The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 31, 1982
Filed:
May. 09, 1979
Waldemar Wochnowski, Hamburg, DE;
Reinhard Hohm, Hamburg, DE;
Hauni-Werke Korber & Co. KG, Hamburg, DE;
Abstract
A continuous stream of moist tobacco particles is withdrawn from a magazine by a carded belt conveyor, and successive increments of the stream are weighed prior to transport past a measuring unit which ascertains the initial moisture content of successive increments of the stream. The signals which are generated by the weighing device are used to regulate the speed of the carded conveyor so as to insure that each unit length of the stream reaching the measuring unit contains identical quantities of tobacco particles per weight. The stream is thereupon transported through a moisture increasing unit wherein the stream is traversed by ascending currents of steam and wherein one or more nozzles sprinkle metered quantities of water onto successive increments of the stream. The moisture content of tobacco particles leaving the moisture increasing unit is substantially constant, and such particles thereupon enter a drying unit which includes a rotary drum-shaped conveyor wherein the particles are dried by hot air streams which flow concurrent with and counter to the direction of tobacco transport through the conveyor as well as by steam-heated coils which are installed in the interior of the conveyor to directly heat the conveyor and to directly heat the tobacco particles therein. The final moisture content of tobacco particles is measured downstream of the drying conveyor and the rate of flow of hot air which flows countercurrent to the tobacco stream and/or the rate of circulation of steam in the coils is regulated in dependency on deviations of the final moisture content from a preselected optimum value.