A METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DESSICATING EGGS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IMPROVED PRODUCTS RESULTING THEREFROM
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edwin Powley Alexander, of 36, Southampton Buildings,
in the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and British and Foreign
Patent Agent, for an Invention of "A METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR
DESSICATING EGGS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, AND IMPROVED PRODUCTS
RESULTING THEREFROM." A communication from abroad by Lydia Jane
Cadwell, of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, in the United States of
America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edwin Powley Alexander
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 17th March 1881.
EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER, of 36, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and British and Foreign Patent Agent.
" A METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DESSICATING EGGS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES,
AND IMPROVED PRODUCTS RESULTING THEREFROM." A communication from
abroad by Lydia Jane Cadwell, of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, in the United
States of America.
1
The object of this Invention is to rapidly and thoroughly dessicate eggs, glue,
and other liquid or semi-liquid substances of such a nature as will become
adhesive or increase in viscidity when partially dried, and to reduce them to such a
hard condition as will enable them to be pulverized or broken, which it is proposed
to accomplish by the method of treatment and the peculiar apparatus hereinafter
referred to. Also the obtaining thereby a new egg product consisting of the whites
or yolks of eggs separately or together, dessicated or hardened and combined with
common salt, or if desired used without any admixture with other substances or
materials. In carrying out this Invention the substance to be treated is spread
out evenly in one or more coats or layers upon an endless travelling or other
evaporating or drying surface or carrier subjected to the action of a current or
currents of hot or cold air, the currents of air moving by preference in the opposite
direction to the course of the travelling evaporating or drying surface. The said
surface is by preference in the form of an endless band mounted on adjustable
ID 31

page_text: carrying and actuating rollers driven by any prime mover, and contained within a
shaft or well which is closed at the top and supplied from below with hot air from
a furnace, which air after traversing and re-traversing the length of the chamber
or well escapes by an outlet at or near the end at which it originally entered.
The substance to be treated may be run from a tank into a vertically adjustable
feeding vessel or trough, within which the lower portion of the band may be made
to travel so as to admit of its taking up a coating or succession of coatings or
films of the substance to be dessicated, or the substance to be treated may be
applied to and spread over the carrier in any other suitable manner. The substance
thus evenly spread over the band or carrier is when dried or partly dried stirred,
broken up, and more or less disintegrated on the carrier by the pressure against
the same of an adjustable suspended roller. The dried substance is removed from
the carrier by an adjustable scraper composed of one or a series of tongues or
blades, such scraper serving at the same time to direct the particles detached from
the carrier down an inclined shoot into a separate drying pan or pans contained
within a convenient chamber, also heated by a separate current of warm air from
the furnace before referred to, in order to effect the re-drying or further dessication
of the said substance. Behind the band opposite to the scraper there is provided
an adjustable supporting roller which serves as a support to the band at the point
where the said scraper acts upon it. Horizontal rotary arms or scrapers work
round the drying pan or pans before mentioned, and serve to turn over and direct
the dried substance from the upper to the lower pan, and finally to discharge it
down a shoot from the lower pan into any convenient disintegrating or reducing
mill. When using an endless travelling band. or carrier disposed in an upright
manner it is preferred to make the lower carrying roller of larger diameter than
the top roller so as to ensure that the lower portion of the band shall project
somewhat beyond the upper part in lieu of being plumb or absolutely vertical.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Edwin Powley Alexander in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
14th September 1881.
EDWIN POWLEY ALEXANDER, of 36, Southampton Buildings, in the County of
Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and British and Foreign Patent Agent.
"A METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR DESSICATING EGGS AND OTHER SUBSTANCES,
AND IMPROVED PRODUCTS RESULTING THEREFROM." A communication from
abroad by Lydia Jane Cadwell, of Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, in the United
States of America.
The said Invention has for its object to rapidly and thoroughly dessicate eggs,
glue, and other liquid materials of such nature as are or will become adhesive or
increase in viscidity when partially dried, and reduce them to such a hard condition
as will enable them to be pulverized or broken, and this is effected by the method
of treatment and the new and improved apparatus hereinafter described and
illustrated in the accompanying Drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section of an improved apparatus used in carrying out the
improved process.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of the feeding pan detached, and
Figure 4 an elevation partly in section.
A is a shaft or well preferably closed at the top, and constructed of wood or
otherwise, to retain beat; B is a bolt or band of canvass or other similar or suitable
material hung within the well A from the loose drum D' situated near the top of
the well, and propelled from the larger drum D located near the bottom of the
well, being driven by any suitable power or mechanism not here shown.
