AN IMPROVED GERMINATING APPARATUS FOR MALTING PURPOSES
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Ernest de Pass, of the Office for British and Foreign
Patents, 68, Fleet Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, for an
Invention of "AN IMPROVED GERMINATING APPARATUS FOR MALTING
PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by La Société Quiri et Compagnie,
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Ernest de Pass at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 5th August 1880.
86
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for British and Foreign Patents, 68, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent. AN IMPROVED GERMINATING APPARATUS
FOR MALTING PURPOSES." A communication from abroad by La Société Quiri et
Compagnie, of 1, Boulevard Saint-Denis, Paris, France, Mechanicians.
This improved germinating apparatus consists of a shaft of square sectional area
and of suitable height, the upper part of which is closed by a moveable lid covering
the feed hole, and the lower part by a solid bottom provided with an opening for
allowing the exit of the green malt. Perforated sheet iron partitions or divisions
are placed in the shaft at certain distances apart, and divided into, say, twelve
compartments. These divisions or partitions are of special construction, and are
either of the shape of truncated pyramids, or of flat surfaces with two adjacent
inclined planes. Each of these partitions is provided with a double register or
damper, also of perforated sheet iron, the two parts of which are actuated by means
of set screws provided with hand wheels. These partitions may also be made quite
straight or in the shape of a truncated cone; they may also be fitted with one or
with several registers or dampers; or instead of registers or dampers, straight or .
inclined traps may be used and fixed by any suitable means. At the left hand
side the apparatus is fitted throughout its height with a series of tubes or conduits,
one of which is fixed directly under every alternate perforated sheet iron partition
aforesaid. All these tubes open into a flue or channel by which the air enters or is
admitted; they need not be fitted with dampers or valves, but are provided with
thermometers, and with glazed sight holes to allow of the introduction of an

page_text: anemometer, and for reading the velocity of the air during the working or the
apparatus.
At the right hand side and throughout its entire height the apparatus is fitted
with another set of conducting tubes, each of which is fixed to one of those
partitions, which are not provided with one of the first set of conducting tubes.
All the tubes of the second set open into an outlet or suction flue or channel, and
each is fitted with a damper or valve for regulating the intensity of the current of
air, and also with a thermometer, a glazed window or sight hole, and an
anemometer.
Both these sets of tubes are provided with wire gauze for preventing the grain
falling into the flues or channels.
Just below each perforated sheet iron partition, and at front of the apparatus, are
manholes, which are fitted with glazed doors; and behind, the apparatus is fitted
with sight holes. These manholes and sight holes, as well as a staircase and stages
or landings, are necessary for supervising and working the apparatus.
The air inlet channel or flue is provided with two registers or dampers, one for
regulating the admission of air from the place in which the apparatus is standing,
the other for regulating the admission from outside such place.
The outlet or suction channel or flue communicates at its lower part with a fan
or blower, or with a pump for drawing air through the layers of grain contained in
the apparatus, and forcing it into a saturator connecting the channels or flues
together. This saturator is provided with suitable means by which the temperature
of the air can be lowered by the evaporation of water. The saturator is also
provided with a grid or grating, upon which ice may be placed if necessary; but
any other form or construction of saturator which will suit the required settings up
may be employed. The saturator and the connecting tubes between the two flues
or channels may be constructed of double brick walls, or they may be of wood, or of
any other suitable material.
Thus it will be seen that the apparatus works by means of the air brought by
the channels, either from the inside of the premises or from outside, or else the air
which has already passed through the layers may be again used. The application
of this system of leading the air through channels, and also passing it through a
saturator is here claimed as a special feature in this Invention; but the apparatus
may however be worked without passing the air through the channels if desired.
The apparatus may be constructed of sheet iron or of any other suitable material,
and it may also be divided in its height into two or more apparatus, each
comprising two or more compartments according to the requirements of the setting
up or the manufacture.
