Improvements in Apparatus for Moistening or Leaf Tobacco.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application. 12th July, 1892-Accepted. 8th Oct., 1892
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Moistening or
Leaf Tobacco.
"Ordering"
We, SAMUEL PLEASANTS MAYO, Tobacconist, and GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS
PEPLE, Cotton Manufacturer, both of Times Building in the City of Richmond,
in the County of Henrico, in the State of Virginia, United States of America, 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:
leaf
ordering "
Our invention relates to a new apparatus for moistening or
tobacco. Heretofore ordering has been done by forcing a continuous blast of air,
charged with steam, through an ordering box and back into a vapor room by a fan,
after having first drawn the moistened air by suction from the vapor room into the
fan, the vapor room consisting simply of a closed box into which steam is admitted
by means of a steam pipe. The objections to this process are obvious. The only
source of moisture is the steam and the moistening must necessarily be done at
a very high temperature, because after a certain amount of steam has been con-
densed, any more steam which may be admitted will only be partially condensed,
owing to the fact that the air in the circuit has been heated almost to the
temperature of live steam.
This ordering tobacco at such a high temperature is extremely injurious to the
leaf and is seriously objected to by the trade.
There is no provision made for controlling the temperature and the admission of
new heat cannot be avoided without cutting off the supply of moisture, in fact the
process referred to is nothing but a modification of the very objectionable process
of steaming.
The object of our invention is to supply the tobacco with a blast of air which
has been moistened at a low temperature; (that is, the temperature of an ordinary
summer day) and further to distribute that blast in such a manner that it will be
equally divided over all parts of the ordering room, of whatever size, so that large
quantities of tobacco may be uniformly ordered. Tobacco ordered at this tem-
perature does not lose any of its moisture in cooling as must necessarily be the
case when it is ordered at a high temperature.
To this end the air is forced by means of a blow fan directly through two
successive moistening channels where it is charged with moisture during its passage
to the ordering room, where it is distributed by means of suitable pipes.
For the purpose of securing a perfect circulation, the air is sucked from the
ordering room by means of a separate exhaust fan and then wasted, because the
air which has passed over the tobacco has become charged with unpleasant odours
and impurities which render it unfit to be used over again.
In the accompanying drawings,
Figure 1, is a side elevation of the ordering room, parts being broken away.
Figure 2 is a plan view.
Figure 3 is a transverse section.
Figure 4 is an enlarged view of the moistening channels.
Figure 5 is a plan view of the moistening channels and
Figure 6 is a detailed view.
This is a closed room made of any shape or
A represents the ordering room.
size to suit the purpose. In this the tobacco is suspended on ronds, wires or
other devices, so that its surface is exposed to the air as it circulates through the
room.
Pine No 1 for conducting the air into the ordering room is branched at point 2

page_text: after which it enters the ordering room on both sides. Inside of this room these
branches of the air pipes are provided each with a series of vertical pipes 3, 3,
which have openings 4, 4, 4, therein through which the air is discharged into the
room, shutters or valves 5, 5, being provided for opening or closing and varying the
size of the openings to regulate the quantity of moist air discharged at different
points into the room accordingly as required to act best upon the contained
tobacco.
3
The pipes 6, 6, 6, leading centrally through the top of the room are suction
pipes through which the air is removed by means of a separate exhaust fan and
wasted. B represents a fan and is constructed so as to force the air into the
ordering room. The two moistening channels C, C, are placed at some con-
venient place in the circuit so that the air will pass through them and become
thoroughly charged with moisture during its passage from the fan to the ordering
room.
These moistening channels are of peculiar construction and as they comprise an
essential feature of the invention, deserve special attention. They consist of two
square channels as shown in the drawings. A short pipe leads from the fan into
the top of the first channel and the top of the second channel is connected by
means of a similar pipe with the supply pipe. The two channels-are-connected at
the bottom by means of a circular pipe as shown in the figure. Thus the whole,
forms a continuous passage from the fan to the supply pipe. Inside of each channel
. a number of endless cloths or aprons 10, 10, are hung.
These are stretched over rods 11, 11, of wood or metal and over the rounded
plates or hoods 12, 12, spaces being left between them for the circulation and
passage of air through the channels.
A number of perforated water pipes 13, 13, are located in each channel and
these lead beneath the plates or hoods 12, 12. These pipes are supplied from a
main 14, and the quantity of water discharged is regulated by the valves 15, 15.
By this means the aprons or cloths are kept constantly saturated with cold water
and in case there should be at any time a surplus of such water draining down
from the aprons, a water trap 16 is provided in the circular pipe which connects
the two channels for the collection and the removal of the surplus water. Between
the fan and the first moistening channel is placed a small heater 20 of any suitable
construction. This is used for the purpose of raising the temperature of the blast
so as to increase its capacity for absorbing moisture from the wet cloths or aprons.
After the moisture has been absorbed the air is reduced to its normal temperature.
We may also accomplish this by means of a small steam pipe 17 which is placed in
pipe 18, leading from the fan and provided with a suitable nozzle to flare the steam
directly over the top of the first channel.
The steam coming in contact with the cool, wet cloth, is instantly condensed and
the temperature of the air is raised by the heat which is thus liberated. The
casings of the channels may be made of wood, galvanized iron or any suitable
material and are provided with suitable doors for the purpose of adjusting the cloth
repairing, cleaning and etc.
In the operation of ordering, the blast of air is blown through the heater where
its temperature is raised, then down through the first channel and up through the
second, where it is thoroughly charged with moisture and cooled to its normal
degree, thence through the supply pipes to the ordering room where it is thoroughly
circulated and distributed, thence through the suction. pipes to the exhaust fan from
which it is wasted.
The amount of moisture may be regulated by increasing or diminishing the
water supply and the temperature may he regulated by means of the heater or by
means of the steam pipe, in case that method is preferred.
t
It is evident that slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrange-
ment of the several parts described without departing from the spirit and scope of
our invention and hence we do not wish to limit ourselves to the exact con-
struction herein set forth, but reserve the right to make such slight changes

page_text: and alterations as may be best suitable to the localities in which the machines
are used..
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. The combination with a fan, and moistening channels, of an ordering room,
an air supply pipe leading from the moistening channels, pipes leading from this
air supply pipe and located in the room, said pipes having discharge openings
therein, means for regulating the amount of discharge, and pipe or pipes for with-
drawing the air from the ordering room, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a fan, and ordering room, of successive channels with
endless cloths of any material in said channels, sprinkling pipes leading inside of
the cloths and having valves to regulate the discharge and a heater for discharging
heat into the channels, substantially as set forth.
ليمي
.
T1 1000
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, Agents for the Applicants.