Patent ID: 7621226

Claim:
A system for recycling rubber tires into energy, the rubber tires having a cross-sectional particle size less than one inch in length, the system comprising: a heated enclosure having an interior chamber and a plurality of internal baffles within the heated chamber; one or more input conveyors for inputting rubber particles to the heated enclosure and having a flow line positioned with respect to the plurality of baffles to provide a temperature gradient along the flow line of at least 150 F.°, thereby producing hydrocarbon vapors and residual solids, the input conveyors mechanically moving the rubber particles and the residual solids along the flow line; a drum magnet upstream from the one or more input conveyors for removing metal particles from rubber particles; a heated rotary drum in fluid communication with an exit from the flow line for receiving the rubber particles and residual solids from the flow line, the rotary drum having an interior temperature of from 730° F. to 800° F. for generating hydrocarbon vapors and carbon black solids; a condenser in fluid communication with the flow line and the rotary drum for receiving the vapors from the flow line and the rotary drum and outputting liquids including hydrocarbons and gas including hydrocarbons; one or more discharge conveyors for discharging the carbon black solids from the rotary drum; two or more input control valves for sealing vacuum downstream from the one or more input conveyors, each input control valve having two or more axially spaced closure gates; two or more discharge control valves for sealing vacuum upstream from the one or more discharge conveyors, each discharge control valve having two or more axially spaced closure gates; and a vacuum pump for maintaining a selected vacuum of less than 5 inches of water between the two or more input valves and the two or more discharge valves, such that hydrocarbon vapors are drawn from the flow line and the rotary drum into the condenser.