The working is as follows:-
The grain after having been steeped in vats, and after having been exposed or
not in the granary according to the manner adopted by the maltster, is placed into
the uppermost division of the apparatus, and the lid is then closed and the fan or
blower started; after twelve hours blowing the grain is lowered from the upper-
most compartment into that directly below it, the blowing continuing, and whilst
this is done the air passages are regulated by means of the valves. Immediately
the grain has left the uppermost compartment, this compartment is recharged with
fresh material coming from the steeping vats. After a further twelve hours blowing
the same operation is repeated, and so on until the sixth day, when the apparatus
is completely charged or filled. From that day forward the apparatus produces in
every twelve hours the twelfth part of its contents in green malt, that is to say, the
quantity corresponding to the capacity of one compartment.
The spontaneous descent of the grain from one compartment to the other through
the openings of the registers or dampers is effected by means of a stick, and by
sweeping at the end of the fall. All shovelling or mechanical turning over or
stirring is thus avoided by means of this apparatus.
That which goes on during the blowing or fanning is as follows:-
It has been before stated that each air inlet tube and each air outlet tube'

page_text: corresponds to two compartments of the apparatus. By this arrangement and by
means of the force of suction of the fan or blower, a lowering of the pressure of the
air takes place in front of the exit tube, and a pressure is produced in front of each
inlet tube, it follows then that for two consecutive compartments, the layer of one is
traversed by an upward current of air, and the layer of the other by a downward
current of air.
By means of this arrangement the uniformity of vegetation of the grain during
the period of its germination is perfect.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Ernest de Pass in the Great Scal Patent Office on the 4th February
1881.
22
ERNEST DE PASS, of the Office for British and Foreign Patents, 68, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, Patent Agent. AN IMPROVED GERMINATING APPARATUS
FOR MALTING PURPOSES." A. communication from abroad by La Société Quiri et
Compagnie, of 1, Boulevard Saint-Denis, Paris, France, Mechanicians.
This Invention relates to an improved germinating apparatus for malting
purposes and has for its object to construct an inexpensive mechanical germinator
containing as few working parts as possible, which, by reason of its cheapness, is
within reach of all concerned, whilst it fulfils all the conditions of durability, and
offers the greatest guarantee for ensuring a first class manufacture, capable of being
produced in thick layers, in any locality, in all seasons, and without shovelling or
mechanical stirring.
In the accompanying Drawings, which illustrate an apparatus constructed
according to this Invention, Fig. 1 is an exterior elevation, partly in section, of the
germinator; Fig. 2 is a plan, also partly in section; Fig. 3 shews a vertical section
of a flue or channel provided for the passage of air and for cooling the interior of
the apparatus; Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of one compartment with two dampers,
shewing details of construction; Fig. 5 is a plan of the same. Figs. 1, 2, & 3 are
drawn on a scale of 0.03 per metre, and Figs. 5 & 6, 004 per metre.
This germinating apparatus consists of a shaft A, of square sectional area, and
about 11 metres (36 feet) high.
This shaft is closed at its upper part by a moveable lid or cover m covering the
feed opening, and at its lower part by a solid bottom, provided with a door for
the exit of the green malt.
a, a, are perforated sheet iron partitions which are fixed in the apparatus and
divide it into twelve compartments, the said partitions being placed as follows,
viz., The first at 075 from the upper level or top; the next, 075 below the
first; the third at 0.80 lower down; the fourth at 0.85 lower down; the fifth at
0.90 lower down, and the subsequent ones at one metre apart.

page_text: These partitions are of special construction, and are either of the shape of
inverted truncated pyramids or of flat surfaces, with two adjacent parts in inclined
planes.
Each of these partitions is provided with a double damper or register b, also of
perforated sheet iron, the two parts of which are actuated by means of set-screws
provided with hand wheels c, c.
These partitions may be made of truncated cone shape, as stated, or quite flat,
and may be fitted with one or more dampers; the latter may however be replaced
by straight or inclined traps fixed by latches, or by other suitable means or
devices.
