Process for treating carbon black pellets

Claim 1

IN A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING CARBON BLACK PELLETS OF IMPROVED QUALITY INCLUDING THE STEPS OF FORMING CARBON BLACK IN A FURNACE BY IMCOMPLETE COMBUSTION OF A FLUID HYDROCARBON TO FORM AN EFFLUENT STREAM COMPRISING CARBON BLACK AND OFF-GAS CONTAINING N2, H2O, CO2, CO, AND H2, BUT SUBSTANTIALLY DEVOID OF FREE OXYGEN, SEPARATING SAID CARBON BLACK FROM SAID STREAM OF OFF-GAS, AND PELLETING THE CARBON BLACK, THE IMPROVEMENT COMPRISING GRAVITATING THE RESULITNG PELLETED CARBON BLACK IN DRY CONDITION, CONTAINING A MINOR AMOUNT OF FINES, THRU AN ELUTRIATING ZONE IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH A COUNTERCURRENT STREAM OF SAID OFF-GAS FOR A PERIOD IN THE RANGE OF 2 TO 4 SECONDS AT A TEMPERATURE IN THE RANGE OF 500 TO 1800*F. SO AS TO ENTRAIN SAID FINES IN SAID GAS AND HEAT SAID PELLETS TO SAID TEMPERATURE RANGE, THEREBY IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF SAID PELLETS, REMOVING SAID GAS AND ENTRAINED FINES FORM AN UPPER SECTION OF SAID ZONE, AND RECOVERING SAID PELLETS FROM A LOWER SECTION OF SAID ZONE.