Patent ID: 7080650

Claim:
A screenings washer, comprising: a hopper that collects screenings; a grinder coupled to said hopper downstream of said hopper, said grinder directly receiving the screenings collected by said hopper and grinding the screenings collected by said hopper; and a washer coupled to said grinder downstream of said grinder, said washer comprising: an auger rotor that rotates about a substantially horizontal auger rotor axis and that receives the screenings ground by said grinder and transports the ground screenings to a discharge end of said auger rotor, a spray wash system that sprays a wash fluid directly onto a portion of said auger rotor and the ground screenings in contact with said auger rotor while said auger rotor conveys the ground screenings along the rotor axis to the discharge end of said auger rotor, a perforated trough disposed at a bottom of said auger rotor, said perforated trough drains the wash fluid sprayed directly onto said portion of said auger rotor; and a tubular casing directly coupled to the discharge end of said auger rotor, said tubular casing having a severe bend proximate to the discharge end of said auger rotor, said severe bend partially obstructing transportation of the ground screenings transported by said auger rotor so as to form a compaction zone that compacts and de-waters the ground screenings from a substantial portion of the wash fluid remaining in the ground screening after passing the discharge end of said auger rotor, wherein said grinder is disposed above said auger rotor and drops the ground screenings directly onto said auger rotor.