Patent ID: 9279616
Filing Date: 2016-03-08
CPC Classification: F26B

Claim Text:
1. An apparatus for drying containers of items comprising: a coalescing dryer comprising a housing with an airflow inlet and an airflow outlet and defining an airflow passageway from the airflow inlet to the airflow outlet, the housing comprising a container support adapted to support a container of said items to be dried in the airflow passageway such that air flowing in the airflow passageway travels downwardly through the items to be dried in the container when positioned on the container support, the coalescing dryer comprising an air diverter operable to cause air in the airflow passageway to change its direction of flow following passage of the air through the items to be dried; an air mover coupled to the airflow outlet and operable to apply suction to the airflow outlet so as to draw air from the airflow inlet to the airflow outlet at a velocity that causes liquid in items to be dried in the container positioned on the container support to coalesce and travel downwardly from the items in the container and to pass from the container; a vacuum dryer comprising a vacuum chamber housing within which the container of items to be dried is positioned following drying by the coalescing dryer, the vacuum dryer comprising a vacuum pump coupled to the vacuum chamber housing and operable to apply a vacuum to a container of items to be dried when placed in the vacuum chamber housing so as to evaporate liquid in the items to be dried that has not been removed by the coalescing dryer; and the apparatus included in a silicon comprising material processing system that subjects plural silicon comprising material containing containers to a plurality of processes prior to the coalescing dryer, one of such plural prior processes having a longest process time of the plural processes, wherein the vacuum dryer is operated to dry items in each container for a time that is no greater than the longest process time of the plurality of processes, and the coalescing dryer is operated to remove sufficient liquid from the containers such that when each of the plural containers of items to be dried is subjected to vacuum drying in the vacuum dryer for no longer than the time that is no greater than the longest process time of the plurality of processes, the silicon comprising material in each of the containers removed from the vacuum chamber following vacuum drying is substantially dry.