IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR RENDERING AND DRYING ANIMAL SUBSTANCES OR RESIDUES AND PREPARING THEM FOR MANURE AND OTHER PURPOSES, APPLICABLE ALSO TO CERTAIN VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES.” PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION
Year: 1876

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Henry S. Firman, of 38, Southampton Buildings, Chan-
cery Lane, London, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR RENDERING AND DRYING ANIMAL SUBSTANCES OR RESIDUES
AND PREPARING THEM FOR MANURE AND OTHER PURPOSES, APPLICABLE ALSO
TO CERTAIN VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES.”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Henry S. Firman at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th June 1876.
HENRY S. FIRMAN, of 38, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR RENDERING AND DRYING ANIMAL
SUBSTANCES OR RESIDUES AND PREPARING THEM FOR MANURE AND OTHER PURPOSES,
APPLICABLE ALSO TO CERTAIN VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES.”
This Invention of improvements in machinery for rendering and drying animal
substances or residues and preparing them for manure and other purposes, applicable
also to certain vegetable substances, consists in machinery to appley hot air or steam
or both during agitation of the material in a nearly closed cylinder, and is intended
to be applied to such substances as fat, offal of animals, fish, blood, albumen,
excrementitious matter, and generally such substances as in dessicating give off
noxious gases, the object being to prevent the nuisance to the neighbourhood where
such processes are carried on. It is also applicable to the drying of vegetable
substances, such as grains for cattle, cooked potatoes, damp grain, malt, or hops.
The apparatus consists of a horizontal cylinder of metal or suitable material
jacketed on the outside wholly, or preferably partially, for the purpose of applying
steam or hot air with apertaures for receiving the material and for discharging
with outlets and drainers for the oils or fats when such substances have to be
drawn off. I make the cylinder to revolve by an axle or by spur gearing or other
suitable means, and the axle may be solid or hollow for the heat supply, or I make
the cylinder stationary and cause the axis, to which is attached arms and beaters,
to revolve, or I combine the movements of both cylinder and axle in the same
apparatus. The arms are hollow, so that when necessary they may also ho
heated.
To the arms I attach beaters or stirrers, and the principal feature of my Invention,

page_text: namely, scrapers or knives, which keep the the interior of the cylinder clean. The
cylinder is provided, either from the ends or by the trunnions with inlet and outlet
pipes, which is another important point of my Invention; and with the object of
enabling me to supply steam and hot air or both, and to pass the noxious and
offensive vapours evolved to a special furnace or to the furnace of the boiler used
for the motive power.
In oily substances, such as fat, when the rendering is completed and the melted
fat drawn off the process is carried on to the point of dessication required. In
substances such as fish residues, blood, or other matters for manure, the offensive
vapours are entirely disposed of, without any nuisance to the neighbourhood. The
ammonical bases are preserved from the careful application of the heat, the beaters
disintergrate the stuff, and the vessel is kept in efficient action by the scraping
action of the knives.
In certain cases I employ a pump or fan for the purposes of drawing hot or cold
air from the cylinder, or for forcing it into it, and in some cases to facilitate the
passage of the noxious vapours to the furnace in which they are to be burnt, or in
soine cases a condensing pump to abstract and destroy by condensation the evolved
vanourS
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Henry S. Firman in the Great Seal Patent Office ou the 7th December
1876.
HENRY S. FIRMAN, of 38, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR RENDERING AND DRYING ANIMAL
SUBSTANCES OR RESIDUES AND PREPARING THEM FOR MANURE AND OTHER PURPOSES,
APPLICABLE ALSO TO CERTAIN VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES."
This Invention of Improvements for rendering and drying animal substances or
residues and preparing them for manure and other purposes, applicable also to
certain vegetable substances, consists in machinery to apply hot air or steam or both
during agitation of the material in a nearly closed iron cylinder during the drying,
and capable of holding steam at a pressure sometimes required of 60 lbs. per inch,
when rendering is intended to be applied to such substances as fat, offal of animals,
fish, blond, albumen, excrementitious matter, and generally such substances as in
dessiccating give off noxious gases, the object being to prevent the nuisance to the
neighbourhood where such processes are carried ou. It is also applicable to the
drying of vegetable substances, such as grains for cattle, cooked potatoes, damp
grain, malt, or hops.
The apparatus consists of a horizontal cylinder of metal or suitable material
jacketted on the outside wholly, or preferably partially, for the purpose of applying
steam or hot air with apertures for receiving the material and for discharging
with outlets and drainers for water for the oils or fats when such substances have to
be drawn off. I make the cylinder to revolve by an axle by spur gearing or other
suitable means, and the axle may be solid or hollow for the heat supply, or I make
the cylinder stationary and cause the axis, to which is attached arms and beaters, to
revolve, or I combine the movements of both cylinder and axle in the same
apparatus; the arms are in some cases solid and in others hollow, so that when
necessary they may be also heated.
To the arms I attach beaters or stirrers, one or more of which I make use of as
scrapers or knives, one or more of which latter I place nearer the side, and so keep
the interior of the cylinder clean. The cylinder is provided, either from the ends or
by the trunnions with inlet and outlet pipes, which is another important point of
my Invention; and with the object of enabling me to supply steain or hot air or
both for heating purposes, and also other inlets and outlets to pass the noxious and
offensive vapours evolved to a special furnace, or to the furnace of the boiler used
for the motive power, or to the chimney stack.

