Means for continuously treating divided materials

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR CONTINUOUSLY HEATING DIVIDED MATERIALS INCLUDING FINES AND COARSER FRACTIONS COMPRISING MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A BED OF SAID MATERIAL, SAID BED HAVING A FREELY SLOPING SURFACE, MEANS FOR APPLYING HEAT TO SAID SURFACE OF THE BED IN A REGION BEGINNING SUBSTANTIALLY BELOW THE TOP OF THE BED AND EXTENDING TO THE TOP OF THE BED TO MELT THE MATERIAL IN SAID REGION AND TO CAUSE IT TO FLOW DOWN SAID SLOPING SURFACE AND PREVENT LOSS OF FINES AND OTHER MATERIALS FROM ESCAPING THROUGH THE GASES OF COMBUSTION, MEANS FOR WITHDRAWING TREATED MATERIALS FROM THE FOOT OF SAID SLOPING SURFACE, MEANS FOR SUPPLYING SAID MATERIAL TO THE TOP OF THE BED AT A RATE CORRESPONDING SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE RATE OF WITHDRAWAL OF SAID MATERIAL, AN ENCLOSURE ABOUT SAID SUPPORTING MEANS, HEATING MEANS AND REMOVING MEANS, MEANS DEFINING AN OPENING IN A TOP WALL OF SAID ENCLOSURE TO ADMIT THE MATERIAL SUPPLIED BY SAID SUPPLYING MEANS, MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGE IN AN END WALL OF SAID ENCLOSURE FOR DISCHARGING THE EXHAUST GASES FROM SAID ENCLOSURE, AN INTERMEDIATE CHAMBER ADJACENT SAID ENCLOSURE AND COMMUNICATING THEREWITH THROUGH SAID MEANS DEFINING A PASSAGE, MEANS IN SAID INTERMEDIATE CHAMBER FOR WITHDRAWING THEREFROM FINE PARTICLES OF MATERIAL CARRIED INTO SAID INTERMEDIATE CHAMBER BY THE EXHAUST GASES, A HEAT EXCHANGE CHAMBER, MEANS FOR ADMITTING THE EXHAUST GASES TO SAID HEAT EXCHANGE CHAMBER FROM SAID ENCLOSURE, AND HEAT EXCHANGE MEANS IN SAID CHAMBER HEATED BY THE EXHAUST GASES.