IMPROVEMENTS IN CLEANSING AND TREATING CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Wren, of Stockton-upon-Tees, in the
County of Durham, Corn Miller, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CLEANSING AND TREATING CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF WHEAT AND OTHER
GRAIN."
Sealed the 11th September 1863, and dated the 18th March 1863:
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Wren at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 18th
March 1863:
M.'
18
10
IMPROVE-
11
I, BENJAMIN WREN, of Stockton-upon-Tees, in the County of Durham,
Corn Miller, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for.
MENTS IN CLEANSING AND TREATING CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF WHEAT AND OTHER
GRAIN," to be as follows:
.…
The grain is first passed through a separator or winnowing machine in the
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ordinary manner; it is then passed through a spout into a cylinder made of
wirework (or thin metal plate perforated), within which is a screw fixed, which
carries the grain forward as it revolves in a cistern filled with hot water, the
lower side of a part of this cylinder being below the surface of the water, so
that all the grain passing through is immersed and thoroughly, washed and
. rinsed, all soluble particles being washed off or removed by hot water." The
grain is then passed into a centrifugal drying machine, and the moisture
adhering to it on leaving the washing and rinsing cylinder is removed. This

page_text: machine consists of a vertical shaft provided with one or more conical or
dish-shaped sieves or separators called driers; they are made of wirework (or
thin metal plate perforated), fixed on a strong frame of iron or other suitable
material. Their peripheries are higher than their centres, and the wirework
is made fine enough to prevent the grain passing through it. When this
machine is in motion, the centrifugal force throws the grain over the periphery
of the dish or conical-shaped driers, while the water or moisture passes through
the spaces between the wire with the current of air which is caused by the
motion of the machine. The drying can be regulated by the number of driers
the grain is passed through, and the speed at which they are driven. After
this process the grain is well adapted for "decortication," and it is passed into
machines for that purpose. These machines consist of stones of coarse grit
fixed on spindles revolving rapidly; the stones are enclosed in cases or
cylinders which revolve slowly. The cases are made of plate iron punched full
of small holes like a grater, with the rough side inwards, leaving a space of
about an inch from the stone for the grain. They are so arranged that the
grain can pass through them continuously, or they can be charged and
emptied as required. The grain is then passed into a kind of sieve called a
dickey," which separates all the fine particles from it, the skin or bran of
the grain being removed by a current of air (produced by a fan) passing
through it as it falls from the dickey. This completes the operation, and the
grain so cleansed and treated is ready for storing, grinding, and other manu-
facturing purposes.
BPECI
conditions
atent, med
in pursuance or
by the said Benjamin Wren in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, BENJAMIN
WREN, of Stockton-on-Tees, in the County of Durham, Corn Miller, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said Benjamin Wren, Her special licence that I, the said Benjamin
Wren, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
Benjamin Wren, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any

page_text: 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
CLEANSING AND TREATING CERTAIN DESCRIPTIONS OF WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I. the said Benjamin Wren, 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 Benjamin Wren, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement in writing, reference being had to the accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
This Invention for "Cleansing and Treating certain Descriptions of Wheat
and other Grain," is an improvement on a process for which I obtained Her
Majesty's Royal Letters Patent, bearing date the Twentieth day of September,
One thousand eight hundred and forty-nine, for the purpose of removing all
earthy or other soluble particles from Egyptian and other grain, and purifying
unsweet and dirty grain of any description by washing it in and rinsing it
with hot water, and then drying it by a centrifugal drying machine (or
machines), thereby rendering it fit for either consumption, storing, grinding,
or other manufacturing purposes, and in an excellent state for the process of
decortication when required. Wheat by this process produces a greater yield
of flour, of better color and quality, than flour made in the ordinary manner.
In describing the machinery employed, and its mode of operation, I will
suppose some particular grain, as Egyptian wheat, to be the grain to be
The wheat is first passed
cleansed and treated according to my Invention.
through a separator or winnowing machine in the ordinary manner; it is then
passed through a spout into a cylinder made of wire (or thin metal plate
perforated), within which a screw is fixed, which carries the wheat forward as
it revolves in a cistern filled to a sufficient depth with hot water, the lower
side of a part of this cylinder being below the surface of the water, so that all
The lower
the wheat passing through it is immersed and thoroughly washed.
side of a part of this cylinder is above the water in the cistern; in this the
wheat is rinsed, all soluble particles being removed by the hot water as it falls

