Improvements in or relating to the Pneumatic Malting of Grain, and the Apparatus Employed therefor.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 1st Jan., 1896-Accepted, 21st Mar.,
1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Pneumatic Malting of Grain, and
the Apparatus Employed therefor.
We, ARTHUR KINDER, of 5 Laurence Pountney Hill, London, E.C. Engineer,
and HUGH BAIRD, of 134 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, N.B., Maltster, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in the pneumatic malting of grain and in
the apparatus employed therefor, said apparatus consisting of a rotatable drum
having head plates with central apertures, an air passage at one end of the drum
with which communicate peripheral perforated air conduits, and a central air
conduit communicating with the central aperture at the other end of the drum
which is connected by one of its central apertures with suitable suction or blowing
apparatus whereby a current of air is caused to pass through the drum and to
permeate the mass of grain contained therein.
The chief objects of the invention are, first, to cause the air to pass more uniformly
through the mass of grain during the malting process, and, secondly, to prevent the
escape of carbonic acid gas during the withering process.
Referring to the first part of our invention :-
Great difficulty is at present experienced in passing the air uniformly through
all portions of the mass of grain in the drum, since the latter not being entirely
filled, the mass of material surrounding the central perforated air conduit thereof
is of less thickness opposite to the empty space in the drum, and the air
consequently passes too freely through the portion of reduced thickness.
According to our invention, we arrange within the said central perforated
conduit or tube, means, as hereinafter described, whereby a longitudinal segment
thereof, the width of which may be varied according to requirements, may be
el sed or blocked to the passage of air currents, and this longitudinal segment
being arranged opposite to that portion of the mass of grain which is of
reduced thickness, the air currents will be unable to pass to the central conduit
through such thin portion aud will be compelled to pass through the thicker
portions of the mass.
The said means consist of two radial vanes, pivotted, so as to be capable of
being folded together or of being opened out from one another, upon a shaft
which passes centrally through the said central conduit. Said vanes extend from
end to end of the said conduit and their edges are in contact with the interior
surface thereof. One of the vanes is provided at each end with a sector shaped
wing projecting at right angles therefrom, said wings embracing between them the
ends of the other vane; the vanes and wings, in conjunction with the interior
surface of the conduit, consequently form an expansible and collapsible chamber
from which all air currents are excluded, and the latter can consequently only pass
through those portions of the perforated conduit which are situated outside the
said chamber.
If desired we may employ, in conjunction with the central air conduit, a series
of air conduits disposed concentrically around the same, these air conduits being
provided with valves, operated either by hand or automatically, whereby the
passage of air through them may be regulated.
In lieu of employing a number of perforated peripheral air induction conduits,

page_text: we prefer to jacket a longitudinal segment of the drum and to perforate such
jacketted portion. We may also jacket the opposite side of the drum so as to
firm a perforated eduction conduit which communicates with the exhaust or
escape.
In order to break up the mass of grain during the rotation of the drum, we
may provide shafts passing longitudinally through the drum and carrying blades
or stirrers, said shafts being either fixed in the drum or arranged to revolve
independently thereof, as preferred.
Referring to the second part of our invention :-
According to the present system of withering the grain, the air necessary for
the process is passed through the same conduits as are employed for the germinating
process, consequently a large proportion of the carbonic acid gas, so essential for
the proper performance of this process, is carried out of the drum; now, according
to our invention, we propose to employ a separate and distinct service of pipes or
conduits, controlled by suitable cocks or valves, and leading from one end of the
drum to the other, so as to form a circuit through which air may be continuously
circulated by suitable means, such as a fan or pump placed in the said circuit, in
which latter would also be provided any suitable and well known means for
properly attemperating the air. We prefer to attemperate the air by placing in
the said circuit a condenser through which the air is caused to pass by the
circulating means employed, and we slightly throttle the exit passage from the
said condenser, whereby the air within the latter is slightly compressed and its
temperature consequently lowered. An air inlet pipe, controlled by a suitable
cock, may also be connected with the said circuit for supplying air to dilute the
carbonic acid gas in the drum, if necessary.
11
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D 1007
Improvements in or relating to the Pneumatic Malting of Grain, and
the Apparatus Employed therefor.
