Improvements in the Construction of Malt-kilns, and in the Method of and Apparatus for Drying Malt.
Year: 1886

page_text: Improvements in the Construction of Malt-kilns, and in the
Method of and Apparatus for Drying Malt.
I, JOSEF SMOLIK, of Glinsko, in the Empire of Russia, Brewer, do hereby declare
the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to effect improvements in the application and
utilisation of the heat contained in heated air, in the process of malting.
I apply the hottest air to the malt which is most advanced in drying, and
afterwards pass such air through or among the malt which is less advanced, in
successive stages; finally applying the air to the malt which has just commenced
to be operated upon; the last application of the air being made where the first
supply of undried malt takes place. The hot air is caused to pass through the
entire quantity of malt, in each chamber, which malt is laid upon perforated floors
so as to cover the saine; the arrangement being so made that if in one chamber
their air flows downwards, in the next is made to flow upwards, then again down-
wards in the next, and so on. For this purpose the malting chambers are provided
with a second floor, where required, this floor not being perforated; and the walls
between the chambers in which the air flows downwards through the malt to the
next do not extend below the perforated floor; while the walls which separate the
chambers with an upward flowing current from their adjoining chambers are made
about two or three feet in height. Thus the air coming from below the floor
through the malt, can pass freely into the next chamber, where it flows down
through the malt, and so on.
The complete partitions between the chambers, separated by walls reaching to
the top, but not extended under the perforated floor, are provided with horizontal
doors, through which the malt can be thrown into the next chamber, if sufficiently
dried in the adjoining one.
I also form groups of such chambers and groups of heating flues, using greater
heat for the groups of chambers in which the malting process is more advanced,
and pass the air which has parted with some of its heat to those groups of
chambers, where the malting is less advanced.
In some cases the malting chambers are placed on the first floor, and in others
they form the first and second floors of my kilus. The apparatus for heating air is
usually placed in a chamber below. In this case the whole building is divided by
one partition into two systems, the one half consisting of the heating apparatus

page_text: with the fire-grate and fire-chamber, and the other containing only smoke-flues;
then the air heated in the last mentioned space, will be used for the group of malt-
chambers where the drying commences, while the hot air from the first half of the
heating apparatus will be used mostly for the group of malt-chambers where the
drying process will be completed.
In the case of two floors of malt-chambers, situate over each other, I build a
second heating flue under the first floor, in a separated chamber, and the heated
smoke passes through this flue on its way to the chimney. The hot air from the
heating apparatus is used for the first floor chambers, where the drying process is
finished, while the hot air from the secondary heating-chamber is led through the
hot air channel into the second floor chambers, to dry the malt before it comes to
the first floor chambers.
I also adapt my system of successive heating chambers to a mechanical arrange-
ment of apparatus, by fitting up an endless perforated belt, which is caused to move
in one direction only; the hot air current flowing in the opposite direction to this
movable malt floor, which may pass through several groups of drying chambers, their
division walls being so arranged, as to lead the drying air downwards through the
malt in one chamber, and then upwards through the malt in the next chamber, and
down again in the next, and so on. Each group must be supplied separately with
hot air, but this may be taken from one and the same heating-chamber.
Deted February 10+1 100R

page_text: air, whilst the other system with its chimney f will be much cooler, this being used
for the beginning of malting (chambers 1, 2 & 3) and the former for the finishing
of malting (chambers 4, 5 & 6).
Fig. 5, 4 & 6 show a malting tower with two floors of malt chambers over each
other. There is a secundary heating flue d, d, situated in a separated chamber m, m
beneath the lower malt floor (fig. 4). The hot smoke passes through this flue on
its way to the chimney. The hot air from the heating apparatus a is used for the
first floor chamber 7, 6 & 5 where the drying process is finished, whilst the hot air
from the secondary heating chamber is led through the hot air channel n into the
second floor chambers 4, 3, 2 & 1 to dry the malt before it comes to the firstfloor
chambers.
Fig. 9 shows the application of my system of dividing the malting process into
alternate beating and malting chambers for a continuous malt drying apparatus.
h, is an endless perforated belt forming a maltfloor, which carries the malt from q
downwards.
The hot air is supposed to flow in the opposite direction, as shown by the arrows.
The movable maltfloor passes through a number of drying chambers, their partition
walls being so arranged, as to lead the drying air once downwards through the
malt in one chamber, and than upwards in the next etc., as shown by the arrows,
r being the inlet and z the outlet of hot air, and the partitions being marked by s.
Thus the malt chambers are supposed to form a number of separated groupes, each
groupe being provided separately with hot air, provided by one and the same
heating chamber. It is understood that the system will be managed so as to
dry the nearly finished malt with the hotest air and the green malt with the
coolest air.
Thus my maltkilns are very economical and furnish the best product, my method
possessing besides this the advantage of easy application to existing maltkilns.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1) The method of dividing the malt-room into a system of malt-chambers, by
means of the complete partitions 3 & y in fig. 2, and y, y¹ & ¹ in fig. 5 & 6,
and, in fig. 8, as well as the low partitions a a¹ fig. 2, a, a¹ fig. 5 and 6,
and a, a fig. 8, in connection with the floors g, g, g¹, g¹ in fig. 1, 4 and 7, so that
the hot air from the flues passes once downwards through the malt into one
chamber, and upwards through the malt into the next chamber, and than again
down into the second next one, and so on, the malt being advanced in the opposite
direction from one chamber to its precceding chamber etc, substantially as herein
before described and shown in the drawings.
2) The division of the flues and the chambers in several groupes so that the
hotest air can be used for the groupe of chambers in which malting is more
advanced (in fig. 1, 2 & 3 groupe & for chambers 6, 5 and 4, and in fig. 4 5 and 6
groupe a for chambers 7, 6 and 5), and the cooler air for the groupe of chambers
where malting is less advanced (in fig. 1 2 and 3 groupe f for chambers 3, 2 and 1
and in fig. 4, 5 and 6 groupe m, m for chambers 3, 4, 2 and 1), substantially as
herein before described and shown on the drawings.