Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Aug., 1888
Specification Accepted, 14th Sept., 1888
1, PHILIPPE LAUTH, of Carcasonne, Aude, in the Republic of France, Brewer,
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:-
My invention relates to apparatus for drying malt and other substances and is
illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section and Figure 2 a horizontal section of part of the
apparatus shewing an arrangement of trays hereinafter described.
Figure 3 is a vertical section of an apparatus designed to be worked with two
blowers the section being taken on the crooked line a bbc c¹d d¹e e¹ƒ ƒ¹g of
Figure 4 which is a horizontal section of the apparatus.
Figure 5 is a vertical section of an apparatus designed to be worked with only
one blower.
Figure 6 is a detached vertical section of the cylinder C hereinafter described
situated at the admission door of the tray.
Figure 7 is an elevation of the discharging mechanism of the moveable trays.
The apparatus comprises a number of superposed compartments having movable
trays K figures 1 and 2 supported by vertical channelled or T-iron bars U.
The bottom of each tray is formed of sheet iron divided into movable doors or
panels arranged in contiguous pairs opening and closing also in pairs by symmetrical
movements of rotation. The outer edge of the sheet iron of the trays is cut out as
shown in Figures 2 and 4 so as to form six arcs of circles of equal radius and the
centres B of which are arranged upon a common circumference.
Each bottom is provided with seven holes one of which marked A is situated
centrally. The six other holes B are concentric with the arcs forming the periphery
of the tray.
The framing of the bottoms consists of six inverted T-iron girders traversing the
holes B diametrically and terminating at a short distance from the holes A.
These girders are strengthened by two channelled iron bars which extend beyond

page_text: them and then surround the holes B and A and connect the girders with a bar of flat
iron C, D, C, D¹ of trapezoidal shape forming with the crowns which support the
tubes A and B, the fixed bottom of the trays on a level with the doors K which
complete the said bottom.
The central tube A is formed of perforated sheet iron arranged as an upright
cylinder with a regular hexagonal base. The sides of the cylinder form arcs of circles
described with the same radius as that of the arcs forming the periphery of each of
the trays K.
The hexagonal tubes A have their lower ends resting on a part of the fixed bottom
of the tray of an outwardly similar shape and provided with a circular hole in the
middle, if it is intended to receive the air from the lower compartment. In other
cases the bottom is closed, as in the lowermost tray, to prevent the passage of air.
The tube A of the second tray (Figure 3) from the ground is on the contrary
closed at the top by a plain sheet iron plate a ten or fifteen centimeters below the
surface of the material such as germinating barley to be dried. This plate forces the
gases which proceed from the middle tube of the lower tray to pass through the six
peripheral holes B.
The same arrangement can be continued for an apparatus having a single blower
(Figure 5.). The gas will thus be forced to pass through the material to be dried
first in one direction and then in the other until a sufficient degree of saturation is
obtained.
For a large sized apparatus provided with two blowers as shown in Figures 1, 2, 3
and 4, the tray which receives the hot air from the second blower (temperate or
moderately heated gases) has its central pipe a¹¹open so that the two gaseous
currents may become intermixed and produce a simultaneous action in the upper
compartments.
The tubes a are of unequal height as also are the walls of the periphery and they
are movable as they have to be withdrawn for cleaning or repairing purposes.
Each of the six holes B receives a cylindrical tube C.
The lower part rests on a flat crown concentric to the tube of similar thickness
and at the same level as the movable doors. On the second and fifth trays, these
tubes constituting flues for drawing in and expelling the gas are prolonged at their
upper part by plain sheet iron tubes; the junction of the two parts of unequal
diameter is made by the base of a truncated cone. The two tubes placed on each side
of the admission door in the compartment are prolonged in a special manner, as shown
in Figure 6, which represents a section of one of these pipes. The plain sheet iron
tube is not in this case concentric with the perforated tube throughout its whole
height but on the outer side to the admission door the two cylinders have a common
generatrix and the conical junction is consequently made at the bottom, and the tube
at the top is brought to the centre of the upper tube by means of a joint at S.
This arrangement allows of a sufficient space for the passage of the tube A which
I construct in two parts to facilitate the access of the attendant to the tray when it
is necessary.
A damper (Figure 3) is arranged below the tray and below each of the six tubes
to allow of the same being cleaned inside at the same time as the tubes of the tray above.
Through the tubes C the distribution is effected of the hot or temperate gases
which pass through the material under treatment.
All the distributing tubes C are closed by conical caps with cylindrical bases
covering these tubes at ten or fifteen centimeters below the material to be dried in
order to prevent the air from leaving any tray without having produced its useful
effect therein.
The upper part of the lateral faces of the compartments is formed of sheet iron
perforated to a height suitable to the effect required to be produced on each floor and
the upper part is formed of plain sheet iron.
The plain sheet iron is jointed to the perforated sheet iron; on each floor is a
square opening surrounded by an iron frame over which closes a sheet iron door p
opening sideways (Figure 3).