page_text: over this part of the cylinder into the cistern. Between the thread of the
screw of this cylinder, from the shaft in the centre to the outside, thin metal
blades or strong wires may be placed for the purpose of breaking up the
earthy or other soluble substances with which it may come in contact; for the
purpose of keeping open the holes in the perforated metal or the spaces
between the wire a small quantity of water is kept dropping on the outside of
the cylinder. The wheat is then passed into a centrifugal drying machine (or
machines), and the moisture adhering to it on leaving the washing and
rinsing cylinder is removed. This machine (or machines) consists of a
vertical shaft (or shafts) provided with one or more conical or dish-shaped
sieves or separators called driers; they are made of wirework (or thin metal
plate perforated), fixed on a strong frame of iron or other suitable material.
Their peripheries are higher than their centres, and the wirework is made fine
enough to prevent the wheat passing through it. The wheat enters the driers
at the centre, and is thrown over the periphery of the (dish or conical-shaped)
driers into a case, which conveys it to the next drier below (or to the outlet).
The water or moisture passes through the spaces between the wire, through
which a strong current of air is made to pass by means of a blast fan blowing
into each drier, and an exhaust or suction fan drawing the air from the inside
of the driers through a pipe attached to the inner case, which receives the
water or moisture thrown off by the dryers. The drying can be regulated by
the number of dryers the wheat is passed through, and the speed at which
they are driven. After this process the grain is in a fit state for either
storing, grinding, or other manufacturing purposes; and it is also well
adapted for decortication, and when required it is passed into a machine (or
machines) for that purpose. This machine (or these machines) consist of
stones of coarse grit fixed on spindles revolving rapidly; the stones are
enclosed in cases or cylinders which revolve slowly. (They will answer to
be stationary, but I prefer them to revolve). The cases are made of plate
iron punched full of small holes like a grater, with the rough side inwards,
(wirework or other permeable material will answer, but I prefer punched
iron,) leaving a space of about an inch from the stone for the wheat. It is so
arranged that the wheat can pass through continuously, (or it can be charged
and emptied as required). There is a current of air forced in with the wheat
(as it enters the machine) for the purpose of keeping it cool while the stone
is acting upon it. The wheat is then passed into a kind of sieve called a
dickey, which separates all the fine particles from it, the skin or bran being
removed by a current of air (produced by a fan) passing through it as it falls
from the dickey. This completes the operation, and the wheat so "cleansed

page_text: and treated" is ready for consumption, storing, grinding, and other manu-
facturing purposes. Grain that is free from earthy and soluble particles may
be decorticated without passing through the washing and drying machinery
by introducing a jet of steam into the spout conveying the grain into the
machine.
In order that the said Invention may be fully understood, I shall now
proceed more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose I shall
refer to the several Figures on the Drawing hereunto annexed, the same
letters of reference indicating corresponding parts throughout all the Figures.
Figure 1 is an end elevation, and Figure 2 is a front elevation, of the
machinery employed in carrying out my improvements; Figure 3 is a section
of a dryer. Figure 2, A is the spout for conveying the wheat from the
Separator or winnowing machine into the washing and rinsing cylinder;
B, C, is the washing and rinsing cylinder, made of wire (or thin metal. plate
perforated), within which is a screw fixed, which carries the grain forward as
it revolves in the cistern D, which is filled to a sufficient depth with hot
water. The lower side of the cylinder B is below the surface of the water, so
that all the wheat passing through is immersed. and thoroughly washed. E is
a pipe for supplying the hot water, which falls on the cylinder C, rinses the
wheat, and removes all soluble particles, (the lower side of the cylinder C is
above the surface of the... water, being of small diameter than the part
marked B. By this arrangement the water that rinses the wheat is used for
washing it). There is a sludge plug and an overflow pipe attached to the
cistern D, which. are not shewn in the Drawing. The wheat then falls from
the rinsing cylinder into the centrifugal drying machine (or machines); it
passes through the driers F; F, F, into the spout G, (where under ordinary
circumstances it will be found dry enough for immediate use either for
grinding or decortication); it can be either run out at G, or passed to the
decorticator, or through the lower driers F, F, F, into the spout H (where it
will be dry enough for either storing, grinding, or other manufacturing
purposes); it can be either run out at H, or passed to the decorticator.
For. an explanation of the drying machine (or machines), now refer to
Figure 1. The exhaust fan Q draws the air out of the columns R, R, R,
which are hollow, and connected with the driers by short branch pipes
marked S. The blast fan T blows a current of air into the columns U, U, U,
which are also hollow, and have branch pipes marked V, which conduct a
current of air into each of the driers. Figure 3 is a section of a drier; F is
part of the outside or corn case of a drier delivering the wheat into the
hopper W, which guides it to the centre of the drier X; this drier revolves