At the left hand side and throughout its height the apparatus is fitted with a
series of tubes or communicating passages f, the first of which is fixed imme-
diately below the cover m; the second, immediately below the second perforated
sheet iron partition; the third, immediately below the fourth partition; the fourth,
immediately below the sixth partition; the fifth, immediately below the eighth
partition; and the seventh and last, immediately below the twelfth partition.
All these tubes open into the flue or channel B, which serves for the circulation
of air required for vegetation, and the said tubes are provided with valves or
dampers, with thermometers i, and with glazed doors through which an anemo-
meter may be introduced to allow the velocity of the air to be ascertained during
the process of germination.
At the right hand side and throughout its height the the apparatus is fitted with
another series of tubes or communicating passages g, the first of which is fixed
immediately below the first perforated sheet iron partition; the second below the
third, and so on, including the sixth tube g, which is fixed below the eleventh
partition. One of these tubes being placed below each partition under which none
of the first herein-described tubes fis provided.
All theee tubes g open into the flue or channel C, also provided for the
circulation of the air required for vegetation, and they are each provided with a
damper or valve h for regulating the intensity of the current of air, with a
thermometer, and with a glazed door for the introduction of an anemometer.
All these tubes, those at the left as well as those at the right, are fitted with
wire screens to prevent the grain under treatment entering the passages B and C.
Immediately below each perforated partition, and at the front of the apparatus,
are manholes & fitted with glazed doors, and at back the apparatus is fitted
with sight holes. These manholes and glazed doors, as well as the stairs
and stages or landings 1, are necessary for the supervision and working of the
apparatus.
The flues or channels B and C are each furnished with a damper, the damper E
serving for regulating the admission of air from the locality in which the apparatus
is erected, and the damper D for regulating the admission of air from outside such
locality.
Both the flues or channels B and C open at their lower ends into brickwork
refrigerators R hereinafter described.
These two refrigerators are in communication with a fan or blower by means
of passages provided with dampers. The passage E serves for introducing air by
means of the said fan and the passage E' for exhausting air by the same means.
The object of this fan, or blower is to introduce fresh and damp air into the layers
of germinating grain in the apparatus, and thus to provide the latter with the
oxygen required for vegetation, and to exhaust the carbonic acid and heat arising
from the chemical action which take place during the process of germination.
Dampers placed between the flues or channels B & C and the refrigerators, allow
the air to be drawn in by the blower through the passage B, and to be expelled by
the passage C, or inversely, to allow the fan or blower to draw in air through the
passage C and to expel it through the passage B, as may be desired.
The consequence of this arrangement is, that by simply operating the dampers
the direction of the current of air through the layers of grain can be changed

page_text: '
instantly, and as often as desired. If, for instance (by way of example), the fan
or blower draws the air in through the flue or channel C, expelling it through the
flue or channel B, the air passes downwards through the layer of grain of the upper
partition; but if on the contrary the position of the dampers in the passages B
and C be inverted and the fan or blower draws in the air through the flue or
passage B, expelling it through the flue or passage C, the direction of the current
of air through the layer of grain of the upper partitions will be upwards. The
same inversion will take place for the other partitions.
The readiness with which the direction of the current of air passing through
the layers can be altered, affords great facility for maintaining regularity of
temperature of the grain and its uniform dampness, which are two essential
requirements for a good germination.
The apparatus for cooling and damping the air circulating in the germinator are,
as herein before stated, placed between each of the flues or channels B and C and
the fan or blower.
These two refrigerators are each a simple chamber in brickwork, of some metres
cubic capacity (according to the capacity or size of the apparatus), they may be
of any suitable shape, and are furnished inwardly with atomizers, which continually
sprinkle fresh water of as low a temperature as possible on half twisted cords or
bundles of thorns, or any spongy bodies, and by this continous watering, the air
in circulation is continually cooled and maintained sufficiently damp.
