Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Apr., 1895-Accepted, 24th May,
1895.
1.
:.
I, WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM SAVAGE, Manufacturer of No. 63 West: 96th Street,
in the City of New York, County and State of New York, United States of
America, 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 racking of beer as usually practised in breweries the beer is led from the
chip-cask through a suitable conducting pipe which terminates in a flexible hose
which is inserted by the attendant into the barrel to be filled through the bung-hole
thereof. The hose is long enough to reach to the bottom of the barrel so that the
beer shall not be caused to foam by falling in an unenclosed stream. Ordinarily
such gas as is set free is allowed to escape through the bung-hole around the hose,
but it has been proposed also to return the gas to the chip-cask through a
return pipe which receives it from a device which fits snugly within the bung-
hole around the hose. It is impossible to close the ordinary filling pipe or hose
at its very end and the consequence is that when the pipe is withdrawn from
the barrel and it is transferred to another barrel there is a considerable waste of
beer due to the escape of that in the filling pipe between the cut-off valve and the
extremity. If care is taken to drain the pipe before its removal so much time is
consumed in racking as to offset the saving secured by the prevention of waste.
Moreover, it is impossible with this apparatus to fill the barrel full without causing
more or less waste from time to time by an overflow. I have sought to devise an
apparatus whereby the racking shall be conducted rapidly and without waste while
the barrels are filled uniforinly full, and it is in this apparatus as hereinafter fully
set forth; that my invention consists.
In the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof,-
Figure 1 is a view in elevation showing the complete apparatus in readiness
for use:
Figure 2 is a detail view partly in section, showing a desirable form of valve.
In racking beer with my apparatus each barrel to be filled, (one of such barrels
being represented at A,) is provided with a tap-valve, as at B, and at an opposite
point, preferably near the end of the bung-stave, with a vent-valve C, the tap-
valve and the vent-valve being features of the barrel and intended to remain in
place, except when removed for some special reason. The tap-valve and the
vent-valve are so disposed relatively to each other that when the tap-valve is at
substantially the lowest point of the barrel the vent-valve shall be at the highest
point. The valves B and C may be of any ordinary construction which will permit
them to be closed or opened when connected with a faucet or filling-tap or its
equivalent, a valve of this character being shown in Figure 2 of the accompanying
drawing. The construction comprises a bushing 6 which is secured in place in the
barrel and is provided with a gate or valve 6. The spindle of the latter has a
head 6 which is adapted to be engaged by the end of the hollow key or faucet
proper and to be turned thereby to open or close the valve while the key or
faucet at the same time makes a tight joint with or is disengaged from the
bushing.
The usual chip-cask or other receptacle from which the beer is supplied to the
barrel is represented at D. From it the beer is delivered through, a suitable

page_text: conducting pipe E which terminates in a section of flexible hose F. The latter
has at its end a racking faucet G with a cut-off G' which preferably has formed in
the same piece with itself the key or coupling-piece H adapted to make connection
with and to open and close the tap-valve B.
At or near the top of the chip-cask D, or, it might be, in the air or gas-tank
from which air or gas under pressure is supplied, as hereinafter described, con-
nection is made for a gas or air return pipe I, which supplies to the barrel the gas
or air under pressure with which the barrel is filled before admitting the liquid,
and returns to its source of supply the gas or air which is displaced through the
vent-valve C of the barrel while it is being filled with the liquid. Preferably the
pipe I is connected through a cut-off I to the upper end of the trap-tank J which
is conveniently located near the point where the racking is carried on. A pipe K
forms the connection between the vent-valve C and the trap-tank J and has near
its lower end an observation-tube L. For convenience in operation the pipe K
terminates in a flexible section or hose M which has at its extremity a key or
coupling-piece N which is adapted to make connection with and to open and close
the vent-valve C and is also provided with a cut-off cock O.
For a purpose presently to be described the trap-tank J is provided at its
bottom with a coupling-piece P and a cut-off cock Q.
