Improvements in and Apparatus for the Preparatory Treatment of Cereals for use in Brewing and Distilling.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 1st May, 1897
Complete Specification Loft 31 ct 120 1808 Accented Oth Ann 1000
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Apparatus for the Preparatory Treatment of
Cereals for use in Brewing and Distilling.
I, BENJAMIN WILLCOX, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London,
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been
communicated to me from abroad by The Actien-Maschinenbau-Anstalt vormals
Veruleth & Ellenberger, of Darmstadt, in the German Empire) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a process and apparatus for freeing barley or other
kinds of grain intended for brewing and distilling from impurities, and for airing
or ventilating the same, prior to subjecting them to the subsequent operations
which the manufacture of malt or spirituous liquors involves.
According to this invention, the barley or other grain (I will refer to it generally
as grain for the sake of brevity) is caused uniformly to circulate in a chamber, and,
in so doing continuously to come into contact with clean water; the foul water
being constantly drawn off the grain which is elevated from and returned to the
chamber, being evenly spread or distributed over the grain in the chamber in such
a manner that channels do not form in the mass of grain through which channels
the grain introduced from the top, would pass directly downwards through the
mass of grain in the chamber and be raised over and over again to the exclusion of
the remaining portion of the mass, which would therefore not be properly acted
upon..
There are already in existence certain apparatus wherein the grain, for the pur-
pose of being washed, is caused by a jet of water to rise to the top, but in such
apparatus the grain raised is not returned to the same chamber, but is conveyed
to another chamber provided for the purpose and sometimes a third and even a
fourth chamber is added because no way has been devised of obviating the formation
of the local channels hereinbefore referred to, and for gradually and uniformly
causing the mass of grain to be efficiently treated in the first chamber.
The following is a convenient arrangement of apparatus according to this
invention.
A cylindrical chamber, tapering at bottom, is filled with grain and water, and
water or air under pressure (or preferably a mixture of both) is admitted through
an inlet pipe entering at the lower end of the chamber and terminating in a nozzle
which enters the conical lower end of a central elevating pipe so as to act therein
after the manner of an injector, causing the grain to enter the elevating pipe and
rise therein, the water or air (or both) issuing through the nozzle, powerfully and
thoroughly stirring the grain thus drawn in and elevated. This stirring causes
the grains to rub against each other with considerable energy, whereby any
impurities that may adhere to them are removed.
The elevating pipe opens into a continuation, adapted to revolve in a stuffing
box, this continuation having a bend leading into a strainer consisting of a closed
casing and a perforated or reticulated tube forming a continuation of the bend of

page_text: the continuation of the elevating pipe. Through the perforations or reticulations
of this tube the foul water carried along with the grain passes off into the casing
or jacket surrounding it and thence passes through an outlet pipe into a cup
surrounding the aforesaid stuffing box, the grain which has been washed and freed
from the dirty water sliding down the said perforated or reticulated tube and out by
a downward continuation thereof and back into the chamber. This whole arrange-
ment above the main elevating pipe is adapted to slowly rotate about the axis of
the said elevating pipe and is supported by a roller which runs along.a rail at the
upper edge of the chamber. The result of this rotation, which is uniformly con-
tinued during the operation, is that the washed grain is evenly distributed over
the whole periphery of the chamber, so that the formation of channels through
the mass straight to the injector, and liability to the heaping up of charges of
material on one side only are avoided, and the whole of the grain contained in
the chamber gradually makes its way up through the aforesaid main elevating
pipe and down the strainer and continuation therefrom and back to the chamber.
A pipe revolving with the rotary parts described allows of water being passed
to the grain as it issues from the strainer so that the said grain is continuously
besprinkled with fresh water in a uniform manner.
The water charged with impurities, which issues from the outlet pipe, passes
into the stationary cup aforesaid and is drawn off therefrom by a pipe into a tank
fitted with a straining basket or cage, from which it is discharged through an
outlet pipe.
The meshes of the said basket or cage allow water to pass through, but retain
floating grains. The orifice of the overflow pipe of the washing chamber also opens
into this basket or cage.
If required, the elevating pipe, or its continuation, may be provided with a
branch and valve, so that the contents of the chamber may either be wholly or
partly conveyed to the sleeping cistern, or if preferred, the chamber itself, after
the grain has been washed, may be utilised for steeping. In the latter case a valve
will be provided at the bottom of the chamber, it being opened by means of a hand
wheel engaging an external screw thread on the inlet pipe for air or water (or both),
when it is desired to discharge the contents of the chamber and the said inlet pipe
should then be connected with the supply of air or water under pressure by means
of a flexible tube.
The downwardly directed apex of the chamber is provided with a perforated
bottom plate or sieve surrounded by a channel, enabling, through a three-way cock,
fresh water to be supplied when required, or the water already contained in the
apparatus to be drawn off.
Improvements in and Apparatus for the Preparatory Treatment of
Cereals for use in Brewing and Distilling.
I, BENJAMIN WILLCOX, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of London, 4
Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has been
communicated to me from abroad by the ". Actien-Maschinenbau-Anstalt vormals
Venuleth & Ellenberger," of Darmstadt, in the German Empire) and in what

