Spray drying of liquids

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF SPRAY DRYING A LIQUID SUBSTANCE CONTAINING DISSOLVED OR SUSPENDED SOLID COMPRISING THE STEPS OF ADMITTING A STREAM OF AIR AT SUBSTANTIALLY ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURE AND PRESSURE DOWNWARDLY INTO A SPRAYING REGION AT THE UPSTREAM END OF AND ABOVE A VERTICALLY ELONGATED DRYING ZONE; SPRAYING THE LIQUID SUBSTANCE DOWNWARDLY INTO AND BELOW SAID AIR ADMISSION LOCATION OF SAID REGION TO FORM DROPLETS THEREIN; PASSING THE DROPLETS AND AIR CONCURRENTLY THROUGH THE ELONGATED DRYING ZONE; SUBJECTING THE DROPLETS IN SAID ZONE TO INFRA RED RADIATION UNTIL THE RESULTING PARTICLES ARE SUBSTANTIALLY DRY AND SEPARATING THE PARTICLES AND MOSITURE-LADEN AIR AND COLLECTING THE DRIED PARTICLES.