Improvements in Apparatus for Drying and Conditioning Grain.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 16th June, 1893-Accepted, 22nd July, 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying and Conditioning Grain.
I JOSEPH SENIOR, of Bridge Street, Wakefield, in the County of York,
Manufacturer, 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 present invention relates to means for drying and conditioning grain, the
object being to arrange an apparatus which will perform the same expeditiously
and efficiently, to attain which I employ the arrangement and mechanism substan-
tially as set forth in the accompanying drawings, in which
Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section and Fig. 2 a plan of my improved
apparatus.
Similar letters of reference denote corresponding parts in each view. I employ
any suitable number of vertical cylinders C which are steam jacketted, that is
arranged with a casing e', leaving a hollow part c³ for steam to circulate in a manner
hereinafter referred to. Each cylinder C may either be made out of one piece of
metal, or it may be formed in sections and bolted or rivetted together. The upper
end of each cylinder C is open, and its flange part c³ is bolted or otherwise secured
to a trough or receiver D; or where preferred the upper part of cylinder C may
be made in one with part of said trough, which latter may be in sections and bolted
together. The lower end or under flange of each cylinder C is bolted or otherwise
secured to a bed or base plate E. Each said cylinder C receives a hollow worm, or
spiral lift, or carrier B, having its centre shaft also hollow, the upper end of
which bears in a gland d¹ so as to receive steam from a suitable supply pipe G,
which latter may lead to a boiler or other steam generator. The said supply pipe G
also communicates with the spaces c, of each cylinder C by means of the connecting
pipes d. The bottom of each hollow worm or spiral carrier or lift B, is formed
with a spindle 6, which bears or runs in a suitable step 63, and each said spindle 6ª
receives a worm wheel w, driven by a worm w¹, each of the latter being fixed to
horizontal shafts S, which are geared together by wheels s' so as to reverse the
motion of each alternate shaft S, and consequently each alternate worm or carrier B,
and to cause the ascending worms or carriers B to revolve preferably somewhat
quicker than the descending ones. The said horizontal shafts S are carried within
the bed E of the apparatus, and one shaft S extends at one end so as to receive
suitable pullies p' and p³, or other equivalent means for driving said shafts S. At
preferably the lower part of each cylinder B I form an aperature 64 which is prefer-
ably covered with a suitable grating or wire netting, and each said aperture
communicates with a suitable exhaust pipe H, which leads to an exhaust fan J,
situated at one end of the apparatus. The grain may be charged into the front
cylinder C by means of a bin or hopper K, and subsequently the dried and con-
ditioned grain may be discharged from the last cylinder C through the delivery
spout T.
I prefer to arrange twelve cylinders C along side each other, although I
only show four on the drawings for convenience. The operation of my herein before
described improved apparatus is as follows. The grain after being washed and
stoned, or otherwise similarly treated in accordance with requirements, is charged
into the hopper K and falls to the bottom of the first cylinder C, from where it is
picked up by the revolving hollow worm or spiral B, and gradually ascends thereby
to the trough D, and during the time it is travelling upwards on the hollow blades
of the said spiral or worm, the steam circulating in the steam space c³ or jacket, and
also in the hollow of worm B tends to dry the grain, the evaporation from which is
carried off through the greated apertures 64 by the acton of the fan J, an oblong
opening or perforations 66 being formed in each cylinder so as to allow the

page_text: atmospheric air to enter the cylinder as the evaporation is drawn off. It will be
obvious that the grain ascends one cylinder, and passes along the trough D to the
next cylinder where the worm B turning in the contrary direction carries the grain
downwards, and delivers it through the opening to the next cylinder, and so on
until it delivers it fully dried and efficiently conditioned out of the last cylinder C
at the shoot or spout T.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be perforined I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In apparatus for drying and conditioning grain, the combination of two or
more steam jacketted cylinders C, with hollow revolable spirals or worms B, com-
municating with a steam supply and exhaust appliance, substantially as described
and illustrated.
2. The combination of a hollow worm or spiral carrier B, working in a jacketted
cylinder C, with the mechanism for revolving the said hollow spiral, substantially
as described and illustrated, and for the purpose specified.
3. In apparatus for drying and conditioning grain the combination of a number
of jacketted cylinders C, arranged with hollow revolving spirals B, in such a manner
that the grain is carried alternately up or along one cylinder, and down, or in the
reverse direction along the next cylinder and so on alternately substantially as
described.
Dated this 15th day of June 1893.
H. F. BOUGHTON, M.I. Mech. E.,
Commercial Street, Sheffield, Agent.