APPAREIL DE GRANULATION DE MATIERES FONDUES

Apparatus for the pelletization of heat liquifiable materials, such as metallurgical slags consists of a downwardly-extending feed plate onto which the molten material is fed together with water, if required to promote the expansion of the molten material and for control of the cooling. The material discharges from the feed plate onto a rotating radially vaned drum by rotor by which it is projected into the air for simultaneous cooling and pelletization after it has first passed through a flow control gap formed between the feed plate surface and the periphery of a second rotor mounted above the feed plate. The second rotor is rotated in the direction such that it promotes the flow of the molten material down the plate, forcing the material between the vanes of the projecting rotor, while at the same time spreading the material across the width of the plate against its natural tendency to form a compact stream. The flow of the material is thereby made more uniform, providing for more effective use of the projecting rotor and avoiding localized flooding of the vanes with consequent loss of pelletization. The resulting apparatus can also be more compact for a given output. In some circumstances the second rotor can with advantage be rotated against the direction of flow down the feed plate.