Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 15th May, 1886.
Complete Left, 15th Feb., 1887.
Complete Accepted, 10th May, 1887.
I, JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN, of Norfolk House, Norfolk Street, London W.C.,
Consulting Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in dust collectors for Flour Mills whereby
certain advantages are obtained.
In carrying my invention into effect I employ electricity which may be either
static or dynamic.
When I employ statical electricity I may generate it by means of an electrostatic
generator and I may put this in electrical connection with one or more suitable
terminal conductors arranged in or beside a depositing chamber. The said electro-
static generator may be of any convenient type or form, as for example one of the
well known forms of convection induction or influence machine. It may be placed at
or near the depositing chamber or passage conveying the dust or stive, or at a
distance therefrom. It may be driven by hand or by steam or by any other suitable
form of power.
When desired a condenser may be interposed in the circuit of the
electrostatic generator.
When I employ dynamic electricity I may generate it by means of a primary
voltaic battery, dynamo-electric machine, secondary battery or other source or
reservoir of dynamic electricity. The said source or reservoir of dynamic electricity
may be in circuit with the primary coil or element of a so called secondary generator
or inductorium; and with the secondary coil or element of the said secondary
generator or inductorium two or more terminal conductors, arranged in or beside a
depositing chamber, inay be in electrical connection. The secondary coil or element
of the secondary generator or inductorium is so constructed or disposed with regard
to the primary coil or element that a current flowing through the latter induces in the
former a current of very much higher electromotive force. In connection with this
apparatus I may employ a device for rapidly and continuously making and breaking
the electric circuit: and I may also employ a condenser when desired.

page_text: The terminal conductors hereinbefore referred to may be of any suitable size or
form for example they may consist of plates, wire, netting, gauze or other shaped
masses of conducting material; and they may be studded when desired with one or
more points or projections. They may be placed at any suitable distance apart, and
this distance may be capable of regulation or adjustment by suitable devices causing
the movement of either the terminal conductors themselves or of the points alone.
The depositing chamber may be in connection with the dust or stive producing
machines in the mill by means of pipes or passages or it may form a part or pro-
longation or extension of a dust conveying passage. In some cases the walls or sides
of the depositing chamber may constitute terminal conductors and when required
may be studded with points or projections and they may be capable of having their
distance apart regulated or adjusted by suitable devices. The depositing chamber
may be so placed arranged or disposed as to admit of ready access to it for the
purpose of removing the deposited dust, examining the terminal conductors, or for
other purposes.
Suitable devices may be employed for causing the dust to pass into or through the
depositing chamber.
The action of my invention is as follows:-When the apparatus is brought into
action electricity passes between the terminal conductors, or from one terminal to the
earth or a body in connection with the same, and intervening dust or stive is
electrified and deposited.

page_text: by the following statement :-
My invention relates to improvements in dust collectors for flour mills whereby
certain advantages are obtained.
In carrying my invention into effect I employ electricity which may be either
static or dynamic.
When I employ static electricity I make use of an electro-static generator of any
convenient type or kind and I put this in electrical connection with suitable terminal
conduciors arranged in, or in connection with, a depositing chamber.
The said terminal conductors are of any suitable form; and they consist of sheets
or rods of metal or of metallic wire, netting or gauze or the like, and studded or not
with points or projections. I find it convenient to employ light wire netting with
projecting points. These terminal conductors are placed at any suitable distance
apart; and this distance is preferably capable of adjustment or regulation by means
of any convenient known device. The said terminal conductors inust of course be
well insulated from each other. The projecting points of the terminal conductors
point towards the space between the said terminal conductors. The object of the
points is to obtain a point, brush or silent discharge as will be readily understood.
The distance apart of the terminal conductors will depend mainly on the power of
the electrostatic generator and upon the dryness of the atmosphere in which it is.
Condensers may when desired be employed in the circuit of the electrostatic
generator; but it will be generally found that they are unnecessary as the insulated
leads themselves act as condensers.
Any convenient known type of electrostatic generator may be employed; but I find
an ordinary Winshurst machine preferable to most others, as it is less affected by
damp. The electrostatic generator may be placed near the depositing chamber, or it
may be placed at a distance therefrom. If placed at a distance then highly insulated
leads must be employed to connect the electrostatic generator with the terminal
conductors. The electrostatic generator may be worked by any convenient source of
energy, as by hand or by a fluid pressure engine or the like. It is convenient to keep
the electrostatic generator or generators in a special compartment, preferably kept
airtight for the exclusion of damp, and having within it a drying re-agent to absorb

