IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING MALT, GRAIN, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE APPARATUS THEREFOR
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Nicholas Constantine Maximos, of Liverpool, in
the County of Lancaster, General Merchant, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING MALT, GRAIN, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN
THE APPARATUS THEREFOR."-A communication from abroad by Attilio
R. Petracchi, Helem Merrill, Robert Heneage, and Henry Spen-
delow, of the City and State of New York, one of the United
States of America.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Nicholas Constantine
Maximos at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition and Declaration, on the 12th July 1870, pursuant to the
9th Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN, I, NICHOLAS CONSTANTINE
MAXIMOS, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, General Merchant,
do hereby declare that I am in possession of an Invention for "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN DRYING MALT, GRAIN, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IN THE
APPARATUS THEREFOR," which has been communicated to me from abroad

page_text: by Athelio R. Petracchi, Helem Merrill, Robert Heneage, and Henry
Spendelow, of the City and State of New York, one of the United
States of America, and that the following is a full and complete
description of the said Invention, and how the same is to be performed,
reference being had to the annexed Drawings and the letters and figures
marked thereon which shall be taken as part of this Specification.
Like letters and figures marked on the Drawings are used to indicate
similar parts.
The Invention has for its object a convenient, rapid, and perfect system
of drying malt, grain, and other granular substances in an effectual and
economical manner, particularly when large quantities are operated
upon, obviating the great loss sustained by malting and drying grain in
the ordinary manner, where the barley after going through the process
of steeping and germinating is dried upon a kiln by heated air passing
through it from below at a temperature, say, from 140 to 170 degrees,
by which arrangement the underneath portion commences to dry first,
and as the moisture is vapourised it passes through the whole body of
the malt or grain, after which the bottom of the strata of grain having
become sufficiently dry it is turned over or as near so as practicable,
so that the dry portion is removed to the top and the wet portion to
the bottom. Now it will be readily seen that the moisture in the now
lower portion of the malt being acted on by the heat, is vaporized
when it passes up through the whole mass as before, during which the
previously dried portion being on the top must absorb a portion of the
moisture, as it passes up through it, which has again to be dried out of
it, and this has naturally a diliterous effect upon the malt.
Now one of the main objects is to get over this difficulty as well as
to arrest the progress of germination as rapidly as posible to ensure
the best condition of the malt, as well as the application of heated and
cold cold air free from all foreign impurities likely diliteriously to effect
the flavour of the malt or grain.
An apparatus constructed acording to this Invention may consist of a
cylindrical casing or tower of, say, 40 feet high (but the dimensions of
which will entirely depend upon the extent of work to be performed).
This casing may be constructed of brick, stone, or other suitable material, 3
and is divided into a number of chambers or compartments. Through
the centre of the apparatus is a vertical revolving shaft, to which is
attached in each chamber a number of vertical radial arms, the outer

page_text: ends of which are connected together by a zone or tyre. The spaces
between each radial arm are fitted with perforated plates or gratings
pivitted to the nave or boss of the upright revolving spindle, and are
fixed to the inner end of a short spindle, which passes through and turns
in the periphery or zone described. These spindles are cranked on the
outer surface of the zone or tyre. The crank arm, which may be fitted
with an antifriction roller travels on an internal flange running, round
the casing, say, for about nine-tenths its circumference, the remaining
tenth, say, being filled up by a segment of a circle fixed on to a vertical
reciprocating standard, which is elevated by a cam on the main driving
shaft below. As the series of tilting bottoms or sections of bottom
advance towards the segment of the circle on the upright reciprocating
shaft, it is elevated by the cam motion, allowing the cranked arm of the
tilting bottom to pass underneath it, which, on the down stroke, causes
it to tilt, and discharges the malt or other substances being operated
upon through an opening on to the next set of carriers in the next lowest
chamber. Each opening to allow the contents of the tilt bottoms to be
discharged on to the next series of carriers are arranged to fall on that
section of the revolving carriers which immediately before has discharged
its contents on to the next lower carrier. The apparatus is so arranged
that a blast of pure hot or cold air of any required temperature may be
driven through the several chambers, passing up, through, and around the
thin stratum of grain, and carrying off the moisture independently from
each separate compartment.
Any ordinary flue or fan draft may be used for carrying the air throngh
the several chambers, or it may be effected through the means of an
exhaust, or both blast and exhaust may be used in combination.
In all cases care must be taken to use air free from smoke or other
impurities in order that no diliterious flavour may be imported to the
malt or other substance operated upon.
Figure 1 of the annexed Drawings is an elevation of the improved
drying apparatus, showing the position of the steam engine and hot
air furnace. A portion of the brickwork forming the external casing
being removed for exhibiting the crank arms on the end of the spindles
carrying the tilt bottoms, and the hot or cold air chambers which receive
the blast passing through the several chambers. Figure 2 is a ground
plan of the same, and Figure 3 is a partial sectional elevation of the same
on an enlarged scale; Figure 4 is an horizontal section taken from a to b

