Apparatus for the granulation of fertilizers

Claim 1

IN AN APPARATUS FOR THE PREPARATION OF GRANULAR AMMONIA-CONTAINING FERTILIZER COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A ROTARY CYLINDRICAL DRUM HAVING OPEN ENDS, TWO RETAINING RINGS SINGLY DISPOSED AT THE ENDS OF THE DRUM AND ALONG THE AXIS THEREOF, A STATIONARY AMMONIA MANIFOLD DISPOSED WITHIN THE DRUM ADJACENT TO AND PARALLEL TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS THEREOF, SAID AMMONIA MANIFOLD BEING CLOSED AT ONE END AND COMMUNICATING AT THE OTHER END WITH A VALVED CONDUIT ADAPTED TO INTRODUCE AMMONIACONTAINING FLUID INTO THE AMMONIA MANIFOLD AT A CONTROLLED RATE, A STATIONARY ACID MANIFOLD DISPOSED WITHIN THE DRUM ADJACENT AND PARALLEL TO THE AMMONIA MANIFOLD, SAID ACID MANIFOLD BEING CLOSED AT ONE END AND COMMUNICATING AT THE OTHER END WITH A VALVED CONDUIT ADAPTED TO INTRODUCE ACID INTO THE ACID MANIFOLD AT A CONTROLLED RATE, SAID AMMONIA MANIFOLD AND SAID ACID MANIFOLD EACH HAVING A LENGTH SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL TO THE LENGTH OF THE DRUM BETWEEN THE RETAINING RINGS, AND MEANS FOR PASSING A CURRENT OF AIR THROUGH THE DRUM, THE IMPROVEMENT WHICH COMPRISES AN AMMONIA MANIFOLD PROVIDED WITH A SERIES OF ORIFICES ON THE UNDERSIDE THEREOF, EACH ORIFICE BEING POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANT FROM ADJACENT ORIFICES, THE AREA OF ORIFICES IN THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE FORMULA MANIFOLD BEING LARGER THAN THE AREA OF THE ORIFICES IN EACH END PORTION OF THE AMMONIA MANIFOLD, A SERIES OF AMMONIA SUPPLY CONDUITS DEPENDING FROM THE AMMONIA MANIFOLD POSITIONED PERPENDICULAR TO THE AMMONIA MANIFOLD AND PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF EACH AMMONIA SUPPLY CONDUIT FORMING AN ANGLE OF BETWEEN ABOUT 30 AND ABOUT 60* WITH A VERTICAL DIAMETER OF THE AMMONIA MANIFOLD, ONE END OF EACH AMMONIA SUPPLY CONDUIT COMMUNICATING WITH AN ORIFICE IN THE AMMONIA MANIFOLD, THE OPPOSITE END OF EACH AMMONIA SUPPLY CONDUIT BEING OPEN AND POSITIONED ADJACENT TO THE INNER WALL OF THE DRUM, SAID OPENING BEING POSITOINED SUBSTANTIALLY IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF THE DRUM, AN ACID MANIFOLD PROVIDED WITH A SERIES OF ORIFICES ON THE UNDERSIDE THEREOF, EACH ORIFICE BEING POSITIONED SUBSTANTIALLY EQUIDISTANT FROM ADJACENT ORIFICES, THE AREA OF SAID ORIFICES INCREASING FROM THE FEED END OF SAID DRUM TO THE DISCHARGE END OF SAID DRUM, A SERIES OF ACID SUPPLY CONDUITS DEPENDING FROM THE ACID MANIFOLD POSITIONED PERPENDICULAR TO THE ACID MANIFOLD AND PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER, ONE END OF EACH ACID SUPPLY CONDUIT COMMUNICATING WITH AN ORIFICE IN THE ACID MANIFOLD, THE OPPOSITE END OF EACH ACID SUPPLY CONDUIT BEING OPEN AND POSITIONED ADJACENT AND ABOVE THE OPEN END OF AN AMMONIA SUPPLY CONDUIT.