Low impact belt dryer

摘要

A low impact belt dryer is presented for drying pellets while minimizing high-energy pellet collisions that may create pellet dust or cause pellets to fracture. The dryer includes a vacuum chamber having multiple air knife assemblies that direct high velocity drying fluid towards the pellets and though a liquid-permeable pellet-impermeable belt to a vacuum port. The low impact dryer may also include a centrifugal dryer for dewatering the pellets before they pass though the vacuum chamber. The conveyor belt of the dryer may transport the pellets through multiple desiccation chambers where low velocity air is directed upwards though the belt to both dry and levitate the pellets above the belt. The dryer may also include a cleaning chamber for removing debris from the liquid-permeable pellet-impermeable belt.

主权项

1. A low impact centrifugal dryer for separating fluid from particles, the dryer comprising:
a fluid-permeable particle-impermeable belt for conveying particles though the dryer; an air knife chamber including:
a high pressure jet blowing downward upon the belt to push fluid from the particles through the belt, anda vacuum port located below the belt; a housing with an inlet port for receiving a slurry of particles and fluid, a rotor within the housing for spinning the slurry, a fluid-permeable particle-impermeable mesh within the housing and disposed around the rotor for separating a portion of the fluid from the particles; and, a discharge port in the housing for sending the particles to the belt; a low pressure let blowing upward through the belt to an exhaust port; wherein the belt transports the particles from the air knife; a first and second desiccation chamber, each desiccation chamber including a low pressure jet blowing upward through the belt to an exhaust port; wherein the belt transports the particles from the air knife chamber through the first desiccation chamber to the second desiccation chamber; wherein the air knife chamber includes: a plurality of knife assemblies wherein each knife assembly includes one high pressure jet blowing downward through the belt towards one vacuum port; wherein each knife assembly further includes a laterally adjustable diverter plate positioned above the belt.