For the purpose of tightening the belt B when required the shaft d of the drum D
is mounted in moveable bearings L, L, arranged to slide up and down between the
guides L¹, L³, and provided with threaded rods L³ which depend therefrom through
cross pieces or brackets L³, beneath which wheel nuts L' serve to draw the drum D.
forcibly downward. At one end of the drum the shaft is provided with a driving
pulley P. The belt is slowly driven in the direction of the arrows b, b.
F is a pan, preferably semi-cylindric in shape to conform to the drum D, intended
to contain a quantity of the substance to be dried. For the purpose of raising and
lowering said pan it is suspended by the chains F2 from the windlass F', supported
by the walls of the drying well A, and provided with an external crank f.
T is a tank intended to contain a mass of the substance to be dried, and desirably
located above the level of the pan F. It is provided with a pipe T¹ which
discharges into said pan, and which has the, valve t.
J is a hot air furnace suitably located with reference to the drying well A, and
provided with a flue J¹ which discharges heated air into the well, as indicated.
It is best to admit the air at that side of the well at which the belt B descends,
and to discharge the moisture burdened air from the well at the opposite side near.
the bottom, as indicated at J³.
An important economic advantage is realized from having the drying well closed
at the top, and provided with inlet and outlet at the bottom, as shown, in that the
drier and hotter air inevitably rises to the top of the well over the descending
portion of the belt and settles, and escapes only as it becomes laden with moisture,
passing over the ascending portion of the belt. There is therefore no escape of hot
air inutilized, and on the other hand the escape of air is ensured as fast as it does
its work, while the moisture laden air is not carried over the dry portion of
material. The well may of course be operated, through less effectively and
economically, by allowing the heated air to escape at the top or elsewhere.

page_text: 4
E is a roller hung by the arms e from the cross bar e¹ in position to bear trans-
versely against the belt B, as clearly seen in Figure 1. The object of this device
is to spread or break up and disintegrate the substance on the belt while being
dried, in order that new surfaces of such substance may be successively exposed to
the drying air, and also in order to facilitate or induce a granulation or
crystallization of the substance if it be such as is capable of this effect.
Several rollers E may be employed if desired, and located to bear at different
points on the belt, by which the effect sought will be practically continuous. By
means of the external arm or lever e¹¹ the roller E may be lifted away from the
belt, and it may be held away by the looped cord e¹¹¹. Any other suitable device
may be used for the purpose.
S is a scraper of the full width of the belt B, secured to the rocking shaft 8, and
adapted to be borne by the arm S' against the descending surface of the belt, as
shown in full lines in Figure 1. This scraper is for the purpose of removing the
dried or partially dried substance from the belt.
While said scraper may be made of a single piece of metal, it preferably consists
of a number of blades arranged side by side to extend across the belt, as indicated
in Figure 4. In this case each section may be given an oblique or curved form at
its sharpened end to obtain a shearing action, and thus to operate more easily.
The scraper is sharpened by being bevelled on its under side that it may not cut
the belt while in operation. Said scraper when borne in an inclined position
against the belt B also serves as a chute to conduct the detached substance away
from the belt, and in this character is prolonged by the broad apron or chute
also secured to the shaft s' so as to direct the substance detached into the spout S*
leading out of the well.
If it is not desired to use the scraper continuously it may by these devices be
swung together with the apron a into the vertical position, shown in dotted lines
of Figure 1, so as to afford no appreciable obstruction to the upward passage of air
in front of the belt. Said scraper may obviously be hinged to the well wall at the
mouth of the spout, and turn up against the said wall when not in use; or if
intended for constant use it may be fixed in the inclined position shown. Any
suitable appliance may be used for adjusting the scraper. A large loose drum D³
or other suitable support supports the belt in opposition to the pressure of the
scraper. Such drum or other suitable support may be moveable and adapted to
deflect the belt outward against the scraper, set a short distance from the belt when
the latter hangs free.
Supposing the ultimate dessicated egg product to be composed of both the whites
and yolks of the egg, and a suitable quantity of sugar for their preservation. To
make this product the yolks and whites of eggs are thoroughly broken up together
and intimately mixed with a due quantity of sugar; forming what is called "egg
batter." This latter is held in the tank T, from which it is fed to the pan F
through the pipe T', and from the pan it is supplied to the surface of the belt B if
the feeding is desired to be intermittent.
Such new and further supply of batter to the belt surface as may be required
will be applied automatically or otherwise by raising the pan after that first applied
has become partially dried and set, so as to assist in retaining an additional quantity
or after that first applied has been dried and removed.
