IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING APPARATUS
Year: 1884

page_text: the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING APPARATUS" and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :—
Fig 1 is view partly in side elevation partly in section of a heater and cooler for
treating the air.
Fig 2 is a horizontal section of a drying room, the dotted lines indicating the
positions of the air inlet ducts in relation to the air ducts in Fig 1.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a part of the drying room in Fig 2.
Fig. 4 is a vertical longitudinal section of a part of a modified form of drying
room.
Fig 5 is a similar view of a slightly different form of drying room in conjunction
with a cooling room.
Fig 6 is a top plan view of two drying rooms and two cooling rooms.
Fig 7 shows my invention in a somewhat different form this being especially
adapted for the treating of wool and similar materials.
"
Fig 8 is a side view of a part of one of the circulating fans on a larger scale.
Fig. 9. is a perspective of a fan blade.
Fig 10 is a perspective of a modified form of fan blade.
I have shown in the drawings several forms of mechanism which although they
differ somewhat in the details of construction, all embody the essential features of
the invention. I have shown thus several forms in order to indicate that my
improved method of introducing the air into the drying room distributing it
effectively therein and withdrawing it therefrom may be applied to the treatment
of any of the very many materials which in the various arts now require the
treatment at which my invention aims.
Referring to Fig 1, A represents a furnace in which the air is heated and which
may be of any suitable form of construction. As shown it has a series of tubes C
through which the products of combustion rise to the chimney B. Air enters
through ducts D to the chamber around the tubes C, and after being heated, it
passes off through duct E, to a cooler at F which also may be of any suitable form.
The one shown has a chamber F containing one or more serpentine pipes F¹

page_text: communicating with duct E. Air from the outside enters at f. and as it rises
through the cooler it acts to cool the duct F¹ and the air therein. Preferably this
upwardly rising air is taken to duct D and through it to the heating chamber
above described though it may be allowed to escape through an aperture such as
shown in dotted lines and covered by the slide b³, d' is an aperture for taking air
directly to the heating chamber from the outside and d is a slide for closing it.
d² is a damper for closing pipe D. By means of the heater and cooler the air can
be regulated accurately in temperature and under some circumstances inoisture
may be removed. For further understanding of the apparatus shown, reference
may be made to my previous patent 4546 of September 23, 1882 But the other
features of this case are not to be limited to the heating and cooling of the air or
to either of them.
Referring now to Figs 2 and 3 the air passes through a duct or ducts as at G G
to the drying room H there being preferably branch ducts as at g g. These latter
may be arranged as is indicated in Figs 1 and 2, it being understood of course
that one of these figures has its parts shown vertically while the parts of the other
are shown horizontally The air may enter directly into the drying room H at the
bottom or top or other place but I prefer under some circumstances to employ
chambers or ducts H¹ to initially receive it. Still referring to Figs 2 and 3 these
initial chambers H³ are situated vertically in the drying room there being two or
more as may be necessary.
II are air circulating or distributing fans preferably near the chambers H³ they
acting to drive the air against the articles being dried and they may be arranged
so as to also draw the air in. h h are narrow passages in the walls of the
chambers H¹.
If these passage ways are inclined relatively to the fans as shown in Fig 2. the
air enters very advantageously.
The materials to be dried may be supported in any suitable way.
In Fig 2 they are shown in plan, a series of trucks L carrying racks L' the trucks
being on tracks and the racks being adapted to hold the material. The racks
are held apart a sufficient distance to allow the air to be driven between and across
them.
After leaving the racks the air is drawn out at exits h¹ there being a suction or
exhaust fan as shown at J.
Referring to Fig 4 it will be seen that the fans I. can be mounted horizontally
and the articles to be dried can be placed below them, The racks L' in this case
are stationary and inclined they consisting of vertical supporting bars e³ and cross
bars.
The room in this case may be as wide as is necessary and can be readily
constructed by one acquainted with the art to which this invention pertains.
I find that when the horizontal fans I are about eight feet long they work to
good advantage and the racks below should be about as long as the fans. But the
dimensions can be varied as circumstances require. is a blast or pressure fan
which forces the air into the initial chamber H₁ through ducts G and g The
passages in this construction are formed in or between the two parts K K₁ of the
fan casing, said parts consisting in this case of arches as shown.
The air is driven downward and passes through apertures or a false flooring at
the bottom and is drawn out through exits h' by the exhaust fan J.
It will be seen that when the air is treated in the manner here provided for the
drying will be effected very rapidly as large volumes of the air can be forced
against and immediately withdrawn from the moist material.
In Fig 5 the drying room and fans together with the air pressure and exhaust
mechanism may be substantially the same as those above described. But in this
case the racks or holders are somewhat different they being arranged in series on
trucks L and as shown, being provided with hooks for attaching thereto the
materials to be treated. In this Fig. 5 there is shown also a cooling room at H
into which may be transported immediately the material withdrawn from the

