Importance

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Abstract

A high efficiency tobacco separator for separating lighter particles such as leaf or lamina from heavier particles such as stem in a tobacco mixture have a primary and a secondary air separation chamber. Two winnowers are provided in the primary chamber for tossing tobacco mixture back and forth across the chamber. A generally upward air flow is established in both the primary chamber and the secondary chamber, and the air flow, combined with inertial and gravitational effects, functions to separate lighter particles from heavier particles by entraining the lighter particles in the upward air flow. A conveyor assembly is positioned across the bottom of a primary chamber and extending into and projecting into the secondary chamber. The conveyor arrangement accumulates heavier particles which fall to the bottom of the primary chamber and projects them into the secondary chamber where additional air flow separation occurs. Entrained lighter particles are accelerated towards the top of the primary and secondary chambers and are collected. Heavier particles fall to the bottom of the secondary chamber and are collected.

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First Claim