Method and apparatus for the continuous treatment of granular and/or powdered material with steam and/or gas

Claim 1

A METHOD FOR CONTINUOUS TREATMENT OF GRANULAR AND FINELY DIVIDED PARTICLES OF MATERIAL IN A COUNTER-FLOWING HIGHLY COMPRESSIBLE FLUID FLOWING UPWARDLY, IN WHICH SUCH MATERIAL IS TREATED WITHOUT ESSENTIAL CHANGE AS TO FORM AND WEIGHT OF THE PARTICLES, COMPRISING THE STEPS OF EFFECTING CONTINUOUS FLOW OF THE FLUID IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION WITH SUCH FLUID RISING WITH DECREASING VELOCITY, ALTERNATELY DECELERATING AND ACCELERATING SUCH FLUID AS IT RISES, INTRODUCING SAID MATERIAL INTO SAID FLUID FLOW IN A DIRECTION COUNTER TO SAID FLUID FLOW, CONTINUOUSLY MAINTAINING THE VELOCITY OF SAID FLUID AT A RATE HIGHER THAN THAT REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN SUSPENSION OF THE MATERIAL PARTICLES, CONTROLLING THE AMOUNT OF MATERIAL ADDED PER UNIT OF TIME TO THE FLUID TO EFFECT A COMPRESSION OF SUCH MATERIAL AND THEREBY FORM SUCCESSIVE CLOUDS WHICH REACH A DENSITY SUFFICIENT TO FALL THROUGH AN INTERMEDIATE AREA OF FLUID ACCELERATION TO A MUCH LARGER AREA ADJACENT THERETO, THUS FALLING INTO ANOTHER DECELERATING FLOW OF FLUID, PASSING THE RESPECTIVE CLOUDS OF MATERIAL THROUGH AT LEAST ONE