page_text: In oily substances, such as fat, when the rendering is completed and the melted
fat drawn off the process is carried on to the point of desiccation required. In
substances such as fish, residues, blood, or other matters for manure, the offensive
vapours are entirely disposed of, without any nuisance to the neighbourhood. The
aminoniacal bases are preserved, owing to the careful application of the heat, tho
beaters and scrapers or knives disintegrate the stuff, and the vessel is kept in
efficient action by the scraping action of the knives and does not get clogged.
In certain cases I employ a pump or fan for the purpose of drawing the vapour
and gases out from the cylinder, or for forcing hot or cold air into it, and in some
cases to facilitate the passage of the noxious vapours to the furnace in which they
are to be burnt, or in some cases a condensing pump to abstract and destroy by
condensation the evolved vapours.
In some cases connection with the chimney stack is sufficient for the purpose.
Another pump may also be used for forcing water into the digester, and also for
elevating the melted fats and oils and for drawing off the same and reducing the
pressure.
In the accompanying Drawings forming part of this Specification Figure 1 is a
view of the apparatus partly in longitudinal section; Figure 2, end elevation partly
in section.
Figure 3, a view of another form of the apparatus partly in longitudinal
section.
Figure 4, end elevation of the apparatus Figure 3 partly in section.
In Figure 1 A, A1, are the driving pulleys; a, a, the pinion on the axle b driving
the wheels c, c, which are keyed on to the short axles d, d; these short axles carry
the revolving beaters or arms e, e, e, e; the short axles rotate on the fixed hollow
pipe ff, where it is reduced at the two ends; this pipe is intended for hot air or
steam to heat the material under treatment, and is provided with inlet and outlet
pipes g, g, and taps g¹, g. At the parts d, d, where the short axle a revolves on
the hollow pipe, and through or in apertures in the cylinder ends, it is necessary to
have stuffing boxes if steam is to be used; these are not shown, as the construction
is well known. The scrapers or beaters e, e, scrape both the inner steam pipe and
the outer cylinder h, k, or case of the apparatus. The case h is provided with
manholes and covers h¹, h, and discharging holes and covers i, i, a discharge hole
for the vapours B in connection with a chimney shaft C; at j, j, are inlet holes for
the supply of heated air from hot air jacket, or from an independent supply when
needed, which are covered with sliding doors or other suitable means of closing.
An outer cylinder or jacket D encloses about three parts of the cylinder, and is
supplied when required with steam, and the condensed water discharged by the
pipes l, l, and taps are for the hot air where, in some cases, the ends of the cylinder
are fitted for a hot air jacket, which finds its way to the materials by the inlet j, j
air being supplied and discharged by the pipes and taps k. In this construction
the aperture i, Figure 2, requires an inner door in the cylinder end E, E, the
supports of the machine.
In the apparatus, Figure 3, although the general principles of the apparatus are
the same the details are slightly different. The long axle a revolves here in
bearings b, b, also, when required, provided with the usual stuffing boxes at the
ends of the cylinder c, c; the driving gear is similar to the other apparatus. In
this apparatus as the axle itself revolves and the beater arms are fixed to it the
scrapers d, d, only act on the interior of the cylinder. The cylinder is partially
steain jacketted, as in the other apparatus, the manholes F, F, are fitted with hinges
and retaining screws, and the discharge holes G are fitted with the same kind of
hinged doors and the fixed or movable gratings or punched plates e, e, conforming
to the shape of the cylinder; these gratings, though not shown in the apparatus,
Figure 1, may be fitted thereto with advantage. E is the duct leading to the
discharge for the vapours. A steam jacket envelopes about three parts of the
cylinder, as in the other form of apparatus. Inlet and outlet pipes are fitted as
needed; the motive force for discharging the vapours are the same as in the other

page_text: case; the fan force, or lift pump, or chimney stack, whichever is the best, will depend
upon the local position of the apparatus and the character of the material to be
treated, and these cylinder ends may also, as in Figure 1, be fitted with hot-air ends.
The steam jacket of the apparatus may be made to enclose the whole cylinder,
except where the axle of the beaters comes through, and man-holes and discharge
holes, but practically about three parts of the circumference, as shown, will be
found sufficient.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that
what I claim is,-
First. The general principle and construction of the machines as described for the
purposes set forth.
Second. The fixed hollow inner cylinder, heated by steam or hot air, and the
double set of knives, beaters, or stirrers, scraping both the outer circumference of
the fixed inner cylinder and the interior or inner circumference of the large cylinder,
substantially as described.
Third. The arrangement of the discharging holes with the inner fixed or movable
gratings or punched plates, for allowing the water or melted fat to pass without
allowing the solid contents to escape, substantially as described.
Fourth. The hot-air jacket on the ends of the cylinder in connection with the
inlet holes j, j, for supplying hot air to the interior of the cylinder, as described.
Fifth. The use of the inlet holes i, j, in the ends of a cylinder in connection with
the jacket for hot blast, and in combination with the draft of the chimney stack or
any independent flue, for removal of the vapours and gases evolved.
In witness whereof, I, the said Henry Stockton Firman, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixth day of December, in the year of our Lord Ono
thousand eight hundred and seventy-six.