Improvements in Processes and Machines for Conditioning Wheat or other Grain for Milling Purposes.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 1st July, 1893
Complete Specification Left, 1st May, 1894-Accepted, 30th June, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Processes and Machines for Conditioning Wheat
or other Grain for Milling Purposes.
I JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM of 32 Seel Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Milling Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The object of this invention is to cause a desired percentage of moisture to enter
into the skin of the wheat or other grain, for the purpose of toughening the same
in such a manner as will cause the least possible amount of moisture to penetrate
into the interior of the wheat or grain.
It is well known to millers that, when the skin of wheat is slightly moist, such
skin does not break up so readily into small bran, nor into small detrimental powder
or impurities, which get into the flour during the processes of milling, as is the case
when such wheat is milled in its normal state of dryness.
It is also well known that it is not desirable to put additional moisture or water
into the white interior of the wheat before it is milled, because such water tends to
deteriorate the values of the resulting flours.
My invention is for the purpose of enabling a miller to put a definite desired
quantity of moisture into the skin of wheat or other grain, with a minimum of risk
of the moisture entering into the interior kernel of the grain, also to enable the
miller to apply such moisture to the skin immediately before the wheat enters the
flour mill machinery to be reduced into flour and offals.
By my invention the miller is enabled to apply moisture to the skin and complete
the separation of the skin from the flour before a very small percentage of such
applied moisture has time to penetrate, or become diffused into the interior kernel
of the grain.
In carrying out this invention, I use the vapour of steam of a low pressure, or I
mix steam with air to form a vapour. I then pass such vapour through the wheat
or other grain in such a manner that a proportion of the water contained in the
vapour is condensed by, and upon, and penetrates into, the skin of the wheat, also,
in such a manner that the temperature of the skin and kernel of the grain, is
increased, owing to the liberation of the latent heat which is set free by the con-
densation of such steam. I then apply a current of air to the moist and warm
grain for the purpose of carrying off any surplus moisture which may lie upon
the grain.
In one method of carrying out my invention I use a vibrating sieve arranged
horizontally or nearly horizontally, such as the well known sieve purifier.
I prefer to arrange a vapour chamber underneath the head of the sieve, and I fit
such chamber with a series of steam pipes with adjustable cock or cocks and steam
jets, for discharging the steam in small minutely divided streams, in such a manner,
and at such a suitable distance underneath the sieve, as will cause a mixture of
the air and the steam to take place whereby vapour is obtained at a suitable
temperature.
I then prefer to cause such vapour to pass by means of an exhaust fan through
the wheat or other grain moving over the head of the sieve into an exhausted
condensing chamber above the same, in such a manner that the moisture contained
in the vapour is condensed upon, and penetrates into the skin of the moving grain,
and at the same time, the spent or used surplus vapour is carried away.

page_text: I then pass the moistened grain from the condensing chamber into a cooling
chamber, in which the grain, as it travels over the tail of the sieve, is exposed to
a current of air which cools it and removes any superfluous moisture from its skin.
I make the current of cooling air either by the well known exhaust or blast fan.
After the grain has passed through the cooling chamber it is sent direct to the
milling machinery.
In another method of carrying out my invention, I arrange so that the currents
of vapour may pass through the vapour chamber and the condensing chamber by
means of a blast fan.
Or I may construct an apparatus as follows:-
A hopper is provided to receive the wheat to be treated, from the hopper the
grain descends by gravity through a vapour chamber, and I cause a current of the
vapour to be either exhausted or blown through the descending grain.
To accomplish this object, I make the grain descend through the chamber
between a casing of wire-work or perforated metal, one side of such casing is
exposed to the vapour, and the other to a conduit, so that a current of the vapour
may be sent through the perforated casing and its contained grain, and from thence,
by means of the conduit, to the outer atmosphere.
In some cases I place a fan in the conduit to draw or exhaust the vapour through
the descending grain and to discharge the surplus uncondensed vapour to the outer
atmosphere.
Or I may make a mixture of air and steam in a separate apparatus, and then
force such mixture by a fan or other means into the chamber through which the
grain is passing to be moistened, and from thence through the perforated casings
and the grain, to the outer atmosphere.
