An Improved Drying Apparatus for Earthenware Goods, Bricks and the like.
Year: 1897

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Drying Apparatus for Earthenware Goods, Bricks and
the like.
I, JEAN RAPPOLD, of 46, Buhlstrasse, Zurich, in the Republic of Switzerland,
Wick Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
This improved drying apparatus has for its object to artificially dry all kinds
of earthenware goods in the shortest time and with the best utilization of the
heat, without regard to the properties of the raw material whether poor or rich.
The drying apparatuses hitherto constructed are either applicable only for
certain materials, or their drying is uneconomical and they are also expensive to
erect.
In the improved apparatus these drawbacks are entirely removed and this
improved apparatus as against existing apparatus yields a relatively higher useful
effect with greater simplicity, the same air being always employed in it for drying,
and the heat of condensation being again utilized, so that the apparatus draws
little air from the outside or discharges little to the outside and therefore is entirely
independent of the outside temperature.
Such an arrangement is shown as an example of one form of construction in
the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the apparatus; Figure 2 a plan
view with the walls in horizontal section, a portion of the intermediate floor over
the reservoir (bed passages containing the warm air for the heating) being omitted;
Figure 3 is a vertical cross section on the line -x of Figure 1, and Figure 4 a
similar section on the line y-y of Figure 1.
A is the drying house which is closed on all sides when at work and may be
formed either of wood or solid masonry, masonry being preferable in order to avoid
loss of heat. Wagons W arranged in tiers or stages and travelling on rails serve
for conveying the goods to be dried, said wagons being introduced into the house
in a suitable manner at the end nearest to the moulding machine in which four
turn tables 6 are arranged and from here conveyed by means of a suitable moving
apparatus, such for instance as a winding up device, successively through the house
to the other end preferably the one next to the burning kiln. On the floor of
the house beneath the intermediate floor a a warm air reservoir (bed canals) D
extends along the rails, in which reservoir a heating apparatus E is arranged in
order to produce the drying air.
The dry air is set in motion by means of fans F, the regulation of the air
movement being effected by means of flaps or valves K, so that no condensation
can take place in the drying chamber and any desired places in the drying chamber
may he subjected to the drying action more or less strongly according to the
properties of the article to be dried. The flaps or valves which are arranged in
lateral suction nozzles h on the condensing pipe H are so arranged that the air
only enters into the condensing pipe when fully saturated with vapour. The
condensing pipes are arranged on the cover or roof of the apparatus and convey
D...

page_text: the vapour from the hot to the cooler places giving off their latent heat to the
dry air.
In the floor a which forms the cover for the bed passages there are arranged
openings a¹ which are capable of being regulated for the admission of the dry air. In
consequence of this arrangement and of the regulating valves K the temperature
of the dry air and the drawing-off of the vapour are so regulated that suitable
parts may be treated with higher or lower temperature and stronger or weaker
current of air, a commencement being made at the maximum temperature that
the material has to undergo.
Water collectors C are inserted in the condensing pipes in front of the fans in
order to collect the water vapour or rather the water formed therefrom carried
away in the dry air, so that the original warmth is always given up inside the
drying apparatus. The water withdrawn from the air is carried off by means of
a pipe before entering the fan. The air cooled in the condensing pipes to
about 20° C. is then again forced by the fan into the passages under the trolleys
where it is once more raised to a high temperature by the steam pipes and is again
capable of absorbing moisture.
The whole drying process is thus based on the capability of air at a high tempera-
ture of absorbing water and again giving up the water at a low temperature.
The effectiveness is given approximately in the following calculation:-
A discharge of fully saturated air]
after condensation at 20° con-
tains
A discharge of fully saturated air
after condensation at 30° con-
tains
Thus the yield of water at 10° of
cooling
-
}
per cubic metre
17.1 grammes of water
per cubic metre
30-1 grammes of water
per cubic metre
13 grammes of water.
The delivery of a fan of 800 millimetres diameter of vanes at 1000 revolutions
per minute=250 cubic metres per minute, that is 250 x 13=3250 grammes per
minute, or as 3250 x 1440=4680 kilogrammes of water in 24 hours. Thus four
fans deliver 18720 kilogrammes of water, which correspond to a drying delivery of
23400 articles in 24 hours, calculating the earthenware or articles as containing 800
grammes of water.
As appears from this the effective delivery of this drying apparatus more particularly
for drying large pieces is extremely favourable and the apparatus has the further
advantage, seeing that each fan may be worked separately and independently of
the other, of allowing each apparatus to be enlarged at any time without the
working being stopped.
As the main removal of the vapour takes place at the higher temperature the
calculation is not made too favourably, so that this apparatus in delivery as well
as cheap direction and low costs of working (keeping in view as the main point
the production of a faultless product) far exceeds all apparatuses hitherto employed.
Dated this 21st day of December 1897.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.
An Improved Drying Apparatus for Earthenware Goods, Bricks and
the like.
I, JEAN RAPPOLD, of 46, Buhlstrasse, Zurich, in the Republic of Switzerland, 4
Wick Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner

page_text: the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
―
This improved drying apparatus has for its object to artificially dry all kinds
of earthenware goods in the shortest time and with the best utilization of the
heat, without regard to the properties of the raw material, whether poor or rich.
The drying apparatuses hitherto constructed, are either applicable only for
certain materials, or their drying is uneconomical and they are also expensive to
erect.
In the improved apparatus these drawbacks are entirely removed and this
improved apparatus as against existing apparatus yields a relatively higher useful
effect with greater simplicity, the same air being always employed in it for drying,
and the heat of condensation being again utilised, so that the apparatus draws
little air from the outside or discharges little to the outside and therefore is entirely
independent of the outside temperature.
Such an arrangement is shown as an example of one form of construction in
the drawings accompanying the Provisional Specification in which
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of the apparatus;
Figure 2 a plan view with the walls in horizontal section, a portion of the inter-
mediate floor over the reservoir (bed passages containing the warm air for the
heating) being omitted;
Figure 3 is a vertical cross section on the line -x of Figure 1, and
Figure 4 a similar section on the line y-y of Figure 1.
A is the drying house which is closed on all sides when at work and may be
formed either of wood or solid masonry, masonry being preferable in order to avoid
loss of heat. Wagons W arranged in tiers or stages and travelling on rails serve
for conveying the goods to be dried, said wagons being introduced into the house
in a suitable manner at the end nearest to the moulding machine in which four
turn tables are arranged and from here conveyed by means of a suitable moving
apparatus, such for instance as a winding up device, successively through the house
to the other end, preferably the one next to the burning kiln. On the floor of
the house beneath the intermediate floor a a warm air reservoir (bed canals) D
extends along the rails, in which reservoir a heating apparatus E is arranged in
order to produce the drying air.
The dry air is set in motion by means of fans F, the regulation of the air
movement being effected by means of flaps or valves K, so that no condensation
can take place in the drying chamber and any desired places in the drying chamber
may be subjected to the drying action more or less strongly according to the
properties of the article to be dried. The flaps or valves which are arranged in
lateral suction nozzles h on the condensing pipe H are so arranged that the air
vapour. The
only enters into the condensing pipe when fully saturated with
condensing pipes are arranged on the cover or roof of the apparatus and convey
the vapour from the hot to the cooler places giving off their latent heat to the
dry air.
In the floor a, which forms the cover for the bed passages, there are arranged
openings a¹ which are capable of being regulated for the admission of the dry air. In
consequence of this arrangement and of the regulating valves K the temperature
of the dry air and the drawing-off of the vapour are so regulated that suitable
parts may be treated with higher or lower temperature and stronger or weaker
current of air, a commencement being made at the maximum temperature that
the material has to undergo.
Water collectors C are inserted in the condensing pipes in front of the fans in
order to collect the water vapour or rather the water formed therefrom carried
away in the dry air, so that the original warmth is always given up inside the
drying apparatus. The water withdrawn from the air is carried off by means of
The air cooled in the condensing pipes to
a pipe before entering the fan.
about 20° C. is then again forced by the fan into the passages under the trolleys

page_text: where it is once more raised to a high temperature by the steam pipes and is again
capable of absorbing moisture.
The whole drying process is thus based on the capability of air at a high tempera-
ture of absorbing water and again giving up the water at a low temperature.
The effective delivery of this drying apparatus more particularly for drying
large pieces is extremely favourable and the apparatus has the further advantage,
seeing that each fan may be worked separately and independently of the other,
of allowing each apparatus to be enlarged at any time without the working being
stopped.
As the main removal of the vapour takes place at the higher temperature the
calculation is not made too favourably, so that this apparatus in delivery as well
as cheap direction and low costs of working (keeping in view as the main point
the production of a faultless product) far exceeds all apparatuses hitherto employed.
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:
A drying apparatus for earthenware goods, bricks and the like, with a circulation
of dry air, characterized by the passage which serves for carrying off the air from
the drying chamber and which extends through the whole length of the same
being provided with openings capable of being regulated, substantially as described.
Dated this 16th day of July 1898
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.