Improvements in Apparatus for Drying and Conditioning Grain or other Material.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 17th Sept., 1892-Accepted, 22nd Oct., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying and Conditioning Grain or
other Material.
I, REUBEN REYNOLDS, of Manygates Park, Sandal, near Wakefield, in the
County of York, Corn Miller, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:
In the apparatus at present in use for drying and conditioning wheat, it is
customary to pass the grain between or over perforated plates through which a
current of air, heated or cold as required is forced or drawn. The perforations in
such plates are very liable to become choked or filled up by individual grains
lodging therein, and the consequent resistance necessitates a considerable pressure
to force the air through the grain.
This invention is designed to provide an appliance by which air can be brought
into more immediate and extensive contact with the material operated upon, than
has hitherto been attained in a continuous and automatic drying operation, and also
to utilize an absorbent material in its construction in order to secure a more uniform
temperature of air when heated, for the purpose of drying, and to minimise the
force or pressure of air necessary to induce it to permeate and pass through the
material under treatment.
It consists essentially of an apparatus constructed with a number of air ducts of
semicircular, or other suitable shape, being hollow, and having one open side, the
open side to be the underneath side when fixed, and so arranged that air cannot
leave the apparatus by the same duct by which it enters, thereby insuring the
passing of the air used through the material, in making its escape by ducts other
than those by which it entered.
In carrying out the invention I propose to construct a chamber of suitable dimen-
sions and shape, and place therein transversely a number of air ducts which will
admit and conduct air into all parts of the chamber, also a number of ducts
to conduct the air out of the chamber. The exterior of the ducts will be made
of suitable shape and the ducts placed at suitable distances from each other
to secure a regular and uniform thickness and to prevent choking of the material as
it falls through the chamber. Two sides of the chamber will have openings
(corresponding in number and shape with the number and the shape of the ends of
the air ducts) into which the ducts will be introduced. The ducts having been
made of suitable length to extend from one side to the other of the chamber will be
supported by the sides of the chamber. The openings will be arranged in rows
(horizontally) and when the ducts are in position, every alternate row of openings
in the sides of the chamber will be covered, the corresponding row on the opposite
side of the chamber remaining open. The air will enter through the openings on
one side only of the chamber into the ducts, and passing through the material under
treatment will escape into the ducts which have communication with the openings
on the side opposite to that on which the air enters. I prefer to make the air ducts
of earthen or stoneware, or of other absorbent material, though if desired they may
be made of wood, metal or other material, at present however I consider earthen or
stoneware to be the best material.
I shall use an exhaust fan for drawing the air (warm or cold) through the
apparatus, for that purpose an exhaust chest will be attached to the chamber, from
which the fan will exhaust or draw. Heated air will be supplied to a hot air chest,
also attached to the chamber but on the side opposite to that on which the exhaust
is placed and from this chest the air will enter the chamber by the openings
and ducts.
In order to ensure a regular and full supply of the material to all parts of the

page_text: chamber, one or more worms or conveyors will be arranged on the top of the
apparatus, and for regulating the quantity passing through the operation, a series of
shoes will be arranged under the ducts having a vibratory motion given to them by
an eccentric or crank or other suitable means.
For drying malt, barley, maize, oats, pulse tea or other material likely to clog in
the machine, I will suspend one or more of the air ducts in a set and give to such a
vibrating or other movement, or introduce an agitator between the sets of air ducts
which will keep the particles in motion.
Dated this 17th day of December 1891.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
6, Bank Street, Manchester, Patent Agents.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying and Conditioning Grain or
other Material.
1, REUBEN REYNOLDS, of Manygates Park, Sandal, near Wakefield, in the
County of York, Corn Miller, 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 :-
In the drying and conditioning of wheat and other materials it is considered that
the most useful effect can be obtained by causing the current of air employed for the
purpose to pass through, that is hetween the grains or particles of the material,—
and not merely over the surface thereof.
The apparatus more generally in use for the drying or conditioning of grain is
constructed so that the grain passes over or between perforated plates through
which the current of air (heated or cold as required) is forced or drawn. The
perforations in such plates are very liable to become choked or filled up by
individual grains lodging therein, and the consequent resistance necessitates a
considerable pressure to force the air through the grain.
