Method of drying an insoluble particulate material

Claim 1

A METHOD OF DRYING A SUSPENSION OF AN INSOLUBLE, SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL IN A LIQUID TO OBTAIN DRY GRANULES COMPOSED OF PARTICLES OF SAID MATERIAL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING FORMING A FLUIDIZED BED CONSTITUTED OF DRYING GRANULES OF SAID MATERIAL BY UPWARDLY PASSING HEATED GAS THROUGH SAID GRANULES TO HOLD SAID GRANULES SUSPENDED IN THE FORM OF A TURBULENT MASS AND WHEREIN THE TURBULENT MASS HAS UPPER AND LOWER BOUNDARIES, CAUSING SAID SUSPENSION TO FLOW IN THE FORM OF A CONTINUOUS STREAM TOWARDS SAID MASS IN THE FLUIDIZED BED SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE UPWARDLY FLOWING GAS AT A LEVEL BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER BOUNDARIES OF THE MASS AND THEREBY NOT DISTURB THE BOUNDARIES OF THE MASS, EXTRUDING THE STREAM INTO A PLURALITY OF SMALL STRINGS JUST AS THE STREAM ENTERS THE FLUIDIZED BED, THE STRINGS HAVING A TENDENCY TO DRY AND BREAK APART INTO PARTICLES IN THE BED, PROMOTING THE BREAKAGE OF THE STRINGS BY MECHANICALLY ENGAGING THE STRINGS WITHIN THE BED, AND PERMITTING SAID PARTICLES TO MIX WITH SAID DRYING GRANULES THEREBY TO PROVIDE FURTHER DRYING GRANULES AS THE PARTICLES OF SAID MATERIAL IN SAID STRINGS ARE DRIED BY SAID GAS AND CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING DRYING GRANULES WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY DUST-FREE FROM THE FLUIDIZED BED AT THE LOWER BOUNDARY OF THE BED AND AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME RATE AT WHICH THE PARTICLES IN THE STRINGS ARE INTRODUCED INTO SAID BED TO RETAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT MASS OF DRYING GRANULES IN SAID FLUIDIZED BED, THE STRINGS OF THE DIVIDED STREAM BEING THE ONLY SOURCVE OF PARTICULATE MATERIAL INTRODUCED INTO SAID BED.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF DRYING A SUSPENSION OF AN INSOLUBLE, SOLID PARTICULATE MATERIAL IN A LIQUID TO OBTAIN DRY GRANULES COMPOSED OF PARTICLES OF SAID MATERIAL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING FORMING A FLUIDIZED BED CONSTITUTED OF DRYING GRANULES OF SAID MATERIAL BY UPWARDLY PASSING HEATED GAS THROUGH SAID GRANULES TO HOLD SAID GRANULES SUSPENDED IN THE FORM OF A TURBULENT MASS AND WHEREIN THE TURBULENT MASS HAS UPPER AND LOWER BOUNDARIES, CAUSING SAID SUSPENSION TO FLOW IN THE FORM OF A CONTINUOUS STREAM TOWARDS SAID MASS IN THE FLUIDIZED BED SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO THE UPWARDLY FLOWING GAS AT A LEVEL BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER BOUNDARIES OF THE MASS AND THEREBY NOT DISTURB THE BOUNDARIES OF THE MASS, EXTRUDING THE STREAM INTO A PLURALITY OF SMALL STRINGS JUST AS THE STREAM ENTERS THE FLUIDIZED BED, THE STRINGS HAVING A TENDENCY TO DRY AND BREAK APART INTO PARTICLES IN THE BED, PROMOTING THE BREAKAGE OF THE STRINGS BY MECHANICALLY ENGAGING THE STRINGS WITHIN THE BED, AND PERMITTING SAID PARTICLES TO MIX WITH SAID DRYING GRANULES THEREBY TO PROVIDE FURTHER DRYING GRANULES AS THE PARTICLES OF SAID MATERIAL IN SAID STRINGS ARE DRIED BY SAID GAS AND CONTINUOUSLY REMOVING DRYING GRANULES WHICH ARE SUBSTANTIALLY DUST-FREE FROM THE FLUIDIZED BED AT THE LOWER BOUNDARY OF THE BED AND AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME RATE AT WHICH THE PARTICLES IN THE STRINGS ARE INTRODUCED INTO SAID BED TO RETAIN A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT MASS OF DRYING GRANULES IN SAID FLUIDIZED BED, THE STRINGS OF THE DIVIDED STREAM BEING THE ONLY SOURCVE OF PARTICULATE MATERIAL INTRODUCED INTO SAID BED.