Patent ID: 8858065

Claim:
A preconditioner comprising: an elongated housing having sidewall structure, a material inlet, a spaced material outlet, and a fluid passageway through said sidewall structure and presenting an innermost injection opening in communication with the interior of the housing; at least one elongated, axially rotatable shaft extending along the length of said housing and having a plurality of outwardly extending mixing elements secured to the shaft; apparatus for the injection of fluid into said housing, comprising an injector valve operably coupled with said fluid passageway in order to permit selective injection of fluid into the housing during processing of material therein, said injector valve including a fluid inlet, a fluid outlet, and shiftable valve structure permitting selective control of the flow of fluid from the fluid inlet to and through the fluid outlet, the axial distance between said valve fluid outlet and said housing sidewall innermost injection opening being less than about three inches; and an elongated static mixer having a mixed fluid outlet operably coupled with said injector valve in order to deliver a mixed fluid to said injector valve fluid inlet.