A Process for Preparing, Moistening, Assimilating, and Malting Barley, Grain, and other Farinaceous Matter by Steam for Milling, Feeding, and other Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Feb., 188?
Complete Left, 7th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 13th Dec., 1887
A Process for Preparing, Moistening, Assimilating, and Malting
Barley, Grain, and other Farinaceous Matter by Steam for
Milling, Feeding, and other Purposes.
I ROBERT WOOD, of the West Wharf Cardiff in the County of Glamorgan, Miller
do hereby declare the nature of iny invention for PREPARING, MOISTENING, ASSIMIL-
LATING AND MALTING BARLEY GRAIN AND OTHER FARINACEOUS MATTER BY STEAM
to be as follows:-
Quantities of native and imported barley, and other farinaceous seeds, become so
dessicated and hardened, as to have lost the quality technically described as
mellowness, and cause greatly increased wear and tear to the machinery employed
in grinding and milling the same; also necessitating a larger expenditure of motive
power than would otherwise be required-The several objects attained in this process,
are the moistening, mellowing, and restoring those qualities which have been lost by
dessication-Reducing the time occupied in milling; also the friction and wear of
machinery Causing a partial germination of, and improving the feeding qualities
of the barley, or other farinaceous matter, and increasing the yield and improving
the colour and appearance of the meal.
I accomplish these results, after cleansing from all foreign and extraneous matter,
by passing the grain through a hopper or vessel having an inclined bottom, over
which the grain gravitates, and discharges itself, through an adjustable mouth into a
machine, or steamer, in which the grain is agitated and submitted to the influence of
steam- This machine is operated in such a manner as to be continuous in its action,
receiving the grain, agitating and exposing the surfaces of the same to the influence
of steam, passing the grain on and finally discharging it into a chamber or vessel in
which the assimillating and germinating part of the process is carried on.
The assimillating and germinating chamber or vessel, has an inclined hopper
bottom and is provided with necessary means for discharging its contents-Two or
more of these chambers or vessels are ranged in a series, in such a manner, that

page_text: when one chamber is full of steamed grain, the discharge from the steamer may be
directed into another-In these assimillating and germinating chambers, the steamed
grain is allowed to remain, untill the moisture and heat it has received in the process
of steaming has permeated equally the interior and exterior parts of the grain, and
the whole mass is assimillated in its condition and degree, or state, of moisture, and
untill it has commenced to germinate-These conditions being attained, the grain is
discharged from the assimillating and germinating chamber, and when, intended for
reduction to meal is conveyed between rollers, by which it is partially reduced-The
grain is subsequently reduced to fine meal much more rapidly than when treated in
the ordinary way-When intended for whole malt, the grain is conveyed from the
assimillating and germinating chamber and is passed through a machine in which
the further development of the process of germination is arrested, and from which
the barley, or other farinaceous matter, is discharged in a malted condition.
Dated this 5th day of February 1887.

page_text: A Process for Preparing, Moistening, Assimilating, and Malting
Barley, Grain, and other Farinaceous Matter by Steam for
Milling, Feeding, and other Purposes.
I ROBERT WOOD of the West Wharf, Cardiff, in the County of Glamorgan, Miller,
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:-
It is matter of common experience that quantities of native and imported barley,
and other farinaceous seeds, become so desiccated and hardened as to have lost the
quality technically described as mellowness; and cause greatly increased wear and
tear to the machinery employed in grinding and milling the same; also necessitating
a larger expenditure of motive power than would otherwise be required if said
mellowness had not been lost.
The several objects attained by my process are the moistening, mellowing, and
restoring those qualities which have been lost by desiccation, reducing the time
occupied in milling, as well as the wear and tear of the milling machinery, causing a
partial or complete germination or malting of, and improving the feeding qualities
of the grain, or other farinaceous matter, and increasing the yield, and improving
the color and appearance of the meal.
I accomplish these results after cleaning from all foreign and extraneous matter
by passing the grain through a hopper or vessel having an inclined bottom, over
which the grain gravitates, and discharges itself through an adjustable mouth into
a steamer in which the grain is agitated and submitted to the influence of steam.
The steamer is operated in such a manner as to be continuous in its action, receiving
the grain, agitating and exposing the surface of the same to the influence of steam,
passing the grain on, and finally discharging it into a chamber, or vessel, or floor,
in which the assimilating part of the process is carried on.
The assimilating chamber, or vessel, or floor, has an inclined hopper-bottom or
flat-bottom as required, and is provided with necessary means for discharging its
contents. Two or more of these chambers, or vessels, or floors, are ranged in a
series, in such a manner that when one chamber is sufficiently full of steamed grain,
the discharge from the steamer may be directed into another.
In these assimilating chambers or floors, the steamed grain is allowed to remain
when required for milling until the moisture and beat it has received in the process
of steaming has permeated equally the interior and exterior parts of the grain, and
the whole mass is assimilated in its condition and degree or state of moisture. These
conditions being attained, the grain is discharged from the assimilating chamber, and
when intended for reduction to meal may be led between rollers by which it is
partially reduced. The grain can then be milled much more rapidly than when
treated in the ordinary way. Or it may be passed between rollers after leaving the
winnower and before it enters the steamer.

