Importance

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Abstract

Apparatus for the expansion of tobacco includes a substantially cylindrical container (10), conveyors for feeding tobacco into the container and jet nozzles or slits for introducing a heating medium in the form of steam and/or humid air into the container. The jet nozzles or slits (12) are arranged substantially longitudinally of the container axis serving to direct high pressure steam and/or humid air substantially tangentially to the interior surface of the container (10) to engage the tobacco being fed into the container causing a turbulent mixture of steam, and/or humid air, and tobacco to travel along a helical path and to be maintained by centrifugal force in close proximity to the interior surface of the container as the stream moves axially therein and to maintain the circulation and to provide a succession of repeated high relative velocity, highly turbulent and dispersive contacts between the heating medium and the tobacco. Separating devices (27, 29, 30) are included for separating the steam and/or humid air from the treated tobacco. Also, a system (14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 26) is provided for recycling the steam and/or humid air to the jet nozzles or slits (12). By superheating steam circulating through the apparatus the tobacco may be expanded and dried in one operation.

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First Claim