IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING AND CLEANING GRAIN, SEEDS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, THE SAME BEING APPLICABLE FOR DRYING AND WITHERING TEA LEAF, OR FOR OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Balmer, of Fochabers, in the County of Moray,
North Britain, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING AND CLEANING
GRAIN, SEEDS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, THE SAME BEING APPLICABLE FOR
DRYING AND WITHERING TEA LEAF, OR FOR OTHER ANALOGOUS PURPOSES,
AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
-
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Balmer at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 19th January 1878.
"IM-
THOMAS BALMER, of Fochabers, in the County of Moray, North Britain.
PROVEMENTS IN DRYING AND CLEANING GRAIN, SEEDS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, THE
SAME BEING APPLICABLE FOR DRYING AND WITHERING TEA LEAF, OR FOR OTHER
ANALOGOUS PURPOSES, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR'
"
This Invention relates to improvements in that class of drying apparatus in which
the substance to be dried passed through revolving cylinders or polyhedral
chambers, and consists principally in providing the interior circumference of such
cylinders or chambers with elevating shelves or lifters, which are not continuous
from end to end of the cylinder, but are divided into two, three, or more lengths or
sections, each length or section being pivoted by suitable means, so that each section
of the said shelves may be independently inclined at different angles to the axis of
the cylinder or chamber, and also fixed in the position to which they have been
brought by rods, levers, and guides, or by clamp or pinching screws or equivalent
means acted upon from the outside.
By placing the shelves at different angles, at different portions of the length of
the cylinder or chamber, the substance under treatment may be caused to pass at
different speeds through different portions of its passage.
The inclinations of the said shelves may be so arranged that the substance passes
slowly through the first portion of the length of the cylinder or chamber, and more
quickly through the next, increasing the speed of its passage therethrough as it
becomes drier, and consequently being submitted to the action of heat for a longer

page_text: period when in its wet condition, than it is when in a dryer state towards the end
of the drying operation, or vice versa.
Annular rings or discs having a passage through their centre may be placed at
intervals along the interiors of the cylinders or chambers, to keep the heated air to
a central course through the cylinders or chambers, and such air-directing rings may
either be complete rings or be in sections and in broken lines.
The shelves or lifters are preferably bent, so that the substance to be dried falls
from them gradually, and in a continuous shower as the cylinder revolves.
The cylinders or chambers are provided at one end with hoppers, through which
the substance to be dried is fed into the said cylinders, and these hoppers have
preferably underneath them or in their interiors, feed wheels divided into a number
of radial chambers. These wheels being rotated, the chambers come one at a time
under the opening of the hopper, receive the substance to be dried therefrom, and
by the further rotation of the wheel the substance is delivered in regulated quan-
tities unto the drying cylinder or chambers, or the substances may be fed by hand
or by any ordinary mechanical feeder. The revolution of the cylinders or chambers,
is, or may be effected from a steam engine which also works a fan, by which air is
driven through a heater or heaters, which may be heated by the fire-box, and flues
by a separate furnace by steam from the boiler, or by exhaust steam, or any or all
of them. Instead of a fan, an induced current apparatus may be used, such as the
apparatus known as Korting's blower. From these heaters the air passes through
pipes to the drying cylinders or chambers through which it also passes.
•
By virtue of the adjustable inclined shelves or lifters, the cylinders or chambers
may be placed horizontally, the inclination of the shelves or lifters carrying the
substance under treatment through the cylinder or chamber, or the cylinders or
chambers may be placed at an angle to the horizon, and they may be arranged in
any suitable combination or singly. For example, when I use these cylinders or
chambers for withering and drying tea leaf, I prefer to employ two cylinders, both
rotated and heated by hot air driven through them from end to end, taking in the
withering cylinder, a course the same as that taken by the leaf being withered, and
in the drying cylinder, a course the reverse of that taken by the leaf.
The cylinders or chambers are or may be furnished with gratings on their peri-
pheries, by which the substance under treatment may be sifted or sized, and through
which sand or foreign matters, and (in the course of tea drying) tea dust will be
separated.
The progressive motion may however be obtained by constructing the rings or
discs in sections moveable or adjustable instead of the lifters herein-before de-

page_text: .
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Thomas Balmer in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 18th
July 1878.
