Method and apparatus for particle forming and spray drying

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF MAKING AND COLLECTING SMALL PARTICLE OF A CLAY-LIKE MATERIAL WHICH COMPRISES MOVING MOIST PLASTIC CLAY-LIKE MATERIAL OUTWARDLY FROM AN AXIS INTO A CONFINED ANNULAR SPACE THROUGH A MULTIPLICITY OF SMALL ORIFICES THAT SHAPE THE MATERIAL INTO CYLINDERS BY THE EXTRUDING ACTION OF CENTRIFUGAL FORCE, THEREBY BREAKING THE CYLINDERS INTO SMALL PARTICLES OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM SIZE AND SHAPE AFTER THE CYLINDERS HAVE PASSED THROUGH THE ORIFICES, THE PARTICLES MOVING RADIALLY THROUGH A PREDETERMINED TRAJECTORY IN SAID SPACE, MOVING AN ANNULAR BLANKET OF WARM AIR FIRST UPWARDLY ALONG THE PERIPHERY AND THEN RADIALLY INWARDLY OF THE SPACE, THE AIR MOVING COUNTER-CURRENT FIRST TO THE FALLING PARTICLES AND THEN TO THE PARTICLES AS THEY APPROACH THE PERIPHERY OF THE SPACE, THE AIR SERVING TO BRAKE THE TRAVEL OF THE PARTICLES AND THEREBY REDUCE THE DISTANCE THEY TRAVEL AND ALSO SERVING TO DRY THE PARTICLES, REMOVING AIR AND VAPOR AXIALLY OF THE SPACE AND COLLECTING THE DRY PARTICLES AT AN ANNULAR LOCATION BELOW THE POINT WHERE THEY ARE CONTACTED BY THE BLANKET OF AIR.