Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 10th June, 1898
Complete Specification Left, 8th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 8th Apr, 1899
I, THOMAS HENRY NASH, of Garland Hill, St Paul's Cray, Kent, Paper
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows.-
This invention relates to improved apparatus to be employed in the treatment
of hops for drying or drying and bleaching the same, the apparatus being also
applicable for use in the drying of malt or coin
In existing processes of drying hops on the floors of kilns, there is an absence
of means of regulating the temperature of the drying agent, in consequence
whereof the hops are liable to be too highly heated and discolored and to have
their valuable volatile constituents driven off and to be rendered brittle and
liable to be easily broken and damaged by the turn-over treatment to which
they are subjected, and so are rendered commercially less valuable for their
intended use; and, moreover, owing to the process of repeatedly turning the
layer of hops resting on the kiln floor, they are not only subject to be broken
and damaged, but are irregularly treated, Боше thereof being too
highly dried and other parts thereof being insufficiently dried, and, further,
the process 18 intermittent in operation and loss of time is thereby entailed
The present invention is designed to avoid these and other disadvantages inci-
dental to the said process and treatment, and to provide means by which the
drying process is rendered continuous and evenly progressive, and in which the
hops are automatically overturned during the drying treatment and are evenly
heated and dried without liability of being broken and damaged during the
operation
To this end, the invention 18 characterized by a diying chamber 'fitted with
a series of traversing floors alternately traveising in reveise directions from a
top hopper or inlet to a bottom outlet and adapted to carry the hops from the
inlet to-and-fro along the length of the chamber to the outlet, as they fall at
the end of each traveise over the end of their carrier on to the
beginning of the next carrier throughout the entire course, until they
eventually are carried out of the apparatus at its bottom outlet onto
a carrier by which they are led to where requied to be packed, stored, used or
otherwise dealt with for their ordinary purpose The drying chamber is also
combined with means of heating air to be employed as the agent serving to heat
and dry the hops while being traversed through the chamber and of admitting
the hot air to the chamber and of exhausting the air which has so been used
and has become moisture-laden, the entrance of the hot drying air and the exit
of the moisture-laden air being so arranged as to cause the au to traverse through
or across the drying chamber in such manner as to subject all parts of the carrying
floors to its influence
The drying floors may, advantageously, consist of woven wire or fabric endless
belts carried by end rollers to which motion may be given by appropriate gearing
situated externally of the chamber.

page_text: Sulphur bleaching apparatus may also be combined with the drying chamber if
required
Dated this 4th day of June 1898.
DAY, DAVIES, & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents,
321, High Holborn, London, W C., Agents for the Applicant.
Improved Apparatus for Drying Hops, Malt, and the like.
I, THOMAS HENRY NASH, of Garland Hill, St. Paul's Cray, Kent, Paper
Manufacturer, 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.-
This invention relates to improved apparatus to be employed in the treatment
of hops for drying or drying and bleaching the same, the apparatus being also
applicable for use in the drying of malt or corn and the like
In existing processes of drying hops on the floors of kilns, there is an absence
of means of regulating the temperature of the drying agent, in consequence
of which, the hops are liable to be too highly heated and discolored and to have
their valuable volatile constituents driven off and to be rendered brittle and
liable to be easily broken and damaged by the turn-over treatment to which
they are subjected, and so are rendered commercially less valuable for their
intended use; and, moreover, owing to the process of repeatedly turning the
layer of hops eating on the kiln floor, they are not only subject to be broken
and damaged, but are irregularly treated, some of the bulk thereof being too
highly died and other of the bulk thereof being insufficiently dried, and,
further, the process 18 intermittent in operation and loss of time is thereby
entailed
The present invention is designed to avoid these and other disadvantages inei-
dental to the said existing process and treatment, and to provide means by which
the drying process is rendered continuous and evenly progressive, and in which the
hops are automatically overturned during the drying treatment and are evenly
heated and dried without liability of beang broken and damaged during the
operation
Such being the object and nature of the said invention, I will now proceed to
describe more in detail the manner in which the same is to be performed or
carried into practical effect, referring to the accompanying drawing, which repre-
sents a longitudinal sectional elevation of the improved apparatus
To the end aforesaid, the invention is characterized by a drying chamber, a,
(which may be of any required length, width and height), fitted with a series
of traversing floors, b, consisting of woven wire or fabric endless belts or bands
(which may be of any required length and width) supported at the ends and at
intermediate points by rollers, b1, 63, 63, supported by hearings secured to the
chamber sides, and so arranged that each floor, at its receiving end, extends
beyond the delivery end of the floor next above it, so as to occupy a position
adapted to receive any hops which may be traversed through the chamber by and
may fall from the floor next above it.
The spindles of the end rollers, or of one set thereof, are mounted in adjustable
bearings, 6, adapted to take up any slack in or to adjust the tension of the floors,
and are fitted with gearing, c, driven from any convenient motive power and

page_text: adapted to drive the alternate floors in opposite directions, as indicated by the
various arrows, so as to cause the series of floors to traverse the hops from a top
hopper or inlet, d, (to which they may be elevated by a free band, e), to-and-fro
lengthwise of the chamber, the hops being overturned and falling at the end of
each traverse over the end of their carrier onto the beginning of the next lower
carrier, throughout the entire course, to the outlet, f, at which the lowest floor
extends beyond the chamber end and delivers the dried or treated hops onto a
delivery belt, g, by which they are led to where required to be packed, stored,
used or otherwise dealt with.
The drying chamber may be combined with any suitable means of heating air
to be employed as the agent serving to heat and dry the hops while being tra-
versed through the chamber and of admitting the hot air to the chamber and of
exhausting the air which has been so used and has become moisture-laden, the
entrance, 3, of the hot drying air, the exit, 7, of the moisture-laden air and the
traversing floors and the chamber ends at 2, being so arranged as to cause the
drying air to traverse circuitously through or across the drying chamber in such
manner as to cause all parts of the carrying floors to be subjected to its influence.
Any suitable arrangement of sulphur bleaching apparatus may also be combined
with the drying chamber if required
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said in-
vention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is
The herein described improved apparatus for drving hops, malt and the like,
the same consisting of an enclosed chamber fitted with a series of traversing
floors consisting of woven wire or fabric endless belts or bands supported by end
and intermediate rollens and so arranged that each floor, at its receiving end,
extends beyond the delivery end of the floor next above it, the rollers or some
thereof being mounted in adjustable bearings and fitted with gearing adapted to
dive the alternate floors in opposite directions, a feed band serving to supply the
hops or the like to a top hopper or inlet, and a delivery band serving to carry
the treated hops from the chamber outlet to where required, the chamber being
furnished with a hot an inlet at the one end and with an outlet for the moisture-
laden air at the other end, and the whole being so arranged as to cause the drying
air to traverse circuitously through the drying chamber in such manner as to
cause all parts of the reversely traversing carrying floors and the hops resting
thereon and being automatically overturned thereby to be subjected to its drying
influence, as set forth
Dated this 4th day of March 1900
DAY, DAVIES, & HUNT,
Chartered Patent Agents,
321, High Holborn, London, WC, Agents for the Applicant