Patent ID: 8007701

Claim:
A method for processing extrudable materials into pellets, which comprises: extruding an extrudable material into strands; cutting the extruded strands into pellets with an underwater pelletizer; transporting said pellets and liquid from said pelletizer as a liquid and pellet slurry through a transport conduit from said pelletizer to a dryer for drying said pellets; adjusting a positionable pressurized gas nozzle assembly to a desired degree of insertion within said transport conduit; injecting a pressurized gas into said transport conduit at a high velocity using said gas nozzle assembly to facilitate separation of the liquid from the pellets as the slurry moves through the transport conduit from the pelletizer to the dryer, said slurry flowing past said gas nozzle assembly in a same direction, while moving from said pelletizer to said dryer, regardless of the degree of insertion to which said assembly is adjusted; and separating said pellets from said liquid in said dryer.