Improved method of and apparatus for treating more or less finely divided material, in particular, flour-mill stocks such as the semolinas

摘要

522,110. Conditioning flour stock. LORING F. H. Dec. 5, 1938, No. 35377. [Class, 58] [Also in Group II] To ensure semolinas or like more or less finely divided material being uniformly moistened by a centrifugal spraying basket machine as described in Specifications 444,833, and 476,828, [both in Group II], means are provided for separating off the inner wetted layer of material surrounding the basket from the outer layer, the outer layer then being subjected to further treatment. In the machine shown the material is fed into pockets in a rotating drum 1 and carried upwards by the rotation of the drum to a position where the material flows from the pockets down shoot, 2 into a hopper 3 having a mouthpiece 4 surrounding a cone, disc or worm 6 round a hollow shaft 5 feeding the spraying basket 7. The material falls in an annular curtain around the basket and the outer untreated layer of this curtain is separated from the inner layer that has been treated by the spray by a sharp edged circular hopper 8. The outer layer of material flows down a shoot 10 and is again fed into the pockets of the drum 1 for further treatment. Differing sizes of hoppers may be used to vary the diameter of the falling curtain of material and also to adjust the thickness of the layer separated off. Water or other liquid may be used as the spraying material.