American Colloid Company

Maynard Teppo

William C Alexander

An apparatus and method for crushing clay to reduce the size of the clay to a uniform particle size distribution without generating a substantial percentage of undersized particles. Oversized clay particles are fed to a first roller mill between a first pair of counter-rotating, adjacent, grooved rollers. The particles exiting the first roller mill that have the desired particle size distribution are separated from the undersized and oversized clay particles exiting the first roller mill, prior to crushing the oversized particles in a second roller mill. The oversized particles from the first roller mill then are fed to the second roller mill between a second pair of counter-rotating, adjacent rollers that are separated by a roller gap that is smaller than a roller gap of the first roller mill. By providing grooves in the outer surfaces of at least the first pair of rollers, in the first roller mill, and by removing the on-size particles prior to sending the over-size particles to the second roller mill, about 85% to about 95% of the clay feed is crushed to the desired particle size. It should be noted that the particle size distribution is set between a top screen and bottom screen, the product being recovered between the two screens, and the particle size distribution can be fixed by adjusting the roller gap between the rollers of one or more roller mills of the apparatus to achieve a specified particle size distribution.

Apparatus for milling clay without substantial generation of powder

Method for milling clay without substantial generation of powder

A method and apparatus for manufacturing discrete solid particles of hydrocarbonaceous material, such as asphaltenes, in relatively dustless form includes heating the hydrocarbonaceous material, solid at standard conditions of temperature and pressure, to maintain the hydrocarbonaceous material in liquid form, and flowing the liquid hydrocarbonaceous material by gravity as an elongated annular stream into a reservoir of cooling liquid, such as cooling water, to solidify and shatter the annular stream into discrete solid particles in relatively dustless form. The apparatus includes a hopper for collecting a mass of heated liquid hydrocarbonaceous material; a heating source for heating the hydrocarbonaceous material to maintain it in liquid form; and flow channels operatively connected to the hopper at an upper level of the liquid hydrocarbonaceous material for flowing the liquid hydrocarbonaceous material in an elongated annular stream through the flow channel and into the reservoir of cooling water. Discrete solid particles are collected from the cooling water and conveyed to a drying and cooling zone and can be packaged in discrete particles of relatively uniform size in dustless form for transporting for reliquification and use on site in any industry where hydrocarbonaceous heavy materials, such as asphalt, are used.

Method for manufacturing discrete pellets of asphaltic material

A method and apparatus for continuously manufacturing water absorbing resin. A mixed monomer solution is stored in a storage vessel and a polymerization initiator stored in an initiator storage vessel. The monomer solution is fed by gravity or otherwise through a conduit to a lower position (below the liquid surface) of a reaction chamber of a reaction vessel at a rate of, for example, 4 gallons per minute. Simultaneously, the polymerization initiator is fed at a rate of, for example, 0.2 gallons per minute by gravity or otherwise through a conduit to an opposite side of the reaction chamber, again at a lower portion (below a continuously maintained liquid level) to begin polymerization. The reaction product forms from an upper surface of the reactant mixture (mixed monomer solution plus initiator) and travels upwardly through a truncated frustoconical cone shaped upper portion of the reaction chamber as a solid resin. The reaction product is sufficiently rigid to proceed upwardly from an upper annular edge of the upper reaction chamber portion until the resin meets an upper conveyor belt. The upper conveyor belt, driven in a counterclockwise direction, pushes the mass of reaction product onto a lower conveyor belt on which the resin cures and dries without the addition of external heat.

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Belle Fourche, SD, United States of America

Maynard Teppo