| CPC B65G 53/4633 (2013.01) [B65G 53/523 (2013.01)] | 24 Claims |

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1. A rotary valve comprising:
a housing having a housing inlet for receiving material and a housing outlet for releasing the material to a trough, the trough being located adjacent to the housing outlet;
a drive shaft having a longitudinal axis, the longitudinal axis defining a drive axis through the rotary valve; and
a rotor assembly arranged inside the housing, the rotor assembly being rotatable about the drive axis and comprising at least one rotor chamber operatively connected to the drive shaft,
wherein the trough comprises a first end adjacent to a gas inlet and a second end defining a gas outlet,
wherein a trough axis extends from the center of the gas inlet to the gas outlet, the trough axis being substantially parallel to the drive axis,
wherein the trough comprises at least one surface to direct gas from the gas inlet to the gas outlet, the at least one surface extending from the first end of the trough to the second end of the trough,
wherein the at least one surface is configured to direct material to the gas outlet,
wherein the at least one surface comprises a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion extending from the first end of the trough to the second end of the trough, the first portion and the second portion being disposed substantially opposite each other about the trough axis,
wherein, at the first end of the trough, there is a first distance defined as the distance from the first portion to the trough axis, and a second distance defined as the distance from the second portion to the trough axis, and
wherein the first distance is less than the second distance and, at the second end of the trough, the first portion and the second portion are substantially equidistant from the trough axis, defined by a third distance.
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