PASSIVE SPIN DRYER FOR CONTINUOUS AND BATCH PROCESSING

摘要

A centrifugal dryer (10) comprising a plurality of conveyors (12) that are arranged inside a pair of trunnion rings (36) such that the conveyors (12) are shingled to form a polygon shaped cylinder (14) that rotates about the central axis (A-A) of the trunion rings to create centrifugal forces on produce, or other material conveyed on the conveyors. Each conveyor (12) has an elongated endless porous belt (18) driven in one direction by a one-way bearing to convey material from the inlet end to the outlet end of the conveyor. A crank arm (56) extends from each one-way bearing and rides in a gimbal ring (50) which causes reciprocating motion of the crank arm (56) to intermittenly advance the conveyors (12) as they rotate. The gimbal ring (50) can be positionally adjusted to vary the amount each conveyor (12) advances per revolution, or it can be set in a neutral position where no movement is imparted to the crank arms (56), thereby allowing the dryer to process in a batch mode. A conical inlet (58) and outlet (61) are designed to minimized damage to the produce upon entry into and exit from the dryer.