These refrigerators are also provided with a grid or grating, upon which ice may
be placed if necessary. Any other suitable forin or construction of refrigerator
may however be employed.
The refrigerators and the communicating tubes between the two flues or
channels B and C may be constructed of double brick walls, or they may be of
wood or other suitable material.
Thus, it will be seen that the apparatus works by means of the circulation of air
introduced by the passages, either from the locality in which the apparatus stands,
or from the outside thereof, or the air, which has already passed through the layers,
may be again used.
As before stated, the above described method of leading the air through channels
or passages, and of passing it through a saturator is a special feature in this
Invention; the apparatus may however be worked without passing the air through
the channels, if the climate allows of it.
The apparatus shewn in the Drawings is constructed of sheet iron, but it may be
constructed of any other suitable material, and it may also be divided throughout
its height into two or more apparatus, each comprising two or more compartments
according to the requirements of each erection or manufacture.
The apparatus may be so arranged that the air flues or channels are made of the
same material as the apparatus itself, and form a part of its structure, and in this
case, the communicating tubes g and ƒ would be dispensed with.
The working of the apparatus is as follows:-The grain, after having been
steeped in vats, and after having been exposed or not in heaps for a short time in
the granary, according to the manner adopted by the malster, is placed in the
uppermost division of the apparatus, so as to fill the same to a height of 0.55
to 060. The lid or cover m is then closed and the fan or blower started, only
the passages communicating with the charged compartments being left open. The
registers of the other passages are then tightly closed to suppress the circulation of
the air through the empty compartments.
At the end of twelve hours blowing, the grain is lowered from the uppermost
compartment into the one directly below it, the blowing continuing during the
whole time, and whilst this is done the air passages are set by means of the
valves h, according to the nature of the grain to be germinated, the malster being
able to increase or diminish at will the duration of these intervals of charging, and
in thus finishing the germination in a greater or lesser number of days, six to nine
days being sufficient in all cases.

page_text: Immediately the grain has left the uppermost compartment, this compartment is
re-charged with fresh material from the steeping vats.
After another twelve hours blowing the same operation is repeated, and so on up
to the sixth day, when the apparatus is completely charged or filled. From that
day forward the apparatus produces in every twelve hours at twelfth part of its
contents in green inalt, that is to say, the quantity corresponding to the capacity
of one compartment.
The descent of the grain from one compartment to the other, through the
opening of the dampers or registers is spontaneously effected, and a sweep of the
brush at the end of the descent clears the bottom of the compartment, and thus all
shovelling or mechanical turning over, or stirring, is dispensed with.
That which takes place during the fanning or blowing is as follows:-It has
been before stated, and the Drawing also shews that each air tube for g,
according to the side of the apparatus, corresponds to two compartments of the
apparatus, adjacent to the end tube, viz., one compartment above and the other
below.
By this arrangement, and by reason of the force of suction of the fan or blower,
a lowering of the pressure of the air takes place in front of the tubes communicating
with the Hue through which air is drawn in by the fan, and an increased pressure
is produced in front of each tube communicating with the flue through which air
is admitted.
It follows that in any two compartments adjacent to each other, the layer in the
one is traversed by an upward current of air, and the layer in the other by a
downward current of air, as is clearly indicated by the arrows in Figure 1, where
the two lower compartments are shewn in section.
Furthermore, the means for converting the inlet flue or channel into an outlet
flue or channel, and vice versa, permit of changing several times a day the
direction of the current of air introduced for facilitating vegetation in the layers,
and thus, obtaining with great facility the regularity of temperature and equality
of dampness for the grain.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and in what manner
the same may be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First. The improved germinating apparatus for malting purposes, constructed,
arranged, and operating substantially as herein described and shewn in the
Drawings.
Second. The method of leading the air through channels or passages and of
passing it through a saturator, substantially as described for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, 'the said Ernest de Pass, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Second day of February, One thousand eight hundred and
eighty one.