According to the invention it is also provided that solid material can be broken apart and converted to a dry powder of very small particles. The invention can also be used to de-water wet material or take care of and de-water material, which exists in or is solved in a solution.

No previously known technique exists in this field, which is enough effective to provide a method and an apparatus to reduce the volume of a material when using an air vortex, which by creating of a combination of heated high pressure air surrounding a vacuum region acting as a channel for the rapid passage of a material, which shall be treated so that the same can be converted to a powder, which is free from toxic substances.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for de-watering and particle disintegra- tion of a material in an effective and cost-saving manner.

The characterizing features of the present invention are stated in the claims enclosed.

Thanks to the invention a method and an apparatus have now been provided, which in an excellent way fulfill their purposes at the same time as the method is easy to perform and the apparatus is cheap in manufacturing. The method according to the invention uses compressed air or other

hydraulic gases to create a continuous flow of vacuum through a chamber or inlet portion permitting the material to be fed into one end, to pass through the chamber and be fed out in the opposite end. The apparatus according to the invention consists of a processor comprising a chamber in three parts, viz. an inlet portion, which can be tube formed and continue into a tube formed,'''conicål po-rtion- and an outlet portion having an outlet opening situated at the narrow portion of the conical portion. The inlet chamber or portion comprises an inlet constituting a conically formed hopper for feeding in the material, which shall be treated into the processor. Further, a venturi is attached tangentially to the circumference of the inlet portion, through which compressed air or other gases are fed into the processor to create spiralling air flow into the tube formed, conical portion of the processor.

During the method according to the invention compressed air is fed into the inlet chamber or portion of the processor through its tangentially located inlet in the determined volume required and having a pressure, which is needed in the actual situation in order to bring the air to pass through the venturi and provide a required linear velocity in order to produce a continuous spiralling tubular band of air through the length of the cone. The radial velocity of the air causes the air to compress against the circumference of the cone to create an increasing internal temperature of the air and a sucking out of the centre of the processor, which results in that a continuous vacuum existing or is maintained in the processor. When the material, which is going to be treated, is passed through the hopper into the processor and said material comes into contact with the high radial velocity air tube, the radial velocity is transferred to

each material particle causing the particle to explode in micron sized particles greatly increasing the free surface area of the material exposing all wetted surfaces to high temperature air flashing off all moisture. Thanks to the high vacuum level the boiling point of the moisture is reduced, which in a very great extent is enhancing the dehydration process. In this way a product is provided, which consists of a fine powder without any active bio- logical, organical or toxic contents.

The invention is described in more detail below by aid a preferred embodiment example in view of the drawings enclosed, in which Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross section view of a preferred embodiment example of a processor according to the invention, Fig. 2 shows schematically a perspective view of a vortex of air or gas, generated in the processor, Fig. 3 shows a schematic view partly exploded of the air or gas vortex according to Fig. 2 and in which figure also that part, in which the vacuum is generated and the formation of the inlet chamber or inlet portion of the processor, Fig. 4 shows schematically a part of the air-or gas vortex, showing the pressure regions within the same, Fig. 5 shows a diagram illustrating the increase in vacuum and temperature and the dimensions of a

processor according to one embodiment example of the invention, and Fig. 6 shows schematically a cross-section of a preferred embodiment example of the processor component of the invention.

As can be seen in more detail in the drawings and especially in Fig. 1 a preferred embodiment example of a processor 10 according to the invention is here illustrated, in which a vortex of air or gas is produced and in the preferred example this vortex consists of air.

The air is fed to the processor 10 by aid of an air compressor not illustrated in the drawing and via an air conduit not illustrated in the drawing, to the inlet 13 of the processor. According to the embodiment preferred the processor 10 is mainly cylindrical shaped with an exterior shell 12 an inlet 13 for a compressed medium of air or gas, a hopper 14 formed conically and constituting an inlet 20 for the material, which shall be treated and an outlet 17 for the outlet flow, which has been treated. The interior of the processor 10 is of a generally truncated conical shaped portion 11. In the outlet chamber or outlet portion 18 of the processor a conical valve 15 is provided to control both the outlet flow through the outlet 17 as well as the back flow of air 24. An inlet chamber or inlet portion 16 is provided in the processor 10, in which the compressed air is introduced via the inlet 13, in which the air is re-directed into an angular spinning vortex.

The inlet portion 16 comprises also means for receiving the material, which shall be treated into the resulting vacuum region with the air vortex. In Fig. 2 and 3 the air vortex phenomenon is further illustrated.

In a preferred embodiment example of the invention the processor 10 comprises an exterior shell 12 of sheet metal rolled and welded in constituting said shell. The inner conical portion 11 of the processor 10 is composed of high temperature sheet metal, welding and grinded to a smooth transition from the inlet portion 16 to the outlet portion 18. Between the conical portion 11 and the shell 12 there is an insulating filling 19, which can consist of fibre glass.

