EXPANDING APPARATUS FOR AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT SUCH AS TOBACCO MATERIAL

摘要

An expanding apparatus continuously expands a material, e.g., a tobacco material and supplies gaseous carbon dioxide as an expanding agent to an impregnating vessel by an expanding agent supply means to maintain a predetermined impregnating pressure. The material is continuously supplied to the impregnating vessel by a material supply means while increasing the pressure of the material. The material is continuously discharged from the impregnating vessel by a material discharge means while decreasing the pressure of the material. The expanding agent supply means has a heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between carbon dioxide to be supplied to the impregnating vessel and a coolant, thereby cooling carbon dioxide. The state of carbon dioxide to be supplied to the impregnating vessel is controlled in accordance with the temperature or the like of the tobacco material discharged from the impregnating vessel, so that carbon dioxide is effectively impregnated and no dry ice is formed in the material discharge means or the like.