This invention is designed to provide improved apparatus whereby the air
currents will be drawn or caused to pass through the material as desired without
the use of perforated plates and the force or pressure necessary to induce the air to
permeate the material minimised.
It consists essentially in constructing the apparatus with a number of air ducts
open on the under side by which the air enters and is withdrawn from the chamber
containing the material the air ducts being open at one end and closed at the other
and arranged in alternate rows so that the air cannot leave the apparatus or
chamber by the same duct by which it enters thereby causing the air to pass
through the material as it passes from the inlet duct to the outlet duct.
It will be fully described with reference to the accompanying drawing in which
as an example the invention is shown as applied to apparatus for drying wheat.
Fig. 1. Longitudinal sectional elevation on line -.
Fig. 2. Plan.
Fig. 3. End elevation.
Fig. 4. Transverse sectional elevation.
In a chamber A. constructed of any suitable dimensions I place transversely a
number of air ducts B by which air can be admitted or conducted into the interior
of the chamber and a number of similar air ducts C by which the air can be
withdrawn or allowed to escape therefrom.
The ducts B and C are each open at one end and closed at the other and are made
of such a shape-preferably angular as shown-that the grain or material will not
lodge thereon but as it drops upon them will fall off and are open at the bottom or
under side so that the air from the inlet ducts B can escape upwards or downwards
and pass through the material. The ducts are preferably placed in horizontal rows

page_text: and at a suitable distance apart to secure a regular and uniform thickness of the
falling grain and to prevent it clogging up or choking the apparatus as it falls
through the chamber. The ducts are set in alternate rows of inlet ducts B and
outlet ducts C, the open ends of the inlet ducts B and the closed ends of the outlet
ducts C being at the same ends of the chamber.
The ducts B and C are of sufficient length to extend across the chamber A and
are supported by the ends or end frame D. In the ends D openings d will be made
in rows to correspond with the shape of the ducts B and C the openings to all the
inlet ducts being in one end and to all the outlet ducts in the other end.
The air will enter through the openings at one end only of the chamber into the
interior of the ducts B and before it can escape through the outlet ducts C must rise
up and pass through the material falling or travelling from the top to the bottom of
the chamber.
The air may either be drawn or forced through the chamber A at present
I prefer to draw it through and for this purpose employ an exhaust fan E communi-
cating with the open ends of the outlet ducts C. At this end of the chamber is
constructed an exhaust chest F into which the outlet ducts C all open and from
which the fan E will exhaust or draw. At the opposite end of the chamber A is
constructed an air chest G into which all the inlet ducts B open and which will be
supplied with the air either hot or cold which is to be drawn through the material.
The air chest G is fitted with a perforated grid or plate H to control the current of
air and cause an equal draught to each of the inlet ducts B.
To prevent the grain being drawn out with the air by the force of the current
without contracting the orifice d I provide each with a lip d' the edge of which will
protect the grain.
To ensure a regular and full supply of the material to all parts of the chamber A
one, two or more worms or conveyors I are placed on the top thereof to convey the
grain from a hopper J.
The delivery of the machine is controlled by a slotted plate or board K placed
at the bottom of the chamber to which a vibrating movement is imparted by the
eccentric L and connecting rod l, or by other means. The flow of the material
through the chamber is regulated by the speed at which the plate K is driven.
For drying malt, barley, maize, oats, pulse, tea, or other material likely to clog
in the machine one or more of the air ducts in a set may be suspended and a
vibrating or other movement given to such or an agitator may be introduced
between the sets of air ducts which will keep the particles in motion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it to be
understood that I am well aware that air ducts have been used to introduce air into
the interior of drying chambers to cause a current of air to pass over surfaces of the
material caused at intervals in the bulk thereby, and such does not constitute my
invention but I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In apparatus for drying grain or other material the combination of alternate
inlet and outlet air ducts each duct being open at one end and closed at the other
the inlet and outlet ducts being open at opposite ends and opening respectively into
a chest at opposite ends of the drying chamber so that the air passing from one
duct to the other must pass through the grain substantially as described.
2. An apparatus for drying grain or other material having the several parts
constructed and arranged substantially as and for the purposes described and
shown.
Dated this 16th day of Santamber 1800
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Manchester, Liverpool, and London, Patent Agents.