Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Drying or Extracting Moisture from Vegetable, Animal, or other Products or Materials.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 21st July, 1891
Complete Specification Left, 21st Apr., 1892-Accepted, 28th May,
1802
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Drying or Extracting
Moisture from Vegetable, Animal, or other Products or
Materials.
LIONEL GYE of 40 Sinclair Road Kensington late Lieutenant in the
Royal Artillery do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to means or apparatus for drying or extracting moisture
from vegetable animal or other products or materials from which it is required to
extract the moisture. In carrying out my invention I provide a chamber for
the reception of the articles from which the moisture is to be extracted and in
this chamber I provide moveable bodies or diaphragms which are moved by a
current of air caused to pass through the chamber so as to distribute the air so
passing through the chamber in and amongst the materials therein and so act as
automatic agitator and distributors. This may be effected for example by sheets
or curtains of flexible material arranged or suspended in such a position that a
current or currents of air passed through the chamber impinges on these curtains
being suitably directed if desired by means of deflectors or otherwise and sets them
in motion. This vibrating or shaking movement of the curtains or sheets causes
the current of air to take an irregular direction and circulate between and round
about the articles placed between the said curtains or sheets in such a manner as
to effectually extract and carry away the moisture contained in the articles. These
curtains or sheets may be suspended on rods so as to be capable of being drawn
aside for the purpose of facilitating the work of placing the articles in the chamber
and are secured at the bottom edge in such a manner as to allow sufficient freedom
of motion to enable the vibrating movement to take place without danger of the
curtains being blown against the articles. When a horizontal current of air is
employed the curtains may be suspended in such a manner as to form folds for
the purpose of promoting the undulating movements or deflections of the current
of air. In the case of a current of air passing in a vertical direction the
curtains are preferably suspended without folds. Any convenient number of
curtains may be suspended in a chamber so as to divide the latter into a number
of separate compartments the articles from which the moisture is to be extracted
being suspended or supported in any convenient manner in the compartments or
spaces between the curtains.
The air employed in this apparatus may be rendered better capable of absorbing
moisture by previously heating it. The said current of air may be induced by
chimney draught or the draught of a furnace or by a mechanical air forcing or
drawing device and be caused to enter the space between the curtains or sheets
which thereby are caused to vibrate or shake so as to cause the air to be
agitated and come into intimate contact with every part of the articles or materials
to be dried.
If the draught of a furnace be used the air escaping from the drying chamber
may be conducted through a tube leading to a furnace or fireplace. This tuhe
may be divided into two branches provided with stop valves one branch being
in communication with the ash pit or space below the fuel and the other being in
communication with the combustion chamber or space above the fuel.
preliminary heating of the air be used this furnace may be employed to effect
the said heating by the said air being caused to pass through a pipe or worm
exposed to the heat of the furnace. By suitably manipulating the stop valves in
If

page_text: the branch pipes the amount of draught and the rate of combustion of the fuel can
be conveniently regulated.
A series of furnaces or combustion chambers may be employed in combination
with a corresponding series of compartments or spaces separated by vibrating
curtains or sheets. The furnace when a furnace is used should be in communi-
cation with a suitable shaft or chimney up which the air from the apparatus is
drawn along with the products of combustion so as to produce the exhausting
action necessary to cause the air to flow through the apparatus with the required
velocity. The inlets and outlets for the supply and escape of air from the drying
chamber may be provided with suitable valves enabling the direction of the current
of air to be reversed if required.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Drying or Extracting
Moisture from Vegetable, Animal, or other Products or
Materials.
I, LIONEL GYE, of 40 Sinclair Road, Kensington, late Lieutenant in Royal
Artillery, 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 :—
This invention relates to means or apparatus for drying or extracting moisture
from vegetable animal or other products or materials from which it is required to
extract the moisture. In carrying out my invention I provide a chamber for the
reception of the articles from which the moisture is to be extracted, and in this
chamber I provide moveable bodies or diaphragms which are moved by a current
or currents of air caused to pass through the chamber so as to distribute the air so
passing through the chamber in and amongst the materials therein and so act as
automatic agitators and distributors. This may be effected for example by sheets or
curtains of flexible material arranged or suspended in such a position that a current
or currents of air passed through the chamber impinges on these curtains, being
suitably directed if desired by means of deflectors or otherwise, and sets them in
motion. This vibrating or shaking movement of the curtains or sheets causes the
current of air to take an irregular direction and circulate between and round about
the articles placed between the said curtains or sheets in such a manner as to
effectually extract and carry away the moisture contained in the articles.
And in order that my said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the
annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference indicating corresponding
parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in vertical section a drying
chamber according to this invention arranged for working with a horizontal draught
and Figure 2 represents the chamber in horizontal section.
Figures 3 and 4 are diagrams illustrating in elevation and in transverse section
respectively the arrangement employed with a vertical draught.
