IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING, COOLING, AND CLEANING GRAIN
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John McCann, of the City of Dublin, Gentleman,
for he Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS
FOR DRYING, COOLING, AND CLEANING GRAIN."
Sealed the 31st October 1862, and dated the 7th May 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John McCann at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 7th May
1862.
1, JOHN MCCANN, of the City of Dublin, Gentleman, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MODE OF
APPARATUS FOR DRYING, COOLING, AND CLEANING GRAIN." to be as follows:-
This Invention consists in the drying, cooling, and cleaning of grain. The
grain is first dried by submitting it to the action of a current of hot air in a
suitable building of sufficient height, containing four or more double wire
cases, viz, each made of two sheets of wirework of sufficient length to extend
nearly from the top to the bottom of the building, seperated a little, so as to
contain the grain and to permit it to descend gradually between, and suffi-
ciently open in the texture to allow the air to pass freely through the wire and
the grain. The cases are suspended in the centre of the building, and are
joined together at the edges, so as to form a hollow square extending nearly
from the top to the bottom. A fire-place or furnace connected with a flue is
erected at the bottom of the building, and a clear space in connection with
Prine ST

page_text: the flue is left between the cases and sides of the building for the circulation
of the heated air.. The four cases are suspended from a metal plate at the
top of the building by attaching the outer sheets of the cases thereto, thus
leaving the space between the sheets which form the cases open to receive the
grain, and an open space between the four cases for the exhaust fan to act
upon. A second plate similarly attached is placed at the bottom of the building
immediately under the level where the hot air enters; the cases will also pass
through it and empty themselves into a hopper, with a slide for regulating the
discharge of the grain therefrom, and consequently its descent through the
drying cases. A square case is secured to the inner sheets of the wire cases
at the top, and is connected to an exhaust fan which exhausts the air from the
space or chamber in the centre of the four wire cases, and consequently causes
the heated air from the furnace and that contained between the sides of the
building and the wire cases to pass through the grain in the cases, which is
the only escape for the air, all other connection between the furnace and the
exhaust being entirely cut off. Thus the grain is dried, and the moisture carried
off immediately, and the rush of the heated air being equal in all parts it follows
that an uniformity in drying during the descent of the grain through the cases
is ensured. The drying is also effected in a shorter time than by other
processes, and with a considerable saving of fuel. The cooling of the grain is
effected by causing it to descend through wire cases made in the way described
but of about half the height (it being easier to cool the grain than to dry it);
it requires no special building, but may be erected between ordinary lofts in a
mill or store. The cases are fixed to a loft upon which the heated grain will
be thrown by elevators. The top of the chamber formed by the inner sheets
of the wire of the cases will be closed and the grain allowed to descend between
the inner and outer wire of the cases as during the drying process. Theoutside
of the cases will be entirely exposed to the atmosphere, and the inner chamber
will be connected with an exhaust fan at the bottom, which will cause a
current of cool air to pass through the grain in descending between the wires
of the cases.
The cleaning of the grain is effected partly by the draughts of air through
itduring the processes of drying and cooling, and finally by its passage from the
hopper into which it is removed from the cooling apparatus over a screen, and
auy remaining chaff or dust being blown or winnowed out of it by the current
of air created by the last-mentioned exhaust fan.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John McCann in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
November 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
MCCANN, of the City of Dublin, Gentleman, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Seventh day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reigu, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John McCann, Her special license that I, the said John McCann,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John McCann, my executors, administrators, or assigus, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter
during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use,
exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland,
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MODE OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING, COOLING, AND CLEANING GRAIN," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John McCaun, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, or
under the hand andseal of one of them, shouldparticularlydescribe and ascertain
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John McCann, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following state-
ment, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the letters
and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates to the drying, cooling, and cleaning of grain.
The grain is first dried by submitting it to the action of a current of
hot air in a suitable building of sufficient height, containing four or more
double wire cases, viz., each made of two sheets of wirework, of sufficient
length to extend nearly from the top to the bottom of the building,
separated a little so as to contain the grain, and to permit it to descend
gradually between and sufficiently open in the texture to allow the air to
pass freely through the wire and the grain. The cases are suspended in
the centre of the building, and are joined together at the edges so as to

