AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING ANIMAL VEGETABLE OR OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1883

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake of the firm of Haseltine Lake
& Co, Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings London for an Invention of
"AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DRYING ANIMAL VEGETABLE
OR OTHER SUBSTANCES" communicated to him from abroad by Louis Maiche
of Paris France
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th February 1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF AND APPARATUS
FOR DRYING ANIMAL, VEGETABLE OR OTHER SUBSTANCES [A communication to
him from abroad by Louis Maiche of Paris, France]
"
Heretofore great difficulties have been experienced in drying industrially and
under good conditions; the numerous solid substances upon which the action of
heat produces changes of different kinds, whether the drying is effected by a
drying stove and the materials are subjected to a more or less complete cooking or
baking, or the drying takes place slowly in the open air, with the risk of mildew
and putrifaction; and, moreover, in the latter case, the operation entails great loss
of time and space.
Drying in a vacuum without the intervention of heat answers theoretically to
most requirements, but it is very difficult, in practice, to obtain a vacuum
sufficiently good to accelerate the operation to the desired extent, by reason of the
cooling action which the materials are subjected to, and the evaporation which
takes place; this method has therefore been abandoned.
According to the present Invention, I utilize the action of heat, as well as that
of a vacuum, in order to effect a rapid drying at a low temperature, of the different
materials to be treated; under these conditions the heat may be furnished either
by the circulation of steam through a double casing or in a serpentine pipe, or by
hot air or other suitable means; on the other hand the reduction of pressure in
the closed receptacle in which are placed the materials to be dried, can be effected
by an air-pump of any kind, an exhausting fan or other suitable means permitting
of reducing the pressure to such an extent that the corresponding boiling point
requires only a partial vacuum easily obtained.

page_text: Amongst the numerous solid substances containing a certain quantity of water
injurious as regards their preservation or the uses for which they are required, and
the drying of which substances should for the reasons above indicated be effected
at as low a temperature as possible, I will mention the following viz:-Fruit,
vegetables, meat or fish which are to be preserved; plants required by herbalists
or botanists, for dyeing or similar purposes; skins; gelatine; albumen of the blood,
or of eggs; chemical products generally; pottery, bricks, or the like; wood for the
manufacture of matches, musical instruments, furniture and other articles; card-
board and the like; rope and twine; white or dyed feathers; linen; dyed stuffs;
textile materials in hanks or pieces after dressing, washing, or dyeing.
It will be understood that the application of this improved method or process to
substances of such diverse nature will necessitate for each case the employment of
apparatus appropriate to the kind of material to be dried, and the arrangement of
the apparatus can be varied greatly, I will therefore only indicate the general
conditions to be fulfilled in order to attain the desired object.
The apparatus is usually arranged in such a manner that it can be heated by
steam by means of a double casing or a serpentine pipe, and can be subjected to
the action of a vacuum obtained by means of powerful air-pumps or other apparatus
capable of maintaining a good vacuum in the apparatus, such as a water blowing
engine, an injector, or the like.
In all cases, it is important that the temperature and the pressure should remain
as constant as possible in the apparatus containing the products to be dried; for
this purpose, the apparatus may be provided with means for easily-regulating and
controlling the temperature and pressure, for example, a vacuum-gauge and ther-
mometer may be arranged in such a manner that the indications of temperature
shall be easily visible from the outside and valves or cocks be provided for
regulating the quantity of steam, hot air, or hot water introduced into the double
casing or the serpentine pipe; I may also employ a pressure regulator acting
automatically upon an admission valve for the fluid which circulates within the
heating surfaces.
In order that the atmospheric air shall be prevented from accidentally entering
the apparatus in case the air-pump or other apparatus for creating a vacuum
should cease working from any cause, the communication pipe is provided with a
non-return valve.
I will describe two forms or modifications of apparatus which I employ in
carrying on the said improved method or process.
One form of apparatus is composed of a vertical cylindrical receptacle or vessel
of strong sheet iron provided on its interior circumference with platforms each
having a manhole, upon which platforms are deposited the materials to be dried.
The heating of the apparatus is effected by means of a serpentine pipe, furnished
at its two extremities with regulating cocks; a pipe on the said vessel com-
municates with an air-pump and has a regulating cock and an internal valve for
preventing the return of air into the apparatus; for the sake of greater simplicity,
the serpentine pipe can be replaced by a simple vertical pipe bent one or more
times upon itself
Another form of apparatus is composed of a vertical cylindrical vessel heated by
means of steam pipes and closed at its upper part by a cover, of the same diameter,
permitting a number of platforms to be placed in the vessel one above another,
upon which platforms the materials to be dried are placed and which are
introduced into or removed from the said vessel by means of a crane or suitable
tackle.
It will be obvious that the form and dimensions of the apparatus for receiving
the materials to be dried may be varied in many ways.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th August 1883.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake and Co, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF, AND APPARATUS
FOR, DRYING ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, OR OTHER SUBSTANCES a communication to
me from abroad by Louis Maiche, of Paris, France.
"
Heretofore great difficulties have been experienced in drying industrially, and
under good conditions, the numerous solid substances upon which the action of
heat produces changes of different kinds, whether the drying is effected by a
drying stove and the materials are subjected to a more or less complete cooking or
baking, or the drying takes place slowly in the open air, with the risk of mildew
and putrifaction; and, moreover, in the latter case, the operation entails great
loss of time and space.
Drying in a vacuum without the intervention of heat, answers theoretically
most requirements, but it is very difficult, in practice, to obtain a vacuum sufficiently
good to accelerate the operation to the desired extent, by reason of the cooling
action which the materials are subjected to, and the evaporation which takes place ;
this method has therefore been abandoned.
According to the present invention I utilize the action of heat as well as that
of a vacuum, in order to effect a rapid drying, at a low temperature, of the
different materials to be treated; under these conditions, the heat may be furnished
either by the circulation of steam through a double casing or in a serpentine pipe,
or by hot air or other suitable means; on the other hand, the reduction of pressure
in the closed receptacle in which are placed the materials to be dried can be
effected by an air-pump, an exhausting fan, or other suitable means permitting of
sufficiently lowering the boiling point of the water whilst causing in the apparatus
only a partial vacuum easily obtained.
Amongst the numerous solid substances containing a certain quantity of water
which is injurious as regards their preservation or the uses for which they are
required, and the drying of which substances should, for the reasons above indicated,
be effected at as low a temperature as possible, I will mention the following, viz :--
Fruit; vegetables; meat or fish which are to be preserved; plants required by
herbalists or botanists, for dyeing or similar purposes; skins; glue; gelatine ;
albumen of the blood or of eggs; chemical products generally; pottery, bricks or
the like; wood for the manufacture of matches, musical instruments, furniture and
other articles; cardboard and the like; rope and twine; white or dyed feathers;
linen; dyed stuffs; textile materials in hanks or pieces, after dressing, washing
or dyeing.
It will be understood that the application of this improved method or process
to substances of such diverse nature will necessitate for each case the employment
of apparatus appropriate to the kind of material to be dried, and the arrangement
of the apparatus can be varied greatly. I will therefore only indicate the general
conditions to be fulfilled in order to attain the desired object.
The apparatus is usually arranged in such a manner that it can be heated by
steam by means of a double casing or a serpentine pipe, and can be subjected to
the action of a sufficiently good vacuum obtained by means of powerful air-pumps
or other apparatus capable of maintaining a good vacuum in the apparatus, such
as a water blowing-engine, an injector or the like.
In all cases, it is important that the temperature and the pressure should remain
as constant as possible in the apparatus containing the products to be dried; for
this purpose, the apparatus may be provided with means for easily regulating and
controlling the temperature and pressure, for example, a vacuum gauge and

