An Improved Process of Treating Oleaginous Seeds.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Dec., 1898-Accepted, 11th Feb., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process of Treating Oleaginous Seeds.
I, ALEXANDER EUSTON, a Citizen of the United States, residing at 319, North
Fourth Street, in the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, United States of
America, 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, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,
wherein :-
-
Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the method of treating oleaginous
seeds, in which is included apparatus for effecting the step in my improved
method, and
Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of a machine employed for carrying out
the step in the treatment of oleaginous seeds to which my invention particularly
relates.
This invention relates to the treatment of oleaginous seeds for the production
of oil and oil-cake (especially, linseed oil and linseed-cake), and, more particularly,
to that step in the treatment of oleaginous seeds, whereby the seeds are dried
to a uniform degree of dryness after they are ground, and before they are placed
in the tempering kettle.
.3
Heretofore, flaxseed (linseed) has been treated and prepared for tempering,
either by being passed through a single pair of horizontal rolls, and then crushed
under muller or edge-stones, the two being used together, and constituting.
single process of preparation, or, the seed has been crushed by means of a set of
heavy rolls, superimposed one upon the other, so that the last action of the rolls
on the seed subjects the seed to a pressure equivalent to the weight of the four
rolls above.
Cotton-seed, after having the cotton removed by special machinery for that
purpose, has been treated, before tempering, in substantially the same manner
as linseed.
The muller, or edge-stones, to which I have referred, have usually weighed
from four to ten thousand pounds, and the rolls described, from fifteen to twenty-
five hundred pounds each.
In the practice of any of these methods, it has been found from experience,
that the seed from different parts of the country, or from different climates.
have more or less moisture in their composition, depending upon the climate of
the part of the country from which they were taken, or upon the atmospheric
conditions through which they pass in transportation. It frequently happens
that seed in a very moist state are fed into the crushing machinery, and another
batch immediately following, in a very dry state, is fed to the same crushing
machinery, and, as one tempering kettle is usually employed for several crush-
ing machines, constant attention has to be given to the tempering-kettle, in
order to have the seed uniformily tempered. This necessitates the attention of
a skilled workman who determines the condition of the seed being tempered by
taking a handful of crushed seed or meal from the tempering kettle and ascer-
taining its state. If the meal is too dry, more steam or moisture is admitted

page_text: into the tempering kettle; if the meal is already moist, less steam or moisture
is introduced into the tempering kettle.
From the above, it will be noted that this absence of uniformity in tempering
renders the percentage of oil, and other qualities of the resultant oil-cake un-
certain and irregular. For instance, a batch of very dry seed immediately follow-
ing a batch of very moist seed, might escape the attention of the workman in
charge of the tempering kettle, and so pass to the press in a very dry state.
Some manufacturers, in order to overcome this irregularity in the percentage
of moisture contained in different batches of seed, have attempted to remedy
the same by drying the whole or unground seed before they were introduced into
the crushing machinery. This has proved impracticable, for the reason that
such seed is enclosed by a hard shell or skin, which is, for all intents and purposes,
impervious during the short time the seed are subjected to the preparatory drying
process, and, though the seed be extremely moist, the moisture will be retained
therein by this skin or shell, the only result accomplished in this preparatory
drying being the evaporation of the moisture, from the outside of the skin
or shell, which moisture, in itself, forms such a small percentage as to be
practically harmless.
My present invention relates to a method of treating oleaginous seeds after they
are crushed, when their meal contents are exposed, and before they are sub-
jected to treatment in the tempering kettle, the object being to uniformly dry
the meal contents of the seed, so that, when the seed are placed in the tempering
kettle, irrespective of their condition when crushed, they are uniformly dry.
the seed requiring little, or no, attention while being tempered in the temper-
ing kettle.
In the drawings, I have shown an apparatus by which my improved process
can be carried out, but I do not wish to be understood as limiting the practice
of my process thereto, as other forms of apparatus can be employed with success,
such, for instance, as many well known and common forms of driers on the market
to-day.