page_text: When the grain is to be malted, it is conveyed from the steamer in its warm state
to the assimilating and germinating chamber, and allowed to remain there, in about
the same warm moist state, at a suitable temperature, till sufficiently germinated.
By this means germination is accomplished in much less time than in the ordinary
method of malting. From this chamber it is elevated and passed, and if necessary
repassed, through a machine or machines which keep the grain in constant motion in
warm air, during which the further development of the process of germination is
arrested, and from which the barley grain, or other farnicaeous matter, is discharged
in a dry and malted condition.
The necessary warm air is brought from any convenient source, and a fan may be
used for facilitating the supply and preserving its regularity.
In order that my invention, and the means by which the same may be carried into
practical effect, may be thoroughly understood, I will proceed to describe the same
in detail, referring in so doing to the accompanying figures, which illustrate the
embodiment of my invention in its entirety in a four floor building, although I wish
it to be distinctly understood that I do not confine myself to the relative positions of
the several parts of the apparatus illustrated, inasmuch as these may be varied some-
what without departing from the substance of my invention."
Figures 1 and 2 are, respectively, elevations illustrating the general arrangement
of the apparatus for effecting the process which is the subject of my invention, each
one taken on opposite sides of a vertical division dividing the second floor.
A is a hopper into which the grain to be operated on is tipped, and from which it
falls into a winnower B in which the grain is cleaned. I do not confine myself to
any particular construction of winnower nor to any particular method of driving it.
The winnower is furnished with two shoots b, the former of which is adapted
to deliver into a crusher C, and the latter into the steamer D.
The crusher C is also furnished with a suitable delivering spout adapted to deliver
the crushed grain into the said steamer, when it is required to subject the grain to a
process of crushing between those of winnowing and steaming.
D is a cylindrical vessel into which steam is supplied by suitable supply pipes, d,
and from which it escapes through vertical pipes, d', which are shewn in the figures
as being led away vertically through the roof, and their extremities fitted with
suitable weather guards.
Inside the cylinder, D, is mounted a traverser, d², preferably of the endless worm
type, although any other type of traverser may be used provided that it can be
worked conveniently within a steam-charged cylinder.
E is a shoot fixed in a position suitable for receiving the grain from the steamer
and conducting it to the assimilating and germinating chamber F.
G is one of a series of assimilating chambers or hoppers constructed upon the
first floor, and suitable means are provided by which the grain in process of delivery
from the steamer can be led into the chamber G successively as they become filled.
Each of these chambers is adapted to deliver into sacks or other removable receptacles
by means of shoots g.
The chamber F to be used as an assimilating and germinating chamber when it is
required that the grain should be subjected to both processes at the same time, for
malting purposes, is fitted with a gridiron or equivalent set of steam pipes, H, under
the floor for the purpose of keeping the chamber floor warm and thereby hastening
germination.
1 is a vertical partition shutting off from the rest of the building the shaft of the
elevator J.
The elevator shaft is continued to a lower level than that of the assimilating and
germinating floor, and a suitable removable door or slide, h, is provided, the removal
of which opens up a direct communication between said floor and cavity, and through
which the grain can be shovelled into the said cavity, from which the elevator is
adapted to raise it and to deliver it into the second floor or warm chamber K.
The warm chamber K is divided by a partition, k, from the rest of the same floor.
L is a tapered revolving sieve. It is furnished with a suitable shoot for the