In fig. 2 is illustrated how an air vortex represents as it enters and spirals down through the interior of the processor 10. The feed medium, which here consists of air is delivered to the processor 10 from the air inlet 13. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the feed air 25 enters the processor 10 at a pressure of 125 psi. Once the feed air 25 comes into contact with the inlet hopper 14 for the material, which shall be treated and the conical part 11, the feed air 25 is re-directed achieving a radial velocity around the conical portion 11 and thereby becoming an air coil 22. As the air coil 22 spins through the processor 10 it exerts a centrifugal force 23 on the conical portion 11. This centrifugal force 23 being exerted against the conical portion 11 induces a temperature increase through the processor 10. Further- more, the air coil 22 is forcibly reduced in diameter as it travels through the processor 10. In the preferred embodiment of the invention the outer diameter of the air coil 22 is reduced from 16 inches (40,64 cm) at the inlet chamber or inlet portion 16 to 8 inches (20, 32 cm) at the outlet chamber or outlet portion 18. This forced reduction in air coil 22 diameter further accelerates the radial velocity of the air and thereby further increases the temperature. As the spiraling air is forced to the conical

portion 11 the centre of the processor 10 is evacuated of air, thereby creating a vacuum pressure 21, which tends to pull air and material, which shall be treated in the processor 10, through the inlet 20 of the inlet portion 16. According to the preferred embodiment example of the invention the vacuum pressure at the inlet 20 is about 11,76 inches (29.87 cm) of mercury and vacuum pressure at the outlet 17 of the outlet portion 18 about 18. 05 inches (45,85 cm) of mercury. Simultaneously, temperatures of 299° F at the inlet portion 16 to 834° F (445. 6°C) at the outlet 17 of the outlet portion 18 are induced by the air vortex. Since the boiling point of water at sea level with no vacuum is 212° F (100°C) and since the effect of vacuum is to lower the boiling point of water, the effect of this combination of vacuum and temperature on water is to cause a flash, nearly instantaneous vaporization. The resulting product from the material being de-watered and broken apart, results in a pulverized, dry material which can have reduced in volume by as much as 95%, depending on its original water concentration. This resulting dehydrated material is evacuated along with any exhaust vapours or gases through the outlet 17. Some air inevitably is forced backwards into the processor by the interaction of the valve 15 and the diameter of the outlet 17.

This backwards forced air is creating a backflow pressure of air 24.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic view of the processor 10 partly in a cut-away view of the air coil 22, showing the region 21 of vacuum within the vortex and further showing increased detail of the inlet portion 16. The

inlet portion 16 is essential to the re-direction of the feed air 25 into a radial spiral 22. The inlet 20 for the material, which shall be treated, comprises a hopper 14, an exterior wall 31 and an air pressure sensor 33. The hopper 14 is conically shaped to focus the entering material to the induced vacuum. In the preferred embodiment example of the invention the hopper 14 is angled inward from the horizontal at an angle at 21°. By this a maximal acceleration for the material feed and the vacuum air is provided.

Fig. 4 shows a partial view in the form of a bit of cake of the vortex. The region 41, in which there is vacuum, surrounds the central line 42 of the vortex.

The spiral air cross-section 44 surrounds the vacuum region 41. The spiralling air induces a centrifugal force 43 against the conical portion 11.

Fig. 5 presents a representative diagram indicating the measured values of vacuum and temperature in the preferred embodiment of the invention. At the inlet portion 16 the inner diameter of the processor 10 is 16 inches (40,64 cm) and the pressure of the feed air 25 measured within the inlet portion is 123,43 psi. At the transition point 51 between the inlet portion 16 and the conical portion 11 vacuum pressure is measured at 11,76 inches (29,87 cm) of mercury and temperature is measured at 299° F (248, 3° C). At the midpoint 52 of the conical portion 11 the vacuum pressure is measured at 15,05 inches (38,23 cm) of mercury and temperature is measured at 546° F (285, 6° C). At the transition

point 53 between the conical portion 11 and the outlet portion 18 the vacuum pressure is measured at 18.05 inches (45,85 cm) of mercury and temperature is measured at 834° F (445, 6° C). The combination of vacuum pressure and the high temperatures causes all moisture in the material being treated to rapidly vaporize.

Fig. 6 shows a cross-section of a preferred embodiment example of the processor 10. Here is illustrated how the outlet 17 is formed in the outlet portion 18 having its adjustable valve 15. The valve is adjust- able supported by an axis 64, which in turn is connected to a control means 61 on the outside of the processor 10 to admit either manual or automatic ad- justing of the flow through the processor 10. A housing 63 of steel is provided over the outlet portion 18 of the processor 10.