Method and apparatus for recovering heat in product dehydration system

Claim 2

A crop drying system, comprising: a primary dryer having a direct heat exchange zone and structure operatively coupled and in communication with said zone including an air inlet, a crop inlet, and outlet-defining means for exhaust air and crop; a predryer having an indirect heat exchange zone comprising means defining separate, adjacent, noncommunicating passages therethrough for crop and air respectively, an air inlet and an air outlet respectively operatively coupled and in communication with said air passage, and a crop inlet and outlet respectively operatively coupled and in communication with said crop passage; means operatively coupled with said primary dryer air inlet for supplying initially hot, dry air thereto; means operatively coupled with said predryer crop inlet for directing initially moist crop thereto; crop moving means including conduit means operatively coupling said crop outlet of said predryer and said crop inlet of said primary dryer for passage of predried crop from said predryer to said primary dryer; and air moving means including conduit means operatively coupling said air outlet-defining means of said primary dryer and said predryer air inlet, for passage of exhaust air from said primary dryer to said predryer in order to provide a source of heating air to said predryer.

Claim 3

The system as set forth in claim 1, said predryer comprising: an elongated, tubular shell operatively coupled to said air inlet, said air outlet, said crop inlet and said crop outlet; means defining a two-pass air path between and in communication with said air inlet and air outlet for passage of air along the length of said shell in a first axial direction, and thereafter for passage of said air in the opposite axial direction; means defining a two-pass crop path between and in communication with said crop inlet and crop outlet, and separate from and adjacent to said air path, for passage of a crop to be dried along the length of said shell in one axial direction, and thereafter for passage of said crop in the other axial direction; said crop and air paths being oriented for indirect heat exchange between said air and crop for drying the latter.

Claim 4

The system as set forth in claim 2, said air path defining means comprising: an elongated, central air-receiving tube; structure defining a hollow, elongated annulus disposed about and radially spaced from said tube; and walls defining at least one air passageway communicating said tube and said annulus.

Claim 5

The system as set forth in claim 3, said crop path defining means comprising: structure defining an elongated first crop conduit between said tube and annulus; means presenting a second elongated crop conduit between said annulus and shell; structure defining a crop passageway between said first and second crop conduits.

Claim 6

The system as set forth in claim 2, said first axial direction being opposite in direction relative to said one axial direction.

Claim 7

A crop drying method comprising the steps of: a. passing a first quantity of predried moisture-containing crop into a primary drying zone; b. introducing a quantity of initially hot, relatively dry air into said primary drying zone, and bringing said air and said predried crop into direct intimate contact for effecting a direct heat exchange between said air and said predried crop, thereby transferring at least a portion of said moisture of said predried crop to said air to produce a relatively dry crop and hot, moist air; c. exhausting said hot moist air and said dry crop from said primary drying zone; d. directing said hot moist air to a predrying zone; e. introducing a second quantity of moisture-containing crop into said predrying zone, said second quantity of crop having a higher moisture content than the moisture content of said first quantity of predried crop, separating said second quantity of crop and said hot moist air in said predrying zone by directing the second quantity of crop and said hot moist air along, separate, adjacent, noncommunicating paths, and causing an indirect heat exchange between said hot, moist air and said second quantity of crop within said predrying zone to thereby predry said second quantity of crop; f. exhausting said hot moist air and said predried crop from said predrying zone; g. passing said predried crop to said primary drying zone; and h. repeating steps b through g.

Claim 8

A crop drying method comprising the steps of: a. passing a first quantity of predried moisture-containing crop into a primary drying zone; b. introducing a quantity of initially hot, relatively dry air into said primary drying zone, and bringing said air and said predried crop into direct intimate contact for effecting a direct heat exchange between said air and said predried crop, thereby transferring at least a portion of said moisture of said predried crop to said air to produce a relatively dry crop and hot, moist air; c. exhausting said hot moist air and said dry crop from said primary drying zone; d. directing said hot moist air to a predrying zone; e. introducing a second quantity of moisture-containing crop into said predrying zone, said second quantity of crop having a higher moisture content than the moisture content of said first quantity of predried crop, separating said second quantity of crop and said hot moist air in said predrying zone by directing the second quantity of crop and said hot moist air along, separate, adjacent, noncommunicating paths, and causing an indirect heat exchange between said hot, moist air and said second quantity of crop within said predrying zone to thereby predry said second quantity of crop; f. exhausting said hot moist air and said predried crop from said predrying zone; g. passing said predried crop to said primary drying zone; and h. repeating steps b through g.

Claim 9

The method as set forth in claim 6, including the steps of passing said second quantity of crop along said crop directing path in a first direction generally axially and substantially along the length of said predrying zone, and passing said hot, moist air along said air directing path in a second direction generally opposite said first direction and thereafter passing said second quantity of crop along said crop directing path in said second direction, and passing said hot moist air along said air directing path in said first direction.