Improvements in the Method of and in Apparatus for Drying Malt, Hops, Grain, Pulse, and other substances.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 29th Dec., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 29th Sept., 1392-Accepted, 29th Oct., 1892
'
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and in Apparatus for Drying Malt,
Hops, Grain, Pulse, and other substances.
I HUGH WILLIAMS of Longacre, Edgeley, Stockport, in the County of Chester,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates principally to the drying of malt grain and hops. I propel
the substance-which I will term malt to avoid repetition-through a series of
pipes or conduits situated at different heights and arranged to deliver from one
to another so that the grain travels from one end of the apparatus to the other
through one conduit and returns by the next lower conduit and I cause heated air
to flow in the opposite direction.
In a formation which I now consider to be suitable the said conduits consist
of metal cylinders arranged one above the other and by preference declining in
the direction of travel of the malt. The malt is fed into the higher end of the
upper cylinder and falls from the lower end into the higher end of the next
lower cylinder and so on throughout the series. A shaft provided with a worm
or with screw propellers extends through each cylinder and is revolved in the
Heated air is
direction which will cause the malt to be passed forward.
admitted at the delivery end of the lowest cylinder in the series the air being
forced or drawn through as preferred. The malt may be passed into and out
of the apparatus by means of revolving valves so as to check the escape of air
but this is not so important in the case of the malt inlet part of the apparatus,
in case the air be forced through the apparatus instead of being drawn through.
The malt might fall into a chamber or well from which it could be withdrawn at
intervals or be passed out continuously by means of a worm or elevator.
There may be two or more cylinders side by side at each level so as to increase
the capacity of the apparatus.
I prefer to enclose the cylinders within a casing and to fill the spaces with sand
or ashes or with a suitable substance which will have a tendency to check irregu-
larities of temperature. The apparatus may be suitable for use in the drying of
pulse sceds tea salts powders and some other substances.
Dated this 28th day of December 1901
DUTTON & FULTON,
1, St. James Square, Manchester, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method of and in Apparatus for Drying Malt,
Hops, Grain, Pulse, and other substances.
I HUGH WILLIAMS of Longacre, Edgeley, Stockport, in the County of Chester,
Civil Engineer, 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 and accompanying drawings:
:-
My invention relates principally to the drying of malt, grain and hops. I propel
the substance-which I will term malt to avoid repetition-through a series of pipes
or conduits situated at different heights and arranged to deliver from one to another
so that the malt travels from one end of the apparatus to the other through one
conduit and returns by the next lower conduit and I cause heated air to flow in
the opposite direction.
In a formation which I now consider to be suitable the said conduits consist of

page_text: metal cylinders arranged one above the other and by preference declining in the
direction of travel of the malt. The malt is fed into the higher end of the upper
cylinder and falls from the lower end into the higher end of the next lower cylinder
and so on throughout the series. A shaft provided with a worm or with screw
propellers extends through each cylinder and is revolved in the direction which
will cause the malt to be passed forward. Heated air is admitted at the delivery
end of the lowest cylinder in the series, the air being forced or drawn through as
preferred. The malt may be passed into and out of the apparatus by means of
revolving valves so as to check the escape of air but this is not so important in the
case of the malt inlet part of the apparatus, in case the air be forced through the
apparatus instead of being drawn through. The malt might fall into a chamber or
well from which it could be withdrawn at intervals or be passed out continuously
by means of a worm or elevator.
There may be two or more cylinders side by side at each level so as to increase
the capacity of the apparatus.
I prefer to enclose the cylinders within a casing and to fill the spaces with sand
or ashes or with a suitable substance which will have a tendency to check irregu-
larities of temperature.
The apparatus may be made suitable for use in the
drying of pulse, seeds, tea, salts, powders and some other substances.
To render my invention clearly understood I will now proceed to describe the
same more particularly with reference to the annexed drawing, which is a vertical
section of an apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention.
In the said drawing a is the hopper into which the malt, grain or other substance
to be dried is thrown. The malt or grain passes through a revolving feeder b
which admits the malt in continuous and regulated quantities to the higher end of
an inclined pipe or cylinder c which is one of a series of four such cylinders c, c', c², c³
supported on walls d and enclosed in an outer casing e of iron plates or other
suitable casing or lagging.
The spaces between the several cylinders are filled with sand, ashes or other
substance or substances which will tend to check irregularity of temperature.
The several cylinders ce c² c³ are preferably inclined downwards in the direction
in which the malt or grain is required to travel. Through the entire length of each
cylinder there runs a traveller or worm f the function of which is to traverse the
grain or malt in the direction of the dotted arrows, that is to say, towards
the delivery valve g. On the assumption that all of the worms are revolving in
the same direction I have shown them alternately right and left hand so that
when the worm in the first cylinder c has transferred the grain or malt to the
next cylinder c¹ the worm in the said second cylinder will work the grain
towards the opposite end of the said cylinder and so on through whatever number
of cylinders I may choose to use. After passing through the last cylinder c³
the grain or malt passes through the revolving delivery valve g to any suitable
receptacle or means of removal. During its progress through the several cylinders
the grain or malt encounters a drying current of hot air which enters at the opening
marked i and flows against the advancing grain or malt as indicated by the arrows
in full lines. The grain or malt is thus gradually dried as it advances from cylinder
to cylinder until it is delivered through the valve g, in a completely dried condition.
The moist vapour drawn out of the grain or malt by the hot air is carried forward
towards the feeding end and is finally withdrawn through a pipe j which opens into
the feed end of the cylinder c. The moist vapour and air may be thus withdrawn
by means of an exhauster k connected to the pipe j or by any other suitable means.
A great merit of the indicated arrangement is that the air when at its hottest and
dryest meets the grain or malt when the drying is most nearly completed and
finishes the operation before delivery of the material, while the air when much
cooler and subcharged with moisture meets the grain or malt when damp and cold.
Thus the drying operation is gradual, economical, and complete. The revolving
worms may be mounted and driven in any suitable or convenient manner. For
example in the drawing I have shown them mounted upon central shafts, the first

page_text: worm in the cylinder c being driven from fast and loose pulleys and the other
three by means of chain gearing m.
belting or tooth or frictional gearing or by any suitable means.
The worms might however be driven by
I might have no continuous central shaft to carry the worms and instead of the
In some instances
worm blades as shown I might use a spiral rod or creeper or I might make use
of propeller blades or projections on the central shaft to advance the grain, malt
or other substance to be dried. The number of the drying pipes or cylinders
with their corresponding traversing arrangements may of course be varied to
suit circumstances.
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 construction and combination of mechanism
constituting my improved apparatus for continuously drying grain, malt, hops,
pulse, seeds, tea, salts, powders and other substances and compounds substantially
as hereinbefore described and shown.
2. An apparatus for continuously drying the indicated or similar substances
or materials the said apparatus consisting of a series of drying pipes or cylinders
packed, lagged or arranged within a surrounding casing and containing suitable
traversing arrangements whereby the grain, malt or other material or substance
is traversed from cylinder to cylinder against a current of hot air, the said hot
air being admitted at the point where the dried material or substance to be dried
is ejected substantially as herein before described and illustrated.
Dated this 28th day of September 1892.
E. K. DUTTON & Co.,
5, John Dalton Street, Manchester, Agents.