THOMAS BALMER, of Fochabers, in the County of Moray, North Britain.
" IM-
PROVEMENTS IN Drying and CleaNING GRAIN, SEEDS, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES, THE
SAME BEING APPLICABLE FOR DRYING AND WITHERING TEA LEAF, OR FOR OTHER
ANALOGOUS PURPOSES, AND IN THE APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREFOR."
My said Invention relates to improvements in that class of drying apparatus in
which the substance to be dried is passed through revolving cylinders, or polyhedral
chambers, through which a current of heated air is also passed, and consists, prin-
cipally, in providing the interior of the said cylinders or chambers with elevating
shelves or lifters, which are not continuous from end to end of the cylinder, but are
divided into two, three, or more lengths or sections, each length or section being so
pivoted, or otherwise fitted to the cylinder or chamber, that each section of the said
shelves may be independently inclined or adjusted so as to give the said shelves a
more or less rapid helical twist, at different angles to or round the axis of the
cylinder or chamber, in order that the substance under treatment may be caused to
pass at different speeds required, through different portions of its passage through
the said cylinders or chambers.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I now proceed
more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner in or under which the
same is or may be used or practically carried into effect, reference being had to the
annexed Sheets of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that
is to say,-
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a longitudinal section of a
cylinder or chamber, furnished with elevating shelves or lifters, according to my
Invention; Figure 2 is a transverse section thereof (on the line 1, 2, Figure 3)
drawn to a larger scale; and Figure 3 is a longitudinal section of one division of
the said cylinder or chamber, also drawn to a larger scale.
The chamer A here represented is an octagonal chamber, its sides being formed
preferably of wood lined with sheet metal, there being between the wood and metal
a layer of hair, felt, or other non-conductor of heat. The said sides are built upon
castings B, dividing the chamber into divisions or compartments, a¹, a³, as, a*.
These castings I will herein-after call the fixed rings. To these fixed rings are
fitted rings C, which I will herein-after call the moveable rings; these moveable
rings are bolted to the fixed rings by bolts b, passing through slots c in the move-
able rings which allow of such rings being turned through part of a revolution upon
the fixed rings, this being effected by means of toothed sectors D, mounted upon
short shafts d, turning in bearings e bolted outside the chamber, the said sectors
projecting into the interior of the chamber, and engaging with a rack c¹ formed
upon the edges of the moveable rings. The shafts d have a squared end d¹, to
receive a spanner for partially rotating the said shafts. In each division a¹, a³, a³, a³,
of the chamber A, are fitted longitudinal elevating shelves or lifters E, one end of
each of which is fixed by angle irons e, or otherwise to a moveable ring, the other
end being fixed by angle iron e', or otherwise to a fixed ring. Thus by partially
rotating the shafts d, by a spanner applied to the heads d', the sectors D will im-
part a motion of partial rotation to the moveable rings C, and thus the ends of the
shelves E, of any or all of the divisions a¹, a, a, a, of the chamber A, may be
brought more or less out of line with their other ends which are attached to the
fixed rings, the attachment of the said shelves to the rings not being so rigid as to
interfere with this movement.
The inclination or helical twist of the shelves may thus be so adjusted, that the
said inclination or helical twist is least in the first division of the chamber in-
creasing to the last division, so that the substance passes slowly through the first
division or portion of the length of the chamber, and more quickly through the

page_text: next, increasing the speed of its passage therethrough as it becomes drier, or vice
versa, or in other manner, as may be found most suitable.
The toothed sectors may be all mounted upon one shaft as indicated by the
dotted lines in Figure 1, so that the inclination or helical twist of all the shelves
may be altered simultaneously.
Annular rings or discs having a passage through the centre (or the equivalents of
these), may be bolted to the fixed rings B, so as to keep the heated air to a central
course through the cylinder or chamber. Such discs marked K are shewn attached
to the fixed rings B, in Figures 1 and 2.
The elevating shelves or lifters E may be straight or radial, or they may be
curved, as shewn in the Drawings, so that the substance being dried falls from them
gradually, and in a continuous shower through the central current of heated air, as
the cylinder or chamber revolves.
The sides of the chamber A may be made so as to be removable, in order to gain
access to the interior of the said chamber, and the whole or portions of the sides
may be formed of reticulated material, or be furnished with gratings by which the
substance under treatment may be sifted or sized, and through which sand and
foreign matters and (in the case of tea-drying) tea-dust will be separated.
