Improvements in the Methods of Extracting Liquids from, and Drying, Grain, Malt, Brewers' Grains, and other like Substances, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1893--Accepted, 10th Feb., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Methods of Extracting Liquids from, and
Drying, Grain, Malt, Brewers' Grains, and other like Substances,
and in Apparatus therefor.
We, LOUIS WAGNER, Machinist, of 707 Swan Street, and JOHN MARR
Maltster, of 416 North Howard Street, both in the City of Baltimore, in the State
of Maryland, United States of America, 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 :-
It is the object of our invention to provide for the treatment of grain and
other substances by centrifugal force, or by such force in connection with dry or
hot air.
Such treatment has useful applications, certain of which are hereinafter described
in detail.
One of the principal applications of our improvement is to the treatment of malt
for the production of what termed pale malt, very desirable in the manufacture
of pale beer, and for the avoidance of the production of flinty malt or malt which is
too much caramelized, which latter conditions frequently result from the ordinary
modes of drying or treatment.
Another of the principal applications of our improvement is to the treatment of
brewers grains or other distillers' refuse, for drying such substances and for
recovering therefrom such saccharine or other nutritive matter as can be further
utilized in distillation or for other purposes.
This latter use of our improvement we will first set forth in detail.
The refuse froni brewers' mash tubs, ordinarily termed brewers' grain, as well as
what is usually called distillers' slops, contains a considerable amount of nutritious
matter combined however with a large percentage of water. Many drying devices
have heretofore been proposed and used for the separation of such water from the
valuable solid material, the latter being used principally as food for cattle. Such
drying apparatus has however been large and expensive in construction and slow in
operation.
It is the object of this application of our invention to effect quickly the
separation of the liquid from the solid portions of such material and to perform
Euch operation in such manner that the liquid, carrying off with it a considerable
percentage of the more valuable constituents of the grain, may be utilized for other
purposes than cattle food as for instance in the manufacture of beverages, or
alcohol.
With such object in view our invention consists of the methods of operation, and
the parts and combinations thereof, hereinafter more particularly set forth and
claimed.
In order to make our improvements more clearly understood we have shown in
the accompanying drawings means for carrying them into practical effect, without
however limiting our invention in its useful applications, to the particular construc-
tion, which, for the sake of illustration, we have delineated. In said drawings-
the figure illustrates by a vertical sectional view an apparatus suitable for
carrying our improvements into effect.
Referring to said drawings, 1 indicates a casing mounted stationarily upon any
suitable support such as a floor 2, and consisting conveniently and preferably of metal
strengthened by top and bottom rings or flanges 3 and 4. This casing is provided
with a cover having suitable apertures through which the interior may be examined

page_text: or cleaned, and also through which the material to be treated may be introduced
by a chute 5 extending from a hopper or other receptacle 6. The exit of material
from the latter is controlled by a valve or gate 7 which, when desired, may be
constructed so as to be water tight, and which may be operated by a handle 8 or in
any other usual manner. The bottom of the casing 1 terminates in or is attached
delivery trough or chute 9 preferably annular in form as shown and having a
pipe or extension 10 adapted to deliver the liquid collected by the chute into a tub
or other receptacle 11.
to a
12 is a rotary filtering or straining vessel consisting preferably of a base
portion 13 having a vertical flange to which may be secured the cylindrical and
perforated or reticulated wall 14. The latter is strengthened at its top by a ring 15.
provided with a horizontal and inwardly extending flange 16 adapted to prevent
the exit of solid material over the upper edge of the vessel 12 when the latter is
in motion as hereinafter described. The bottom 13 is provided with openings 17
and with a hub 18 which latter is secured upon a vertical shaft 20. 21 is a covering
plate which is removable, and which, when in place, is adapted to close the opening
or openings 17.
The latter is or are adapted to deliver any material which may be caused or
permitted to pass through it or them into a downwardly extending pipe or chute 22
from the lower end of which the solid and dry constituents of the material are
received as the operation proceeds.
The shaft 20 is supported in bearings 23 and is adapted to be actuated by a loose
belt pulley 24 constituting also one member of a friction clutch. The other
member of such clutch is indicated at 25 and is longitudinally movable upon but is
adapted to rotate with the shaft 20, it being shifted towards or from the pulley 24
by a lever 26 and rod 27.
The bottom plate 13 is also provided with a downwardly extending flange 28
which surrounds the upper edge of the inner portion of the trough 9 so as to cause
all liquid passing through the screen or strainer 14 and to be delivered only into
said trough and to find an exit from the latter only through the pipe 10.
At
The apparatus being constructed as above described the brewers' grain or other
desired material consisting of a wet or damp mass is charged into the hopper 6.
From the latter the proper quantity is delivered from time to time by the chute 5 into
the casing 1 and to the interior of the rotary filtering or straining vessel 12.
the same time the latter is rapidly rotated by the described mechanism and the
water quickly drains outward through the reticulations or openings in the wall or
cylinder 14, leaving the solid portion within said vessel. The liquid carrying with
it a considerable percentage of the valuable portion of the grain, still in a condition
to be utilized in the inanufacture of beer or alcohol on account of the saccharine
matter which it contains, is collected by the chute 9 and delivered into the
vessel 11, from which latter it may be removed from time to time as may be
necessary.
The rotation of the vessel 12 is sufficiently rapid to cause all water to quickly
pass by centrifugal force from the grain. When this has been accomplished the
mechanism is stopped and, the covering plate 21 having been raised by means of
the handle 29, the dried material from the side of the screen 14 may be readily
detached and caused to pass through the opening or openings 17 into the chute or
pipe 22.
In order to increase the rapidity of the operation and more thoroughly remove
the moisture we prefer to introduce hot air into the casing 1 while the vessel 12 is
in motion.
A hot air furnace is shown at 30, from which a pipe 31 extends to a point where
it passes through the casing 1 or the cover thereof. This pipe is preferably
introduced in axial line with the vessel 12, and the effect of the rotation of the
latter will be to throw outwards the air contained in it against and through the
solid material upon the inner face of the cylinder 14, such air finding its exit
through the pipe 10. To supply the place of the air thus expelled a flow of hot

