Patent ID: 6945487

Claim:
A feeding apparatus for discharging cellulosic material from a steam separator, the feeding apparatus comprising; a housing having an inlet adapted to be connected to a discharge from the steam separator through which the cellulosic material enters said housing and an outlet through which the cellulosic material leaves said housing, said housing being sealed to prevent loss of steam therefrom between said inlet and said outlet, a screw disposed within said housing which feeds the cellulosic material from said inlet between a peripheral portion of a screw shaft and an inner surface of said housing, said screw shaft including a flanged portion which extends transversely outwardly of said screw shaft toward said outlet and which, together with a throttle means provided radially outwardly thereof, define an opening of said outlet of said housing, and means for adjusting said throttle means relative to said flanged portion so as to adjust a size of the outlet opening to thereby form the cellulosic material into a pressure tight material plug at the outlet opening to thereby prevent loss of steam pressure from the steam separator through the feeding apparatus when the feeding apparatus is connected to the steam separator.