Or I may force the air into the said vapour chamber by a fan or other means,
before the steam mixes with the air in the vapour chamber, and before the vapour
passes through the grain.
The amount of steam used, and moisture added to the wheat is regulated by
cocks as before.
After the grain has been sufficiently moistened in passing through the vapour,
it descends through a similar perforated casing and through a second and similar
chamber for the purpose of being cooled, and to remove the superfluous moisture.
I place a regulating slide, or roller and slide, or equivalent apparatus, at the
bottom of the lower perforated casing, to allow the moistened grain to be discharged
from the machine at any desired rate.
In some cases, I arrange so that the vapour for moistening, and the air for cooling
the grain, are applied by means of vertical or inclined spouts, without the use of a
perforated casing.
In some cases I may use perforated revolving casings in the vapour and cooling
chambers.
In some cases I dispense with the perforated revolving casings, and I use
revolving casings with impervious sides, and, in such case, I cause the vapour and
the air for cooling the grain, to enter at one end of the revolving casing and to
pass out at the opposite end.
In all cases I provide a depositing chamber and outlet below the point at which the
mixture of steam and air first takes place, for the purpose of catching and draining
away any water which may condense, and I arrange the water depositing chamber
and drain therefrom in such a manner that the condensed water cannot come in
contact with the grain.
Dated this 30th day of June 1892

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Processes and Machines for Conditioning Wheat
or other Grain for Milling Purposes.
I, JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM of 32, Secl Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Milling Engineer 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 :-
The object of this invention is to cause a desired percentage of moisture to
enter into the skin of the wheat or other grain, for the purpose of toughening the
same in such a manner as will cause the least possible amount of moisture to
penetrate into the interior of the wheat or grain.
It is well known to millers that, when the skin of wheat is slightly moist, such
skin does not break up so readily into small brau, nor into small detrimental powder
or impurities, which get into the flour during the processes of milling, as is the case
when such wheat is milled in its normal state of dryness.
It is also well known that it is not desirable to put additional moisture or water
into the white interior of the wheat before it is milled, because such water tends to
deteriorate the values of the resulting flours.
My invention is for the purpose of enabling a miller to put a definite desired
quantity of moisture into the skin of wheat or other grain, with a minimum of risk
of the moisture entering into the interior kernel of the grain, also to enable the
miller to apply such moisture to the skin immediately before the wheat enters the
flour mill machinery to be reduced into flour and offals.
By my invention the miller is enabled to apply moisture to the skin and complete
the separation of the skin from the flour before a very small percentage of such
applied moisture has time to penetrate, or become diffused into the interior kernel
of the grain.
In carrying out this invention, I use the vapour of steam of a low pressure, or I
mix steam with air to form a vapour. I then pass such vapour through the wheat or
other grain in such a manner that a proportion of the water contained in the vapour is
condensed by, and upon, and penetrates into, the skin of the wheat, also, in such a
manner that the temperature of the skin and kernel of the grain is increased,
owing to the liberation of the latent heat which is set free by the condensation of
such steam. I then apply a current of air to the moist and warm grain for the
purpose of carrying off any surplus moisture which may lie upon the grain.
On the accompanying drawings-
Figures 1 to 3 illustrate one form of apparatus for carrying out my invention in
which a vibrating sieve is used such as in the well known sieve purifier,
Figure 1 being a sectional elevation ;
Figure 2 a vertical transverse section, and
Figure 3, a sectional plan of such apparatus.
In these,
A is a vapour chamber arranged underneath the head of the vibrating sieve a.
In this chamber are fitted a series of steam pipes B with adjustable cock or
cocks and steam jets &¹ for discharging the steam in small minutely divided
streams, in such a manner, and at such a suitable distance underneath the sieve as
will cause a mixture of the air and the steam to take place whereby vapour is
obtained at a suitable temperature. The vapour is then caused to pass by means
of an exhaust fan C through the wheat or other grain moving over the head of the
sieve a into an exhausted condensing chamber D above the same in such a manner
that the moisture contained in the vapour condensed upon and penetrates into
the skin of the moving grain and at the same time the spent or used surplus vapour
is carried away.
The moistened grain then passes along the sieve from the condensing chamber D

page_text: moisture from its skin.
I produce the current of cooling air either by the well known exhaust or
blast fan.
