Patent ID: 7191547

Claim:
An installation for drying a moisture-containing product, comprising: an air-dehumidifying apparatus for dehumidifying air, within which moist fresh or ambient air is moved through at least one body formed with a lumpy, granular and/or porous water-vapor adsorbent through which air can flow and which is based on a silicate-containing material, silica gel, and finally the air dehumidified there is directed over the product to be dried, which is arranged in a drying chamber or the like, the dehumidifying of the fresh or ambient air being interrupted within the dehumidifying apparatus when the saturation of the adsorbent body with water is achieved, and the water adsorbed by the adsorbent body being desorbed and expelled from the latter by heating and/or by means of a carrier airflow, said air-dehumidifying apparatus including at least two installation lanes with: dehumidifying chambers each disposed downstream of a feed or inlet chamber for moist fresh or ambient air, accommodating said adsorbent body and each having a microwave generator or magnetron for heating said adsorbent body, and at least one discharge on an outflow side for discharging dehumidified air from said dehumidifying chambers; regeneration-air feeds or charging chambers assigned in each case to one of said dehumidifying chambers and from which, directly or by way of regeneration-air conveying means, regeneration air is directed through said adsorbent body for desorption of water, adsorbed by said adsorbent body from the air laden with moisture from the product to be dried, after saturation of said adsorbent body is achieved; and on a dry-air outflow side of each of said dehumidifying chambers, a three-way changeover or closing member, shutting off or opening up, in each case in opposition to one another, either a path for the dry-air discharge toward said drying chamber or a path for the regeneration-air feed or charging chamber, or one three-way changeover damper; said dehumidifying apparatus, for providing regeneration air, having at least one air-conduction line for the air expelled from said drying chamber and containing the moisture received from the product to be dried, and which, for regenerating said adsorbent body laden or saturated with water, can in each case be directed periodically to the regeneration-air feeds or charging chambers or to a regeneration-air charging fan thereof and can be introduced into one of said adsorbent bodies in one of said air-dehumidifying chambers and can be moved therethrough.