Apparatus for processing particulate solids

Claim 2

Apparatus for roasting coffee and comparably processable solids, comprising a roasting vessel having a shell and means in said shell for supporting a vertically extending bed of solids having first and second boundaries; means for introducing solids to be roasted through said roasting vessel and into said bed at a first location; means for so displacing said bed as to transfer the solids introduced into the bed from the first location to a second location; means for roasting said solids as they are transferred from said first location to said second location by so effecting a flow of heated roasting fluid into the roasting vessel and then upwardly through the bed that the solids in said bed will be made to circulate upwardly only in the region of the bed adjacent one of said boundaries and then toward the other of said boundaries of the bed and will thereby be brought into intimate and uniform contact with the roasting fluid; and means for removing roasted solids from the bed and then from the roasting vessel at the second location, the means for introducing solids into and removing them from the roasting vessel comprising gastight feed and discharge locks through which the solids can be introduced into and removed from the roasting vessel; means for evacuating said locks to separate from the solids as they are introduced any air mixed therewith and to evacuate from the discharge lock before roasted solids are discharged into it any air therein so that said solids can be roasted in an atmosphere of controlled composition; and means for removing roasting fluid from both locks so that the loss of roasting fluid during the introduction and removal of the solids can be abated.

Claim 3

Apparatus for roasting coffee and comparably processable solids, comprising a roasting vessel having a shell and means in said shell for supporting a vertically extending bed of solids having first and second boundaries; means for evacuating from the solids to be roasted any air mixed therewith; means for thereafter introducing said solids through said roasting vessel and into said bed at a first location; means for so displacing said bed as to transfer the solids introduced into the bed from the first location to a second location; means for roasting said solids as they are transferred from said first location to said second location by so effecting a flow of heated roasting fluid under pressure into the roasting vessel and then upwardly through the bed that the solids in said bed will be made to circulate upwardly only in the region of the bed adjacent one of said boundaries and then toward the other of said boundaries of the bed and will thereby be brought into intimate and uniform contact with the roasting fluid; and means for removing roasted solids from the bed and then from the roasting vessel at the second location, the means for introducing the solids to be roasted into the bed of solids in the roasting vessel and for removing the roasted solids from the bed and the roasting vessel each Including means for preventing the escape of roasting fluid from the vessel and the entrance of air thereinto while the solids are being introduced into and removed from said vessel, whereby said solids can be introduced and removed without depressurizing and repressurizing and purging said roasting vessel and without interrupting the circulation of the roasting fluid upwardly therethrough.

Claim 4

Apparatus for roasting coffee and comparably processable solids, comprising a roasting vessel having a shell and means in said shell for supporting a vertically extending bed of solids having first and second boundaries; means for evacuating from the solids to be roasted any air mixed therewith; means for thereafter introducing said solids through said roasting vessel and into said bed at a first location; means for so displacing said bed as to transfer the solids introduced into the bed from the first location to a second location; means for roasting said solids as they are transferred from said first location to said second location by so effecting a flow of heated roasting fluid under pressure into the roasting vessel and then upwardly through the bed that the solids in said bed will be made to circulate upwardly only in the region of the bed adjacent one of said boundaries and then toward the other of said boundaries of the bed and will thereby be brought into intimate and uniform contact with the roasting fluid; and means for removing roasted solids from the bed and then from the roasting vessel at the second location, the means for introducing the solids to be roasted into the bed of solids in the roasting vessel and for removing the roasted solids from the bed and the roasting vessel each Including means for preventing the escape of roasting fluid from the vessel and the entrance of air thereinto while the solids are being introduced into and removed from said vessel, whereby said solids can be introduced and removed without depressurizing and repressurizing and purging said roasting vessel and without interrupting the circulation of the roasting fluid upwardly therethrough.

Claim 5

Apparatus according to claim 2, together with a direct fired heater for heating the roasting fluid before it is introduced into the roasting vessel.

Claim 6

Apparatus according to claim 2, together with means for recirculating the roasting fluid after it flows through the roasting vessel and means for adjusting the moisture content of the recirculated fluid to a selected level comprising a first means for removing water vapor from the recirculated fluid to thereby reduce its moisture content to said selected level comprising a condensor and means for directing at least a portion of the recirculated fluid through the condensor and a second means which is selectively operable to add moisture to the fluid to raise its moisture content to the selected level.

Claim 7

Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the means for supporting the bed of solids in the roasting vessel shell comprises a fixed assembly with inner and outer wall means and a movable assembly with a centrally disposed wall means, said inner, outer, and centrally disposed wall means being cooperable with the roasting vessel shell to support the solids and said movable assembly further comprising vertical partitions extending between the inner and outer wall means and between said centrally disposed wall means and said shell to divide the bed of solids into a plurality of mutually isolated segments.

Claim 8

Apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the inner and outer wall means of said fixed assembly are of frustoconical configuration and respectively converge downwardly and outwardly and downwardly and inwardly and wherein the means for effecting the flow of the roasting fluid upwardly through the bed of solids comprises an apertured nozzle plate means spanning the gap between said inner and outer wall means.

Claim 9

Apparatus according to claim 5, together with means supporting said movable assembly for rotation about a vertical axis, and the means for displacing said bed of solids comprising means for rotating said movable assembly.

Claim 10

Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the means for rotating said movable assembly comprises a gear rotatable with the centrally disposed wall means of said assembly; a pinion meshed with said gear; a shaft rotatably supporting said pinion in said roasting vessel shell, said pinion being fixed to said shaft and said shaft extending to the exterior of said shell; and means exteriorly of said shell for rotating said shaft.

Claim 11

Apparatus according to claim 2, including a fluid heater; a closed circulation system comprising said roasting vessel and said fluid heater; and means for filling said closed circulation system with the roasting fluid, the means for effecting the flow of roasting fluid upwardly through the inner regions of the bed of solids being roasted including means for circulating the roasting fluid through said closed circulation system.

Claim 12

Apparatus according to claim 9, together with a chaff separator connected into said closed circulation system on the downstream side of said reactor.

Claim 13

Apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the means for filling the closed circulation system with fluid comprises means for supplying an inert fluid to the system and for keeping said system pressurized.