Method and apparatus for drying and handling sludge

摘要

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for drying and handling sludge. Sludge is conveyed or transferred into a rotary drying chamber that may be housed within a structure such as a solar drying structure. The rotary drying chamber is provided with a perforated side wall structure. As the rotary drying chamber is rotated, the action of the sludge within the drying chamber results in the sludge being transferred from the drying chamber through the side wall structure thereof. In particular, as the sludge is dried, the movement of the sludge within the drying chamber and particularly the impact of the sludge against the internal side wall structure of the drying chamber causes the sludge to be forced outwardly through the perforated side wall structure of the drying chamber in a spaghetti-like fashion. That is, the dried sludge is emitted through the side wall portion of the drying chamber in the form of relatively small spaghetti-like portions. During the process these small spaghetti-like portions break and fall onto a conveyor that conveys the same to a selected point in the drying system.