Claims
- 1. A method for conditioning comminuted tobacco material by heating and moistening with water vapor, comprising the steps of:
a) allowing said comminuted tobacco material to free-falls down through a chamber operating in a continuous process; and b) treating said comminuted tobacco material during said free-fall with water vapor via nozzles, wherein a hyperbaric pressure is maintained in said chamber.
- 2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein an absolute pressure of more than 1 bar is maintained in said chamber.
- 3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein an absolute pressure of 2 to 10 bars is maintained in said chamber.
- 4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein saturated vapor is introduced into said chamber through nozzles.
- 5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein saturated vapor or superheated vapor with a temperature in the range 100° C. to 200° C. is introduced into said chamber.
- 6. A method for conditioning comminuted tobacco material, comprising the steps of:
introducing said comminuted tobacco material into a chamber operating in a continuous process, wherein said comminuted tobacco material free falls down through said chamber; and, treating said comminuted tobacco material during said free-fall with water vapor, wherein a hyperbaric pressure is maintained in said chamber.
- 7. The method of claim 6, wherein an absolute pressure of more than about 1 bar is maintained in said chamber
- 8. The method of claim 7, wherein said absolute pressure is from about 2 bars to about 10 bars.
- 9. The method of claim 6, wherein said water vapor is introduced into said chamber through nozzles.
- 10. The method of claim 9, wherein said nozzles are ring nozzles.
- 11. The method of claim 6, wherein said water vapor with a temperature in a range of from about 100° C. to about 200° C. is introduced into said chamber.
- 12. A method for conditioning comminuted tobacco, comprising the steps of:
preheating a tobacco conditioning drum using superheated vapor; introducing said tobacco into said tobacco conditioning drum; conveying said tobacco through said tobacco conditioning drum; raising said tobacco's equilibrium temperature in a pressure proof chamber of said tobacco conditioning drum; and drying said tobacco in a horizontal airflow dryer of said tobacco conditioning drum.
- 13. The method of claim 12, wherein said tobacco conditioning drum is preheated to more than about 152° C. at about 5 bars.
- 14. The method of claim 12, wherein said tobacco has a cut moistness of more than about 18% by mass when introduced into said tobacco conditioning drum.
- 15. The method of clam 12, wherein said tobacco is conveyed through said tobacco conditioning drum at a mass flow rate of about 200 kg/h.
- 16. The method of claim 12, wherein said tobacco is conveyed through said tobacco conditioning drum at a vapor pressure of about 5 bars.
- 17. The method of claim 12, wherein said tobacco's equilibrium temperature in said pressure proof chamber is raised to about 152° C.
- 18. The method of claim 12, wherein said tobacco is dried to a discharge moistness of about 13% by mass.
- 19. A method for conditioning comminuted tobacco, comprising the steps of:
introducing said tobacco into a vertically positioned tobacco expansion device; allowing said tobacco to free fall through a feed sluice in said expansion device; conditioning said tobacco at an absolute pressure in a pre-conditioning chamber in said expansion device; moistening and heating said tobacco during free fall with superheated water vapor; allowing said tobacco to free fall from said pre-conditioning chamber to a pressure proof chamber, from said pressure proof chamber to a discharge sluice, and from said discharge sluice to a dryer; and drying said tobacco in said dryer.
- 20. The method of claim 19, wherein said absolute pressure in said pre-conditioning chamber is maintained at more than about 1 bar.
- 21. The method of claim 20, wherein said absolute pressure in said pre-conditioning chamber is maintained from about 2 bars to about 10 bars.
- 22. The method of claim 19, wherein said superheated water vapor is about 100° C. to about 200° C.
- 23. The method of claim 19, wherein said superheated water vapor is introduced into said pressure proof chamber through ring nozzles arranged flush with an inner surface of said pressure proof chamber.
- 24. The method of claim 23, wherein said ring nozzles have a discharge direction inclining downwards.
- 25. The method of claim 23, wherein said superheated water vapor is discharged into said pressure proof chamber at an angle.
