Product drying apparatus

Claim 1

A particulate product drying apparatus utilizing heat from the moisture removed from a moisture laden product contained within a sealed product drying bin to heat the air used to remove moisture from said product, having in combination a conduit forming an air supply inlet into said product drying bin and a discharge air conduit respectively being secured to the inlet and outlet ports of a sealed product drying bin, a blower having sufficient air moving capacity to pass air through said product bin, means driving said blower, a hot gas evaporator substantially parallelepiped in form disposed in an upstanding position communicating with said discharge air conduit and receiving air passing through said drying bin, means comprising a passage forming an interface between said evaporator and said discharge air conduit and said passage being of a size substantially the extent of the adjacent side of said evaporator, an air cooled condensor of a like size as said evaporator disposed in a parallel spaced facing relation thereto, means comprising a passage for communication between said evaporator and said condensor, means comprising a passage between said condensor and inlet side of said blower, said passage being of like extent as the adjacent side of said condensor, means sealing said evaporator, condensor and said related passages in connection with said blower against the entry of outside air, means passing a gas or vapor through said evaporator condensing the moisture from the incoming air discharged from said product bin by action of said blower and extracting the heat from said air, means passing the heat from said moisture laden air to heat the coils of said condensor heating the dehumidified air drawn by said blower into said condensor from said evaporator, said blower drawing heated dehumidified air into its inlet side from said condensor, and means passing said dehumidified air from said blower into the inlet port of said drying bin.