Continuous process for cooking gelatinous or gelatinizable substances, fibrous matters and the like

Claim 1

A CONTINUOUS PROCESS FOR COOKING GELAINOUS, GELATINIZABLE FIBROUS AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES WHICH CONTAIN MATERIAL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF STARCH AND OTHER EXTRACTABLE GEL-FORMING MATTER, COMPRISING: (A) MIXING SUCH MATERIAL WITH A MINIMUM OF LIQUID IN A MIXING ZONE TO THEREBY OBTAIN A FLOWABLE MIXTURE, (B) CONTINUOUSLY WITHDRAWING THE MIXTURE THUS OBTAINED FROM THE MIXING ZONE AND PASSING IT THROUGH A PUMPING ZONE SO AS TO CAUSE LINEAR FLOW, (C) DELIVERING SAID FLOWABLE MIXTURE TO A FIRST ZONE DOWNSTREAM OF SAID PUMPING ZONE WHEREIN THE CROSS SECTIONAL AREA OF THE FLOWING STREAM IS SUBSTANTIALLY INCREASED, (D) MAINTAINING A PRESSURE IN SAID FIRST ZONE WHICH IS LOWER THAN THE PRESSURE UPSTREAM OF SAID FIRST ZONE, (E) ALLOWING THE PARTICLES OF SAID MATERIAL TO EXPAND AND SWELL IN SAID FIRST ZONE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF THE REDUCED PRESSURE CONDITIONS MAINTAINED IN SAID FIRST ZONE, (F) CONTACTING THE EXPANDED PARTICLES OF SAID MATERIAL LEAVING SAID FIRST ZONE WITH A STREAM OF HOT, GASEOUS MEDIUM IN A SECOND ZONE THAT IS DOWNSTREAM FO SAID FIRST ZONE SO AS TO GELATINIZE OR EXTRACT SAID SWOLLEN AND EXPANDED PARTICLES, AND (G) SUBSEQUENTLY DISCHARGING THE RESULTANT PRODUCT DOWNSTREAM OF SAID SECOND ZONE.