page_text: air will take place through the pipe 31 and into the vacant space which the
centrifugal force will cause to be left in the centre of the vessel 12.
This operation not only more quickly dries the solid material but causes the
removal by the hot air so introduced, of a considerable percentage of the water,
and will increase the relative value of the liquid collected in the receptacle 11.
As already observed our invention has a valuable application in the drying or
treating of malt. Unless much care is used in the drying processes usually
followed there will be produced what is termed flinty malt the exterior of which is
dry but so hard as to retain within the malt kernel a considerable portion of
moisture or water. This condition of the malt usually results from drying it too
rapidly at too high a degree of heat, and the malt, while apparently dry, is not
well adapted to the subsequent processes to which it is subjected for the production
of beer and contains within each kernel a considerable portion of the water which
it was desired to remove by the drying operation. Or the malt is often so
caramelized by too great heat in drying as to produce a dark beer. This is very
objectionable, the efforts of brewers being especially directed to the production of
pale beer, which is in much greater demand in the trade.
According to our present invention however we treat the malt which is to be
dried in the vessel 12, thereby causing to pass out from it by centrifugal force all
of the moisture contained in the middle of the malt kernel, which moisture or
water is thrown off from the exterior of the grain by the said centrifugal force, or
is taken up therefrom by the hot air introduced into the casing 1.
The result of such operation is to most perfectly remove the water from the
malt and best adapt it for being stored and also for the subsequent operations to.
which it is subjected in the manufacture of beer, without liability of caramelizing it.
From malt thus treated the highest grade of pale beer may be produced without
difficulty.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is
(1.) The hereindescribed method of treating malt which consists in subjecting it
to the action of centrifugal force for the extraction of water from the interior of
the grain without unduly hardening or caramelizing the exterior of the grain,
substantially as set forth.
(2.) The hereindescribed method of treating malt which consists in first removing
the water from the interior of the grain or kernel by centrifugal force, and then
removing the water from the exterior of the grain by a current of air, substantially
as set forth.
(3.) The hereindescribed method of treating brewers' grains, or distillers' refuse
by centrifugal force for the extraction of water and saccharine matter substantially
as set forth.
(4.) The method of treating malt, brewers' grains or analogous substances by
the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawing, substantially as set forth.
(5.) The hereindescribed apparatus for treating malt, brewers' grain, distillers'
slop and other materials, consisting of the combination of a rotary filtering or
straining vessel having an air exit, and an opening or conduit for air connected
therewith and adapted to deliver air to said vessel to be forced through the material
while subjected to centrifugal force, substantially as set forth.
(6.) The combination with a casing, having entrance and exit openings, of a
rotary filtering vessel therein having a discharge aperture in its bottom for
delivering material outside of said casing, substantially as set forth.
(7.) The combination of the casing having an opening in its bottom and the
annular trough, of the rotary filtering vessel in said casing fitting in said opening,
and having a discharge opening in its bottom, a shaft carrying said vessel, and a
conduit leading from the discharge opening, substantially as set forth.

page_text: (8.) The combination of a casing having an air exit, a rotary filtering vessel
therein, a furnace, and an air conduit passing from the latter and delivering into
said casing, substantially as set forth.
1000
L. WAGNER,
J. MARR,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.
Cen me were non