ACTIENGESELLSCHAFT FÜR EISENGIESSEREI UND MASCHINENFABRIKATION
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 5th Aug., 1899-Accepted, 2nd Dec., 1899
We, FRIEDRICH KNÜTTEL, of Franklinstrasse 6, Charlottenburg, near Berlin,
in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, Managing Director, and THE
BERLINER ACTIENGESELLSCHAFT FÜR EISENGIESSEREI UND MASCHINENFABRIKATION,
at the same place, a company incorporated according to the laws of the German
Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
-
With regard to the malt-drums as hitherto known,-such, for example, as those
disclosed in the Specifications of prior Patents 13675/88 and 2273/93-it has been
found that, in the case of drums of large capacity, that is to say of a diameter of
about two and a half meters, it was impossible to ensure uniform ventilation;
the reason being that, owing to the arrangement of the intermediate pipes the
mass of grain heaped up between the said pipes and the central tube showed a
tendency to sag, or become settled more closely; for, under the influence of the
pressure exercised upon it, both vertically and laterally by the adjoining layer of
inaterial. it will become more dense than the layers of malt lying beyond the
intermediate pipes towards the periphery of the drum. It then occurs that the
air which is admitted through the lower intermediate pipes is hindered more or
less in its upward course, i.e. towards the central pipe or tube, with the result that
the layers of malt are ventilated more thoroughly at the periphery than towards
the interior.
The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which the figures
of the drawings are hereinafter referred to.
In accordance with the said invention the outer pipes or tubes are dispensed with
altogether, one inner central tube R and a series of intermediate tubes being
alone retained, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing in which the direction
of the current of air is indicated by arrows. It is proved by experience that the
air does not, as might be expected, take the shortest passage in passing from the
intermediate pipes to the central tube, but is distributed or diffused throughout
the body of the malt. The air moves along peculiarly curved lines and thus
ensures perfectly uniform ventilation or aeration, certainly one far superior to
that which is obtained by other arrangements; this fact is proved by the existance
of a uniform temperature throughout the malt-chamber.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 represent transverse vertical sections of drums provided
respectively with intermediate air tubes of elliptical, square, and triangular cross
section.
There is provided certain air-distributing gearing, viz. a slide-valve o (Figures 1
and 6) arranged in the preliminary chamber K and adapted to cut off the air supply
from the pipes which at the time are moving through the empty space over the
malt. It is expedient moreover to fit in the wall 1) the arrangement described
in the Specification of the said former Patent 13675/SS, consisting of a series of
perforations & alternating with the pipes, so as to ensure also the proper aeration
of the "dead" corners between the intermediate pipes and the outer casing of
the drum; it being of course necessary, that these perforations, also, in so far as
they are situated within the air chamber, should be covered by the slide-valve,
as illustrated in Figure 6.

page_text: And it is further necessary that predetermined distances should be maintained
both, between the intermediate pipes and the drum casing and between the inter-
mediate pipes and the central tube. In the first place, the space between the
intermediate pipes and the wall of the drum should be large enough to prevent
the malt from settling into "balls" or lumps which will not become loosened again
as ventilation proceeds. And secondly the space between the intermediate pipes
and the central pipe should be large enough to enable the said intermediate
pipes, as they revolve, to project over the malt, so that the operation of turning
over the germinated malt shall not be interfered with by the fact of the ventilating
pipes plunging into the midst of the malt surface. For both intermediate spaces
these conditions must be taken for minimum limits: while the distance from
the casing of the drum may be set down at about one third of the distance between
that casing and the central tube.
Dated 9th day of January 1899.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.
An improved Pneumatic Malt-arum.