page_text: manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
This invention relates to a process and apparatus for freeing from impurities,
barley, or other kinds of grain, intended for brewing and distilling, and for airing,
or ventilating, the said grain prior to subjecting it to the subsequent operations
which the manufacture of malt or spirituous liquors involves.
According to this invention, the barley, or other grain,-(I will refer to it
generally as grain for the sake of brevity) is caused uniformly to circulate in a
chamber and, in so doing, continuously to come into contact with clean water;
the foul water being constantly drawn off the grain which is elevated from, and
returned to, the chamber being evenly spread, or distributed, over the grain in the
chamber, in such a manner that channels do not form in the mass of grain through
which channels the grain, introduced from the top, would pass directly downwards
through the mass of grain in the chamber and be raised over and over again to
the exclusion of the remaining portion of the mass, which would therefore not be
properly acted upon.
There are already in existence certain apparatus wherein the grain for the
purpose of being washed, is caused by a jet of water to rise to the top, but in such
apparatus the grain raised, is not returned to the same chamber, but is conveyed
to another chamber, provided for the purpose, and sometimes a third and even a
fourth chamber is added, because, no way has been devised of obviating the forma-
tion of the local channels herein before referred to, and for gradually and uniformly
causing the mass of grain to be efficiently treated in one chamber.
The accompanying drawing represents in vertical section an apparatus con-
structed in accordance with this invention.
A cylindrical chamber A, tapering at bottom, is filled with a mixture of grain
and water, and then water, or air under pressure, (or preferably a mixture of both,)
is admitted through the pipe a entering at the lower end of the chamber A and
terminating in a nozzle which enters the conical lower end c of the central elevating
pipe cd, so as to act therein after the manner of an injector, causing the grain to
enter, the elevating pipe and rise therein as indicated by arrows, the water or air
(or both) issuing through the nozzle & powerfully and thoroughly stirring the grain
thus drawn in and elevated, such stirring action being continued even after the
grain has entered the elevating pipe. This stirring causes the grains to rub
against each other with considerable energy, whereby any impurities that may
adhere to them are removed.
The elevating pipe c d, is extended, or continued, by the pipe e f adapted to
revolve in a stuffing box, and with this latter pipe e f a strainer B is connected,
so that it revolves with the said pipe. The said strainer consists of a closed casing g
and a perforated or reticulated tube h. Through the perforations or reticulations
of this tube h the foul water carried along with the grain, passes off into the casing
or jacket g, and thence, passes through an outlet pipe i into a cup n surrounding
the stuffing box aforesaid the grain which has been washed, and freed from the
dirty water, sliding down the said perforated or reticulated tube h, and out by the
downward continuation k back into the chamber A. The parts e f g h i k are
adapted to slowly revolve about the axis of the pipe c d and are supported by a
roller which runs along a rail at the upper edge of the chamber A. The revolving
motion of the arrangement is imparted to it by means of any suitable arrangement
of driving belts and bevel gearing, for example such as are illustrated in the draw-
ing. The result of this revolution which is uniformly continued during the opera-
tion, is that the washed grain is evenly distributed over the whole periphery of
the chamber A, so that the formation of channels through the mass, straight to
the injector, and liability to the heaping up of charges of material on one side
only, ,-are avoided, and the whole of the grain contained in the chamber gradually
makes its way up through the pipe cd ef hk and back to the chamber A and is
uniformly washed.
The pipe m revolving with the parts e f h k allows of water being passed to the

page_text: grain as it issues from the strainer h so that the said grain is continuously and
uniformly besprinkled with fresh water.
The water charged with impurities, which issues from the outlet pipe i, passes
into the stationary cup n and is drawn off therefrom by the pipe o into a tank q
fitted with a straining basket, or cage, p, from which it is discharged through the
pipe r.
The meshes of the said basket, or cage, p, allow water to pass through, but retain
floating grains. The orifice of the overflow pipe s of the washing chamber A, also
opens in to this basket or cage p.
If required, the elevating pipe e f may be provided with a branch t furnished
with a valve so that the contents of the chamber A may either be wholly, or partly,
conveyed to the sleeping cistern, or if preferred, the chamber A itself, after the
grain has been washed, may be utilised for steeping. In the latter case the valve w
will be opened by means of a hand wheel, a provided with a nut engaging a screw-
thread on the inlet pipe a b, when it is desired to discharge the contents of the
chamber A and in this case the said pipe a b, should be connected by means of a
flexible tube with the supply of air, or water, under pressure.
The downwardly directed apex of the chamber A is provided with a perforated
bottom plate or sieve u surrounded by a channel enabling fresh water to be supplied,
or the water already contained in the apparatus to be drawn off as required through
a three-way cock v.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is: -
1. A process for washing and airing barley or other cereals consisting in mixing
the grain with water in a funnel shaped chamber and then, by means of an injector
arrangement (the action of which is assisted by water or air under pressure, or
preferably by a mixture of both), stirring or agitating the mixture and causing
it to rise in a central tube or pipe; and separating the water and impurities, and
then uniformly distributing or spreading the grain in the said vessel, preferably
besprinkling the grain with fresh water during this operation.
2. Apparatus for carrying out the process of the preceding claiming clause con-
sisting of, or including, a funnel shaped chamber (such as A) fitted with a central
elevating pipe (cd) having a downwardly flaring funnel shaped bottom,
into which opens a spout or jet so as to form an injector by which the contents of
the chamber are stirred and caused to rise in the pipe c d, after which the grain
is again uniformly returned to the chamber by means of a constantly rotating pipe
provided with a strainer or perforated lining (h), by which the water is separated
from the grain.
3. In combination with apparatus such as is claimed by the second claiming
clause, a revolving water pipe (such as m) for the purpose of constantly besprinkling
the grain which has been washed and is being spread out by means of the pipe k.
4. In combination with apparatus such as is claimed by the second claiming
clause a nozzle shaped force pipe (a b) and means for operating it as a valve rod,
for the purpose of opening a valve to discharge the contents of the chamber A.
5. In combination with apparatus such as is claimed by the second claiming
clause the revolving pipe (i) and stationary tank (such as n) surrounding the elevat-
ing pipe and provided with a discharge pipe leading to the outside, for drawing off
the foul water raised in the elevating pipe.
Dated this 31st day of January 1898.
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.