANULES OF DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS TO FORM A UNIFORM MATERIAL AND CONTINUOUSLY SEPARATING THE UNIFORM MATERIAL INTO A PLURALITY OF STREAMS OF PREDETERMINED PORPORTION WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO A ZONE A FIRST STREAM OF POTATO GRANULES HAVING A PARTICULAR MOISTURE CONTENT, SIMULTANEOUSLY AND CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO SAID ZONE AT LEAST ONE OTHER STREAM OF POTATO GRANULES HAVING A MOISTURE CONTENT DIFFERENT FROM THE GRANULES IN THE FIRST STREAM, CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING THE POTATO GRANULES IN SAID ZONE IN THE FORM OF A BED IN A FLUIDEZED STATE BY CONTINUOUSLY FORCING MINUTE STREAMS OF A GASEOUS MEDIUM UPWARDLY THROUGH THE BED OF POTATO GRANULES IN SAID ZONE, THE BED OF POTATO GRANULES THEREBY ASSUMING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A LIQUID IN THAT IT KEEPS A LEVEL SURFACE AND IS CAPABLE OF OF POURING, THE GRANULES OF THE SEPARATE STREAMS BEING THEREBY INTIMATLEY MIXED TO FORM A UNIFORM BLENDED PRODUCT, AND CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING SAID PRODUCT IN THE FORM OF AT LEAST TWO SEPARATE STREAMS EACH OF DIFFERENT VOLUME BY CONTINUOUSLY EXPOSING THE BED OF FLUIDIZED, BLENDED GRANULES WHILE AT CONSTANT LEVEL TO APERTURES OF PREDETERMINED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA WHEREBY TO DIVIDE THE BLENDED GRANULES INTO A PLURALITY OF STREAMS, EACH STREAM HAVING THE SAME UNIFORM MOISTURE CONTENT BUT THE VOLUME OF EACH STREAM BEING A FUNCTION OF THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE APERTURE THROUGH WHICH IT PASSES.

Claim 2

A METHOD FOR CONTINUOUSLY BLENDING A PLURALITY OF STREAMS OF POTATO GRANULES OF DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS TO FORM A UNIFORM MATERIAL AND CONTINUOUSLY SEPARATING THE UNIFORM MATERIAL INTO A PLURALITY OF STREAMS OF PREDETERMINED PORPORTION WHICH COMPRISES CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO A ZONE A FIRST STREAM OF POTATO GRANULES HAVING A PARTICULAR MOISTURE CONTENT, SIMULTANEOUSLY AND CONTINUOUSLY INTRODUCING INTO SAID ZONE AT LEAST ONE OTHER STREAM OF POTATO GRANULES HAVING A MOISTURE CONTENT DIFFERENT FROM THE GRANULES IN THE FIRST STREAM, CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING THE POTATO GRANULES IN SAID ZONE IN THE FORM OF A BED IN A FLUIDEZED STATE BY CONTINUOUSLY FORCING MINUTE STREAMS OF A GASEOUS MEDIUM UPWARDLY THROUGH THE BED OF POTATO GRANULES IN SAID ZONE, THE BED OF POTATO GRANULES THEREBY ASSUMING THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A LIQUID IN THAT IT KEEPS A LEVEL SURFACE AND IS CAPABLE OF OF POURING, THE GRANULES OF THE SEPARATE STREAMS BEING THEREBY INTIMATLEY MIXED TO FORM A UNIFORM BLENDED PRODUCT, AND CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING SAID PRODUCT IN THE FORM OF AT LEAST TWO SEPARATE STREAMS EACH OF DIFFERENT VOLUME BY CONTINUOUSLY EXPOSING THE BED OF FLUIDIZED, BLENDED GRANULES WHILE AT CONSTANT LEVEL TO APERTURES OF PREDETERMINED CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA WHEREBY TO DIVIDE THE BLENDED GRANULES INTO A PLURALITY OF STREAMS, EACH STREAM HAVING THE SAME UNIFORM MOISTURE CONTENT BUT THE VOLUME OF EACH STREAM BEING A FUNCTION OF THE CROSS-SECTION OF THE APERTURE THROUGH WHICH IT PASSES.