Expanding apparatus for agricultural product such as tobacco material
US5311885A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 20, 1992 |
| Grant date | May 17, 1994 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | May 20, 2012 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S131/901
- WIPO fieldOther consumer goods
- WIPO sectorOther fields
Abstract
An expanding apparatus continuously expands a material, e.g., a tobacco material and supplies gaseous carbon dioxide as an expanding agent to an impregnating vessel by an expanding agent supply to maintain a predetermined impregnating pressure. The material is continuously supplied to the impregnating vessel by a material supply while increasing the pressure of the material. The material is continuously discharged from the impregnating vessel by a material discharge while decreasing the pressure of the material. The expanding agent supply has a heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between carbon dioxide to be supplied to the impregnating vessel and a coolant, thereby cooling carbon dioxide. The state of carbon dioxide to be supplied to the impregnating vessel is controlled in accordance with the temperature or the like of the tobacco material discharged from the impregnating vessel, so that carbon dioxide is effectively impregnated and no dry ice is formed in the material discharge or the like.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.