Apparatus for handling and wetting dust

Claim 1

A DUST HANDLING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN ELONGATED VERTICAL PIPE, A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTAL WATER INLETS CONNECTED TO THE MID PORTION OF SAID PIPE AND UNIFORMLY SPACED AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF UPWARDLY DIRECTED STEAM INLETS CONNECTED TO SAID PIPE ABOVE SAID WATER INLETS AND ALSO UNIFORMLY SPACED AROUND THE CIRCUMFERENCE THEREOF BUT STAGGERED WITH RESPECT TO SAID WATER INLETS, AND A WAFER-TYPE SLIDE VALVE IN THE UPPER PORTION OF SAID PIPE ABOVE SAID STEAM INLETS FOR CONTROLLING ADMISSION OF DUST TO THE PIPE, SAID STEAM INLETS SUPPLYING STEAM IN COUNTERFLOW RELATION TO DUST ADMITTED VIA SAID VALVE TO PRODUCE TURBULENCE IN THE DUST, SAID WATER INLETS SUPPLYING WATER FOR WETTING THE TURBULENT DUST, THE LOWER END OF SAID PIPE BEING OPEN FOR DISCHARGING DUST WETTED TO FORM A SLUDGE, SAID WATER AND STEAM INLETS TERMINATING AT THE PIPE WALL LEAVING SAID PIPE UNOBSTRUCTED TO ENABLE FOREIGN BODIES WITH THE DUST TO FALL DIRECTLY THROUGH TO THE OPEN LOWER END.