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:
Jun. 29, 2004
Filed:
Oct. 12, 2002
Randall G. Adams, Carthage, MO (US);
Marshall R. Franklin, Carthage, MO (US);
Micronics, L.L.C., Carthage, MO (US);
Abstract
A method of vacuum drying sludge or slurry input material comprises providing a closed-ended vacuum tunnel with at least two interior augers. The tunnel has an interior bed recessed with adjacent troughs separated by a low partition for accommodating the two augers in closely-spaced generally-horizontal side-by-side relation. The augers are driven counter-rotating such the input material re-circulates in an endless loop down one auger, over to the other and back again. The augers have screws formed with stubby flights to form a cut-and-fold arrangement and disintegrate the material. The chamber is heated up to or over 70° C. and a current of air is suctioned into the tunnel through inlets and out through ports in part pull a slight vacuum in the tunnel as well as to suction up and draw out disintegrating fractions of the material including gasified fractions, waftable finely divided particulate fractions and other waftable fractions.