Drying process for detergents

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR DRYING DETERGENTS WHICH CONSIST ESSENTIALLY OF A MIXTURE OF 10 TO 80% OF SODIUM ALKYL BENZENE SULFONATE DETERGENT IN WHICH THE ALKYL GROUP IS OF 12-18 CARBON ATOMS AND 90 TO 20% OF WATER SOLUBLE INORGANIC SALT SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF SODIUM SULFATE SODIUM CHLORIDE, PENTASODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE, SODIUM SILICATE, AND MIXTURES THEREOF, THE RATIO OF ORGANIC DETERGENT TO INORGANIC SALT EMPLOYED BEING SUCH AS TO ALLOW PRODUCTION OF A NON-TACKY COMPOSITION AS NON-DUSTING FREE FLOWING STABLE PARTICLES WHICH RESIST BREAKAGE DURING HANDLING AND ARE SUBSTANTIALLY ALL BEADS OF SUBSTANTIALLY GLOBULAR SHAPE WITH DIAMETERS WITHIN THE RANGE OF .075 TO 85 MILLIMETER AND OF BULK DENSITY FROM .16 TO .50 GRAM PER CUBIC CENTIMETER, WHICH COMPRISES MAKING AN AQUEOUS CRUTCHER MIX CONTAINING 40 TO 65% OF THE SYNTHETIC ORGANIC DETERGENT AND INORGANIC SALT AND 60 TO 35% WATER, SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF ENTRAINED GASES, HEATING THE MIX TO A TEMPERATURE OF 120* TO 210* FAHRENHEIT, SPRAYING THE MIX AT A PRESSURE OF 500 TO 1500 POUNDS PER SQUARE INCH THROUGH AN ORIFICE OF DIAMETER BETWEEN 2.0 AND 3.2 MILLIMETERS IN A CONICAL SPRAY PATTERN INTO HEATED DRYING GAS, DRYING THE SPRAYED PARTICLES TO A FORM RETAINING, SUBSTANTIALLY GLOBULAR, PARTICULATE PRODUCT OF LOW MOISTURE CONTENT AND COOLING THE PARTICLES TO A TEMPERATURE AT WHICH THEY WILL BE NON-TACKY AND NON-AGGLOMERATIVE.