Improvements in Apparatus for the Drying and Conditioning of Grain.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 20th June, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 18th Mar., 1395-Accepted, 11th May, 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Drying and Conditioning
of Grain.
We JOSEPH SENIOR, of Rosa Works Bridge Street Wakefield in the County
of York Manufacturer, REGINALD BURY of Back Regent Street Barnsley in said
County Solicitor and HENRY MILNES WALKER of Back Regent Street Barnsley
aforesaid Solicitor do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus employed for drying and conditioning grain
and has for its object to simplify the construction of the same and to arrange the
apparatus in such a manner that a more simple, efficient and expeditious means is
secured for drying and conditioning wet or damp grain than is possible with
apparatus constructed and arranged as hitherto to attain which we construct
preferably four cylinders of perforated metal or wire or gauze of suitable mesh to
prevent grain falling through or being forced through by centrifugal force.
The ends of each said wire cylinder are rivetted or otherwise fixed to suitable
metallic collars or flanges which bear in saddles open at their ends for the reception
and deposit of the grain. The said cylinders are arranged one above the other in
preferally horizontal manner and the saddles aforesaid are bolted to two vertical
frames arranged one at each end of the cylinders. The said cylinders are geared
with each other by a spur-wheel fitted near each end thereof and are driven by a
pinion meshing with any one of said spur wheels. Fixed to the inner periphery of
cach said cylinder is a worm or spiral blade which extends within the open part of
each saddle aforesaid in order to receive the grain from a hopper at the top cylinder
and feed it along in the manner hereinafter described. This worm or spiral blade
extends also the full length of the cylinder so as to convey the grain from one end
of cylinder to the other. Horizontally within the centre of each cylinder we fix a
hollow or double tube that is to say we construct a tube with an outer and inner
case the outer case touching the inner periphery of the worm or spiral blade. These
cases are connected by a number of small tubes which form passages from the inside
of the inner tube to the outside of the outer tube. Within the space between the
two tubes and around the radial tubes we conduct live steam by means of suitable
pipes for the inlet and exhaust of same thereby heating the whole surface of each
said hollow tube. Or where preferred we arrange a coil of steam piping leaving
very narrow spaces between the coils in place of the hollow tube before described.
The end of each said hollow tube or coil is carried upon a projecting part of a flange
or cover which is bolted to the outside of each vertical frame and extends through
a hole made in the frame. The said projecting parts on one fraine are perforated
so as to allow air to be forced or conducted to within each double tube from a
suitable fan or blower and a bolt passes through each hollow tube and is screwed by
means of nuts to each frame in order to fix firmly in position each said hollow tube
or steam pipe coil.
Our improved apparatus works as follows the wet or damp grain is fed in at one
end of the upper horizontal cylinder and is conveyed by the worm to the opposite
end during which time it has blowing through it the air which has become heated
by passing through the inner double tube and out of the radial tubes or the air
passing through the centre part of steam pipe coil and out of the spaces between
said coils.

page_text: After the grain arrives at the opposite end of upper cylinder it passes by gravity
into the next cylinder below and is treated in like manner to the first and the grain
so falls alternately out of one end of one cylinder to the next cylinder below until
it is delivered out of the lowest cylinder fully dried and conditioned.
Dated this 19th day of June 1894.
FI. F. BOUGHTON,
Barnsley, Agent.
Improvements in Apparatus for the Drying and Conditioning
of Grain.
We, JOSEPH SENIOR, of Rosa Works, Bridge Street, Wakefield, in the County
of York, Manufacturer, and REGINALD BURY, and HENRY MILNES W ALKER, of
Back Regent Street, Barnsley, in the said County, Solicitors, 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:-
This invention relates to apparatus for drying and conditioning grain and has for
its object to simplify the construction and increase the efficiency of such apparatus
whereby the drying and conditioning operation is carried out more expeditiously
than in apparatus constructed and arranged as hitherto.
In carrying out our invention we provide a series of superposed drying cylinders
through which the grain or other material to be dried is caused to pass successively;
each of the said cylinders, which is composed of wire, wire-gauze or perforated
metal and adapted to be rotated, having within it a spiral conveyer blade or web.
Through the centre of each cylinder extends a distributing tube, preferably steam
jacketted through which hot air is blown from a heater by means of a fan, the said
hot air distributing tube having through it short pipes or passages for allowing the
hot air to pass from the interior of the distributing tubes into contact with the
material in the drying cylinders and into the jacket of which live steam is
introduced.
The tubes are held in position by being clamped between side frames which also
earry flanged castings or saddles upon which the drying cylinders rotate, At the
top of the apparatus we advantageously arrange a steam jacketted conveyer through
which the material to be dried is introduced and at the bottom of the apparatas we
sometimes arrange another conveyer through which the dried material is discharged,
the latter conveyer being provided with a perforated bottom for permitting cold air
to be blown through the dried material in order to cool it, if necessary.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of our improved apparatus; and,
Figure 2 is an end elevation:
a,
Figure 3 is a transverse section illustrating the construction of the cylinders.
are the side frames of our improved drying apparatus and b, are the drying
cylinders, preferably composed of wire-gauze of suitable mesh to prevent the grain
possing through it; c, c are the jacketted tubes passing through the cylinders; dis
the chamber in which the air is heated, and e is the blast fan by means of which the
current of air is produced; is the conveyer at the top of the apparatus for intro-
ducing the material to be treated, and g is the discharge conveyer.
Each of the cylinders is fixed at its ends to collars or rings 6', having
peripheral gear teeth, the ring &', at the inlet end, having a central aperture of euch
size as to leave a space between itself and the jacketted central tube through which
the material to be dried can pass into the cylinder, whilst the ring 2, at the