We, FRIEDRICH KNÜTTEL, of Franklinstrasse 6, Charlottenburg, near Berlin,
in the Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire, Managing Director, and THE
BERLINER ACTIENGESELLSCHAFT FÜR EISENGIESSEREI UND MASCHINENFABRIKATION,
at the same place, a company incorporated according to the laws of the German
Empire, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
-
With regard to the malt-drums as hitherto known,-such, for example, as those
disclosed in the Specifications of prior Patents 13675/88 and 2273/93-it has been
found that, in the case of drums of large capacity, that is to say of a diameter of
about two and a half meters, it was impossible to ensure uniform ventilation:
the reason being that, owing to the arrangement of the intermediate pipes the
mass of grain heaped up between the said pipes and the central tube showed a
tendency to sag, or become settled more closely; for under the influence of the
pressure exercised upon it, both vertically and laterally by the adjoining layer of
material it will become more dense than the lavers of malt lying beyond the
intermediate pipes towards the periphery of the drum. It then occurs that the
air which is admitted through the lower intermediate pipes is hindered more or
less in its upward course, i.e. towards the central pipe or tube with the result that
the layers of malt are ventilated more thoroughly at the periphery than towards
the interior.
The action pursued by prior Patent No. 13675 year 1888 is inefficient in the
same way and besides, ventilation is there occurring more through the inter-
mediate pipes than through the outer pipes E a drawhack which it is the object
of this invention to remedy.
The invention is illustrated in the drawing accompanying my Provisional Speci-
fication in which the figures of the drawing are hereinafter referred to.
In accordance with the said invention the outer pipes or tubes are dispensed with
altogether, one inner central tube R and a series of intermediate tubes r being
alone retained, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing in which the direction
of the current of air is indicated by arrows. It is proved by experience that the
air does not, as might be expected, take the shortest passage in passing from the
intermediate pipes to the central tube, but is distributed or diffused throughout
the body of the malt.

page_text: The air moves along peculiarly curved lines and thus ensures perfectly uniform
ventilation or aeration, certainly one far superior to that which is obtained by
other arrangements; this fact is proved by the existence of a uniform tempera-
ture throughout the malt-chamber.
Figures 3, 4, and 5 represent transverse vertical sections of drums provided
respectively with intermediate air tubes of elliptical, square and triangular cross
section.
There is provided certain air-distributing gearing, viz. a slide-valve o (Fig. 1
and 6) arranged in the preliminary chamber K and adapted to cut off the air supply
from the pipes which at the time are moving through the empty space over the
malt. It is expedient moreover to fit in the wall D the arrangement described
in the Specification of the said former Patent 13675/88, consisting of a series of
perforations & alternating with the pipes, so as to ensure also the proper aeration
of the "dead corners between the intermediate pipes and the outer casing of
the drum it being of course necessary, that these perforations, also, in so far as
they are situated within the air chamber should be covered by the slide-valve,
as illustrated in Figure 6.
And it is further necessary that predetermined distances should be maintained
both between the intermediate pipes and the drum casing and between the inter-
mediate pipes and the central tube. In the first place, the space between the
intermediate pipes and the wall of the drum should be large enough to prevent
the malt from settling into "balls or lumps which will not become loosened again
as ventilation proceeds. And secondly the distance of the intermediate pipes from
the central pipe must be so proportioned that on the rotation of the drum these
intermediate pipes consecutively emerge from the surface of the malt into the
free space above this surface, so as not to interfere with the turning over of the
malt. If the pipes are too close to the central pipe, so that they do not emerge
from the surface, only the superficial layer of the malt over these pipes will, on
the rotation of the drum, tumble over and be turned, the malt located between
such intermediate pipes and between the intermediate pipes and the central pipe
will however be retained by the pipes and will form a compact mass or kind of
core which remains always stationary and will not shift. For both intermediate
spaces these conditions must be taken for minimum limits,, while the distance
from the casing of the drum to the intermediate pipe may be set down at about one
third of the distance between that casing and the central tube.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is:-
A germinating and malting drum capable of receiving say 200 cwt. or upwards
(of grain) the main feature of such drum being that for ventilating (or aerating)
purposes, only one central tube and one set of intermediate pipes are provided, it
being necessary morcover so to proportion the distance between the intermediate
pipes and central tube that the said intermediate pipes shall emerge from the
germinated malt, in such a manner that they do not interfere with the process
of turning over such malt, while the distance from the intermediate pipe to the
drum casing should be about one third of the distance between the central tube
and the casing.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.