Patent ID: 7412782

Claim:
Process for continuous drying of water-surrounded plastic granulate transported by a screen-type belt conveyor ( 4 , 10 ), comprising the following steps: withdrawing water in a first conveying region in the form of a chute, water is withdrawn under gravity from a plastic granulate at a temperature of > than 100° C.; extracting in a following second region on a belt conveyor ( 4 ), any remaining water wherein the water is substantially removed by air extraction ( 8 ) through the belt conveyor ( 4 ), the air extraction taking place at an air speed of > than 20 m per second and with a dwell time in the second region of < than 2 seconds; and evaporating in a third region ( 6 , 9 ), as an evaporation zone, with a dwell time of more than 2 seconds.