page_text: discharge end, has an internal diameter equal to the internal diameter of the
cylinder so that it will offer no obstruction to the flow of material therefrom.
These rings 6', work upon the flanged castings or saddles h, h' respectively, the
saddles having formed at their upper parts passages through which the material
to be dried can flow into the cylinders and the saddles h' having discharge passages
at the lower part through which the material discharged from the cylinder can flow
and escape. It will be understood by referring to the drawing that the saddles h, h¹
of one cylinder are arranged opposite to the saddles ', of the adjacent cylinder or
cylinders so that the discharge passage of one saddle shall coincide with the inlet
passage of the next saddle."
The heat distributing tubes c, e are arranged between the said frames, each being
at one end supported upon the boss or central projecting portion of a plate or coverj
and at the other end upon the end of a bush or tubej through which the warm air
is introduced; the said tube j' has at its outer end a flanged grid through the
centre of which a bolt is passed, the said bolt being also passed through the centre
of the plate and secured by a nut in order to clamp the tubes and j¹ and
frames a' in position.
m, m are the conveyer blades fixed within the gauze cylinders b, b, the said blades
being so arranged that they will move freely with the cylinders around the
distributing tubes c, c. n, are the holes or passages at the lower part of each
distributing tube through which the hot air escapes into the cylinders b, b, the said
holes being formed by passing short pipes or nipples through the two walls of the
jacket and tube as shewn in Figure 3. m', m' are plates fixed between adjacent
convolutions of the conveyers m, m to lift the grain and allow it to fall upon the
heated tubes c, c.
The heater d which may be of any suitable shape is connected to the bush of
ench cylinder & so that the hot air from the said heater may flow into the several
distributing tubes c independently and thence escape into the respective cylinders b
through the holes n, n so as to come into contact with the material to be dried.
As shewn, the heater dis provided with an internal heating coil and witli a series of
vertical pipes through all of which steam is caused to circulate. The fan is
connected to the heater at the lower part and serves to force the air through the
heater into the several cylinders. When jacketted heat distributing tubes c, ‹ are
used steam is introduced into the jacket of each one, for which purpose an inlet
pipe communicating with a steam flow pipe o¹ is connected with each jacket at one
end and a discharge pipe p connected with the common discharge pipe parranged
at the other end, so that there will be a constant flow of steam through each jacket,
any water of condensation also passing away through the said pipes p, p'. Instead
of using jacketted heat distributing tubes we may employ coils of steam piping
having narrow spaces between the convolutions through which air introduced into
the interior of the coils can pass.
When the conveyer is employed it is advantageously arranged within a jacketted
Tube provided at one end with an opening or hopper q through which the material
to be dried is introduced into the conveyer and at the other end with a discharge
opening coinciding with the inlet passage of the uppermost bearing casting h,
steam being allowed to flow through the conveyer jacket in the same manner as
through the jackets of the jacketted tubes c, c.
i
ris the wire-gauze which we sometimes place beneath the bottom of the discharge
conveyer g, a space being left beneath the wire-gauze into which cold air, flowing
directly from the fan e, may enter through a tube s.
Motion is communicated to the drying cylinders and the several conveyers by any
suitable means. As shewn a belt pulley is mounted on a driving shaft u, the said
driving shaft having upon it a gear wheel r, which engages with one of the gear
rings of the lowermost cylinder b; or the shaft being of sufficient length two gear
wheels may be employed gearing with the gear ring on the cylinder. On the said
shaft u are also mounted pulleys w, , the former of which serves to communicate

page_text: motion by means of a belt to a pulley y on the shaft of the conveyer and the latter
to a pulley on the shaft of the conveyer g
The operation of the apparatus hereinbefore described is as follows:-Steam
being admitted into the heating coil and pipes of the heater d and also to the jackets
of the jacketted distributing tubes c, e and, air is forced into the said henter by
the fun and flows into the said distributing tubes whence it escapes into the
cylinders, through the material to be dried and thence through the ganze of
the said cylinders, the said material being introduced into the conveyer through
the aperture and conveyed to the passage whence it flows through the passage i
into the uppermost cylinder 6. After passing through this cylinder it escapes
through the passage into the passage of the next cylinder through which it is
conveyed, whence it escapes in a similar manner into the third cylinder and into the
fourth, being finally delivered into the conveyer g. After being subjected to the
nction of cold air, as hereinbefore described, it is discharged. The arrows in
the passages, and on the cylinders, indicate the direction in which the grain
passes.
It is to be understood that although we have shewn our apparatus as being
provided with four drying cylinders a greater or less number may be employed.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion and in what manuer the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is :-
1. A drying apparatus having a series of superposed drying cylinders composed
of wire-gauze or like material, the several cylinders being in communication and
cach provided with an internal tube through which hot air is forced and distributed
into contact with the material therein and having a conveyer blade for causing the
traverse of the material through it, substantially as described.
2. In drying apparatus having a series of wire-gauze or like cylinders each of
which has a hot air distributing tube passing through it, providing the said hot air
tube with a jacket for furnishing additional lient, substantially as described.
3. The combination with a drying apparatus having a series of superposed drying
cylinders arranged as described, of a henter communicating with each of the said
cylinders so as to furnish an independent supply of heated air thereto and a fun for
causing the current of air to pass through the said cylindere, substantially as
described.
4. The combination with a drying apparatus having a series of superposed drying
cylinders arranged as described, of a conveyer into which the dried material is
delivered, the said conveyer having a perforated bottom through which cold air
from a fan is caused to flow, substantially as, and for the purpose, described.
5. The improved drying apparatus consisting of the parts constructed and
combined substantially as described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings
and operating as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Dated the 18th day of March 1895.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.