page_text: I
drying room and it will be understood that a cooling room of this character can ba
combined with any of the forms of apparatus shown, Some materials such as fish,
meats and perishable articles after being subjected to a warm drying air can be
better preserved by taking them immediately to a cooling room. The temperature.
in this roon may be lowered by any preferred means.
have shown an
underground duct H through which air can pass to the rooms H³ by branch
ducts H³ and after this air has done its work in the rooms H³ it may be exhausted
through ducts H6 either by fans or by connecting said ducts H with a chimney.
By referring to Fig 6, there will be found the plan of an arrangement of these parts
which I have found very efficient and convenient, G representing the main inlet
duct with its branches g and H* the main exhaust duct connecting with the rooms
as at h¹.
Again it will be seen that it is not necessary that the distributing fans I should
be at the top, and drive the air downward, for in Fig 7, a very effective apparatus
is illustrated for the treatment of various materials in which these fans are at the
bottom and the air is taken upward to the exhaust. It is forced in by the pressure
fan J¹ through duct G to initial chamber H whence it passes through the passages
to the fans I. In this case the holders L¹ consist of screens preferably arched
around the fans.
h
M representing a netting or holder of wire or other suitable material which can
be placed over the substance being dried to hold it down on the rack L¹ and
prevent the air currents from removing it, If it is flexible it may be secured to
rollers as at mm at the top, supported by a cross bar m¹ and at the bottom it may
be held by cleats, weights hooks or other fastening devices at m².
It will be understood that the plan dimensions of a drying room of this sort may
be such as shown in Fig 6 or any other that are suitable, the arched holders L'
either extending from side to side of the room or otherwise arranged to prevent
the air from escaping at the enda.
In Figs 8, 9, and 10, I have shown the preferred construction of blade for the
air circulating fans.
The faces of the blades are broken up by means of bars cleats or projections
either solid and rectangular in section, as in Fig 8, or tapering in section as in
Fig 9 or formed of bent, sheet metal as in Fig 10, When these devices are used,
the fans operate more effectively as the bars or projections cut the air up into jets
or small currents which can be driven with great force so as to insure a rapid
circulation. Such a fan may be used in any of the constructions shown or even in
other mechanisms where air is to be distributed.
The chamber or duct which initially receives the air that is to say contains it
just before entering the drying space may be of the form of a simply constructed
pipe, with its inlet near the distributing fan. The inclined racks in Fig 4 are,
under some circumstances, advantageous in that they compel the air to roll, as it
were, over and over, in currents and therefore insure that it shall be fully charged
with moisture. It will be seen that this inclining of the racks can be effected in
any of the constructions shown although I have preferred to illustrate them in
some of the figures as being situated parallel to the paths of the currents produced
by the circulating fan. Again it will be seen that a retaining device substantially
equivalent to that shown at M in Fig 7 may be combined with any of the other
holders if it becomes necessary to prevent the air from displacing any of the
material under treatment.
The construction in Fig 2 does not comprise a blast fan as, under proper
conditions the circulating fans and the exhaust fans may be relied on to produce
the necessary movements of the air.
If chambers or ducts of the character of those shown at H' are used, the passage
ways therefrom for the air may be of any suitable style, either apertures or elongated
slots h.
In Fig 3, the passage way h is shown to be substantially as long as the fan and
in referring to Ti 24 R and 7 it will of course he understood that the

page_text: h
corresponding passages therein, may be of the same length, or they may be in the
form of a series of apertures.
Having thus described in detail each of the several constructions shown, which
as said embody the same features substantially I will say that I do not limit
myself to all these details, as they may be varied in numerous ways by those
skilled in the art without departing from the essential parts of the invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1, In a drying apparatus, the combination of a drying room or air chamber, or
duct which initially receives the air, a distributing fan, a casing which partially
surrounds said fan, and has a slot or aperture arranged substantially as set forth
and the fan blades passing in proximity to said apertures or slots as described.
2, In a drying apparatus, the combination of a drying room, a distributing fan
adjacent to the drying space, a wall K adjacent to the fan, a wall K' also adjacent
to the fan, a slot or passage between the walls and a duct or chamber through
which air passes to said passage there being a large open space on that side of the
fan towards the articles under treatment substantially as set forth.
3, In a drying apparatus the combination of a drying room, a chamber or duct
which initially receives the air, a blast fan which keeps air in said chamber or
duct under pressure, a distributing fan adjacent to the drying space, an aperture or
passage way, through which the air passes from said duct or chamber to the
distributing fan, and an exhaust fan which withdraws the air from the drying
room substantially as set forth.
4, In a drying apparatus, the combination of an apartment for the articles, a
chamber or duct adjacent to said apartinent which initially receives the air a fan or
fans mounted adjacent to said initial chamber or duct and between the latter and
the drying space, the air exits on the opposite sides of the drying space and the
rotary fan which withdraws the air through said exits substantially as set forth.
5, The combination of the drying apartment, the initial air chamber or feed
duct adjacent to said apartment, the circulating fans, the racks or holders arranged
substantially as set forth at an inclination to the paths of the air currents produced
by the circulating fans, and means for exhausting the air.
6, In an air circulating apparatus the combination with a fan, of projections
adapted to cut the volume of air up into jets or currents substantially as set forth.
7, The combination of the holders upon which the materials are placed, a fan
upon one side of said bolder a fan upon the other side of the holder for withdrawing
the air and a retaining device to be placed upon the material to prevent the air
currents from displacing it substantially as set forth..
Boted in 4th of Santoon han 1001