An improved geometry for flights used in rotary drums of aggregate dryers in the manufacture of asphalt causes the aggregate to shower in an even veil across the full width of the drum under all loading conditions. An opening in the flight having a narrow bottom and wider top allows more aggregate to shower early, especially when flights are lightly loaded, on the uplift side of the drum to complete the aggregate veil and prevent hot gases from bypassing. The opening is oriented with its narrow bottom nearest the inner surface of the drum and its wider top farthest therefrom. The opening does not extend through the full height of the flight, which would form an undesired gap allowing an excessive volume of aggregate to flood out of fully loaded flights on the uplift side of rotation. Such flooding discharge causes a similar imbalance of drying to that caused by too little discharge from light loaded flights. The size and shape of the opening can be varied to adjust the amount of aggregate discharged from each flight to form the veil and to adjust the shape of the veil.

The present invention provides methods and systems for reducing moisture in mineral slurries, particularly mineral slurries containing minerals of small particle diameter, using a granular drying material. The invention also relates to novel mineral products and intermediates useful in connection with the process. The method and system reduced moisture by contacting the mineral slurry with the granular drying material. The granular drying material is selected to be readily separated from the dried minerals using a size separation technique such as a sieve screen. The granular drying material is the regenerated, preferably using a process involving heat exchange and cross-flow air. The granular drying material is preferably capable of regeneration and recycling in a continuous process with minimal attrition.

The present invention provides methods and systems for reducing moisture in mineral slurries, particularly mineral slurries containing minerals of small particle diameter, using a granular drying material. The invention also relates to novel mineral products and intermediates useful in connection with the process. The method and system reduced moisture by contacting the mineral slurry with the granular drying material. The granular drying material is selected to be readily separated from the dried minerals using a size separation technique such as a sieve screen. The granular drying material is the regenerated, preferably using a process involving heat exchange and cross-flow air. The granular drying material is preferably capable of regeneration and recycling in a continuous process with minimal attrition.

An apparatus is provided for feeding slurry to a recycling or slurry treatment process at an elevated location. The apparatus includes a reception hopper for receiving the slurry from a transport vehicle, and a bucket elevator for conveying the slurry from a loading zone, in communication with the reception hopper, to a discharge zone at an elevated location. The reception hopper includes a trough having parallel side walls and a bottom wall. The loading zone of the bucket elevator communicates with a first end of the trough, the trough including a movable wall extending perpendicular to the side walls of the reception hopper and being movable towards the first end of the trough to urge slurry towards the loading zone of the bucket elevator.

An apparatus is provided for feeding slurry to a recycling or slurry treatment process at an elevated location. The apparatus includes a reception hopper for receiving the slurry from a transport vehicle, and a bucket elevator for conveying the slurry from a loading zone, in communication with the reception hopper, to a discharge zone at an elevated location. The reception hopper includes a trough having parallel side walls and a bottom wall. The loading zone of the bucket elevator communicates with a first end of the trough, the trough including a movable wall extending perpendicular to the side walls of the reception hopper and being movable towards the first end of the trough to urge slurry towards the loading zone of the bucket elevator.

A multi-functional slurry processing system (“VARCOR”) and associated methods is disclosed. The present examples provide a multi-functional slurry processing system incorporating systems and methods for separating liquid and solid components in slurries. In particular the systems and methods described herein produce clean water, dried solids, and potential concentration of desirable constituents with a boiling point lower than water. At least one example of the multi-functional slurry processing system provides a self-contained processing facility configured to efficiently convert high water-content slurries into its constituent solid and liquid fractions and subsequently generating and collecting clean water and concentrating desirable constituents with a boiling point lower than water. The multi-functional slurry processing system advantageously applies thermodynamic principles in a system which may include various combinations of a preheater, a degassing unit, a dryer, a steam filter, a compressor, a concentrating tower, and a condensation unit.

A cathode material integrated processing device, which dries, applies, and heat-treats a cathode material, according to an embodiment of the invention includes a support frame, a chamber part including a cylindrical body configured to accommodate the cathode material and a thick plate coupled to each of both ends of the cylindrical body to seal both the ends of the cylindrical body and configured to fix the cylindrical body to an upper portion of the support frame, a heating part disposed in each of the outside the cylindrical body and the outside the thick plate of the chamber part to heat the chamber part, a spray part including one or more nozzles, which is disposed between an upper portion and one side of the cylindrical body of the chamber part and is inserted in a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body to spray a coating liquid to the cathode material within the chamber part through a gas, a stirring part rotatably disposed inside the cylindrical body of the chamber part to stir the cathode material within the chamber part, a driving part connected to one side of the stirring part and rotatably disposed at one side of an upper portion of the support frame to rotate the stirring part, and a control part configured to control the heating part, the spray part, and the driving part.

A cathode material integrated processing device, which dries, applies, and heat-treats a cathode material, according to an embodiment of the invention includes a support frame, a chamber part including a cylindrical body configured to accommodate the cathode material and a thick plate coupled to each of both ends of the cylindrical body to seal both the ends of the cylindrical body and configured to fix the cylindrical body to an upper portion of the support frame, a heating part disposed in close proximity to each of the outside the cylindrical body and the outside the thick plate of the chamber part to heat the chamber part, a spray part including one or more nozzles, which is disposed between an upper portion and one side of the cylindrical body of the chamber part and is inserted in a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body to spray a coating liquid to the cathode material within the chamber part through a gas, a stirring part rotatably disposed inside the cylindrical body of the chamber part to stir the cathode material within the chamber part, a driving part connected to one side of the stirring part and rotatably disposed at one side of an upper portion of the support frame to rotate the stirring part, and a control part configured to control the heating part, the spray part, and the driving part.

A cathode material integrated processing device, which dries, applies, and heat-treats a cathode material, according to an embodiment of the invention includes a support frame, a chamber part including a cylindrical body configured to accommodate the cathode material and a thick plate coupled to each of both ends of the cylindrical body to seal both the ends of the cylindrical body and configured to fix the cylindrical body to an upper portion of the support frame, a heating part disposed in close proximity to each of the outside the cylindrical body and the outside the thick plate of the chamber part to heat the chamber part, a spray part including one or more nozzles, which is disposed between an upper portion and one side of the cylindrical body of the chamber part and is inserted in a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body to spray a coating liquid to the cathode material within the chamber part through a gas, a stirring part rotatably disposed inside the cylindrical body of the chamber part to stir the cathode material within the chamber part, a driving part connected to one side of the stirring part and rotatably disposed at one side of an upper portion of the support frame to rotate the stirring part, and a control part configured to control the heating part, the spray part, and the driving part.

A cathode material integrated processing device, which dries, applies, and heat-treats a cathode material, according to an embodiment of the invention includes a support frame, a chamber part including a cylindrical body configured to accommodate the cathode material and a thick plate coupled to each of both ends of the cylindrical body to seal both the ends of the cylindrical body and configured to fix the cylindrical body to an upper portion of the support frame, a heating part disposed in each of the outside the cylindrical body and the outside the thick plate of the chamber part to heat the chamber part, a spray part including one or more nozzles, which is disposed between an upper portion and one side of the cylindrical body of the chamber part and is inserted in a longitudinal direction of the cylindrical body to spray a coating liquid to the cathode material within the chamber part through a gas, a stirring part rotatably disposed inside the cylindrical body of the chamber part to stir the cathode material within the chamber part, a driving part connected to one side of the stirring part and rotatably disposed at one side of an upper portion of the support frame to rotate the stirring part, and a control part configured to control the heating part, the spray part, and the driving part.