Separation of products in granular form

Claim 1

A method for processing granules in a bed of particles of a product partially fluidized by a fluidization agent in a predetermined range of temperature, utilizing at least a raw material formed and processed in a divided state, the said divided state being of the group consisting of drops and granules, the said method comprising the steps of forming a vertical columnar fluidized bed zone in a container having sidewalls and at least one endwall, forming a vertical columnar non-fluidized zone in said container extending substantially the length of said sidewalls and parallel thereto, the vertical columnar non-fluidized zone constituting at least one horizontal channel having a horizontal direction, the channel not being subjected to the fluidizing agent; vibrating the container with vibrations directed to apply to each point of each channel with vibrations oriented at an angle of 0° to 80° to the horizontal, in a vertical plane substantially in the direction of the channel, said vibrations serving to move the particles and the granules in the direction of the channel; maintaining the said bed at a temperature within the predetermined range of temperature; dropping the said material in the said divided state into the vertical columnar fluidized zone; subjecting granules in the bed and the pulverulent product to circulation currents consequently formed during simultaneous fluidization and vibration; simultaneously utilizing said circulation currents for feeding, within the container itself, vibrated screening and discharging means with the granules and the particles; and extracting and discharging the granules to the outside.

Claim 2

A method for processing granules in a bed of particles of a product partially fluidized by a fluidization agent in a predetermined range of temperature, utilizing at least a raw material formed and processed in a divided state, the said divided state being of the group consisting of drops and granules, the said method comprising the steps of forming a vertical columnar fluidized bed zone in a container having sidewalls and at least one endwall, forming a vertical columnar non-fluidized zone in said container extending substantially the length of said sidewalls and parallel thereto, the vertical columnar non-fluidized zone constituting at least one horizontal channel having a horizontal direction, the channel not being subjected to the fluidizing agent; vibrating the container with vibrations directed to apply to each point of each channel with vibrations oriented at an angle of 0° to 80° to the horizontal, in a vertical plane substantially in the direction of the channel, said vibrations serving to move the particles and the granules in the direction of the channel; maintaining the said bed at a temperature within the predetermined range of temperature; dropping the said material in the said divided state into the vertical columnar fluidized zone; subjecting granules in the bed and the pulverulent product to circulation currents consequently formed during simultaneous fluidization and vibration; simultaneously utilizing said circulation currents for feeding, within the container itself, vibrated screening and discharging means with the granules and the particles; and extracting and discharging the granules to the outside.

Claim 6

An apparatus for processing a material in the form of granules or drops, comprising a fluidization container having closed sidewalls and at least one endwall and a bottom and containing a bed of pulverulent solid product used as a processing phase for applying a process which is one of the group consisting of heat and mass transfer, solidification of molten products, crystallization of solutions, liquid-phase evaporation of a liquid suspension of a pulverulent material, agglutination, briquetting, coating, the bottom of said container comprising a grid and means for feeding a fluidization agent upward through the grid, the surface of said bottom being constituted partly of the grid and partly of at least one continuous masking element, said masking element extending substantially the length of said sidewalls and parallel thereto so that only a vertical columnar zone above the grid is fluidized by the fluidization agent while above the remaining portion of the grid is a non-fluidized vertical zone which forms a channel not subjected to the action of the fluidization agent, said apparatus further comprising vibrating means for vibrating said container by means of vibrations applied to each said channel in a direction which is inclined and in a vertical plane substantially in the direction of said channel, separating and discharging means consisting of at least an inclined vibrating discharging screen located at least partly in one of the said channel zones to discharge at an exterior overflow point, and means for introducing the divided material into the vertical portion subjected to the action of the fluidization agent.

Claim 7

An apparatus for processing a material in the form of granules or drops, comprising a fluidization container having closed sidewalls and at least one endwall and a bottom and containing a bed of pulverulent solid product used as a processing phase for applying a process which is one of the group consisting of heat and mass transfer, solidification of molten products, crystallization of solutions, liquid-phase evaporation of a liquid suspension of a pulverulent material, agglutination, briquetting, coating, the bottom of said container comprising a grid and means for feeding a fluidization agent upward through the grid, the surface of said bottom being constituted partly of the grid and partly of at least one continuous masking element, said masking element extending substantially the length of said sidewalls and parallel thereto so that only a vertical columnar zone above the grid is fluidized by the fluidization agent while above the remaining portion of the grid is a non-fluidized vertical zone which forms a channel not subjected to the action of the fluidization agent, said apparatus further comprising vibrating means for vibrating said container by means of vibrations applied to each said channel in a direction which is inclined and in a vertical plane substantially in the direction of said channel, separating and discharging means consisting of at least an inclined vibrating discharging screen located at least partly in one of the said channel zones to discharge at an exterior overflow point, and means for introducing the divided material into the vertical portion subjected to the action of the fluidization agent.

Claim 21

An apparatus for processing a material in the form of granules or drops, comprising a circular fluidization container having closed sidewalls and a bottom and containing a bed of pulverulent solid product used as a processing phase for applying a process which is one of the group consisting of heat and mass transfer, solidification of molten products, crystallization of solutions, liquidphase evaporation of a liquid suspension of a pulverulent material, agglutination, briquetting, coating, the bottom of said circular container comprising a grid and means for feeding a fluidization agent upward through the grid including a distributing means which feeds only a central portion of said container, the surface of said bottom being constituted partly of the grid and partly of at least one continuous masking element so that only a vertical columnar zone above the grid is fluidized by the fluidization agent while above the remaining portion of the grid is a non-fluidized vertical zone which forms a channel not subjected to the action of the fluidization agent, said apparatus further comprising vibrating means for vibrating said container by means of horizontal circular vibrations applied to each channel in a direction which is inclined and in a vertical plane substantially in the direction of said channel, separating and discharging means consisting of at least an inclined vibrating discharging screen located at least partly in one of the said channel zones to discharge at an exterior overflow point, and means for introducing the divided material into the vertical portion subjected to the action of the fluidization agent.

Claim 22

An apparatus for processing a material in the form of granules or drops, comprising a circular fluidization container having closed sidewalls and a bottom and containing a bed of pulverulent solid product used as a processing phase for applying a process which is one of the group consisting of heat and mass transfer, solidification of molten products, crystallization of solutions, liquidphase evaporation of a liquid suspension of a pulverulent material, agglutination, briquetting, coating, the bottom of said circular container comprising a grid and means for feeding a fluidization agent upward through the grid including a distributing means which feeds only a central portion of said container, the surface of said bottom being constituted partly of the grid and partly of at least one continuous masking element so that only a vertical columnar zone above the grid is fluidized by the fluidization agent while above the remaining portion of the grid is a non-fluidized vertical zone which forms a channel not subjected to the action of the fluidization agent, said apparatus further comprising vibrating means for vibrating said container by means of horizontal circular vibrations applied to each channel in a direction which is inclined and in a vertical plane substantially in the direction of said channel, separating and discharging means consisting of at least an inclined vibrating discharging screen located at least partly in one of the said channel zones to discharge at an exterior overflow point, and means for introducing the divided material into the vertical portion subjected to the action of the fluidization agent.

Claim 26

An apparatus for processing a material in the form of granules or drops, comprising a circular fluidization container having closed sidewalls and a bottom and containing a bed of pulverulent solid product used as a processing phase for applying a process which is one of the group consisting of heat and mass transfer, solidification of molten products, crystallization of solutions, liquidphase evaporation of a liquid suspension of a pulverulent material, agglutination, briquetting, coating, the bottom of said circular container comprising a grid and means for feeding a fluidization agent upward through the grid including a distributing means which feeds only an annular portion of said container, the surface of said bottom being constituted partly of the grid and partly of at least one continuous central masking element, the periphery of which acts as a channel, so that only a vertical columnar zone above the grid is fluidized by the fluidization agent while above the remaining portion of the grid is a non-fluidized vertical zone which forms a channel not subjected to the action of the fluidization agent, said apparatus further comprising vibrating means for vibrating said container by means of vibrations applied to each said channel in a direction which is inclined and in a vertical plane substantially in the direction of said channel, separating and discharging means consisting of at least an inclined vibrating discharging screen located at least partly in one of the said channel zones to discharge at an exterior overflow point, and means for introducing the divided material into the vertical portion subjected to the action of the fluidization agent.

Claim 27

An apparatus for processing a material in the form of granules or drops, comprising a circular fluidization container having closed sidewalls and a bottom and containing a bed of pulverulent solid product used as a processing phase for applying a process which is one of the group consisting of heat and mass transfer, solidification of molten products, crystallization of solutions, liquidphase evaporation of a liquid suspension of a pulverulent material, agglutination, briquetting, coating, the bottom of said circular container comprising a grid and means for feeding a fluidization agent upward through the grid including a distributing means which feeds only an annular portion of said container, the surface of said bottom being constituted partly of the grid and partly of at least one continuous central masking element, the periphery of which acts as a channel, so that only a vertical columnar zone above the grid is fluidized by the fluidization agent while above the remaining portion of the grid is a non-fluidized vertical zone which forms a channel not subjected to the action of the fluidization agent, said apparatus further comprising vibrating means for vibrating said container by means of vibrations applied to each said channel in a direction which is inclined and in a vertical plane substantially in the direction of said channel, separating and discharging means consisting of at least an inclined vibrating discharging screen located at least partly in one of the said channel zones to discharge at an exterior overflow point, and means for introducing the divided material into the vertical portion subjected to the action of the fluidization agent.