Figure 5 illustrates partly in section an arrangement for supplying the drying
chamber with heated air.
The apparatus arranged for working with horizontal currents of air as represented
in Figures 1 and 2 consists of a drying chamber A constructed of any suitable shape
and materials in which are suspended diaphragms curtains or sheets B. These
diaphragms curtains or sheets are preferably supported at the upper edges on
rods C and at the lower edges by means of rods D, being connected to the said

page_text: rods C and D by means of rings so as to be capable of being drawn aside for the
purpose of facilitating the work of placing the articles in the chamber and at the
same time to allow sufficient freedom of motion to enable the vibrating movement
to take place without danger of the curtains being blown against the articles.
When a horizontal current of air is employed as in the arrangement illustrated in
Figures 1 and 2 the diaphragms or curtains may form folds for the purpose of
promoting the undulating movements or deflections of the current of air as indicated
in Figure 2. Any convenient number of diaphragms or curtains may be suspended
in the chamber so as to divide the latter into a number of separate compartments E
Figure 2 the articles from which the moisture is to be extracted being suspended
or supported in any convenient manner in the compartments or spaces between the
diaphragms or curtains.
Suitable inlets F are provided at one side of the chamber A for the supply of
air and corresponding outlets F¹ are provided on the opposite side for the escape of
the air from the drying chamber.
When air is passed through the inlets F into the spaces E between the diaphragms
or curtains B the currents of air produce a vibrating or undulating movement of the
said diaphragms or curtains (see dotted lines Figure 2) and the air currents are
consequently broken up or caused to pursue an irregular or undulating course
so as to be distributed amongst and brought in contact with every part of the
surfaces of the articles placed in the spaces between the diaphragms or curtains
and exert an effectual and uniform drying action thereon. The action of the
air currents may be regulated if required by means of adjustable blades or
deflectors G Figure 2.
When the currents of air are caused to pass through the apparatus in a vertical
direction the diaphragms curtains or sheets B may be suspended or supported at
the vertical sides or at the corners as represented in Figures 3 and 4 and the air be
introduced at the bottom or top as desired so that the currents of air flowing in an
upward or downward direction in the spaces between the diaphragms or curtains are
broken up by the undulating or shaking motion of the said diaphragms or curtains
as described with reference to Figure 2.
The air may be rendered better capable of absorbing moisture by previously
raising its temperature. The current of air may be induced by chimney draught
or the draught of a furnace or by a mechanical air forcing or drawing device and
if the draught of a furnace be used the air escaping from the drying chamber may
be conducted through a tube H leading to a furnace or fireplace X as represented
in Figure 5. This tube may be divided into two branches I and K provided with stop
valves IK one branch (I) being in communication with the ash pit or space below
the fuel and the other (K) being in communication with the combustion chamber
or space above the fuel. If preliminary heating of the air be used this furnace
may be employed to effect the said heating by the said air being caused to pass.
through a pipe or worm L exposed to the heat of the furnace. By suitably
manipulating the stop valves I' K in the branch pipes the amount of draught and
the rate of combustion of the fuel can be conveniently regulated.
The hot air supply pipe L is divided into two branches provided with valves L'
as represented in Figure 5 enabling the current of hot air from this pipe to enter-
the drying chamber A at either end of the latter as required and the outlet pipe H
with the branch pipes I and K can be similarly connected with either end of the
said chamber by means of valves M.
A series of furnaces or combustion chambers may be employed in combination.
with a corresponding series of compartments or spaces separated by vibrating
diaphragms, curtains or sheets. The furnace, when a furnace is used, should be in.
communication with a suitable shaft or chimney up which the air from the
apparatus is drawn along with the products of combustion so as to produce the
exhausting action necessary to cause the air to flow through the apparatus with.
the required velocity.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. Drying or extracting moisture from vegetable animal or other products or
materials by means of moveable bodies or diaphragms suspended in a chamber
containing the materials to be dried being moved by air passing through the said
chamber so as to distribute the air in and amongst the materials and act as automatic
agitators and distributors substantially as herein before described with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus for drying or extracting moisture as hereinbefore described and
claimed the arrangements for supporting or suspending the diaphragms curtains or
sheets employed for agitating and distributing the currents of air and the arrange-
ment of adjustable blades or deflectors for controlling the action of the said currents
substantially as herein before described.
3. A drying apparatus provided with vibrating curtains or diaphragms in com-
bination with a furnace for heating the air supplied to the drying chamber and
means for regulating or controlling the admission and escape of air to and from the
said chamber substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to Figure 5 of
the accompanying drawings.
4. The arrangements and combinations of parts constituting the improvements in
means or apparatus for drying or extracting moisture from vegetable animal or other
products or materials substantially as hereinbefore described.
Dated this 21st day of April 1892.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.