Briquetting machine

Abstract

A relatively thin briquetting chamber having a filter screen along at least one wall thereof, openable ends, a piston movable through said chamber from one end to the other to squeeze liquid from solid particles collected on the screen in said chamber and form a briquette, and an opening in the chamber for introducing the liquid and solid particles into the chamber. The chamber is so designed that no point inside the chamber is more than about three inches from a filter screen wall. This chamber may comprise a flat rectangular parallelepiped having openable ends, a bottom screen wall, a pair of side walls along the longitudinal edges of the bottom wall, and a top wall having an opening therein for introducing the liquid and solid particles, which if in the form of a sludge, this opening has to have a minimum dimension of at least six inches. The rectangular ends of this chamber, which usually have a width of at least twice that of their height, have an openable gate at one end thereof and a rectangular piston at the other end adjacent the opening in the top wall of the chamber. The separated liquid is collected outside the chamber and the openable gate permits discharge of the briquettes by the piston which forms them against the gate when closed. The piston and openable end may be operated mechanically by a crank, screw, or fluid cylinder; and pressure, limit, and/or timer switches may be provided for automatically initiating and controlling the briquette formation cycle.