A stirrer assembly for use with a vessel, such as a keg, having an access opening. The vessel includes a cover that is adapted to close the access opening and has a through-hole therein. A stirrer assembly is adapted to releasably engage the through-hole and to be engaged by a motor. The stirrer assembly includes a driven shaft that extends in to a lower portion of the vessel with a paddle releasably mounted at a distal portion of the driven shaft.

A method of coating particles includes dispensing particles into a vacuum chamber to form a particle bed in at least a lower portion of the chamber that forms a half-cylinder, evacuating the chamber through a vacuum port in an upper portion of the chamber, rotating a paddle assembly such that a plurality of paddles orbit a drive shaft to stir the particles in the particle bed, injecting a reactant or precursor gas through a plurality of channels into the lower portion of the chamber as the paddle assembly rotates to coat the particles, and injecting the reactant or precursor gas or a purge gas through the plurality of channels at a sufficiently high velocity such that the reactant or precursor a purge gas de-agglomerates particles in the particle bed.

A reactor for coating particles includes a stationary vacuum chamber that has a lower portion that forms a half-cylinder and an upper portion and that holds a bed of particles to be coated, a vacuum port in the upper portion of the chamber, a paddle assembly, and a gas injection assembly that includes a vaporizer to convert a first liquid to a first reactant or precursor gas, a manifold to receive the first reactant or precursor gas from the vaporizer, and a plurality of channels leading from the manifold to a plurality of apertures located in the lower portion of the chamber.

A compost turning apparatus mountable on a loader for turning composting materials may include a mobile base having a frame with inboard, outboard, and bridging portions defining a windrow tunnel through which a windrow of composting materials are passed. The inboard portion may be configured to mount on the loader. The apparatus may include a rotor extending across the windrow tunnel, and the rotor may include a rotor shaft and paddles on the rotor shaft. A rotor drive assembly on the mobile base may rotate the rotor using a motor hydraulically-connectable to a hydraulic power system of the loader.

An agitator for an agricultural system includes a shaft configured to rotate about a rotational axis during operation of the agricultural system, and an extension coupled to the shaft. The extension includes a hoop and a tine extending from the hoop, and the tine extends acutely relative to the rotational axis of the shaft.

A sample container for use in determining a dietary fiber content of a food sample may include a chamber having a first end, an opposing second end, and a side-wall connecting the first end to the second end. The side-wall may include a rigid, non-porous material. The sample container may include a porous filter located at the second end of the chamber. The sample container may include an integral stirrer located within the chamber.

An agitator device is provided having at least one carrier unit, which has at least one connection element for a connection to a drive shaft and at least one beam element for the fastening of at least one agitator blade. The beam element and the connection element may be connected to one another in a one-part implementation.

A continuous asphalt mixture production plant based on double-horizontal-shaft forced mixing includes a cold aggregate bin, a continuous aggregate conveying and metering system, a drying drum, an aggregate elevator, a double-horizontal-shaft continuous mixing host, a continuous asphalt metering and conveying system, a continuous powder conveying and metering system and a finished product bin. The double-horizontal-shaft continuous mixing host includes a first double-horizontal-shaft mixing cylinder and a second double-horizontal-shaft mixing cylinder connected in series. The first double-horizontal-shaft mixing cylinder is provided with an aggregate inlet, an asphalt inlet, a powder inlet and a first discharging port, and the second double-horizontal-shaft mixing cylinder is provided with a mixture inlet and a second discharging port. The aggregate inlet, the asphalt inlet and the powder inlet are respectively connected with an outlet of the aggregate elevator, the continuous asphalt metering and conveying system and the continuous powder conveying and metering system correspondingly.

Provided is a mixing apparatus. The mixing apparatus comprises a housing defining a primary chamber, an inlet for receiving material into the mixing apparatus, as well as an outlet for discharging material from the mixing apparatus. The housing provides within the primary chamber a plurality of rotating shafts, each rotating shaft having a plurality of flailing fixtures associated therewith.

A method for crystallizing calcium nitrate from an aqueous calcium nitrate composition including from 6 to 12 weight % nitric acid, from 11 to 17 weight % phosphoric acid, and from 36 to 49 weight % dissolved calcium nitrate, which aqueous composition is optionally directly obtainable from digesting phosphate rock in nitric acid. The method includes filling at least one vertical crystallizing tank through an inlet with the aqueous calcium nitrate composition. The crystallizing tank includes a vertical cylindrical section, a first inlet, a first outlet, a second inlet, three concentric banks of cooling coils, an agitator, and a temperature measurement device. The method includes circulating through the banks of cooling coils a cooling fluid, having an initial temperature ranging from −40° C. to −5° C., and rotating the agitator such that a minimum average heat transfer of 400 W/m.sup.2.Math.K is achieved on the cooling coil the most distant from the agitator.