Improved Apparatus for Drying Cacao, Coffee, Tea, Barks, Malt, and other Substances.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 10th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 10th Aug., 1891-Accepted. 12th Sent
1004
ISIONAL
SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Drying Cacao, Coffee, Tea, Barks, Malt, and
other Substances.
RICHARD WHITE 42 Despard Road Highgate Hill Middlesex Merchant do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my improvements is to provide an apparatus that will more
effectually and rapidly dry cacao, coffee, tea, cinchona and other barks, hops, corn,
5 seeds, fruit and other produce as well as articles used in the arts & manufactures
and the products thereof, by a current of hot air or cold desiccated air, passing
under through & over the substance to be dried and which is placed in trays or
shallow boxes on shelves in a drying chamber without the same air after taking
up the moisture from the substance drying passing under, through or over any of
the trays. The current of dry air may however be easily reversed and made to pass
through the apparatus in the opposite direction by a slight movement of valves
provided for that purpose.
I do not confine myself to the shape size or the material of which my apparatus
is made, but for the purpose of this Specification will describe a convenient form as
follows: An outside casing of an oblong rectangular form, diminishing in size from
the ends to the bottom.
partition from back to front and from the top to a line level with the diminishing
The interior is divided in two equal portions by a
point of the cuds, the space on either side of the centre partition is subdivided into
three parts also from back to front,-the middle one of which is say twice the width
of the side chambers and is fitted with shelves, one over the other from the top;
the lowest one being placed where the outside case commences to diminish. The
two smaller chambers are divided into as many ducts or passages for air as there
are trays; the other half of the apparatus is similarly fitted.
fixed on the front of the case, by which access is obtained to the shelves & the trays
A pair of doors is
thereon. In the lower part of the case, and immediately below the bottom shelf are
two openings, both leading into one chamber at the back of the apparatus on which
is fixed a perpendicular shaft or chimney for causing a draught and carrying off the
moist air. In the aperture at the base of the case and immediately above the hot
or desiccated air entrance tube, are two double leaved valves (moved by handles
from the outside) for changing the direction of the currents of air and completing a
lirect passage either to the two sets of ducts on either side of the centre partition
r to the end sets, whichever way it is desired to send the current, from right to left
r vice versa.
I make the trays for my said apparatus with perforated sides (with or without a
hutter for closing said perforations as the tray is drawn out) and corrugated
ottom-each tray is also supplied with inner trays or sieves to fit but only
he third the height so that three of the said sieves may be superimposed in each
ay where the substance to be dried would lay in the corrugations of the bottom
nd prevent the free circulation of air under the said substance.
My apparatus may be supplied with hot air from any suitably constructed furnace
stove but when cool desiccated air is used the apparatus must be fitted with an
haust fan or blower, preferably the former.
From the foregoing it will be observed that the hot or dry air enters the
paratus just below the valves and is directed by them either up the centre ducts
passages across the trays, thence down the ducts at the opposite side and escapes
the moist air exhaust shaft at the back; when the valves are turned co
[Prim
T

page_text: direct the hot or dry air in the first instance into the end ducts, the reverse action
takes place.
Dated this 10th dow of Navambau 1800
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Apparatus for Drying Cacao, Coffee, Tea, Barks, Malt, and
other Substances.
1, RICHARD WHITE late of 42 Despard Road, Highgate Hill, London, but
now of 35 Queen Victoria Street in the City of London, Merchant, 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:-
The object of my improvements is to provide an apparatus that will more
effectually and rapidly than heretofore dry cacao, coffee, tea, cinchona and other
barks, hops, corn, seeds, fruit, and other produce, as well as articles used in the arts
and manufactures and the products thereof, by means of a current of hot air or of
cold desiccated air passing under, through, and over the substance to be dried and
which latter is placed on trays or shallow boxes on shelves in a drying chamber
without the same air after taking up the moisture from the substance drying, again
passing under, through, or over any of the trays. The current of dry air may be
easily reversed and made to pass through the apparatus in the opposite direction by
a slight movement of valves provided for that purpose and all as hereafter fully
described.
The accompanying drawings illustrate the apparatus constructed according to my
invention, and by reference thereto and to the following description the invention
will be understood.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the apparatus, the left hand and lower portion
being in section in order to show the interior arrangement.
Figure 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of same.
Figure 3 is a horizontal projection of the apparatus the left hand half being in
section on the line XY of Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line X1 Y1 of Figure 1.
Figure 5 is a sectional plan of one of the trays drawn to a larger scale than the
previous figures.
Figure 6 is a sectional side elevation, and Figure 7 a sectional front elevation of
the tray shown at Figure 5.
Figure 8 is a partial plan and Figure 9 a partial side elevation showing one of
the inner wire gauze trays.
Similar letters of reference refer to like parts in all the figures.
A is the outside casing of the apparatus of rectangular form tapering to the
base, below which the heating apparatus is conveniently placed although it may in
some cases be arranged at the side and connection made with the base of the outer
casing by channels or other convenient means.
The outer casing A is made of sheet metal and is formed in say four sections or
parts, as shown, held together by angle iron joints and having a central vertical
division B in the interior extending from the top to near the base of the casing A.
The space on each side of the division B is similarly fitted and each half is as
follows, or only one such half need be employed: CD and E are three sub-
divisions, the middle D being say twice the width of the chambers C or E.
D' D' are doors in the front of the casing for gaining admittance to the
divisions D D. Fare shelves in the division D, for carrying the sliding trays,
hereafter described, for containing the substance to be dried.
These shelves form sub-divisions of the chamber D, extending from the front to
the back of the casing. G G are inclined divisions in the sub-divisions C and E