- 26. The method of claim 25, wherein said angle is 90° to a circumferential direction of said inner surface of said pressure proof chamber.
- 27. The method of claim 19, wherein a heating jacket surrounds said pressure proof chamber, said heating jacket being injected with a water vapor of a slightly higher temperature than said superheated water vapor injected into said pressure proof chamber.
- 28. The method of claim 19, wherein said pressure proof chamber expands downwardly in a tapered manner.
- 29. The method of claim 19, wherein said discharge sluice conveys a higher volume of said tobacco than said feed sluice.
- 30. The method of claim 29, wherein said discharge sluice rotates faster than said feed sluice.
- 31. The method of claim 29, wherein said discharge sluice has a greater chamber volume than said feed sluice.
- 32. The method of claim 19, wherein said dryer is a horizontal airflow dryer providing a hot gas stream.
- 33. A method for conditioning comminuted tobacco material comprising the steps of:
preheating a vertically positioned tobacco expansion device using superheated vapor; introducing said tobacco into said expansion device through an upper inlet; allowing said tobacco to free fall through a feed sluice within said expansion device; conditioning said tobacco during free fall at an absolute pressure through a pre-conditioning chamber in said expansion device; raising said tobacco's equilibrium and simultaneously moistening said tobacco with a superheated water vapor during free fall through a pressure proof chamber of said expansion device, wherein said pressure proof chamber is surrounded by a heating jacket; injecting said heating jacket with a water vapor of a slightly higher temperature than said superheated water vapor injected into said pressure proof chamber; allowing said tobacco to free fall through a discharge sluice to a dryer; and drying said tobacco in said dryer.
- 34. The method of claim 33, wherein said expansion device is preheated to about more than 152° C. at about 5 bars.
- 35. The method of claim 33, wherein said tobacco has a cut moistness of more than about 18% by mass when introduced into said expansion device.
- 36. The method of claim 33, wherein said absolute pressure in said pre-conditioning chamber is maintained at more than about 1 bar.
- 37. The method of claim 36, wherein said absolute pressure in said pre-conditioning chamber is maintained from about 2 bars to about 10 bars.
- 38. The method of claim 33, wherein said superheated water vapor is about 100° C. to about 200° C.
- 39. The method of claim 33, wherein said tobacco is conveyed through said expansion device at a mass flow rate of about 200 kg/h.
- 40. The method of claim 33, wherein said superheated water vapor is introduced into said pressure poof chamber through ring nozzles arranged flush with an inner surface of said pressure proof chamber.
- 41. The method of claim 40, wherein said ring nozzles have a discharge direction inclining downwards.
- 42. The method of claim 40, wherein said superheated water vapor is discharged into said pressure proof chamber at an angle.
- 43. The method of claim 42, wherein said angle is 90° to a circumferential direction of said inner surface of said pressure proof chamber.
- 44. The method of claim 33, wherein said pressure proof chamber expands downwardly in a tapered manner.
- 45. The method of claim 33, wherein said discharge sluice conveys a higher volume of said tobacco than said feed sluice.
- 46. The method of claim 45, wherein said discharge sluice rotates faster than said feed sluice.
- 47. The method of claim 45, wherein said discharge sluice has a greater chamber volume than said feed sluice.
- 48. The method of claim 33, wherein said tobacco is dried to a discharge moistness of about 13% by mass
- 49. The method of claim 33, wherein said dryer is a horizontal airflow dryer providing a hot gas stream.
Priority Claims (1)
Number |
Date |
Country |
Kind |
100 38 114.6 |
Aug 2000 |
DE |
|
Parent Case Info
[0001] This present application is a divisional patent application of and claims priority to and benefit of, currently pending, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/921,351 filed on Aug. 2, 2001, which claims priority to and benefit of German Patent Application No. 100 38 114.6, filed Aug. 4, 2000.
Divisions (1)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09921351 |
Aug 2001 |
US |
Child |
10843162 |
May 2004 |
US |