In the apparatus shown, A indicates a suitable casing, and B a central
shaft.
C indicates a series of stationary drying pans of less diameter than the casing A,
and provided with a flange C at their outer edges.
D indicates a series of drying pans, alternating with the pans C, said pans D
being of the same diameter as the casing A, and formed with a central aperture D¹.
E indicates a series of agitators or plows mounted on shaft B, and operating
above the pans C, said plows acting on the ground seed or meal in the pans C
to move the same outwardly, and over the flange C₁, when the ground seed or
meal falls onto the pans D below.
Findicates a series of agitators or plows operating on the pans 1) to move the
ground seed or meal inwardly toward the central aperture D¹ where it drops
onto the next pan C below.
This operation is continued throughout the series of pans.
Each drying pan preferably consists of a steam-chest into which suitable
pipes G lead from a common supply pipe G¹, each of the steam pipes G being
individually controlled by a valve g, the water of condensation from the drying
pans being conducted off through pipes H leading to a common exhaust
pipe H'.
After the ground seed or meal has been dried, it is delivered into a circular
trough I, located near the bottom of the casing A, in which trough, sweeps I
carry the ground seed or meal until it falls through a spout J on to a conveyor
belt K, whence they are delivered into the tempering kettle.
The ground seed or meal is delivered from the crushing machinery X into
the upper drying pan through a suitable spout L.
A pipe M preferably leads from the top of the casing to a fan which exhausts
the moisture laden air.

page_text: From the above, it will be seen that my invention relates particularly to the
treatment of ground seed or meal after crushing, and before introduced into the
tempering kettle. Should a batch of dry seed be passed through the crushing
machinery immediately after a batch of moist seed is passed therethrough, the
meal from the dry seed will be passed through the drying apparatus the same
as the meal from the moist seed, and, as the driving pans tend to evaporate the
moisture in the moist ground seed or meal, said evaporated moisture will be
drawn upwardly and out through the exhaust pipe M. The dry ground seed or
meal being introduced at the top will be in the path of this moisture laden air,
and, as the meal contents of the seed have an affinity for moisture, the dry meal
will collect a certain amount of moisture from the moist meal, but no more than
is permitted by the temperature of the drying pans. Thus, the different batches
of seeds are made uniform before being delivered to the moistening apparatus.
The meal thus treated has a uniform degree of dryness, or moisture, and, in
speaking of moisture, I mean that which is inherent in the seeds and cannot be
got rid of, except by subjecting the seeds for a considerable time to a high heat,
and, when introduced into the tempering kettle, requires little, or no, attention
in the matter of regulating the steam supply to said tempering kettle.. In
other words, the valve in the tempering kettle, can be set to admit
a certain amount of steam, moisture, which will answer for all
the meal after being treated in the manner above set forth, irrespec-
tive of whether the seed, when crushed, be extremely dry or moist.
or
In the diagrammatic view, Figure 1, I have shown the relation of the apparatus
used for carrying my improved step in the process of preparing oleaginous seeds
to other and in part well known apparatus.
In the view, indicates the crushing mill. The seed are first run through
this machine, after which they are delivered into the top of the apparatus illus-
trated in detail in Figure 2, through spout L, which apparatus, as before stated,
carries out my improved step in the process of treating the seeds. After being
treated in this apparatus, the seeds are taken, by suitable means, a belt K being
shown, to a tempering kettle Y, where they are heated and tempered, meanwhile
being subjected to the action of steam, as described.
After being treated in the tempering kettle, the seeds are then formed into
cakes, which temporarily gives them shape so that they may be readily handled,
after which they are placed in the press and the oil extracted therefrom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my inven
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
The process herein described of treating oleaginous seeds preparatory to extract-
ing the oil therefrom, the same consisting first in crushing the seeds, then drying
the seeds, and finally moistening the seeds, substantially as described.
Dated the 20th Docomo 1000
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
Chartered Patent Agent, London,
For the Applicant.