page_text: purpose of receiving the moist grain from the elevator, and delivering the same into
the sieve.
M, M, are two shakers of different gauge, the top one coarser than the latter.
These three sieves are, with the other moving parts of the herein described
apparatus, driven in any convenient way.
By means of the three sieves L, M, and M', the grain from the elevator is kept
moving through a current of hot air.
The grain from the second shaking sieve, M, is transferred to the chamber, N, on
the first floor through a shoot, n, which is furnished with a suitable non-return valve
of any suitable construction adapted to allow the grain to fall past it, but to prevent
a current of hot air from the chamber, N, ascending through it.
The object of the chamber, N, is to allow the grains of different sizes, and therefore
some dryer than others, to assimilate in respect of moisture and also of temperature.
O is a shoot leading from the chamber N to the elevator shaft.
P is a pipe leading from the top of the engine house, or other suitable or convenient
source of hot air, to the drying room, K.
The winnower, B, is, preferably, adapted by suitable openings and connections
between it, the drying room, and the open air, to discharge the function of an
exhaust fan, as well as that of a winnower, although an independent fan may be
used if desired.
I will now describe my improved process of treating grain preparatory to milling
it, and the gist of this part of my invention consists in steaming it for the purpose
of restoring to it the natural amount of moisture with the consequent mellowness
which may have been artificially expelled from it before being shipped from abroad,
or which it may have lost in transit or in store.
The grain is, as a preparatory step, cleaned by being passed down through the
winnower B.
From the winnower the grain is passed through the rollers C, or direct into the
steamer D. Whether it be advisable to crack the shell of the grain before steaming
will depend of course upon the condition of the grain to be operated upon.
A current of steam is turned into the steamer, and kept up the whole time the
grain is passing; its condensation within the steamer, D, being prevented by proper
provision as by means of pipes, d', for its escape into the open air.
As the grain enters the cylinder of the steamer from the shoot, , it is caught by
the end of the traverser and carried through the steamer at an even rate, the grains
rolling over each other and becoming exposed to a thorough warm moistening and
softening.
The grain is delivered from the steamer into the chambers, G, in which a process
of assimilation is carried on, that is to say-the steamed grains being here con-
gregated in bulk, any excess of moisture which some may have received is shared
with others which may have received less, and an equal diffusion of the mellowing
influence of the steam thereby established. When the grain has remained in the
assimilating chambers, G, long enough for the attainment of the desired end, it is
discharged therefrom, and when it is intended to reduce it to meal it may now
receive a preliminary and partial reduction by being passed through a pair of
rollers.
Grain of the hardest kinds can, after having been treated according to my process,
be milled much more rapidly and with a considerable economy both in power
required as well as in wear and tear of the grinding surfaces, than if sent through
the mill according to the ordinary dry system. When grain destined to be converted
into malt is to be subjected to my process, the latter is conducted as follows:-
The grain, having passed the winnower and steamer, is conveyed in its warm
state to the assimilating and germinating chamber, F, spread evenly over the floor,
and moistened by throwing water over it, somewhat in the same manner that barley
is treated in the initial stage of the well-known malting process.
The temperature of the chamber is kept up by the steam heater, H; and the grain
allowed to remain there at a suitable temperature until sufficiently germinated.

page_text: The advantage of leading up to germination by my process just described and the
ordinary system followed by maltsters generally is one of a considerable economy in
point of time.
When the process of germination is complete, the removable doors, or flaps, h,
are removed, and the grain shovelled into the cavity at the foot of the elevator shaft,
from which it is raised by the elevator, J, to the top of the drying room on the
second floor.
The elevator delivers the grain into a shoot passing through the vertical division, I;
from which shoot it falls into the screen, L, and from there on to the shaker
screens, M, M³, successively.
There may be combined with the screens above described any suitable device for
separating the sprouts from the grain.
The advantage of using screens, i.e. perforated surfaces, along which to traverse
the grain through the hot atmosphere is this, that currents of air make their way
through the holes of the screens and therefore pass through the masses of rolling
and agitated grains.
The process of germination is arrested as the grain is being traversed through the
hot chamber, K.
From the chamber, the now malted grain falls down opening, n, into the chamber, N,
which is an assimilating chamber for bringing the several grains to the same
temperature.
If the grain
not dry enough when it reaches the chamber, N, the first time, it is
sent down the shoot, O, to the elevator, and sent through the drying chamber a
second, and as many more times as may be necessary.
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. The hereinbefore described process of restoring the lost mellowness to desiccated
grain by subjecting it to the continuous action of a current of steam in a steamer
fitted with a traverser, and conducting the warmed, moistened and softened grain
into assimilating chambers; substantially as herein before described with reference to
the accompanying drawings.
2. The hereinbefore described process of malting desiccated grain consisting in
subjecting it to the action of steam in a vessel fitted with a traverser, leading it into
an assimilating and germinating chamber, raising it thence by an elevator to a
drying chamber, through which a current of hot air is maintained, passing it
through the said chamber so as to expose each grain to the contact of the hot air,
and discharging it into a temperature-assimilating chamber, substantially as herein-
before described with reference to the accompanying figures.
Dated this 7th day of November 1987