page_text: moisture. If the electrostatic generator in this compartment be driven by steam
power the shaft on which it is mounted is preferably made to pass through the wall
of the compartment in an airtight manner, the driving pulley being fitted to it outside
in order that no steam may enter the compartment. If however an electromotor or
a compressed air motor be employed to drive the electrostatic generator, they may be
in the same airtight compartment as the electrostatic generator, the leads for the
electricity, or the pipes for the compressed air, passing through the walls of the said
compartment in an airtight manner.
The action of this part of my invention is as follows:- -When the electrostatic
generator is operated electrical discharge takes place between the terminal conductors
and this causes the dust particles between the terminal conductors to condense and be
deposited.
When I make use of dynamic electricity I obtain it by means of a primary voltaic
battery, dynamo electric machine, secondary battery or other source or reservoir of
dynamic electricity. The said source or reservoir of dynamic electricity is placed in
circuit with the primary coil or element of a so called secondary generator or
inductorium and with the secondary coil or element of the said secondary generator
or inductórium two or more terminal conductors are placed in electrical connection.
These terminal conductors are similar to those hereinbefore referred to as employed
when static electricity is used. The secondary coil or element of the secondary
generator or inductorium is in the well known manner so constructed or disposed
with regard to the primary coil or element that a current flowing through the latter
induces in the former a current of very much higher electromotive force.
In connection with the above apparatus and in the case where the current supplied
by the source or reservoir of electrical energy is a continuous or direct one I employ
(except in the case wherein the inductorium is what is known as a continuous current
transformer) an interrupter or device for rapidly and continuously making and
breaking the electric circuit: but when the current supplied by the source or reservoir
of electrical energy is an alternating one I dispense with such interrupter. I sometimes
employ a condenser in connection with the said inductorium.
The action of this part of my invention is as follows:-The electric current from
the hereinbefore mentioned source or reservoir of electrical energy in passing through
the primary coil or element of the secondary generator or inductorium induces a
current in the secondary coil or element. The electromotive force of this latter
current is so high that it is able to leap or discharge itself across the space between
the terminal conductors, and any dust or stive in this space will be electrified and
deposited.
I arrange the terminal conductors hereinbefore mentioned in or in connection with
a depositing chamber. The depositing chamber is in connection with the dust or
stive producing machines in the mill by means of pipes or passages, or it may form
a pari or prolongation or extension of a dust conveying passage. When, as above
mentioned, the terminal conductors are arranged in connection with the depositing
chamber the points or projections with which they are studded project into the
depositing chamber, in which case the walls through which they project must be of
insulating material. In some cases the walls of the depositing chamber themselves
constitute terminal conductors.
The depositing chamber is so placed arranged and disposed as to admit of ready
access to its interior for the purpose of removing the deposited dust or stive and
examining the terminal conductors.
:
Suitable known devices are adopted for causing the dust to pass into or through
the depositing chamber as for example a blower or exhauster and suitable known
means, such for example as a worm or archimedian screw, are employed for collecting
and removing the deposited dust from the depositing chamber.
The general action of my invention will be readily understood from what has been
said with regard to the respective actions in the cases wherein static and dynamic
electricity are employed, but it may be summed up as follows:-When the apparatus
is brought into action electricity passes between the terminal conductors or from one

page_text: terminal to the earth or a body in connection with the same and intervening dust or
stive is electrified by convection or by induction and deposited.
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. The improvement in dust collectors for flour mills consisting in the employment
of statical electricity substantially in the manner described.
2. The improvement in dust collectors for flour mills consisting in the employmeni
of dynamic electricity substantially in the manner described.
3. The improvement in dust collectors for flour mills consisting in the combination
of an electrostatic generator and a terminal conductor or conductors substantially as
described.
4. The improvement in dust collectors for flour mills consisting in the use with an
electrostatic generator or generators of an air-tight compartment substantially as
described.
5. The improvement in dust collectors for flour mills consisting in the combination
of a source or reservoir of dynamic electricity and an inductorium substantially as
described.
6. The improvement in dust collectors for flour mills consisting in the use of a
depositing chamber in connection with electrostatic apparatus substantially as
described.
•
7. The improvement in dust collectors for flour mills consisting in the use of a
depositing chamber in connection with dynamic electrical apparatus substantially as
described.