Method and Feeder for Increasing Efficiency of the Expanding and Drying Process of Organic Materials, Particularly in a Jet Drier

Abstract

A method and a feeder for increasing the efficiency of the expanding and drying process of organic plant materials, particularly in a jet dryer used for comminuted organic plant materials, particularly tobacco materials. The dryer uses a gaseous expanding and/or drying agent under an absolute working pressure in the range from 2.5 kPa to 10 MPa, such as overheated steam. During transporting the material from the feeding zone to the zone of contact with the expanding and/or drying agent, a feeder, preferably a rotary vane feeder ( 4 ) is flushed, preferably in a continuous manner. Openings are formed in the housing of the feeder, delivering the gaseous medium to the moving spaces between the vanes ( 3 ). There are additional openings leading out the gaseous medium from the moving spaces between the vanes, the additional openings being arranged respectively in the walls of the housing of the feeder.

1 . A method of increasing the efficiency of the expanding and drying process of organic plant material, comprising, using a jet dryer for comminuted organic plant materials, using one of a gaseous processing expanding, drying, combination expanding and drying agent under a working absolute pressure in the range from about 2.5 kPa to about 10 MPa, transporting the organic plant material ( 1 ) from a feeding zone ( 6 ) to a zone ( 9 ) of contact with the expanding and/or drying agent, during the transporting, flushing a feeder with a stream of gaseous medium ( 11 , 12 ), which is capable of absorbing moisture, under an absolute pressure in the range from about 2.5 kPa to about 10 MPa, and removing residues of the processing gas from a rotary vane feeder ( 4 ). 
   
   
       2 . A method according to  claim 1 , and heating the transported material ( 1 ) in the direct contact with the stream of the gaseous medium ( 11 ,  12 ), and removing residues of the surface moisture from the surface of the material ( 1 ). 
   
   
       3 . A method according to  claim 1 , and saturating the transported material ( 1 ) by the stream of the gaseous medium ( 11 ,  12 ). 
   
   
       4 . A method according to  claim 1 , and defibering the material ( 1 ) by the stream of the gaseous medium ( 11 ,  12 ). 
   
   
       5 . A feeder for increasing the efficiency of the expanding and drying process of organic plant materials, comprising, a jet dryer having vanes rotating within a housing, openings ( 5 ,  7 ) formed in the housing of the feeder ( 4 ), a gaseous medium delivered to the moving spaces between vanes ( 3 ), additional openings ( 5 A,  7 A) leading out the gaseous medium from the moving spaces between the vanes ( 3 ), the openings and additional openings ( 5 ,  7 ,  5 A,  7 A) being arranged respectively in the walls of the housing of the feeder ( 4 ). 
   
   
       6 . A feeder according to  claim 5 , wherein the openings ( 5 ,  7 ) as well as the additional openings ( 5 A,  7 A) are oblong and are arranged radially, and their longitudinal axes are perpendicular to the inlet and outlet axis of the material ( 1 ). 
   
   
       7 . A feeder according to  claim 5 , wherein the openings ( 7 ) as well as the additional openings ( 7 A) are radially shifted relative to each other. 
   
   
       8 . A feeder according to  claim 5 , and deflectors ( 2 ,  8 ) for deflecting the stream of the material. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the organic plant material is tobacco material. 
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the gaseous processing expanding and/or drying agent is overheated steam. 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the feeder is a rotary vane feeder. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the flushing is performed in a continuous manner.