After the grain has passed through the cooling chamber it is sent direct to the
milling machinery.
F is a steam separator; G, a steam trap; and H a drain pipe draining into
tray
I.
In another method of carrying out my invention, I arrange so that the currents
of vapour may pass through the vapour chamber and the condensing chamber by
means of a blast fan.
Figures 4 to 7 on the accompanying drawings depict another convenient form of
apparatus for carrying out this invention,
Figure 4 being a sectional elevation ;
Figure 5 a modification of a part of Figure 4;
Figure 6, a side elevation; and
Figure 7, a sectional plan of such apparatus.
In these, a hopper c is provided to receive the wheat to be treated, from this
hopper the grain descends by gravity through a vapour chamber A, and a current
of the vapour is caused to be either exhausted or blown through the descending
grain.
To accomplish this object, I make the grain descend through the chamber A
between a casing of wire-work or perforated metal d, one side of such casing being
exposed to the vapour, and the other to a conduit J having adjustable air valves j,
so that a current of the vapour may be sent through the perforated casing and its
contained grain, and from thence by means of the conduit, to the outer atmosphere.
Or, instead of a perforated metal casing, louvre boards might be arranged as shown
in Figure 5.
In some cases, I place a fan C in the conduit to draw or exhaust the vapour
through the descending grain, and to discharge the surplus uncondensed vapour to
the outer atmosphere.
Or I may make a mixture of air and steam in a separate apparatus, and then
force such mixture by a fan or other means into the chamber through which the
grain is passing to be moistened, and from thence through the perforated casings or
louvre boards and the grain, to the outer atmosphere.
Or I may force the air into the said vapour chamber by a fan or other means,
before the steam mixes with the air in the vapour chamber, and before the vapour
passes through the grain.
The amount of steam used and moisture added to the wheat is regulated by cocks
as before.
After the grain has been sufficiently moistened in passing through the vapour, it
descends through a similar perforated casing and through a second and similar
chamber for the purpose of being cooled, and to remove the superfluous moisture.
I place a regulating slide K, or roller k and slide, or equivalent apparatus, at the
bottom of the lower perforated casing, to allow the moistened grain to be discharged
from the machine at any desired rate.
In both forms of apparatus, like letters refer to like parts.
In some cases, I arrange so that the vapour for moistening and the air for cooling
the grain are applied by means of vertical or inclined spouts, without the use of a
perforated casing.
In some cases, I may use perforated revolving casings in the vapour and cooling
chambers.
In some cases, I dispense with the perforated revolving casings, and I use
revolving casings with impervious sides, and, in such case, I cause the vapour and
the air for cooling the grain, to enter at one end of the revolving casing and to pass
out at the opposite end.

page_text: In all cases, I provide a depositing chamber and outlet below the point at which
the mixture of steam and air first takes place, for the purpose of catching and
draining away any water which may condense, and I arrange the water depositing
chamber and drain therefrom in such a manner that the condensed water cannot
come in contact with the grain.
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
1. The improvement in the process of conditioning wheat or other grain for
milling purposes, which consists in passing a mixture of air and steam through a.
stream of the grain on its way to the milling apparatus and then passing cold air
through the continuation of that stream of grain substantially as described.
2. The machine for conditioning grain substantially as described in reference to
Figures 1, 2 and 3, in which the grain passes over a perforated or porous surface,.
through the first portion of which a mixture of steam and air and through the
succeeding portion cold air are caused to pass in preferably continuous currents.
3. The machine for conditioning grain substantially as described in reference to.
Figures 4 to 7 inclusive, in which there is a column of wheat, a chamber or chambers
on one side supplied with air and steam at one part and air alone at another part,
and a chamber or chambers on the other side of the column with means for forcing
or drawing the aëriform contents of the first mentioned chamber or chambers
through the column of grain into the other chamber or chambers.
4. In combination with apparatus such as claimed under Claims 2 or 3, the
various devices and arrangements for withdrawing condensed water substantially as.
described, also the machinery substantially as set forth in Claims 2 and 3 respectively,
and the process set forth in Claim 1 with the stream of cold air or cold air chambers
omitted.
Dated this 1st day or
May 1894.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, Nottingham, and London,
Patent Agents.