page_text: quickly, throwing the grain over the top into the outer or corn case F, F. The
water or moisture passes through the wire (or perforated metal plate) into the
inner case Y, from which there is an outlet by the branch pipe S; through
this pipe there is a current of air drawn in the direction of the arrows by the
exhaust fan Q. V is branch pipe which conveys a current of air into the
centre of the drier X, thus assisting the exhaust fan in keeping a current of
air passing through the drier when it is in motion; Z is the shaft on which
the driers are fixed; it has collars or flanges fitted on below each drier, which
shoot the water into (the gutter formed round the shaft in) the inner case, as
shewn in this Drawing. The sides of the driers may be made at a greater or
less angle than they are represented in the Drawing, or they may be made
concave in the shape of dish, bowl, or cup, but I prefer them as shewn in
the Drawing. There is an outlet for the water from the columns R, R, R,
not shown in the Drawing.
In describing the decorticator I refer to Figure 2. I, I, are wheels for
giving motion to the case or cylinder J, which is made of punched iron (wire-
work or other permeable material fixed on a framework of wood or other
suitable material), and encloses the stone; K is the stone; the length of this
stone must be about twice its diameter. They can be made either of a
conical shape, (larger in diameter at one end than the other, or parallel, (as
shewn in the Drawing. This machine) can also be fixed with more or less fall
than shewn in the Drawing. The interior of the case is shewn, so that the
action of the machine may be better understood.. The wheat enters this
machine by the spout H, and passes down to the delivery end plate. L is the
delivery end plate; this plate is made to turn round on the stone spindle (or
shaft) so that the discharge M can be raised or lowered by turning it round
on the spindle, so as to keep a greater or less depth of wheat in the case for
the stone to act upon, as may be required, the wheat passing through con-
tinuously, and requiring very little attention; (by putting a shutter over the
discharge orifice, the machine can be charged and emptied as required).
There is a. current of air forced into this machine with the wheat by the blast
fan P, for the purpose of keeping the wheat cool during the time the stone
is acting upon it. The wheat is then passed into a kind of sieve called a
dickey, which separates all fine particles from it, the skin or bran being
removed by a current of air (produced by the fan P) coming out of the
pipe O in the direction of the arrow, and passing through the wheat as it falls
from the dickey. This completes the operation, and the wheat so cleansed
and treated is ready for consumption, storing, grinding, and other manu-
facturing purposes.

page_text: Having now fully described the nature of my Invention for improvements
in cleansing and treating certain descriptions of wheat and other grain, and in
what manner the same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I
do not claim the exclusive use of the several parts of the machinery herein-
before described and referred to, except when the same are combined and
employed in the manner and for the purposes above stated; but I claim in
the improvements intended to be secured by the said Letters Patent,-
First, the washing and drying grain by apparatus constructed, arranged,
and used as above described.
Secondly, the decortication of grain so cleansed or prepared by subjecting
the same to apparatus constructed, arranged, and used as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Wren, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
BENJAMIN WREN. (L.S.)
Signed, sealed, and delivered by the
above-named Benjamin Wren, in
the presence of
HENRY LEONARD JONES,
Clerk to Messrs. Bell, Brodrick, & Bell,
Sol, Bow Churchyard, London.