Year: 1887

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by THOMAS CAMPBELL OAKMAN, of Asheville, North
Carolina, United States of America, Mechanician.]
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
The invention relates to apparatus for the drying and curing of Fruit, Tobacco
or other material which may be usefully subjected to the effects of a dry warm
atmosphere.
The general construction of the apparatus is such that an incoming current of air
from the external atmosphere is caused to meet a heating flue or flues arranged in the
lower part of a closed chamber, and thus becoming heated to rise into the upper part
of said chamber where the material to be treated is placed.
The accompanying drawings show three arrangements of the said apparatus, as
follows.
Fig. 1 is a plan view and Fig. 2 is a section of the same on the line xx. On the
left of Figs. 1 and 2 the hot flue is shown enclosed in the cold air flue. On the right
of Figs. 1 and 2 the cold air flue is shown enclosed in the hot flue. Fig. 3 is a plan
view and Fig. 4 is a section thereof on the line ==. In these figures the hot flue is
shown arranged beneath a perforated flooring. The cold air enters simply through
openings in the wall of the chamber, circulates around the hot flue and rises into the
upper part through the perforations in said floor.
In Figs. 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 similar letters of reference indicate like parts.
Referring more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2. A is a chamber or compartment for
receiving the material to be dried or cured. B is a hot air furnace or other source of
heat supply of any suitable construction, the heating flue (of which is arranged at
or near the floor or lower part of chamber A. This flue is here shown with a single
return and an outlet at D, but it is obvious that it may be carried to and fro across
[Price 1

page_text: the compartment as many times as desired, preferably until it traverses the entire
floor area.
E is the cold air pipe. As shown on the left of Figs. 1 and 2, this pipe encloses the
heating flue C. In the upper part of pipe E are numerous openings. Communicating
with said pipe E are ducts F which extend through the walls of chamber A, and may
be provided with valves G. The cold air enters through said ducts F, is warmed by
the heating flue C and rises through the perforations in pipe E and so passes into the
compartment A. The ingress of cold air is regulated by the valves G.
As shown on the right of Figs. 1 and 2, the cold air enters the pipe E through the
ducts F and is warmed therein by the hot air circulating in the enclosing flue C. The
heated air then escapes from the pipe E through the short ducts H, which project
from the upper side of said pipe E and extend through the walls of flue C.
Referring now more particularly to Figs. 3 and 4, A¹ is a chamber divided into two
compartments by the horizontal flooring or partition B¹. Said floor contains numerous
openings. In the lower compartment is provided a hot air furnace C¹ or other source
of heat, the flue D¹ of which extends under said floor B¹ and returns, having an
outlet at E. This flue here is shown with a single return, but it is obvious that it
may be carried to and fro across the compartment as many times as desired. Said
flue may be a pipe of metal of circular cross section resting on supports F¹, as shown
on the left of Figs. 3 and 4, or constructed of masonry and resting upon the ground,
as shown on the right of Figs. 3 and 4.
Communicating with the lower compartment are numerous openings G¹ made
through the walls of chamber A¹. H₁ is a door located in any convenient position
for affording access to the interior of said chamber.
In operation the material to be dried is placed in the upper portion of the
chamber A or A¹. In Figs. 3 and 4 the air entering from the external atmosphere
by the openings G', as indicated by the arrows, meets the hot flue D' becomes thus
heated and rises up through the openings in floor B¹ into the upper compartment
where it meets the material to be treated.
By the use of either of the above described forms of this apparatus, a constant
_supply of fresh dry hot air is secured in the drying chamber.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me by my
Foreign correspondent I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The combination of a closed chamber or compartment, a conduit communicating
with a source of heat and a conduit communicating with the outer atmosphere, both
conduits being within said chamber, one of said conduits enclosing the other, and
the conduit communicating with the outer atmosphere having openings for the escape
of air into said chamber, substantially as described and arranged in a drying and
curing apparatus.
2. The combination of a chamber a horizontal partition, a conduit communicating
with a source of heat and openings in the wall of said chamber, the said conduit and
openings being disposed below said partition, substantially as described and arranged
in a drying and curing apparatus.
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