page_text: The bottom of each tray is divided into movable doors or panels as hereinbefore
described there being as many double movable doors as there are sectors, that is to
say, six, as shown in plan at Figure 2. Each of the doors moves upon a pivot or
hinge supported by two sockets one of which is fixed to the outer casing and the
other to the converging girders supporting the seven tubes.
On the pivots of the doors is mounted a pinion driven by a double rack. By
moving the upper rack in one direction the pivot is caused to rotate and consequently
the door to be lowered or raised; by moving the lower rack in the same direction the
adjoining pivot will be rotated in the opposite direction and the door will consequently
be raised or lowered by a movement similar to the former.
The two doors between two tubes C should be lowered at the same time and conse-
quently the pivots of the said two doors should turn in a contrary direction.
This effect by means of a wrought or cast iron hoop t arranged in several
segments connected by holts and placed concentric to the casing. The said hoop can
ride in both directions over rollers g and has as many openings or recesses in the form
of an elongated eye (Figure 7) as there are double doors, that is to say, six.
Motion is given to the hoop by gearing such as a pinion and rack i or a worm
and rack or their equivalent, the rack being adapted to the hoop and the pinion
operated by a crank handle. In each eye are two racks, one of such racks n being
on the upper part of the eye and the other rack n¹ on the lower part. They com-
municate two opposite movements to two small pinions m, m' mounted on the pivots
of the two doors adjusted with relation to each of the tubes C. The movement of
the hoop in one direction causes all the doors to open simultaneously and the
substances to fall into the shoot below. The reverse movement causes the doors to
be raised and they are secured in position after being raised by a pawl o and ratchet
teeth which prevent any backward movement.
The adjacent pivots of the doors are covered in pairs by movable inclined planes
which protect the pivots and their supports from any damaging contact and facilitate
the descent of the grain onto the fixed parts of the bottom.
Around the trays and compartments is placed the casing S which forms the outer
part of the flue surrounding the whole apparatus. This flue is closed at the bottom
by a horizontal partition S₁ at the same height as the lowermost tray.
Other horizontal partitions S¹¹ compel the gases in rising to pass from the said flue
into the six tubes.
The horizontal partitions S" confine the malt or other material in the flue
surrounding the apparatus to the level of the bottom of the lowermost tray and above
the bottom of the second and fifth trays there is formed in the interior of each of
these three trays three small doors made in the plain sheet iron forming the top
of each compartment to facilitate the removal of the material at each cleaning operation
through the outer door of each tray.
The casing S is provided with doors p¹ in front of the doors p and the doors p' are
larger than the doors p in order to allow the smaller doors to open.
The casing S is entirely covered with felt or other non-conducting material.
In the larger apparatus operated by two blowers (Figures 3 and 4) a passage T of
sheet iron conducts the temperate or moderately heated air as it issues from the stove
into the compartment which it has to supply; it communicates by two branch tubes T¹
with the six cast iron elbow pipes of this tray. The passage as well as its two branch
tubes are covered with non-conducting material. The two branch tubes surrounding
the middle part of the apparatus are higher and narrower than the passage for the hot
gases at the bottom of the apparatus. The object of this arrangement is to interfere
as little as possible with the spiral staircase.
The action of the apparatus working with two blowers and shown in Figures 3
and 4 is as follows:-
The outer air is forced by one blower into the passage V figure 4 in which X, Y is
the axis of the blower; thence it passes around a heating stove into a double tube of
sheet iron embracing the sides of the apparatus and then enters the first compartment
through the six cast iron tubes H fixed to the lowermost tray. All the gases forced into

page_text: this first compartment pass through the germinating grain or other material under
treatment and out through the central tube A and the largest portion passes through the
perforated sheet iron of the periphery and is distributed in the circular chamber.
The gases having already lost a portion of their heat by their contact with the
grain, are arrested by the horizontal partition of the annular chamber and by that
placed in the central tube a¹ at the same elevation they are caused to return in a
contrary direction and pass through a fresh layer namely that in the second
compartment.
A contrary action is produced in the third compartment. The gases lose succes-
sively at each of the floors a considerable portion of their heat by reason of their
contact with the grain which gradually becomes heated.
The temperate or moderately hot gases coming from the passage T above the
heating stove enter the fourth compartment through the six cast iron tubes placed in
the fourth tray and pass through the germinated barley, their course being exactly
similar to that of the hot gases in the lowermost compartment.
The two currents of temperate gases coming from the passage T and of cooled
gases coming from below unite in the circular chamber as well as at the outlet of the
central tube a" and form a single uniform current; the temperate gases give a fresh
impulse to the gases from below which are already very sensibly cooled and the two
mixed currents enter the fifth compartment and circulate in the manner hereinbefore
explained with reference to the second compartment.
A contrary movement is produced in the sixth compartment similar to that in the
third.
Finally the gases pass out of the seventh compartment through the sixth peripheral
tubes and into the flue.
With a blower of sufficient size or power an eighth tray can be added and more if
space will allow.
The flue G is of the form of a truncated cone at its lower part covering the top of
the apparatus. The truncated cone surmounted by a cylindrical part provided with a
regulating valve is movable. The said cylindrical part can by means of three counter-
weights placed outside the apparatus be caused by a slight effort to slide in the fixed
cylindrical part of the flue. The height of the free space above the highest tray is
about 1 80 which allows access to the tray either for charging it or as required for
causing the grain to fall onto the floor below; the cone of sheet iron is covered with
cork or other non-conducting substance to prevent condensation of the vapour
inside.
In order to prevent any water of condensation which may be produced from falling
onto the uppermost tray I place at the bottom of the flue (Figure 3) two small
gutters one inside and the other outside to collect the said water and conduct it
outside. The two gutters communicate by means of small holes made in the sheet iron
of the flue.
The action of the apparatus having a single blower (Figure 5) is similar to that of
the apparatus worked with two blowers but hot gases only are employed. All the
gases cooled in the lowermost compartment after having passed through the grain
enter successively the second and following compartments. The number of the com-
partments can be four or five; I have shown only four with a flue which receives the
saturated gases as they leave the uppermost floor. The apparatus having one blower
can be constructed with only two or three trays suitable for the production of slightly
dried malt. In this case the heating stove should be of a smaller size in view of the
smaller quantity of material to be operated on.
A staircase giving access to the two floors is arranged spirally outside the apparatus
with a landing before each door. The staircase passes once round the apparatus for
each double floor so that the doors of two successive floors are placed diametrically
opposite each other.
The grain is arranged and worked on the trays in the following manner.
Supposing the apparatus to be worked with two blowers, the germinated barley or
other material to be dried is brought directly from the malt-house or from the granary

