The present invention relates to an improvement in the rotating disc fluid bed dryer
to allow salvage of the particles of product which fall from the fluidizing chamber to the rotating disc where they are thrown to the bottom of the dryer andcontaminated. More particularly, in accordance with the present invention, an improvement of the rotating disc fluid bed drying apparatus comprises accumulator means for accumulating particles of material to be dried which fall from the fluidizingchamber to the rotating disc; passage means for interconnecting the accumulator means and the fluidizing chamber; and collector means for concentrating particles of material accumulated in the accumulator means and for transferring the concentratedparticles to the passage means.
A method of salvaging what is otherwise waste product in a fluid bed dryer which includes a rotating air distribution disc is also provided and comprises mounting a product collector around the periphery of the disc, accumulating in the collectorwhat is otherwise waste product which falls on the disc during the drying operation, concentrating the product accumulated in the collector, and transferring the accumulated product from the collector to the fluid bed chamber.
Apparatus in accordance with the present invention salvages more than 90% of what otherwise would be wasted product. An additional advantage of the salvage apparatus is improved performance of the fluid bed dryer since air flow through the dryeris not restricted by the buildup of waste product in the bottom of the fluid bed dryer. Another advantage is the virtual elimination of the time-consuming, manual clean-out operations periodically required to remove the waste product from the bottom of the dryerand to dispose of the waste product so removed.