IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DESICCATING GRAIN, SEEDS, AND OTHER ARTICLES
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Bannehr, of High Street, Exeter, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DESICCATING GRAIN, SEEDS,
AND OTHER ARTICLES."
Sealed the 13th June 1862, and dated the 18th December 1861.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Bannehr at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
December 1861.
I, JAMES BANNEHR, of High Street, Exeter, do hereby declare the nature
of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DESICCATING GRAIN,
SEEDS, AND OTHER ARTICLES," to be as follows:-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the desiccating or evaporating
moisture from grain or seeds, and other matters. To accomplish this, I
provide a cylinder, which I place horizontally, and which is furnished with
longitudinal ledges or shelves in the interior, and such cylinder I cause to
rotate round a hollow shaft passing through the entire length of the cylinder,
such shaft is perforated with numerous holes throughout, but such shaft is
stopped or plugged in the interior towards its outlet end. In connection with
such hollow shaft I apply a fan or fans, or other apparatus to cause a current
of air (either at its natural temperature, or heated artificially) to pass into and
through such hollow shaft, and to be discharged through the before-mentioned
holes in numerous streams to impinge on and take up the moisture from such
matter as may be placed within the cylinder. The moistened air passes out
either into and through a condenser, or into a chimney shaft, or in such other

page_text: direction as may be desired. I provide the cylinder with suitable openings for
loading and unloading, and I either close up one or both ends of such cylinder
or not, as may be desired, providing, however, for the escape of moistened air.
When it is required to resaturate or remoisten the matter in the cylinder, I
apply suitable apparatus to enable me to direct currents of moistening fluid
through the holes in the shaft, or otherwise.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Bannehr in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
June 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
BANNER, of High Street, Exeter, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Bannehr, Her special licence that I, the said James Bannehr,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James
Bannebr, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during
the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise,
and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the
Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS FOR DESICCATING GRAIN, SEEDS, AND OTHER ARTICLES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Bannehr, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Bannehr, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the fol-
lowing statement thereof, that is to say :-
The object of this Invention is to facilitate the desiccating or evaporating
moisture from grain or seeds and other matters. To accomplish this I provide
a cylinder, which I place horizontally, and which is furnished with longitudinal

page_text: ledges or shelves in the interior, and such cylinder I cause to rotate round a
hollow shaft passing through the entire length of the cylinder. Such shaft is
perforated with numerous holes throughout, but such shaft is stopped or
plugged in the interior towards its outlet end. In connection with such hollow
shaft I apply a fan or fans, or other apparatus to cause a current of air (either
at its natural temperature or heated artificially) to pass into and through such
hollow shaft, and to be discharged through the before-mentioned holes in
numerous streams to impinge on and take up the moisture from such matter as
may be placed within the cylinder. The moistened air passes out either into
and through a condenser, or into a chimney shaft, or in such other direction
as may be desired. I provide the cylinder with suitable openings for loading
and unloading, and I either close up one or both ends of such cylinder or not
as may be desired, providing however for the escape of moistened air. When
it is required to resaturate or remoisten the matter in the cylinder, I apply
suitable apparatus to enable me to direct currents of moistening fluid through.
the holes in the shaft, or otherwise.
Having thus stated the nature of my said Invention, I will proceed more
fully to describe the manner of performing the same.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a machine arranged or constructed
according to my Invention; Figure 2 is a longitudinal section, and Figure 3
is a transverse section of part of the apparatus.
A, A, is a cylinder closed in all parts, except through the central shaft.
This cylinder is supported at B, B, by supports, which are each provided with
rollers or wheels to facilitate the turning of the cylinder. On the cylinder are
ribs or projections, which are received into the grooved peripheries of the
rollers or wheels. The cylinder is provided with man-holes or openings C, C,
through which the cylinder is charged and discharged. The cylinder is caused
to rotate by means of a pinion D, which gears into and drives the cog wheel
or toothed rack E at one end of the cylinder. The axis of the pinion D is
driven by means of the driving shaft E', on which is fixed the bevilled toothed
wheel F, which gears into and drives the wheel G fixed on the axis of the
pinion D. On the driving shaft E¹ is fixed a drum H, which, by a band or
strap I, gives motion to a fan J, the case of which is connected to the hollow
shaft or axis K, on which the cylinder A is caused to rotate; L is a slide or
valve by which the passage between the case of the fan and the hollow shaft
or axis K is closed when desired; M is a pipe having a stop cock thereon, by
which fluid or vapour may be passed into the cylinder A through the hollow

page_text: When the air,
shaft or axis when it is desired to moisten the matters in the cylinder. The
fan may be supplied with heated or dry air, or with air from the outer
atmosphere, or in its ordinary state. The hollow shaft or axis K is perforated
with numerous holes at the under side, and by preference not at the upper
side. In the interior of the hollow shaft or axis near the outer or exit end is
a partition K, and the hollow shaft or axis beyond that partition is perforated
all round with numerous holes, hence the air or fluid, or vapour is introduced
into the cylinder through the hollow perforated shaft or axis K, and the
resulting moistened air or steam, or vapour passes off from the cylinder into
and through the hollow shaft or axis beyond the partition K'.
steam, or vapour goes off charged with offensive matters or odours, the air
may be conducted under the fire-bars of a furnace, and when the air, steam,
or vapour passing off from the vessel A is charged with any matters which
can be with advantage condensed, the same is passed through a suitable con-
denser, and further where the air, steam, or vapour passes off from the vessel A
charged with any matters which may be with advantage treated chemically,
the air, steam, or vapour is conducted into chemical solutions, or is otherwise
brought in contact with chemical matters suitable for acting on the particular
product coming over with the air, steam, or vapour. On the interior of the
cylinder A are longitudinal projections or ledges, which aid in turning over the
grain, seeds, or other matters or articles, so that the same will be intimately
acted on by the streams of air, fluid, or vapour coming from the perforations
in the under side of the hollow shaft or axis within the cylinder.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to the
separate mechanical parts; but what I claim is, the combined arrangement
herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Bannehr, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Witness,
THOMAS HUSSEY, Auctioneer,
Exeter.
JAMES BANNER. (L.S.)