page_text: thermometer may be arranged in such a manner that the indications of temperature
will be easily visible from the exterior; and valves or cocks may be provided for
regulating the quantity of steam, hot air, or hot water introduced into the double
casing or the serpentine pipe; in order to ensure the safety of the apparatus and
render it independent of the care of the workmen, I may also employ a pressure
regulator acting automatically upon an admission valve for the fluid which circulates
within the heating surfaces.
In order that the external atmospheric air shall be prevented from accidently
entering the apparatus in case the air-pump or other apparatus for creating a
vacuum should cease working from any cause, the communication pipe is provided
with a non-return valve.
I have represented, by way of example, in the accompanying drawing two forms
or modifications of apparatus which I employ in carrying on the said improved
method or process.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 1, the apparatus is composed of a vertical
cylindrical receptacle or vessel A, of strong sheet iron, provided internally with
platforms B each having a manhole C, upon which platforms are deposited the
materials to be dried. The beating of the apparatus is effected by means of a
serpentine pipe D furnished at its two extremities with regulating cocks E; the
pipe F cominunicates with an air-pump and has a regulating cock and an internal
valve for preventing the return of air into the apparatus; for the sake of greater
simplicity, the serpentine pipe D can be replaced by a simple vertical pipe G bent
one or more times upon itself as indicated in dotted lines in the drawing.
In the arrangement shown in Figure 2, the apparatus is composed of a vertical
cylindrical vessel H heated by means of steam pipes L and closed at its upper
part by a cover I of the same diameter; a number of platforms K are placed in
the vessel one above another, upon which platforms the materials to be dried are
laid, and which are introduced into, or removed from, the said vessel by means of
a crane or suitable tackle.
It will be obvious that the form and dimensions of the apparatus for receiving
the materials to be dried may be varied in many ways.
Having thus fully described the said invention as communicated to me by my
Foreign Correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it
understood that I Claim.
First. The above described improved method or process of drying in a com-
parative vacuum, that is to say, at a low temperature and at a low pressure,
animal, vegetable, or other substances which require this mode of treatment in
order to obtain products of superior quality under economical conditions, which
method or process is based upon the combination, under the peculiar conditions
above indicated, of the action of a vacuum with that of heat.
Second. The improved apparatus for drying animal, vegetable or other substances
and for ensuring uniformity in the temperature during the whole operation of
drying, substantially as, and for the purposes, set forth.
In witness whereof I the said William Robert Lake have hereunto set my
hand and seal this Fifteenth day of August in the year of Our Lord one thousand
eight hundred and eighty three.
TIZM DODT
הזTAR
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