An assembly for saturating or aerating a medium with fluid. At least one hollow cylinder having gates and vents embedded within a grain mass. A target section of grain mass is identified and the gates and vents activated to provide influent flow to the target section in both vertical and horizontal directions.

An assembly for saturating or aerating a medium with fluid. At least one hollow cylinder having gates and vents embedded within a grain mass. A target section of grain mass is identified and the gates and vents activated to provide influent flow to the target section in both vertical and horizontal directions.

A process for drying polymeric granular material (2) comprises the steps of: —introducing into said drying hopper (10) a process gas having a predefined flow rate so as to heat and dry the polymeric granular material, —discharging a portion of the heated polymeric granular material into a transformation unit (100) for the polymeric material; —loading an amount of fresh polymeric granular material (2a) into the drying hopper. The process gas flow rate is regulated by measuring the inlet temperature of the fresh polymeric granular material (2a) and comparing it with a predefined inlet temperature of the fresh polymeric granular material, on the basis of which the predefined process gas flow rate has been calculated. If the measured inlet temperature is different from the predefined inlet temperature, the flow rate of the process gas is regulated on the basis of the measured inlet temperature.

An improved grain dryer is presented having a mixed-flow heating section having a plurality of inlet ducts connected to the plenum that facilitate air flow into the grain column from the heated and pressurized heat plenum, and a plurality of exhaust ducts connected to openings in the exterior wall that facilitate air flow out of the grain column. Outer most ducts of the inlet and exhaust ducts, which are positioned closest to end walls of the grain column, are configured to reduce bridging or grain between the outer most ducts and the end walls of the grain column.

An improved grain dryer is presented having a mixed-flow heating section having a plurality of inlet ducts connected to the plenum that facilitate air flow into the grain column from the heated and pressurized heat plenum, and a plurality of exhaust ducts connected to openings in the exterior wall that facilitate air flow out of the grain column. Outer most ducts of the inlet and exhaust ducts, which are positioned closest to end walls of the grain column, are configured to reduce bridging or grain between the outer most ducts and the end walls of the grain column.

An apparatus for drying granular resin material in a hopper including a first sub-system, including a membrane and a heater receiving drying gas from the membrane to be heated, the first sub-system supplying dried heated gas to a first portion of the hopper; and a second sub-system, including a mixing device and a heater for receiving drying gas from the mixing device to be heated, the mixing device inducing withdrawal of gas from the hopper and mixing the withdrawn gas with gas supplied from the first subsystem, the mixed gases being heated and supplied to a second portion of the hopper, the improvement comprising a gas separation membrane for separating inert gases from air supplied to the apparatus and providing the separated inert gas in the first subsystem; a heater for heating air supplied to the apparatus; and a thermostat for controlling the heater and thereby maintaining the supplied air at a selected temperature.

A process for treating polymer granular material (2) comprising the steps of heating and drying the polymer granular material in a drying hopper (10) by means of a drying gas, discharging a portion of the polymer granular material into an extruder (101), inside which the polymer granular material is brought to a molten or semi-molten state and transported along the extruder by a rotating screw (104) in order to be injected into a mould (102) or caused to pass through an extrusion head. The process provides for measuring a control parameter which is correlated with the rotation of the screw inside the extruder and regulating the flow rate of the drying gas on the basis of the control parameter.

An improved grain dryer is presented having a mixed-flow heating section having a plurality of inlet ducts connected to the plenum that facilitate air flow into the grain column from the heated and pressurized heat plenum, and a plurality of exhaust ducts connected to openings in the exterior wall that facilitate air flow out of the grain column. Outer most ducts of the inlet and exhaust ducts, which are positioned closest to end walls of the grain column, are configured to reduce bridging or grain between the outer most ducts and the end walls of the grain column.

There is provided a grain dryer in which the whole of a dryer main body can be made effective use of whether the grain dryer is used in either a circulation drying mode or in a continuous flow drying mode, the grain dryer including a dryer main body into which grains are loaded, a hot air chamber provided at one side of the dryer main body to supply hot air into an interior of the dryer main body, and an exhaust air chamber provided at the other side of the dryer main body to discharge hot air from the interior of the dryer main body, wherein the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber each have a plurality of upper and lower independent spaces, the corresponding spaces of the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber being disposed to be positioned substantially at a same height, and wherein the individual spaces of the hot air chamber communicate with corresponding hot air generators to execute separate supplies of hot air generated by the hot air generators into the individual spaces, and a height range in the interior of the dryer main body into which hot air is supplied from the spaces of the hot air chamber is defined as a drying section to dry grains loaded into the interior of the dryer main body.

There is provided a grain dryer in which the whole of a dryer main body can be made effective use of whether the grain dryer is used in either a circulation drying mode or in a continuous flow drying mode, the grain dryer including a dryer main body into which grains are loaded, a hot air chamber provided at one side of the dryer main body to supply hot air into an interior of the dryer main body, and an exhaust air chamber provided at the other side of the dryer main body to discharge hot air from the interior of the dryer main body, wherein the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber each have a plurality of upper and lower independent spaces, the corresponding spaces of the hot air chamber and the exhaust air chamber being disposed to be positioned substantially at a same height, and wherein the individual spaces of the hot air chamber communicate with corresponding hot air generators to execute separate supplies of hot air generated by the hot air generators into the individual spaces, and a height range in the interior of the dryer main body into which hot air is supplied from the spaces of the hot air chamber is defined as a drying section to dry grains loaded into the interior of the dryer main body.