Patent ID: 8366428

Claim:
An apparatus for processing PET polymers into pellets which comprises an underwater pelletizer to cut extruded PET polymer strands into pellets, piping to introduce water into said pelletizer and to form a slurry line to transport a water and pellet slurry out of said pelletizer and to a dryer for drying said PET pellets, and an injector to introduce a pellet speed expediter into said water and pellet slurry in said slurry line, said injector being configured to inject said pellet speed expeditor as a gas at a velocity of at least 100 m 3 /hour, said injector being positioned at an injection point in advance of a downstream portion of the slurry line and before any water is removed from said slurry line so that the injection of said pellet speed expediter increases a speed of water and pellet flow and causes the water to separate from said pellets while both said water and said pellets continue to move through said downstream portion of the slurry line, said separation from said water and said increased pellet flow speed causing said pellets to exit said dryer with sufficient internal heat to initiate crystallization of said pellets.