Patent · US Expired

Method and a system for drying sludge

US5373647A · kind A · utility

12Cited by
4References
25Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateFeb 8, 1992
Grant dateDec 20, 1994
Priority date
Expiry dateFeb 8, 2012

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
  • CPC primaryF28F5/06
  • WIPO fieldChemical engineering
  • WIPO sectorChemistry

Abstract

A method and a system serve to completely or partially dehydrate sludge by evaporation which originates from e.g. sewage. The sludge is dried with addition of heat in a drying chamber (2), the sludge being transported on an endless travelling grate (3) from an inlet opening (8) in the drying chamber (2) to a discharge opening (9) in it. The sludge is deposited on the grate in a plurality of juxtaposed sludge strings (18) by means of an extruder (6), in which the sludge is preheated to almost 100.degree. C. prior to extrusion. The extruded strings (18) are then heated with such an intensity that the water in the sludge immediately begins to boil, and that a zone of preferably saturated water steam is formed at any rate in the immediate vicinity of the sludge. This provides a light and porous, dried sludge product which is in no way either burnt or scorched, and which constitutes excellent fuel as well as excellent compost. The system has a simple and compact construction and is inexpensive to produce, just as it works at moderate operation costs.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.