If, as may be the case in the use of a belt of sufficient length and of an adequate
heat, the drying is completed in a single revolution of the belt, the application of
the latter may be made continuous, and this will be done by holding the pan in
the raised position and continuing the supply thereto from the tank T. Ordinarily
after one application of batter to the belt covering the entire surface the supply
will be discontinued, and the belt.will be revolved several times before the
substance thereon will be dry enough to be removed. While the belt is thus
revolved, hot air or other drying gas is admitted from the furnace flue J¹, and
discharged as it becomes laden with moisture at the outlet Js. With the outlet
located, as shown, the air current will generally be in the direction of the arrows a ;

page_text: but as the belt is narrower than the well, said belt is obviously exposed on all
sides to the heated air.
During the earlier part of the drying process, and while the batter is yet in a
more fluid state, said batter is disposed to flow on the belt, wherefore the lower
drum D is larger than the upper one D¹, or the lower end of the belt is thrown out
beyond the upper. This feature of construction lessens the tendency of the batter
to flow, and in case it does flow causes any portion of the batter that may be
detached to drop back on the belt at a lower point.
The roller E, which bears against the belt B and is thereby rotated, plainly
operates to re-spread the mass on said belt at every revolution thereof, and thus to
crush the lumps above referred to, and to maintain an even distribution of the egg
substance on the belt favourable to its uniform drying throughout. In doing this
the drying process is itself materially hastened, since portions of the mass will
adhere to the roller for a time and then again be deposited on the belt, so that
the roller necessarily disintegrates, breaks up, and stirs the mass being dried,
and thus exposes continually new surfaces of such mass to the action of the
heated air.
In the latter stages of the drying process as performed on the belt, said roller
also contributes to another and very important effect, namely, the granulation or
crystallization of the substance being dried, to which end it operates by the stirring
action referred to, which has its analogy in the operation or "stirring” in the
manufacture of sugar from syrup.
In the case of egg substance, moreover, whether composed of the whites and
yolks together, or of either separately, or of either or both combined with saccharine
matter, or with salt, there is a tendency to rapid expansion of the albuminous
portions or cells, and thus to their escape and loss in the form of fine dust or
flakes.
Frequent mixing, "working," and spreading of the mass by the roller E or
equivalent device as the drying process goes forward, serves to prevent this undue
expansion, unequal evaporation, and separation, and thus to retain the albumen as
a most desirable element thoroughly incorporated in the finished product. Not
only this, but the albumen thus stirred in while being dried seems to take a
crystaline form favourable to its ultimate reduction to powder.
If several revolutions of the belt are made to complete the drying process, the
scraper S is held during such process in a vertical position away from the belt, as
stated and as indicated in dotted lines. When the egg substance is sufficiently
dried to be removed the scraper is pressed against the belt by means of the lever St,
or by means of a spring or otherwise.
As a result of this process the egg or other material is usually taken from the
belt in such a state of dryness as to be broken up into coarse fragments by the
action of the scraper in removing it. In this broken or fragmentary condition it
is fit to be subjected, if necessary, to further and final drying preparatory to being
ground and packed for market.
For the purpose of this final drying there is provided the large enclosed square
chamber I, Figures 1 and 2, upheld over the furnace J by the posts I. In this
chamber are placed one or more large circular drying pans G, G; Figure 1 shows
two such pans arranged one above the other. The upper may if preferred have a
bottom of metal perforated at g', g'. It also has a large central aperture g, by which
the substance being dried passes to the lower pan G¹. The latter has a discharge
opening G at its circumference, which is here shown to lead out through the
chamber I, and may lead directly to the grinding mill, not shown.
The spout S discharges into the upper pan G at its periphery. Through the
centre of the pans G and G¹ rises a shaft H rotated through the bevel gear h¹, or or
otherwise, and provided with arms H, H', respectively bearing wings h, h, which
sweep about in the drying pans in the direction of the arrows d². The wings h, h,
are set obliquely on the arms to which they are secured, and serve to stir the
substance being dried, and also by their obliquity to gradually carry the same
"

page_text: to the discharging apertures of the several pans. A brush may also be carried
by the shaft.
Hot air is admitted to the chamber I from the furnace J through the flue J³, and
finds escape from said chamber at Is, preferably provided with a sliding door or
register I to regulate the outflow.
It has been found that a most desirable result can be effected by combining common
salt with the eggs, and then dessicating and pulverizing the latter; the salt facilitates
the working, and aids in producing a desirable product, serviceable in many
instances where a sugar compound cannot be used.