page_text: form a hollow square extending nearly from the top to the bottom. A
fire-place or furnace connected with a flue, is erected at the bottom of
the building and a clear space in connection with the flue is left between
the cases and sides of the building for the circulation of the heated air.
The four cases are suspended from a metal plate at the top of the
building by attaching the outer sheets of the cases thereto, thus leaving the
space between the sheets which form the cases open to receive the grain,
and an open space between the four cases for the exhaust fan to act
upon.
A second plate similarly attached is placed at the bottom of the
building immediately under the level where the hot air enters the cases will
also pass through it and empty themselves into a hopper with a slide
for regulating the discharge of the grain therefrom, and consequently
its descent through the drying cases. A square case is secured to the inner
sheets of the wire cases at the top and is connected to an exhaust fan which
exhausts the air from the space or chamber in the centre of the four wire
cases, and consequently causes the heated air from the furnace and that con-
tained between the sides of the building aud the wire cases to pass
through the grain in the cases, which is the only escape for the air, all other
connection between the furnace and the exhaust being entirely cut off.
Thus the grain is dried, and the moisture carried off immediately; and the
rush of the heated air being equal in all parts, if follows that an uniformity
in drying during the descent of the grain through the cases is ensured,
The drying is also effected in a shorter time than by other processes and with
a considerable saving of fuel.
The cooling of the grain is effected by causing it to descend through
wire cases made in the way described but of about half the height (it being
easier to cool the grain than to dry it.). It requires no special building but
may be erected between ordinary lofts in a mill or store.
The cases
are fixed to a loft upon which the heated grain will be thrown by elevators.
The top of the chamber formed by the inner sheets of the wire of the
cases will be closed and the grain allowed to descend between the inner
and the outer wire of the cases, as during the drying process. The
outside of the cases will be entirely exposed to the atmosphere, and the
inner chamber will be connected with an exhaust fan at the bottom
which will cause a current of cool air to pass through the grain in
descending between the wires of the cases. The cleaning of the grain is
effected partly by the draughts of air through it during the processes of
drying and cooling, and finally by its passage from the hopper into which
it is removed from the cooling apparatus, over a screen, and any remaining

page_text: chaff or dust being blown or winnowed out of it by the current of air created
by the last-mentioned exhaust fan.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood, I shall
now proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose
I shall refer to the several Figures on the Sheet of Drawings hereunto
annexed, the same letters of reference indicating corresponding parts in
both Figures.
Figure 1 of my Drawings represents a sectional elevation of my improved
combined apparatus for drying,cooling, and cleaning grain, and Figure 2 is a
sectional plan of the former, shewing its connection with the flues, hot air
chamber, and wire cases down which the grain passes.
AA, are the several floors of a granary or of a building specially
constructed for the reception of this apparatus; B is a furnace constructed
in the basement ground floor, and communicating by the flues C, C, witha
hot air chamber D, the walls E, E, of which extend from the bottom to the
top of the building. This chamber may be of a rectangular or other shape
in section, aud contains inside it an arrangement of wire gauze cases a,a,so
disposed as to leave a passage for the descending grain between the gauzes
and atthe same time allow a hot air space or chamber D to be formed all round
the exterior sides of the wire gauze cases, and a central space D' inside
such cases for the passage of the hot air from the former. This air rises up
the outside of the cases and passes through the cases and through the mass
of descending grain into the inner space D', whence it is drawn off by an
exhaust fan F, at the top of the building. The arrangement of wire ganze
cases which I prefer to employ is to combine four separate cases a,u,a,a, each
of an oblong rectangular section, and to dispose or combine these four cases in
such a way as to forin a rectangular hollow figure, the inner space D¹, inside
the four cases andthesurroundingspace D, D, between theoutsides of the cases
and the walls E, E, forming the hot air chambers. The top of the space D,D,
is closed by a metal plate G, having a square aperture made in the centre
thereof, of such a size as just to fit the outer edge of the rectangularly com-
bined wire cases a,a, which are suspended therefrom by a flange or otherwise.
The mouth of the central space D' is boxed in by a casing F, leading to
the exhaust fan F, so that the only opening left on this top floor will be one
surrounding the fan casing F¹, and coinciding with the mouths of the four
wire cases a, a, a, a. A similar plate G to that at the top is fitted to the
bottom edge of the cases so as to close up the bottom of the hot air space
D,D, and allow of the free exit of the grain into a hopper H, which is provided
with a regulating door or slide I,and discharges the grain on to an inclineK,

page_text: down, which it passes to the well L, of. any convenient form of grain eleva-
tor M. This elevator carries the grain which has already been dried by passing
through the hot air in the spaces Dand D', up to the top loft of the building,
and,there discharges it on to the floor, whence it descends down a second series
of wire gauze cases b, b, b, b, arranged and combined in a similar manner to
the drying cases a,a,a,a, but as the cooling of the grain is accomplished more
rapidly than the drying of the same, the cooling cases b, b, need not be more
than about half the length of the drying cases. The cases b, b, are not
specially enclosed but are entirely open to the atmosphere of the building,so
that the cool air has free play all round and is caused to pass through the grain
into the central space D", being drawn therein by the action of an exhaust
fan N, in connection with the lower end of the central space D". This central
space is closed at the top end, leaving the mouths of the four cases b,b,b, b,
open for the grain to descend freely. The cooled grain falls upon an inclined
screen or riddle O, which is made to surround the casing or trunk of the fan
so as to receive the grain from the lower mouths of the four wire cases,b,b,
and as the grain descends along the inclined screen it is partially cleaned.or
sifted whilst the lighter particles are removed by a winnowing process effected
by directing the blast from the fan N through the falling grain as it leaves
the lower end of the screen.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of
my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I would observe, in conclusion, that what I consider to be novel
and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the
herein before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. The general construction and arrangement of apparatus for drying,
cooling, and cleaning grain as berein-before described.
2nd. The system ormode of dryingand cooling grain by causingitto descend
through long cases of wire gauze, perforated metal, or other suitable permeable
material whilst under the influence of currents of hot or cold air, according
as the condition of the grain may require, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John McCann, have hereunto set my
handandseal, this Fifth day of November, Oue thousand eight hundred
and sixty-two.
JOHN MCCANN. (L.S.)