Agglomerating process for powdered food solids or the like

Claim 1

IN A METHOD OF AGGLOMERATING POWDERED FOOD SOLIDS AND LIKE POWDERED AGGLOMERABLE SOLID MATERIALS, IN COMBINATION, PNEUMATICALLY CONVEYING SAID POWDERED AGGLOMERABLE SOLIDS IN A CARRIER GAS TO AN ELEVATED LOCATION, SEPARATING SUBSTANTIALLY ALL OF SAID POWDERED, AGGLOMERABLE SOLIDS FROM SAID CARRIER GAS AT SAID LOCATION, DISCHARGING SAID SEPARATE AGGLOMERABLE SOLIDS IN RELTIVELY SHEET-LIKE FORM IN AN ENCLOSED AGGLOMERATING ZONE, PROVIDING A SUBSTANTIALLY V-SHAPED TROUGHT DEFINED BY SHEETS OF STEAM AND POSITIONED SO THAT THE APEX THEREOF IS GENERALLY BISECTED BY SAID SHEET-LIKE FALL OF POWDERED AGGLOMERABLE SOLIDS, RECYCLING SAID CARRIER GAS WITH RELATIVELY FINE UNSEPARATED POWDERED AGGLOMERABLE SOLIDS IN CONNECTION WITH SAID CONVEYING, WHIRLING THE POWDERED AGGLOMERABLE SOLIDS IN SAID AGGLOMERATING ZONE TO A SELECTED EXTENT AROUND A VERTICAL AXIS BY INTRODUCING WHIRLING GAS INTO SAID ZONE, INCREASING THE AXIAL VELOCITY COMPONENT OF FLOW OF THE POWDERED AGGLOMERABLE SOLIDS IN SAID AGGLOMERATING ZONE BY PASSAGE THEREOF THROUGH A GRADUALLY CONSTRICTED OPENING, DISCHARGING AGGLOMERATED PRODUCT FROM SAID AGGLOMERATING ZONE BY PASSAGE THEREOF THROUGH SAID CONSTRICTED OPENING, AND SELECTIVELY INTRODUCING HEATED GAS AROUND SAID CONSTRICTED OPENING TO CONTROL THE FINAL MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE SOLID, ALL THE WHILE MAINTAINING THE TOTAL MOISTURE CONTENT OF THE SOLIDS DURING PROCESSING BELOW THE SOLUBILITY LEVEL FOR SAID POWDERED AGGLOMERABLE SOLID.