Steam jacketed screw compaction conveyor

Claim 2

A screw compaction conveyor comprising: a housing having a generally cylindrical bore with a bulk material inlet adjacent one end thereof, and a processed material discharge at the other end thereof; a generally cylindrical impeller body disposed in the bore of said housing and supported for rotation therein, said impeller body having an expanding diameter for at least a portion of its length in a direction toward the discharge end thereof; at least one helical blade surrounding and secured to said impeller body for at least a portion of its length, said blade having a uniform width and projecting from said impeller body a uniform height throughout its length; and shear means formed on the wall of the cylindrical bore of said housing for cooperating with the helical blade of said impeller to move bulk material along said bore when said impeller rotates with respect to said housing.

Claim 3

The screw compaction conveyor of claim 1 wherein said shear means includes a multiplicity of longitudinal ridges formed on the walls of the bore of said housing.

Claim 4

The screw compaction conveyor of claim 2 wherein said ridges are straight.

Claim 5

A steam jacketed screw compaction conveyor comprising: a housing having a generally cylindrical bore with a bulk material inlet adjacent one end thereof, a processed material discharge at the other end thereof, and a jacket means for containing a heating fluid in surrounding relation around at least a portion of said housing; a hollow generally cylindrical impeller body disposed in the bore of said housing and supported for rotation therein, said impeller body having an expanding diameter for at least a portion of its length in a direction toward the discharge end thereof; At least one helical blade surrounding and secured to said impeller body for at least a portion of its length, said blade having a uniform width and projecting from said impeller body a uniform height throughout its length; shear means formed on the wall of the cylindrical bore of said housing for cooperating with the helical blade of said impeller to move bulk material along said bore when said impeller rotates with respect to said housing, said shear means including a multiplicity of straight longitudinal ridges formed on the walls of the bore of said housing; and heating fluid injection and removal means for inducing a heating fluid into the hollow interior of said impeller body.

Claim 6

A steam jacketed screw compaction conveyor comprising: a housing having a generally cylindrical bore with a bulk material inlet adjacent one end thereof, a processed material discharge at the other end thereof, and a jacket means for containing a heating fluid in surrounding relation around at least a portion of said housing; a hollow generally cylindrical impeller body disposed in the bore of said housing and supported for rotation therein, said impeller body having an expanding diameter for at least a portion of its length in a direction toward the discharge end thereof; At least one helical blade surrounding and secured to said impeller body for at least a portion of its length, said blade having a uniform width and projecting from said impeller body a uniform height throughout its length; shear means formed on the wall of the cylindrical bore of said housing for cooperating with the helical blade of said impeller to move bulk material along said bore when said impeller rotates with respect to said housing, said shear means including a multiplicity of straight longitudinal ridges formed on the walls of the bore of said housing; and heating fluid injection and removal means for inducing a heating fluid into the hollow interior of said impeller body.

Claim 7

The steam jacketed screw compaction conveyor of claim 4 wherein said helical blade has an increasing pitch toward the inlet end for at least a portion of its length of said impeller body startIng proximate the discharge end thereof.

Claim 8

The steam jacketed screw compaction conveyor of claim 4 wherein said impeller body is surrounded by a multiplicity of helical blades secured thereto having an increasing pitch toward the inlet end for a portion of the length of said body starting from the discharge end thereof.

Claim 9

The steam jacketed screw compaction conveyor of claim 4 wherein said impeller body includes an inlet section having a first diameter of cross section disposed at the inlet end of said housing, a discharge section having a second diameter of cross section larger than said inlet section, and an intermediate tapering section interconnecting said inlet and discharge sections.

Claim 10

The steam jacketed screw compaction conveyor of claim 7 wherein said inlet section of said impeller extends along the bore of said housing substantially a length equal to the length of said bulk material inlet and said intermediate section extends from the discharge end of said inlet section for a portion of the length of the bore of said housing effecting a compaction chamber in said bore.

Claim 11

A steam jacketed screw compaction conveyor comprising: a housing having a generally cylindrical bore with a bulk material inlet adjacent one end thereof, a processed material discharge at the other end thereof, a jacket means for containing a heating fluid in surrounding relation around at least a portion of said housing, and a multiplicity of straight longitudinal ridges formed on the walls of the bore of said housing; a hollow, generally cylindrical impeller body disposed in the bore of said housing and supported for rotation therein, said body having an inlet section of a first cross section diameter, a discharge section of a second cross section diameter larger than said first cross section diameter, and an intermediate section of increasing cross section diameter toward the discharge end of said impeller interconnecting said inlet and discharge sections, said inlet of said housing being disposed to one side of the vertical center plane of said housing to feed the bulk material substantially tangentially to said impeller body; a multiplicity of helical blades surrounding and secured to said impeller body and having an increasing pitch toward the inlet end for a portion of the length of said body starting from the discharge end thereof, each of said blades having a uniform width and projecting from said impeller body a uniform height throughout its length; and heating fluid injection and removal means for inducing a heating fluid into the hollow interior of said impeller body.

Claim 12

A steam jacketed screw compaction conveyor comprising: a housing having a generally cylindrical bore with a bulk material inlet adjacent one end thereof, a processed material discharge at the other end thereof, a jacket means for containing a heating fluid in surrounding relation around at least a portion of said housing, and a multiplicity of straight longitudinal ridges formed on the walls of the bore of said housing; a hollow, generally cylindrical impeller body disposed in the bore of said housing and supported for rotation therein, said body having an inlet section of a first cross section diameter, a discharge section of a second cross section diameter larger than said first cross section diameter, and an intermediate section of increasing cross section diameter toward the discharge end of said impeller interconnecting said inlet and discharge sections, said inlet of said housing being disposed to one side of the vertical center plane of said housing to feed the bulk material substantially tangentially to said impeller body; a multiplicity of helical blades surrounding and secured to said impeller body and having an increasing pitch toward the inlet end for a portion of the length of said body starting from the discharge end thereof, each of said blades having a uniform width and projecting from said impeller body a uniform height throughout its length; and heating fluid injection and removal means for inducing a heating fluid into the hollow interior of said impeller body.