But a most desirable product results from treating the whites and yolkes, or
.either, as described, without any admixture of salt or sugar, for the combined
working and drying of the substance results in bringing it to a condition in which
the qualities of the eggs are preserved, a result heretofore only attained by combining
with the egg some preserving substance.
Nor is the Invention limited either as to process or machine to the dessication of
eggs, since said apparatus and process are obviously equally applicable to the drying
of other than egg substances that may be made to adhere to a belt or other carrier.
Nor is the means limited to the vertical arrangement of the belt, except in those
.claims wherein this arrangement is made an essential feature.
The belt B may obviously be made of thin metal, or of any other flexible and
otherwise suitable material. It is well to use cloth, for the reason that cloth gives
a better hold to the substance being dried, whereby said substance when partially
dried is less liable to be detached by being repeatedly bent with the belt over the
drums, and then straightened out again between the drums.
While a belt or band has been referred to as being used in connection with the
device for disintegrating, the film, such device may be used with any other film
carrior, as, for instance, a roller or plate, and although a roller has been described
for breaking up the films other devices may be used with like effect, as, for instance,
a series of vibrating plates or blades brought against the film and moved away
therefrom as it is moved by the carrier.
While for many purposes it is desirable to use heated air, for other purposes the
air may be cold; a strong blast is sometimes desirable at other times. The dessi-
cation may be effected without any artificial heating or moving of the air, and in
some instances other gases or the products of combustion may be taken directly
from the furnace to and through the drying chamber.
Other means than those described may be used for depositing the liquid material
upon the surface of the carrier; for instance when the belt is horizontal or nearly
so it may pass beneath the hopper from which the material falls upon the belt.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into
effect, I would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and
original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-
before in part recited Letters Patent is,--
First. The method and means of dessicating eggs and other substances herein set
forth.
Secondly. The within described improvement in dessicating eggs and other
substances, consisting in treating such substances to dry or harden it, and
mechanically disintegrating the same as it solidifies, substantially as set forth.
Thirdly. The method of preparing dessicated egg or other substance, which
consists in treating the substance until sufficiently hard to break or separate into
small particles, then breaking up the mass into such small parts, and thereafter
re-drying the fragments preparatory to grinding or packing, substantially as
described.
Fourthly. In the dessication of eggs and other liquid or semi-liquid substance
subjecting a body of such substance upon a moving carrier to contract with one or
more moving blocks or blades, whereby the film is broken and consequently
disintegrated, substantially as set forth.

page_text: Fifthly. An egg product, consisting of the whites or yolkes of eggs separately or
together dessicated, and hardened without admixture with other materials, as
specified.
Sixthly. In an apparatus for drying fluid or partially fluid substances the com-
bination with the carrier of mechanism whereby said substance may be spread,
stirred, or broken up while on the said carrier and in process of drying, substantially
as and for the purpose set forth.
Seventhly. The combination in a dessicating apparatus of a band, means for
depositing on the same a film of the material to be dried, and means whereby the
film upon the band is stirred and broken prior to removal, substantially as set
forth.
Eighthly. The combination of the travelling band B or other carrier of a roller E,
or its equivalent, substantially as set forth.
Ninthly. The combination with the carrier of a scraper, and means for throwing
Buch scraper into or out of action, substantially as and for the purpose set
forth.
Tenthly. The combination with the endless belt B of the scraper S arranged to
bear on the moving surface of the belt, and a support arranged to oppose the
pressure of the scraper, substantially as set forth.
Eleventhly. The combination in a dessicating apparatus of a vertical shaft A, a
band passing over rollers at the top and bottom of said shaft, and air or gas inlet
and outlet, arranged to conduct the air current upward over the descending
portion of the band and downward over the ascending portion, substantially as set
forth.
Twelfthly. The band carrier arranged with the lower portion projecting beyond
the upper at the side where the band descends, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
Thirteenthly. The combination of the carrier and scraper arranged to present an
inclined shute extending from the carrier to the outlet for the dessicated material,
substantially as set forth.
Fourteenthly. The combination of the carrier and its adjuncts, and a supple-
mental drying apparatus, constructed and arranged to receive and complete the
drying of the material removed from the carrier, substantially as described.
Fifteenthly. The combination with the carrier and trough F of appliances whereby
the latter may be raised and lowered, as set forth.
Sixteenthly. An egg product consisting of the whites or yolks of eggs separately
or together, combined with common salt or its equivalent, substantially as set
forth,
In witness whereof, I, the said Edwin Powley Alexander, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord