Hauni-werke Korber & Co Kg.

Gerd-Joachim Wendt

Willi Thiele

Werner Heyden

A stream of moist tobacco is fed into one end of a rotating drum which is heated by steam circulating coils and wherein a current of heated air flows counter to the direction of tobacco travel. A portion of moisture-laden air issuing at the one end of the drum is evacuated into the atmosphere and the remaining portion of moisture-laden air is intercepted and recirculated into the other end of the drum by way of a duct which contains an adjustable device for mixing the recirculated portion of moisture-laden air with fresh air. The mixture is heated upstream of the other end of the drum, and the moisture content of dried tobacco is measured and compared with a desired moisture content. When the measured moisture content deviates from the desired moisture content, the rate of evacuation of moisture-laden air is changed simultaneously with the rate of admission of fresh air. Long-range deviations of measured moisture content from desired moisture content are compensated for by changing the intensity of heating action upon the drum so that the ratio of admitted fresh air to intercepted moisture-laden air normally remains constant.

Growing community of inventors

Hamburg, Georgia

Gerd-Joachim Wendt