page_text: with and forming passages or ducts to, the shelves F. H is an
inclined division plate, parallel with the sloping base of the casing A, for
conducting the heated air to or from the passages G. H' is another division plate
for conducting the heated air to or from the passages G¹. I is an aperture in the
5 casing A situate between the two plates H and H for the escape of the air from
the apparatus after the same has been utilized. J is the valve for changing the
directions of the currents of air, and which is operated from the outside by
handle J.
constructed furnace or stove, and I have found the following arrangement of such
The apparatus is supplied with heated air from any suitably
0 a stove to work well.
K is the furnace with smoke box K and chimney K2; K³ is the ashpit door.
The upper part or crown of the furnace is composed of a corrugated metal
plate L with chamber L' above same.
L2 is a plate extending partially across this chamber L' and formed with
5 depending louvres or baffles entering partially the corrugations of the plate L.
L³ is a passage leading from the corrugated chamber above the furnace by the
hopper L to the base of the casing A.
be heated which passes to the corrugated chamber by passage L.
L Figure 1 is an entrance for the air to
tubes leading from the exit apertures I extending to and entering the chimney K²,
M M are
the said tubes M M' being provided at top, not shown in the drawing, with conical
down draught preventers, and M are valves in the tubes for regulating the
draught but other arrangements for the chimney may of course be adopted. K is
a damper in the chimney K². These dampers and valves should be worked from
the front of the machine. The trays shown from Figures 5 to 7 are made with
perforated sides N and which might be provided with shutters for closing the
perforations when necessary and with a base of corrugated metal N' having an
angle iron framework. N2 N2 are handles for moving the trays. The apertures
in the sides of the tray immediately above the corrugations, such as are shown at
Figure 6, should be larger than and coincide with, the corrugations in order to
admit the air freely to the bottom of the corrugations in the base of the tray.
Figures 8 and 9 show inner wire gauze trays for being placed in the trays N and
which contain the substance to be dried; three of these inner wire trays or sieves
will fit one above the other into a tray N shown at Figures 5 to 7.
sieves are particularly useful when the substance to be dried would, without their
These trays or
se, lie in the corrugations of the bottom N' and thereby impede the free
circulation of the air along the corrugations.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:
The furnace being started, air enters through various apertures L' passing by
assages L to and between the plates L and L2, where it becomes heated and
asses, by passages L³ and L, and in addition through other circulating heating
ipes should such be employed, into the base of the casing A. Supposing the
alves J to be both in the position indicated by the left hand valve, then the
assage of the heated air would be similar on both sides of the partition B and as
dicated by the arrows in Figure I ciz., up through the passages formed by the
artitions and through the perforations in the sides N of the trays which would
ve been, with their contents, previously placed in position on the various
elves F, and the doors D' closed and secured, and out through the passages
rmed by the partitions G and between the partition H and the casing A, finding
exit by the apertures at the back, on each side of the partition
the pipes M M' into the flue or chimney K².
and passing
By the above arrangement the heated air passes to each of the trays separately,
thout there being any communication from one tray to the other, so that the
am or vapour carried off from the contents of one tray cannot communicate with
contents of another or adjacent tray.
By changing the position of the valve J to that shown by dotted lines, the
ection of the current of air is immediately reversed, which is of advantage in
ing some materials, such as cacao beans, which ought not to be handled but at

page_text: the same time require drying on all sides, and this is accomplished by first placing
the valve in one position, then in the other, and subsequently turning the inner and
secondary trays round as may be required.
When cool desiccated air is used, the apparatus must be fitted with an exhaust
fan or blower.
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. In drying apparatus, the combination with an air heating apparatus, of a
centrally divided casing A, each half being sub divided into separate passages
leading to separated trays, and separated passages leading from the trays, together
with a directing valve J, exit I, and pipe M, whereby the heated air passes to and
from each of the drying trays separately, substantially as set forth.
2. In drying apparatus, the combination with an air heating apparatus composed
of a furnace., corrugated crown L, deflecting plate L³, air entrance passages L,
and delivery passages L³ L', of a centrally divided casing A, each half being sub-
divided into separated passages, leading to and through separated trays, having
corrugated bottoms, and perforated sides, and inner wire gauze secondary trays,
and separated passages leading from the trays, together with a directing valve J,
exit I, and pipe M, whereby the air is heated and passes to and from each of the
drying trays separately substantially as set forth.
3. In drying apparatus the trays composed of corrugated bottoms N1, perforated
sides N, and inner wire gauze secondary trays substantially as set forth.
4. The improved apparatus for drying cacao, coffee, tea, barks, malt and other
substances constructed arranged and acting substantially in the manner and for
the purposes hereinbefore described and illustrated by and with reference to the
accompanying drawings together with any mere modification or modifications
thereof.
Dated this 10th day of August 1891