In the use of the apparatus described above, connection is made between the
coupling-piece N and the vent-valve C, and gas or air under pressure is allowed to
flow into the barrel to be filled until there is established therein the pressure under
which the beer should be racked. The source of supply of the compressed air or
gas may be the chip-cask itself, in case it is suitably located and a sufficient gas or
air pressure is, maintained therein above the surface of the beer, or it may be an
independent vessel in which the air or gas is compressed, a pipe provided with a
cut-off S being indicated as connected to the trap-tank J. for this purpose. The
required pressure having been established in the barrel, connection is also made
between the coupling-piece H and the tap-valve B, the barrel. A being supported
in such position that the vent-valve C shall be at the highest point and the tap-
valve B at substantially the lowest point. The valves B and C are opened when
connection is made with the coupling-pieces and the cocks G and O are then opened
to permit the flow of beer from the chip-cask into the barrel and the return of the
gas or air from the barrel to its source of supply. The operation of filling the
barrel is thus conducted under whatever pressure there may be in the chip-cask or
in the vessel from which the air or gas is supplied, and no disengagement or loss
of gas is suffered. As soon as the beer shows itself in the observation glass L the
cocks G and O are closed and the coupling-pieces H and N disconnected from the
valves B and C, the latter being closed in the act of disconnection. The coupling-
pieces H and N are then transferred to another barrel and the operation is repeated.
It will be seen that the barrels will always be filled to their full capacity but at
the same time there will be no waste of beer or of gas as the delivery-pipe and
the pipe K are closed at their extremities. In the event of the trap-tank being
filled with beer through neglect to close the cut-off C it can be emptied from time
to time through its valve Q and delivery-pipe R, the latter being provided with a
coupling piece for connection with the tap-valve of a barrel. The beer from the
trap-tank having been kept under pressure is in condition to be delivered directly
into a barrel for shipment in the same manner as from the chip-cask.
7
As the barrel is filled from approximately its lowest point, although without the
insertion of a filling tube into the barrel itself, there will be no such disturbance of
the beer as to cause the foaming of the same.
It will be observed that the operation of racking, as conducted with the apparatus
already described, differs from the operation as usually conducted not only in various
manipulations already alluded to but particularly in the fact that the barrel is
filled through the tap-hole without requiring the insertion of a filling tube into the
barrel through the bung-hole as usual, which difference, as will now be understood,
is material and important.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination with a supply-vessel for liquid and a barrel or other package
having a tap-valve and a vent-valve located at opposite points, and each being a
feature of the barrel or package and each having a gate to be opened or closed by
connection therewith of a coupling-piece or other key, of a delivery-pipe from said
supply-vessel, a coupling-piece to connect said pipe to said tap-valve, a cut-off for
said coupling-piece, a pipe to receive and conduct gas or air to or from the barrel,
a coupling-piece to connect the gas-pipe to said vent-valve and a cut-off valve for
said last-named coupling-piece, substantially as shown and described.
2. The combination with a supply-vessel for liquid and a barrel or other package
having a tap-valve and a vent-valve located at opposite points and each being a
feature of the barrel or package and each having a gate to be opened or closed by
connection therewith of a coupling-piece or other key, of a delivery pipe from said
supply vessel, a coupling-piece to connect said pipe to said tap-valve, a cut-off for
said coupling-piece, a pipe to conduct.gas or air between the barrel and the source
of supply of the gas or air, a coupling-piece to connect the return pipe to said
vent-valve, and a cut-off valve for said last named coupling-piece, substantially as
shown and described.
3. The combination with a supply-vessel for liquid and a barrel or other package
having a tap-valve and a vent-valve located at opposite points and each being a
feature of the barrel or package and each having a gate to be opened or closed by
connection therewith of a coupling-piece or other key, of a delivery pipe from said
supply-vessel, a coupling piece to connect said pipe to said tap-valve, a cut-off
valve for said coupling-piece, a pipe to conduct gas or air between the barrel and
the source of supply of the gas or air, a coupling-piece to connect the return pipe
to the vent-valve, a cut-off valve for said coupling piece, and a trap-tank
interposed in said return pipe, substantially as shown and described.
4. The combination with a supply-vessel for liquid and a barrel or other package
having a tap-valve and a vent-valve located at opposite points and each being a
feature of the barrel or package and each having a gate to be opened or closed
by connection therewith of a coupling-piece or other key, of a delivery-pipe from
said supply-vessel, a coupling-piece to connect said pipe to said tap-valve, a cut-off
valve for said coupling-piece, a pipe to conduct gas or air between the barrel and
the source of supply of the gas or air, a coupling-piece to connect the return-pipe
to the vent-valve, a cut-off valve for said coupling piece, a trap-tank interposed in
said return pipe, a delivery pipe from said trap-tank, a coupling-piece adapted for
connection to the tap-valve of a barrel, and a cut-off in said last-named delivery
pipe, substantially as shown and described.
Dated the 2nd day of April A.D. 1895.
WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM SAVAGE.