Wet pelleting of carbon black

Claim 1

A PROCESS FOR PRODUCING OILED CARBON BLACK PELLETS COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (1) FEEDING FLOCCULENT CARBON BLACK AT A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT RATE TO A WET PELLET MILL HAVING AN AXIAL SHAFT AND RADIAL RODS THEREON, AND OPERATING SAID SHAFT WITH AN ELECTRIC MOTOR; (2) SENSING THE POWER CONSUMED BY THE MOTOR OF STEP (1) AND FEEDING WATER TO SAID MILL AT A RATE IN RESPONE TO THE SENSED POWER, INCREASING THE FLOW RATE WHEN THE SENSED POWER FALLS BELOW A PREDETERMINED VALUE AND DECREASING THE FLOW RATE WHEN THE SENSED POWER RISES ABOVE SAID VALUE SO AS TO INCORPORATE IN THE RESULTING PELLETS A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CONCENTRATION OF WATER IN THE RANGE OF ABOUT 40 TO 60 WEIGHT PERCENT OF THE PELLERS; (3) A PASSING THE RESULTING STREAM OF EFFLUENT WET PELLETS FROM STEP (2) TO A FLUIDIZED BED DRYER AND MAINTAINING SAID PELLETS IN A FLYIDIZED BED THEREIN BY PASSING A HOT DRYING GAS UPWARDLY THRU SAID BED;