Apparatus for separating moisture from solids

Claim 1

An apparatus for use in separating moisture from solids forming a material to be tested comprising: outer wall structure forming side walls, a bottom, and a top, interior wall structure spaced from said outer wall structure and providing an interior chamber, a door coupled to the top of said apparatus for providing access to said chamber, said interior chamber having an inverted bowl shaped central portion extending upwardly from the bottom of said interior chamber to a position below the level of the top of said apparatus forming an annular chamber portion at the lower end of said interior chamber, a heater located in said apparatus at the bottom of said annular chamber portion for heating said interior chamber, insulation located between said interior wall structure and said exterior wall structure, a shaft having one end extending upwardly through the top of said central portion and into said interior chamber, rotatable means connected to the top of said shaft for rotation therewith, said rotatable means comprising a top wall connected to the top of said shaft at a position spaced above the top of said central portion and having side walls extending downward therefrom to a level below the level of the top of said central portion and which surround the top portion of said central portion and are spaced radially outward therefrom, means for pivotally coupling to said rotatable means on the outside of its side walls, a plurality of cup-shaped containers for holding the material to be tested, said cup-shaped containers being adapted to have their bottom ends moved by centrifugal force in a direction away from said shaft upon rotation of said shaft and said rotatable means, drive means coupled to the opposite end of said shaft for imparting rotation thereto for rotating said rotatable means and said containers in said chamber, and air inlet means formed through the top of said central portion and air outlet means formed through the top of said apparatus to allow air flow into said interior chamber by way of said air inlet means and out of said interior chamber by way of said air outlet means, said top and side walls of said rotatable means acting tO direct the air entering through said air inlet means to flow downward over said heater for the passage of heated air upward and around said cup-shaped containers and out of said interior chamber through said air outlet means.

Claim 2

An apparatus for use in separating moisture from solids forming a material to be tested comprising: outer wall structure forming side walls, a bottom, and a top, interior wall structure spaced from said outer wall structure and providing an interior chamber, a door coupled to the top of said apparatus for providing access to said chamber, said interior chamber having an inverted bowl shaped central portion extending upwardly from the bottom of said interior chamber to a position below the level of the top of said apparatus forming an annular chamber portion at the lower end of said interior chamber, a heater located in said apparatus at the bottom of said annular chamber portion for heating said interior chamber, insulation located between said interior wall structure and said exterior wall structure, a shaft having one end extending upwardly through the top of said central portion and into said interior chamber, rotatable means connected to the top of said shaft for rotation therewith, said rotatable means comprising a top wall connected to the top of said shaft at a position spaced above the top of said central portion and having side walls extending downward therefrom to a level below the level of the top of said central portion and which surround the top portion of said central portion and are spaced radially outward therefrom, means for pivotally coupling to said rotatable means on the outside of its side walls, a plurality of cup-shaped containers for holding the material to be tested, said cup-shaped containers being adapted to have their bottom ends moved by centrifugal force in a direction away from said shaft upon rotation of said shaft and said rotatable means, drive means coupled to the opposite end of said shaft for imparting rotation thereto for rotating said rotatable means and said containers in said chamber, and air inlet means formed through the top of said central portion and air outlet means formed through the top of said apparatus to allow air flow into said interior chamber by way of said air inlet means and out of said interior chamber by way of said air outlet means, said top and side walls of said rotatable means acting tO direct the air entering through said air inlet means to flow downward over said heater for the passage of heated air upward and around said cup-shaped containers and out of said interior chamber through said air outlet means.