Improvements in the Method and Apparatus for Cleaning Wheat and other Grain.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Oct., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 19th Aug., 1893-Accepted, 28th Oct., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method and Apparatus for Cleaning Wheat
and other Grain.
I, HENRY SIMON, of No. 20 Mount Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
For cleaning wheat and other grain it is usual to employ strong currents of
air produced by a fan to blow through the grain as it descends from a hopper or
shoot, or to carry off dust separated from the grain by beaters or otherwise. In
carrying on this operation a large quantity of dust is often separated from the grain
and carried off by the air, which being thus dust laden is noxious and dangerous.
It has been proposed to use the same air over and over again, but this cannot
be done unless ample provision is made for clearing the air of most of its dust
before it again acts upon the grain. My invention relates to a method of so far
clearing the air from dust as to render it available for continuously repeated use in
cleaning the grain, and to compact and simple apparatus for carrying this method
out in practice. I provide a one sided fan arranged to draw air in at a central
aperture and to blow it out by a narrow annular passage at the circumference. This
passage leads to species of annular pocket formed in the casing of the fan, through
which pocket the air is carried in a direction first forwards and then backwards
finally issuing into a channel by which it is led to be passed to the grain-clean-
clearing apparatus and back to the central aperture of the fan.
But in order that the air thus circulating may be cleared from a large portion of
its dust, I provide a narrow passage around the annular pocket of the fan case with
an opening or with several openings from the pocket into this passage, and I lead
this passage to a small dust collector or separator of any known kind, preferably
such a separator as is described in the Specification No. 9423 of 1886. As the air
and dust whirl rapidly round in the pocket, the dust owing to its superior specific
gravity is caused by centrifugal force to rise into the narrow passage, accompanied
with a little of the air, the rest of the air which returns to act on the grain being
thus freed from the principal part of its dust. To make up for the discharge of the
small quantity of air with the dust, fresh air may be admitted by the channel by
which the cleaned grain passes away, or by apertures in any suction part of the air
channels.
Suitable valves are employed to regulate the air currents in their respective
channels.
تيمم
1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Method and Apparatus for Cleaning Wheat
and other Grain.
1, HENRY SIMON, of No. 20 Mount Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Civil 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 :-
For cleaning wheat and other grain it is usual to employ strong currents of air
produced by a fan to blow through the grain as it descends from a hopper or

page_text: shoot, or to carry off dust separated from the grain by beaters or otherwise. In
carrying on this operation ก large quantity of dust is often separated from the
grain and carried off by the air, which being thus dust laden is noxious and
dangerous.
It has been proposed to use the same air over and over again, but this cannot
be done unless ample provision is made for clearing the air of most of its dust
before it again acts upon the grain. My invention relates to a method of so far
clearing the air from dust as to render it available for continuously repeated use in
cleaning the grain, and to compact and simple apparatus for carrying this method
out in practice.
I provide a fan arranged to draw air in at a central aperture and to blow it out
by a narrow annular passage at the circumference, finally issuing into a channel by
which it is led again to the grain cleaning apparatus and back to the central
aperture of the fan.
But in order that the air thus circulating may be cleared from a large portion of
its dust, I provide in the annular passage of the fan case a pocket which by
preference is connected to a dust collector or separator of any known kind,
preferably such a separator as is described in the Specification No. 9423 of 1886.
As the air and dust whirl rapidly round in the pocket along which the current
of air rushes first forwards and then backwards the dust owing to its superior
specific gravity is caused by centrifugal force to pass into the channel leading to
the dust collector accompanied by a little of the air the rest of the air which
returns to act on the grain being thus freed from the principal part of its dust.
To make up for the small quantity of air which is discharged with the dust, air
is admitted preferably by the channel by which the cleaned grain passes away.
Suitable valves are employed to regulate the air currents in their respective
channels.
Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings are vertical sections on planes at right
angles to one another of apparatus according to this invention for cleaning wheat
and other grain, Fig. 1 being taken on X X of Fig. 2, and Fig. 2 on Y Y of Fig 1.
Fig. 3 is a vertical section on Z Z of Fig. 1 and Fig. 4 is a sectional plan on U U
of Fig. 1.
From a hopper H (Fig. 2) the grain in regulated quantity is delivered by a feed
roller R and descends in a shower into the cavity of a worm conveyor W. As the
shower of grain descends a current of air, descending the channel A (which is
provided with a regulating valve V) and sweeping round under the casing of W
ascends the channel C, passing through the shower of grain and carrying with it
dust and light impurities.
The part of the apparatus so far described forms the subject of a separate
application for Patent, and is not here claimed.
From the channel C the air expands into a pyramidal chamber D in the bottom
of which the heavier impurities collect and from which they issue by a door d.
From the upper part of D the air, more or less laden with dust, passes through
a circular opening E into the casing of the fan of which the blades marked F
are fixed on a cone f. The air has to pass the edge off while it is rapidly
rotating and forwards into and backwards out of an annular pocket G formed in
the casing of the fan. The dust accompanying the air in virtue of its greater
gravity, is thrown by centrifugal force against the outer side of G along which
it travels until it finds its way out along with a portion of the air by a tube I
leading to a tangential inlet J into a dust collector K of the kind known as
"The Cyclone."
In this the dust sweeps round descending to a delivery orifice at L, while the
portion of air which accompanied the dust is separated from it and issues by a
passage M free from dust.
Instead of providing a single aperture from the pocket G to the tube I, an
annular channel indicated by the dotted lines Q may be formed around the
pocket G, with openings into it at intervals or open to G all round,

page_text: In that case the dust with a portion of the air sweeps round within the channel Q
finally passing by I to the dust collector.
In cases where it is not desired to collect the dust, the tube I may lead to any
convenient outlet for the dust laden air.
The great body of the air, as already stated, returns from the fan to the
descending channel A to act again on the grain, and to make up for the small
quantity of air which passes away with the dust, air is drawn in by the suction
of the fan through the outlet for the cleaned grain from the casing of the
conveyor W.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described method of cleaning wheat and other grain by causing a
current of air to pass through a descending shower of the grain to a fan so
arranged that while the dust along with a small portion of the air is caused by
centrifugal force to pass to a dust collector or elsewhere the main body of the air
freed from dust returns to operate again on the grain.
2. In grain cleaning apparatus, in combination with the channels conveying a
current of air to act on a shower of grain and conveying the dust laden air from
the grain, a fan having a narrow annular passage around its edge leading into an
annular pocket formed in the casing in which pocket the rapidly rotating air flows
forwards and then backwards, the dust, along with a portion of the air, escaping
by an outlet from the pocket, substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of August 1893.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.