Process for production of fertilizer pellets and the like

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR THE FORMATION OF ROUNDED PELLETS OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SIZE COMPRISING PROVIDING A BED OF NUCLEI OF SUBSTANCE TO BE PELLETIZED, IN WHICH BED SAID NUCLEI ARE IN CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER, SAID NUCLEI HAVING A PARTICLE SIZE OF AT LEAST ABOUT 40 MESH, SAID BED BEING LOCATED IN A ROTATING CHAMBER HAVING VANES ACTING TO ELEVATE PORTIONS OF SAID BED FROM THE BOTTOM OF SAID CHAMBER TO A HIGHER POINT THEREIN AND RELEASE SAID ELEVATED PORTIONS SO THAT THEY FALL FREELY BACK TO THE BOTTOM OF SAID CHAMBER, WETTING LOCALIZED PORTIONS ONLY OF SAID BED IN THE LOWER PORTION OF SAID ROTATING CHAMBER BY DIRECT APPLICATION THERETO OF A WATER SLURRY OF SUBSTANCE TO BE PELLETIZED AND IMMEDIATELY ELEVATING AND RELEASING SAID BED PORTIONS BEFORE AN AGGLOMERATING ACTION OCCURS TO ANY SUBSTANTIAL EXTENT BETWEEN THE NUCLEI IN THE WETTED PARTS THEREOF, WHILE PASSING HOT DRYING GASES THROUGH SAID CHAMBER, THE SAID LOCALLY WETTED PORTIONS OF SAID BED SEPARATING INTO SINGLE COATED NUCLEI AND SMALL GROUPS OF NUCLEI, OF LESSER SIZE THAN THE DESIRED PELLETS, BY REASON OF THE AGITATION INVOLVED IN THE AFORESAID ELEVATION AND RELEASE OF THE SAID PORTIONS OF THE BED, AND THE SHOWERING OF THE RELEASED PORTIONS OF THE BED DOWNWARDLY THROUGH THE SAID HOT DRYING GASES WHEREBY THE COATED NUCLEI AND GROUPS OF NUCLEI ARE DRIED TO A NON-AGGLOMERATING MOISTURE CONTENT DURING THEIR DESCENT THROUGH SAID HOT DRYING GASES, AND PRIOR TO THE TIME THEY REJOIN THE BED AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID CHAMBER, AND WHEREBY UNCOATED NUCLEI HAVE THEIR MOISTURE CONTENT REDUCED SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE GENERAL MOISTURE CONTENT OF SAID BED AT A VALUE BELOW THE AGGLOMERATING POINT.