Process of pelletizing a water soluble material

Claim 1

A PROCESS OF PELLETIZING A WATER SOLUBLE MATERIAL SOLID AT A NORMAL TEMPERATURE WHICH COMPRISES PASSING SAID SUBSTANCE IN SUBSTANTIALLY DRY PARTICULATE FORM THROUGH A DRUM, PASSING HEATED DRYING GASES THROUGH SAID DRUM IN THE SAME DIRECTION AS SAID PARTICULATE MATERIAL, TUMBLING SAID PARTICULATE MATERIAL IN AN ENTRACE PORTION OF SAID DRUM SO AS TO DRY AND PREHEAT IT AND THEREAFTER THROUGHOUT THE REMAINDER OF THE DRUM SHOWERING SAID PARTICULATE MATERIAL DOWNWARDLY ACROSS SAID DRUM IN A PLURALITY OF SPACED MOVING CURTAINS, SPRAYING INTO SAID DRUM FROM THE ENTRANCE END THEREOF A SLURRY COMPRISING THE WATER SOLUBLE MATERIAL AND WATER, THE SAID SPRAYING BEING ACCOMPLISHED BY MEANS OF A COMPRESSED GAS, AND CONTINUOUSLY REGULATING THE VOLUME AND TEMPERATURE OF THE HOT DRYING GASES AND THE VOLUME AND PRESSURE OF THE SPRAY SO THAT THE SPRAY PENETRATES BETWEEN THE MOVING CURTAINS OF PARTICULATE MATERIAL FOR A PORTION ONLY OF THE LENGTH OF SAID CURTAINS, DROPLETS OF SLURRY BECOMING ASSOCIATED WITH SAID PARTICULATE MATERIAL WITHIN SAID CURTAINS, SAID PARTICULATE MATERIAL BEING DRIED DURING ITS DESCENT TO A SURFACE CONDITION BELOW THE AGGLOMERATING POINT, THERE BEING WITHIN SAID DRUM A TERMINAL ZONE IN WHICH THE PARTICULATE MATERIAL IN SAID CURTAINS IS NO LONGER ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SPRAY BUT IS DRIED WITHIN SAID DRUM TO A CONDITION SUITABLE FOR SHIPMENT AND STORAGE.