We, ARTHUR KINDER, of 5 Laurence Pountney Hill, London, E.C., Engineer,
and HUGH BAIRD, of 134 St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, N.B., Maltster, 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 improvements in the pneumatic malting of grain and
the apparatus employed therefor, said apparatus consisting of a rotatable drum
having head plates with central apertures and an air passage or chamber at each
end with which latter communicate a central perforated air conduit and a series of
perforated air conduits disposed around the same, the drum being connected by
one of its said central apertures with suitable suction or blowing apparatus whereby
a current of air is caused to pass through the drum and to permeate the mass of
grain contained therein.
The chief objects of the invention are, first, to cause the air to pass more
uniformly through the mass of grain during the malting process, and, secondly, to
avoid the loss of carbonic acid gas during the withering process.
Referring to the first part of our invention:-
Great difficulty is at present experienced in passing the air uniformly through
all portions of the mass of grain in the drum since the latter not being entirely

page_text: filled the mass of material surrounding the central perforated air conduit is of less
thickness opposite to the empty space in the drum and the air consequently passes
too freely through the portion of reduced thickness.
According to our invention we arrange within the said central perforated conduit
means, as hereinafter described, whereby a longitudinal segment thereof, the width
of which may be varied according to requirements, may be closed or blocked to
the passage of air currents, and the said means being adjusted so that this longi-
tudinal segment comes opposite to that portion of the mass of grain which is of
reduced thickness, the air currents will be unable to pass to the central conduit
through such thin portion of the mass and will be compelled to traverse the thicker
portion thereot.
The said means consist of two radial vanes pivotally mounted within the central
conduit so that they may be folded together or opened out from one another.
The said vanes extend from end to end of the said conduit and their edges are in
contact with the interior surface thereof. Each end of the space enclosed by the
vanes is suitably blocked or closed and the vanes in conjunction with the central
conduit consequently form an expansible and collapsible chamber from which
all air currents are excluded; the latter can consequently only pass through those
portions of the central perforated conduit which are situated outside the said
chamber.
If desired we may employ in conjunction with the central air conduit a series of
air conduits disposed concentrically around the same, these air conduits being
provided with the well known arrangement of valves, either hand operated or
automatic, whereby the passage of air through them may be regulated.
In lieu of employing a series of perforated peripheral air induction conduits,
we prefer to jacket a longitudinal segment of the drum and to perforate such
jacketted portion. We may also jacket the opposite side of the drum so as to
form a perforated eduction conduit which communicates with the exhaust or
escape.
In order to break up the mass of grain during the rotation of the drum we may
provide shafts passing longitudinally through the drum and carrying blades or
stirrers said shafts being either fixed in the drum or arranged to revolve
independently thereof as preferred.
Referring to the second part of our invention :--
According to the present system of withering the grain the air necessary for the
process is passed through the same conduits as are employed for the germinating
process, consequently a large proportion of the carbonic acid gas so essential for
the proper performance of this process is carried out of the drum and lost; now
according to our invention we propose to employ for the withering process an
extra pipe service controlled by suitable valves or cocks and leading from one end
of the drum to the other so as to form in conjunction with the drum a circuit
through which air may be continuously circulated by suitable means such as a fan
or blower placed in said circuit in which latter would also be provided any suitable
or well known means for properly attemperating the air. We prefer to attemperate
the air by placing in the said circuit apparatus constructed upon the lines of an
ordinary tubular condenser through which the air is caused to pass by the
circulating means employed and by means of which the temperature of the air
may be raised or lowered according to the temperature of the water used in the
said apparatus.
An air inlet pipe controlled by a suitable cock may also be
connected with the said circuit for supplying air to dilute the gas in the drum if
necessary.
Referring to the accompanying drawings in which similar letters refer to
corresponding parts in all the figures
1
Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 represent in longitudinal section, plan, cross section and
elevation, respectively, pneumatic malting apparatus constructed in accordance
with our invention.

page_text: Fig. 5 shews in cross section a slightly modified construction of malting drum,
and Fig. 6 is a detail.
c is the
a is the malting drum which is slowly rotated in any suitable manner and is
provided or formed at either end with the air passages or chambers 661.
central perforated air conduit communicating with the passage 61, and d d are a
series of perforated air conduits disposed around the central conduit c and com-
municating with the air passage b. These perforated air conduits d d are to be
provided with any well known arrangement of hand operated or automatic valves
whereby the passage of air through them may be regulated as will be readily
understood without further explanation. e e are the peripheral perforated air
conduits which open into the passage b1. f is a central tube by which the air enters
the passage or chamber band f1 is a similar central tube by which the air leaves
the passage or chamber 61. 9 is the damp air channel from which the air is drawn
by the fan and is forced by the latter into the chamber b and from thence into the
perforated conduits d d. The air escapes through the perforations in the latter,
permeates the mass of grain, and entering the perforated peripheral conduits ee
and the central conduit c passes into the chamber 61 and from thence discharges
into the open air through the pipe f1.