page_text: by means of baskets or by means of a carriage having a movable bottom and contain-
ing the charge for the uppermost tray, the carriage travelling on two portable rails.
Or the grain can be conveyed by a conduit temporarily placed for the charge if the
uppermost tray be situated at a lower level than the granary. The uppermost tray
being charged the blower is set in action to force in the heated gases and these being
at a moderate temperature the drying commences.
About three hours afterwards the germinated barley is discharged onto the tray
immediately beneath and the uppermost tray is re-charged.
After another period of about three hours has elapsed, the preceding operation is
repeated, the third tray is charged and the blower forcing in the temperate gases is
put in operation until the charging of the fourth tray.
This operation involving the charging of a fresh tray each time is repeated every
three hours care being taken to progressively augment the temperature of the hot
gases.
When all the trays are charged, the apparatus is normally at work, the blowers are
then brought to their regular speed and the heated gases to their proper working
temperature. Every three hours the lowermost tray can be emptied.
The various displacements of the barley and its discharge outside the apparatus are
effected mechanically by operating the outside rings. The discharge is facilitated onto
the fixed parts by suitably inclined sheet iron covers placed over the pivots of the
movable parts (Figure 7).
The apparatus is provided with several bent or curved thermometers.
In the apparatus supplied by a single blower (Figure 5) the working of the trays
is similar; as soon as the uppermost tray is charged, the blower is set moderately in
action, the trays are successively emptied and re-filled and when once the lower tray
has been charged the blower is set fully in action.
In this case two bent or curved thermometers will be sufficient, one being placed
at the bottom of the apparatus as for the apparatus with two blowers and the other in
the flue over the cone.
As a practical result the apparatus furnishes completely disaggregated malt after
drying, capable of giving a maximum of manufactured product, the malt always
heing submitted to slowly progressive temperatures with any interruption or
cooling.
The desiccation is methodical and effective because a constant exchange of tempe-
rature and moisture takes place between the hot or temperate gases and the material
being dried. The gases become more and more cooled and charged with moisture as
they ascend through the course which they are forced to follow whilst the material
to be dried becomes heated and more and more deprived of its moisture as it
descends.
The hottest and driest gases act on the material to be dried at the lower part of the
apparatus whilst the said portion of the material is hotter and drier than any
other part thereof and at the upper part of the apparatus the material is the least
hot and the most moist and is traversed by the least hot and the least moist
gases. The gases are not allowed to escape into the flue without having produced
the whole of their useful effect.
The complete utilization of the gases allows the whole quantity of the gases
produced to traverse the whole of the apparatus starting from lower compartments.
Notwithstanding that the gases leave at very low temperatures as they pass from
the malt into the flue no condensed vapour is produced on the malt in the uppermost
tray nor of course in any of the lower trays. A great advantage results from the
manner in which the gases are distributed by reason of the arrangement and construc-
tion of the apparatus and the various improvements relating thereto.
Chemical analysis has shown that the malt produced contains very little lactic
acid.
The management of the apparatus is easy. The attendant has little to do but to
watch the thermometers placed in front of the gas inlet on the lowermost tray, the
temperature diminishing gradually and regularly in the other compartments.

page_text: 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. The general arrangement of the apparatus for drying malt and other substances,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In apparatus for drying malt and other substances, the use of movable trays in
combination with suitable mechanism for operating the same, substantially as herein-
before described.
3. The employment of trays with recesses for drying materials such as moist sand,
substantially as hereinbefore described.
4. The improved apparatus for drying malt and other substances, hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 9th day of August 1888.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.