Improved Method of and Means for the Drying of China Clay.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improved Method of and Means for the Drying of China Clay.
I, ALFRED CHARLES TULLOCH, of 50, Grange Park, Ealing, W., Gentleman,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to the drying of china clay after its removal from the
settling pits or tanks and has for its object the provision of means whereby the
drying is effected more thoroughly with a less expenditure of fuel and with less or
no risk of burning the china clay, than has heretofore been possible by the method
at present in use.
The usual method of drying china clay is to expose the open pans or drys in which
the clay is placed to the direct action of the fire or of the products of combustion
therefrom; a course which risks the burning of the clay unless great care and
attention are given to the drying operations. Further the pans also require constant
repairs as they rapidly burn out thereby causing continual expense, and an extensive
stock of pans is required if delay in the operation of drying is to be avoided.
To carry my invention into effect, I arrange the source of heat within a distinct
chamber with communication to the ordinary chimney and I provide means for the
abstraction of the heat by radiation from this said chamber, and I heat thereby a
current of air, which passes into a chamber within which the trays of moist china
clay are situated.
This said chamber is provided with an uptake fitted with a damper or other
adjustable means for controlling the exit of the air.
In this way the superheated air rising from the radiating device travels around
and about the trays and picks up the moisture therefrom, being finally delivered
from the uptake.
I may allow the heated air to travel the necessary path by its own specific gravity,
or I may force it or draw it through the device by means of a fan or air propelling
device.
Improved Method of and Means for the Drying of China Clay.
I, Alfred CHARLES TULLOCH, of 50 Grange Park, Ealing, W., Gentleman, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be
[Price 8d.1

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:—
This invention relates to the drying of china clay, after its removal from the
settling pits or tanks and has for its object the provision of means whereby the
drying is effected more thoroughly with a less expenditure of fuel, and with less or no
risk of burning the china clay, than has heretofore been possible by the method at
present in use.
The usual method of drying china clay is to expose the open pans or drys in which
the clay is placed to the direct action of the fire or of the products of combustion
therefrom; a course which risks the burning of the clay unless great care and
attention are given to the drying operations. Further the pans also require constant
repairs as they rapidly burn out thereby causing continual expense, and an extensive
stock of pans is required if delay in the operation of drying is to be avoided.
To carry my invention into effect I arrange the source of heat within a distinct
chamber with communication to the ordinary chimney and I provide means for the
abstraction of the heat by radiation from this said chamber, and I heat thereby a
current of air which passes into a chamber within which the trays of moist china clay
are situated. This said chamber is provided with an uptake fitted with a damper or
other adjustable means for controlling the exit of the air.
In this way the super-heated air rising from the radiating device travels around and
about the trays and picks up the moisture therefrom being finally delivered from the
uptake.
I may allow the heated air to travel the necessary path by its own specific gravity
or I may force or draw it through the device by means of a fan or air propelling
device.
In order that my invention may be the better understood I will now proceed to
describe the same in relation to the accompanying drawings, reference being had to
the letters and figures marked thereon. Like letters refer to like parts in the
various figures.
Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of a drying device according to my
invention.
Figure 2 is an end elevation with the entrance door closed.
Figure 3 is a similar view showing the doors open.
Figure 4 is a plan of the furnaces and flues.
Figure 5 is a plan of the drying floor and
Figures 6 and 7 show alternative radiating devices for heating the air.
It will be seen from the drawings that I arrange furnaces A A to which are connected
iron or steel radiating flues B B through which the products of combustion from the
fuel are led away by the flue or culvert C to the chimney stack 1). Immediately
over the flues B B I arrange a chamber E with free communication existing between
its internal space and the air space around the radiating flues B B. This chamber E
has an uptake F, fitted with a damper G or other adjustable means for controlling the
.exit of the heated air from the uptake. The chamber E is provided with tram rails H
or other equivalent means upon which trucks I are adapted to run. These trucks I
are provided with means for supporting the trays J which contain the china clay to
be dried. The chamber E is provided with doors K at each end through the door-
ways of which the trucks I with their trays J are run into and out of the drying
chamber E, so that the process of drying can be continued for any length of time
continuously or without a break or loss of fuel. Turn-tables L may of course be
arranged on the outside of the chamber E to facilitate the handling of the trucks I.
I do not confine myself to the specific construction of apparatus that I show in
the drawings for carrying out my invention as many equivalent arrangements may be
devised without departing from the essence of my invention for example I may
substitute for the plain radiating flues B B, flues having gills such as shown in
Figure 6 or a nest of tubes adapted to be heated by the products of combustion such
as is shown in Figure 7.1

page_text: The burning fuel and the products of such combustion heat the air surrounding
the furnace and the flues, which rises and travels among the trays, picking up the
moisture as it travels, until in a state approximating saturation it is delivered from
the uptake F, the rate of delivery and consequently the amount of saturation being
regulated by the damper G in the uptake F. Provision is made in the chamber E
or in the space below it for the admission of air and for the insertion of thermometers
to take the temperature of the internal atmosphere.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1st. A method of drying china clay, consisting of subjecting the said clay spread
out upon an extended surface in stationary trays within a chamber having a
controllable exit orifice, to heated air so that the said air circulates through the said
chamber around the trays picks up the moisture from the china clay in its passage,
substantially as described.
2nd. An apparatus for drying clay consisting means for heating a current of air in
combination with a closed chamber having a controllable exit orifice, trays or their
equivalent for holding the china clay in thin layers made movable or carried by
movable supports and means for inserting and withdrawing the said trays from the
said chamber substantially as described.
Dated this 1st day of December 1897
FELL & JAMES,
1, Queen Victoria Street, London, E.C., Agents for the Applicant.