page_text: through Figure 1, with part of one of the horizontal chamber floors
cut away to expose the rotating perforated tilting bottoms and radial
arms of the grain carriers: Figure 6 is a detached plan of the under
side of one of the sections of the tilting bottom of the grain carrier
showing the cranked arm; and Figure 5. exhibits an end elevation
showing the guides on the reciprocating segment of a circle for tilting.
the several sections of the bottom as they pass through.
I may here remark that the apparatus shown in the annexed Drawings
in the clevations 1 and 3 are dwarfed for the convenience of space, but
which are amply sufficient to delineate the system.
A, external casing; B, main driving shaft (seen broken off) which
receives motion from C, a steam engine; D, a worm on main driving
shaft, which gears into, E, a worm wheel on F, a vertical rotating shaft,
which supports and carries round G, the grain carriers which rotate in
their several chambers formed by H, oblique diaphragms or floors;
J, adjustable hot air valves, which are fitted with throttle valve plates.
mounted on K, throttle mounted spindles, and actuated by hand by L, a
cross handle; M, a cam on main driving shaft which gives the recipro-
cating motion to N, a vertical shaft carrying the guide actuating the
several sections of the tilt bottoms; P, hot air furnace; Q, hot air
flue; R, escape for moist air; S, the supply hopper; T, cold air pipe;
V, delivery hopper to doors in the side of the tower for convenience of
examining the carriers within their several chambers; U, conducting
channel from one chamber to the other.
The bottom of the hopper (S) just clears the dividing bars of the
circular carriers which regulate the quantity of grain on the circle, and and
is placed over the scction which has closed after emptying its contents.
The carriers (G) make nearly a revolution when the operating bar (N)
drops into the recess of the camb (M), opens the bottom of one section
of the carrier, allowing grain to fall into the channel (U), which carries
the grain past the open division on the circle below, and into the empty
division which has just closed, and each division is thus emptied in
relation to each other and at the same moment. The heated air from
the furnace is allowed to flow freely through the several chambers, the
amount of which may be regulated by the damper, the hot air first
entering the space between the bottom of the circle of carriers, and the
oblique floor takes the direction indicated by the arrows; at the same
time a small quantity of cold air may be driven into the space, which it

page_text: is preferred should be done with considerable velocity, so as to temper
the heat whilst the malt or grain is in a moist state, to prevent it being
rendered hard or "parly" by being too suddenly heated. The chamber
below will bear more heated air, and less cold air will be required, and
can be increased in each chamber until the last; but a constant and
rapid current of air should be used, indeed the stronger the current the
better will be performed the operation of drying. The current of air
passing up through the mass of grain will dry out the moisture there-
from, and a small quantity will pass between the outer rim of the circles
and the sloping flanges of the case which will cause the vapour to
escape out of the openings in the side of the case for that purpose. Tho
dividing plates (H) prevent the vapours of one chamber from mingling
with that of another. The falling grain prevents much of the vapour
passing up the conductors (U). When the dampers are adjusted and
the furnace kept to a regular heat no attention will be necessary except
to keep the blast and fire uniform.
A good and convenient size for a dryer constructed according to this
Invention would be 12 feet diameter, with about one foot clear between
the diaphragms or oblique floors, in which the grain to be operated
upon should be spread about four inches deep on the carriers.
As
many
circular carriers may be used as necessary for the work required.
Each section of the carriers should be about 12 inches wide at the
outer end, tapering towards the inner end. A dryer constructed withi
forty sets of circular carriers of these dimensions will hold under treat-
ment about 880 bushels. A machine of this description properly
attended to will dry about 2,600 bushels of heated grain per hour. It
will require about 20 sets of carriers to cool the same amount of grain
which may be placed in a separate tower or on the same under the
dryer.
Forty sets of circular carriers as described are calculated to dry 3,000
bushels of malt per diem of ten hours. A steam or other motive power
engine will be required to elevate the grain and actuate the fan blast
and the exhaust when used. A furnace will also be required capable of
heating a large amount of air.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the
same into practical effect, I wish it to be understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise relative detailed proportions or dimensions

page_text: herein-before described and set forth, as it will be readily seen that the
same may be considerably varied without departing from the Invention;
but what I claim is,―
First. The diaphragm or oblique floors dividing the apparatus into
a series of chambers, one above the other, substantially in the manner
and for the purposes herein-before described and set forth.
Secondly. The circular carriers mounted on their vertical rotating
shaft divided into sections operated substantially in the manner and for
the purposes herein-before described and set forth.
Thirdly. Introducing currents of hot or cold air, or a combination of
hot and cold air, at various temperatures regulated according to cir-
cumstances, into each separate chamber, substantially in the manner and
for the purposes herein-before described and set forth.
And, lastly. The general arrangement and combination of the several
parts of the apparatus actuated and used substantially in the manner and
for the purposes herein-before described and set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Nicholas Constantine Maximos,
have hereunto set my hand and affixed my seal, this
day
of July, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred
and seventy.
Witness,
NICHOLAS CONSTANTINE (L.S.) MAXIMOS.
WILLIAM WALKER,
of 44, Castle Street,
Liverpool.