IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND MACHINERY FOR HEATING AIR AND FOR DRYING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1883

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by William Alfred Gibbs and Douglas
Halliburton Gibbs at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
27th February 1883.
WILLIAM ALFRED GIBBS and DOUGLAS HALLIBURTON GIBBS both of Gillwell
Park Chingford in the County of Essex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS AND
MACHINERY FOR HEATING AIR AND FOR DRYING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE AND
OTHER MATERIALS
"
This Invention has for its object improvements in apparatus and machinery for
heating air and for drying agricultural produce and other materials
To obtain a blast of heated air suitable for drying agricultural produce a pipe
coiled to a conical form is employed. The end of the pipe at the base of the cone
is connected with a steam boiler and steam is passed through the pipe. At the
apex of the cone the end of the pipe is turned inwards, the superheated steam
issues from it as a jet traversing the axis of the cone in the direction from the
apex to the base. This conically coiled pipe is contained in a chamber which
communicates with a furnace for superheating the steam and the steam jet causes
the heated air from the furnace to be drawn in through the interstices between the
convolutions of the pipe to be delivered at the base of the cone into a trunk
provided to lead the heated air to the place where it is required.
To dry hay and like materials a trough like receiver is provided it is furnished
with hot air nozzles set in its sides obliquely. The material put into the Receiver
at one end is propelled by the several blasts in a zig zag direction from side to
Meanwhile the
side of the receiver and is ultimately delivered at the further end.
crop is dried by the hot air blown amongst it and as it is kept constantly in motion
the hot air acts uniformly on every part.
To further agitate the material and control the speed at which it passes along
the receiver mechanical forks or tines may be provided.
The trough like receiver may in some cases be set in an inclined position. The
hot air may be delivered from nozzles slits or openings upon an air duct placed
centrally over the receiver and passing from end to end of it. The receiver in this
case has a rocking and also an end wise movement imparted to it both to keep the
material in movement and to cause the hot air to operate equally on every part of
its contents. For facility of transport the receiver and air trunk may be made
telescopic or in sections which will pack one within the other.
When the receiver is made cylindrical as is sometimes done we mount it upon
two trestle like frames of angle iron one at either end. One of these frames carries

page_text: an axis driven by a belt and pulleys and having a bevelled pinion upon it. This
pinion gears into a corresponding wheel and a spur pinion on the axis of the latter
engages with a ring of teeth fixed upon the exterior of the cylinder. The weight
of the cylinder is carried by a pair of rollers on the trestle frame, a turned ring
upon the cylinder lies upon these rollers.
At the other end the cylinder is similarly supported by rollers but these are not
mounted directly upon the trestle frame, but upon a moveable frame suspended by
chains. The chains pass over pulleys at the top of standards forming part of the
trestle frame and are led down to a roller on which they are partly wound.
The axis of the roller is carried in bearings upon the trestle frame and has a
worm wheel upon it. The wheel engages with a worm which can be turned
by means of a crank handle when it is desired to raise or lower the end of
the cylindrical receiver to incline it more or less.
In some cases the receiver is made of a hopper like form and the hot air
blast is admitted at the lower part. The blast enters on one side of the hopper
so as to blow the hay or material up that one side and round an arched curvature
which partially closes the upper part of the hopper. The hay or material being
thus deflected out of the direct force of the blast slides down again on the other
side so as again to come within range of the said blast and is thus kept in constant
movement until dry. For more complete disintegration of the fibres we sometimes
adjust in the upper part, of the hopper a line of shaker tines on to which the hay
or material falls so as to be shaken loose in its descent to the lower part of the
hopper. The hopper is adjusted to the blast outlet by a lobster-tail union so as to
admit of the former being raised or depressed to any required angle.
1:
For the purpose of drying hay or other crop as it lays in the field after cutting
we employ a machine provided with a revolving wheel with teeth or tines like a
hay tedder. As the machine travels over the land these teeth or tines throw the
material up against a screen provided with louvres or apertures by which hot air
from a fan or from the hot air apparatus previously described issues. This arrange-
ment may also be used as a stationary machine by partially enclosing the hay
tedder in a suitable receiver and in such case the force of the blast being directed
either on the upper or lower periphery of the tine wheel produces or assists in the
requisite rotation
For drying grain berries and the like an apparatus is employed in which the
Receiver is formed of steam pipes. A top and a bottom ring are connected by a
series of vertical pipes screwed into them and if the pipes are not sufficiently close
together to retain the materials a cover of cocoa nut matting or like material is
provided.
0
The receiver has a conical bottom with an outlet which is fitted with a valve.
Within the receiver and surrounded by its contents there is a perforated trunk
connected with a fan or steam jet. Air being thus drawn by the fan between the
hot steam pipes amongst the grain or contents of the receiver into the air duct
takes the moisture from the grain or material and carries it away.
A similar apparatus may be constructed without the steam pipes in this case the
Receiver is contained within a chamber which may be cheaply constructed around
it of cocoa nut matting supported upon bamboos and rendered air tight by a coating
of cement.
Hot air obtained by the means herein described or from any suitable source is
then admitted to the chamber permeates the contents and is drawn off by the fan
as already described.