Starch pasting process and apparatus

Claim 2

THE CONTINUOUS METHOD OF PASSING STARCH WHICH COMPRISES, IMPACTING A RADIALLY CONFINED THIN-WALLED TUBULAR STREAM OF AN AQUEOUS SLURRY OF UNPASTED STARCH GRANULES FLOWING IN THE TUBULAR SPACE BETWEEN INTERFITTING NONYEILDING INNER AND OUTER RIGID MEMBERS FROM THE INTERIOR WITH A THIN RADIALLY EXPANDING JET OF STEAM HAVING A RADIAL IMPACT VELOCITY AT LEAST SEVERAL TIMES GREATER THAN THE VELOCITY OF SAID TUBULAR STREAM.

Claim 3

A CONTINUOUS STARCH PASTER OR COOKER COMPRISING, MEANS PROVIDING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR CHAMBER, A STEAM NOZZLE DISPOSED IN COAXIAL AND CONCENTRIC ALIGMENT WITHIN SAID CHAMBER WITH THE DISCHARGE END OF THE NOZZLE TOGETHER WITH THE DISCHARGE HEAD THEREOF BEING RECESSED WITHIN THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID TUBULAR CHAMBER AND WITH EXTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID NOZZLE DISCHARGE END AND HEAD AND THE OPPOSING INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID CHAMBER PROVIDING A GENERALLY VENTURI-SHAPED ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY THE OUTER END OF WHICH INCREASES ABRUPTLY IN WIDTH SO AS TO BE SEVERAL TIMES WIDER THAN THE NARROWEST PORTION OF THE ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY, THERE BEING A STARCH INLET OPENING IN SAID TUBULAR CHAMBER REARWARDLY OF SAID NOZZLE DISCHARGE END A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE WHEREBY A FORWARD FLOWING STREAM OF STARCH SLURRY ENTERS SAID VENTURI-SHAPED ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY, SAID NOZZLE COMPRISING A NOZZLE RING MEMBER HAVING A FRUSTO-CONICAL INTERIOR WHICH NARROWS TO A CENTRAL STEAM OUTLET OPENING AND HAVING A FLAT FRONT FACE FROM WHICH IS SPACED A SHORT DISTANCE THE FLAT BASE SURFACE OF A FRUSTO-CONICAL NOZZLE HEAD WITH THE SPACE THEREBETWEEN FORMING A RADIALLY EXPANDING, THIN DISK-SHAPED OUTLET PASSAGE DISCHARGING AT APPROXIMATELY RIGHT ANGLES INTO THE NARROWEST PORTION OF SAID VENTURI-SHAPED ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY, SAID NOZZLE RING MEMBER AND SAID NOZZLE HEAD BEING RELATIVELY ADJUSTABLE SO AS TO VARY THE WIDTH OF SAID NOZZLE OUTLET PASSAGE.

Claim 4

A CONTINUOUS STARCH PASTER OR COOKER COMPRISING, MEANS PROVIDING AN ELONGATED TUBULAR CHAMBER, A STEAM NOZZLE DISPOSED IN COAXIAL AND CONCENTRIC ALIGMENT WITHIN SAID CHAMBER WITH THE DISCHARGE END OF THE NOZZLE TOGETHER WITH THE DISCHARGE HEAD THEREOF BEING RECESSED WITHIN THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID TUBULAR CHAMBER AND WITH EXTERIOR SURFACES OF SAID NOZZLE DISCHARGE END AND HEAD AND THE OPPOSING INTERIOR SURFACE OF SAID CHAMBER PROVIDING A GENERALLY VENTURI-SHAPED ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY THE OUTER END OF WHICH INCREASES ABRUPTLY IN WIDTH SO AS TO BE SEVERAL TIMES WIDER THAN THE NARROWEST PORTION OF THE ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY, THERE BEING A STARCH INLET OPENING IN SAID TUBULAR CHAMBER REARWARDLY OF SAID NOZZLE DISCHARGE END A SUBSTANTIAL DISTANCE WHEREBY A FORWARD FLOWING STREAM OF STARCH SLURRY ENTERS SAID VENTURI-SHAPED ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY, SAID NOZZLE COMPRISING A NOZZLE RING MEMBER HAVING A FRUSTO-CONICAL INTERIOR WHICH NARROWS TO A CENTRAL STEAM OUTLET OPENING AND HAVING A FLAT FRONT FACE FROM WHICH IS SPACED A SHORT DISTANCE THE FLAT BASE SURFACE OF A FRUSTO-CONICAL NOZZLE HEAD WITH THE SPACE THEREBETWEEN FORMING A RADIALLY EXPANDING, THIN DISK-SHAPED OUTLET PASSAGE DISCHARGING AT APPROXIMATELY RIGHT ANGLES INTO THE NARROWEST PORTION OF SAID VENTURI-SHAPED ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY, SAID NOZZLE RING MEMBER AND SAID NOZZLE HEAD BEING RELATIVELY ADJUSTABLE SO AS TO VARY THE WIDTH OF SAID NOZZLE OUTLET PASSAGE.