The apparatus thus far described is well known and forms no part of the present
invention; we will now proceed to describe our improvements commencing with
the means we employ for causing a more uniform passage of air through the grain
during the malting process.
i is a spindle or axis passing centrally through the conduit c and mounted therein
so that it may be revolved by the hand wheel i 1. is a sleeve surrounding the
spindle and revolved independently of the latter by the hand wheel k 1.
1 (Fig. 6) are arms projecting from the spindle and passing through slots
formed in the sleeve k, and m is a vane secured to said arms and extending from
end to end of the central conduit c. 11 are similar arms projecting from the
sleeve and m 1 is a similar vane secured to the last mentioned arms and also
extending from end to end of the conduit c. n is a sector shaped wing projecting
at right angles from that end of the vane m which is situated at the open end of
the conduit c, the object of said wing being to close one end of the space bounded
by the vanes and the interior of the central conduit, the other end of this space
being closed by the end of the conduit c. Air currents are thus excluded from
the said space and are consequently prevented from passing through the longi-
tudinal segment of the conduit c contained between the vanes m m 1 and can only
pass through those portions of the said conduit which are situated outside the
space enclosed by the vanes. The width of said longitudinal segment may be
varied according to requirements by turning the hand wheels il kl.
We prefer to provide hand operated valves at those ends of the peripheral
conduits e which open into the air passage 61, and to provide the other ends of
the said peripheral conduits with doors or caps, so that by closing the valves
and opening the doors or caps of the lowest peripheral conduits, the carboni
acid gas in the bottom of the drum may be blown out during germination, as
required.
We will now describe our method of preventing the loss of carbonic acid gas
during the withering process.
o represents an extra pipe service which establishes, through the fan h, com-
munication between the air passages or chambers and 1. pp are suitable
valves by which said pipe service may be closed to the passage of air during
germination.
In withering the grain the valves pp are opened and the valves
91, which
control respectively the air inlet from the channel 9 and the discharge from the
outlet f1, are closed. The pipe service o then forms in conjunction with the drum a
a circuit through which the air and gas contained in the drum is continuously
circulated by the fan h. Any suitable or well known means for properly

page_text: attemperating the air may be placed in the above described circuit, preferably the
condenser arrangement before mentioned. An air inlet pipe controlled by a cock
may also if desired be connected with the pipe service o for supplying air to
dilute the carbonic acid gas in the drum.
In lieu of the series of perforated peripheral conduits e represented in Figs. 1, 3
and 4, we prefer to jacket the drum upon opposite sides, as shewn at el in Fig. 5.
One of these jacketted segments e 1, which are both perforated, opens at one end
into the air passage b, which would in this case like the air passage b', be made of
the same diameter as the drum, whilst the other jacketted segment opens into the
air passage b'. The air thus enters the drum by one jacketted segment and passing
through the grain leaves the drum by the other jacketted segment and by the
central conduit c.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. In pneumatic malting apparatus comprising a rotating drum having a central
perforated conduit, the employment for the purpose set forth of means substan-
tially as described whereby a longitudinal segment of the said conduit, the width
of which may be varied at will, may be closed or blocked to the passage of air
currents.
2. In pneumatic malting apparatus, the combination with a rotating malting
drum having a central perforated conduit, of radial vanes pivotally mounted
within said conduit in such manner that a longitudinal segment of the latter, the
width of which may be varied as required, may be closed or blocked to the
passage of air currents, substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated.
3. In pneumatic malting apparatus, preventing the loss of carbonic acid gas
during the withering process by means of an extra pipe service connecting the
air chambers at each end of the drum and forming in conjunction with the latter a
circuit through which the air and carbonic acid gas in the drum may be con-
tinuously circulated by a fan or blower when valves controlling the ordinary air
inlet and exit pipes are closed, said pipe service being provided with valves
whereby it may be closed to the passage of air during the germinating process,
substantially as described and illustrated.
Dated this 1st day of January 1896.
E. P. ALEXANDER & SON,
Chartered Patent Agents,
19 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.