The cylinders or chambers herein-before described, are to be mounted on rollers
or in bearings, and a rotatory motion imparted to them by a steam engine or other-
wise, and they are to be in communication with heaters and air-forcing apparatus.
The substance to be dried is fed into the cylinders or chambers by hand or by
any suitable mechanical feeder or otherwise, but by preference through hoppers,
having underneath them or in their interiors feed wheels, similar to those described
in the Specification of the Invention for which Letters Patent, Number 276, were
granted to me, dated the 22d day of January 1877, the said wheels being divided into a
number of radial chambers, so that on their being rotated, the said radial chambers.
come one at a time under the opening of the hopper, receive the substance to be
dried therefrom, and by the further rotation of the wheels, the substance is con-
tinuously delivered in regulated quantities into the drying cylinders or chambers,
being discharged therefrom when dried through the doorways k. A suitable mode
of mounting and arranging these cylinders or chambers, and of supplying the heated
air (especially where tea-leaf is to be withered and dried) is that described in the
Specification of the before-mentioned Letters Patent, No. 276, A. D. 1877, but by
virtue of the adjustable shelves or lifters, the chambers may be mounted horizontally,
the inclination or helical twist of the shelves or lifters carrying the substance under
treatment through the cylinder or chamber, but they may be mounted at an angle
to the horizon, and, so also that their inclination is adjustable to different angles.
For example, when I use my improved cylinders or chambers for withering and
drying tea-leaf, I prefer to employ two cylinders, one for the withering process, and
the other for the drying process. They may be mounted in line or end to end, and
they both are rotated and are heated by hot air driven through them from end to
end, the rolled leaf taking a course the reverse of the heated air in the drying
cylinder, and the green leaf taking a course the same as the heated air in the
withering cylinder.
•
A suitable arrangement is illustrated in Figure 4, where F indicates the withering
cylinder, and G the drying cylinder. The said cylinders are mounted in line with
each other, and are rotated by any suitable and well-known means, and a current of
air heated by the fire box and flues of a boiler, by a separate furnace, by steam
from the boiler, or by exhaust steam, or by any or all of these, or by other means,
is driven by a fan or blower (or may be induced by such an apparatus as "Korting's
blower") through the pipe H, into the drying cylinder or chamber G, whereinto
the rolled leaf is fed through the hopper g, by a mechanical feeder or otherwise.
From the chamber or cylinder G, the air passes by the pipe I, into the withering
cylinder F, into which the green leaf to be withered is fed by a mechanical feeder,
or otherwise through the hopper f. The hot air leaves the cylinder F at J; the
leaf passes from the cylinders through doors k, k, which open as the revolution o

page_text: the cylinders or chambers brings them undermost. The hot air blast may be
lowered in temperature by passing it more rapidly through the heaters, or by ad-
mitting cool external air by the valves h and i, on the hot air pipes H and I. My
improved cylinders or chambers may be used in any other desired combination, as
may be found most desirable, according to the nature of the substance being dried.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said In-
vention, and the system, mode, or manner in or under which the same is or may be
used or practically carried into effect, I would observe in conclusion that I wish it
to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise details of construction of
the cylinders or chambers herein-before described and illustrated, neither do I claim
as of my present Invention any of the herein-before referred-to arrangements for
conducting air to the said cylinders; but what I consider to be novel and original,
and therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the herein-before in part re-
cited Letters Patent is,-
First. The improvements in drying and cleaning grain, seeds, and other substances,
and in withering and drying tea-leaf, and in such-like or analogous operations, by
submitting the substances to the action of a current of heated air in rotated hori-
zontal cylinders or chambers, which are furnished with elevating shelves or lifters,
divided into lengths, so that the relative helical twist or inclination of different
sections thereof is adjustable for the purpose herein-before described, they also
being provided if desired with air-directing rings or diaphragms, and with reticulated
sides or gratings, as herein-before described.
Second. The construction and arrangement of withering or drying cylinders or
chambers, herein-before described, and illustrated in Figures 1, 2, and 3 of the
accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Thomas Balmer, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Sixteenth day of July, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
THO, BALMER. (L.S.)