Agglomerating carbon black by maintaining constant pelletizer motor power requirement

Claim 1

A PLANT FOR PRODUCING PELLETED CARBON BLACK COMPRISING IN COMBINATION (1) REACTOR MEANS FOR PRODUCING A STREAM OF SMOKE CONTAINING CARBON BLACK; (2) AN EFFLUENT LINE FROM SAID REACTOR PASSING THRU INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE MEANS DIRECTLY TO A BAG FILTER HAVING A LOWER COMPARTMENT FOR SMOKE DISTRIBUTION AND CARBON BLACK RECEPTION, AN UPPER COMPARTMENT FOR FILTER BAGS OPENING INTO SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT, EFFLUENT CONDUIT MANS FROM SAID UPPER COMPARTMENT FOR OFF-GAS, A CARBON BLACK DELIVERY LINE CONNECTED WITH THE BOTTOM OF SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT, AND CONVEYOR MEANS IN THE BOTTOM OF SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT FOR MOVING BLACK TO SAID DELIVERY LINE; (3) A PUG MILL TYPE PELLETIZER IN SAID DELIVERY LINE HAVING AN INLET WATER LINE, AN EFFLUENT PELLET LINE, AN AXIAL SHAFT WITH RADIAL PINS THEREON FOR AGITATING BLACK THEREIN AND AN ELECTRIC MOTOR ROTATABLY CONNECTED WITH SAID SHAFT; (4) FLOW CONTROL MEANS IN SAID DELIVERY LINE FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF BLACK DELIVERY FROM SAID LOWER COMPARTMENT TO SAID PELLETIZER; (5) VALVE MEANS IN SAID WATER LINE FOR CONTROLLING THE FLOW OF WATER TO SAID PELLETIZER; (6) AN ELECTRIC POWER SOURCE IN CIRCUIT WITH SAID MOTOR; (7) FIRST MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID CIRCUIT FOR SENSING THE POWER REQUIRED TO OPERATE SAID MOTOR AND TRANSLATING SAME INTO A PNEUMATIC SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO; (8) SECOND MEANS FOR SENSING ONE OF THE FLOW RATE OF SAID WATER THRU SAID VALVE AND SAID BLACK THRU SAID FLOW CONTROL MEANS WHILE MAINTAINING THE OTHER FLOW RARE RELATIVELY CONSTANT, AND EMITTING A PNEUMATIC SIGNAL PROPORTIONAL THERETO; (9) THIRD MEANS FOR MAINTAINING THE OTHER OF SAID FLOW RATE OF SAID WATER AND SAID BLACK RELATIVELY CONSTANT; (10) FOURTH MEANS FOR RECEIVING THE SIGNALS FROM SAID FIRST MEANS AND SAID SECOND MEANS AND CONTROLLING FLOW THRU SAID ONE OF SAID VALVE MEANS IN SAID WATER LINE AND SAID FLOW CONTROL MEANS IN SAID DELIVERY LINE IN RESPONSE THERETO FOR INCREASING WATER CONCENTRATION IIN THE PELLETER OF (1) WHEN THE CURRENT FALLS BELOW A NORMAL VALUE AND DECREASING SAID WATER CONCENTRATION WHEN THE CURRENT EXCEEDS SAID VALUE SO AS TO MAINTAIN THE POWER REQUIREMENT OF SAID MOTOR RELATIVELY CONSTANT; (11) A DRYER CONNECTED DIRECTLY WITH SID EFFLUENT PELLET LINE, SAID DRYER INCLUDING BURNER MEANS FOR SUPPLYING HOT DRYING GAS, AND (12) CONDUIT MEANS FOR PASSING AIR THRU THE INDIRECT HEAT EXCHANGE MEANS OF (2) TO HEAT SAID AIR AND TO PASS SAME TO THE BURNER MEANS OF (11).