An Improved Process of and Apparatus for Torrefying or Popping Grain or Cereals.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Dec., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 10th Sept., 1890-Accepted, 15:h N.v., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process of and Apparatus for Torrefying or Popping
Grain or Cereals.
We, ALEXANDER WILLIAM GILLMAN, and SAMUEL SPENCER, both of The Castle
Brewery, St. George's Road, Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Managing
Directors of Gillman & Spencer Limited, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
:-
The invention has for its object an improved process of, and apparatus for,
torrefying or popping grain or cereals, and consists in subinitiing grain or cereals, in
a suitable chamber or vessel, to the action of superheated steam. The steaming
chamber may be constructed of iron, fire clay, or other suitable material; it may be
either stationary or caused to revolve, and it may be constructed with a steam
jacket or with a jacket of non-conducting material, or it may be mounted, either
partially or entirely, in a furnace or hot chamber, so as to keep it at the desired
equable temperature. Such chamber is provided with suitable feeding and discharge
appliances for the grain or cereals, and with the required arrangements for causing
the grain to be gradually conducted from the inlet to the discharge orifice. When
employing a stationary steaming chamber, we mount in the interior theroof, a
revolving wire work cylinder, through which the grain is passed.
The superheated steam is supplied to the steaming chamber at the grain inlet
end, and after having acted upon the grain or cereals, the waste steam passes out at
the opposite end of the steaming chamber. Or the superheated steam may be caused
to issue in streams into the interior of the steaming chamber from one or more
perforated pipes conveniently arranged therein.
The steaming chamber is provided with a shaft or flue for carrying off the waste
steam, and the inlet and outlet ends are fitted as closely as possible to prevent undue
loss of steam.
DL: 1711 1D 1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Process of and Apparatus for Torrefying or Popping
Grain or Cereals.
We, ALEXANDER WILLIAM GILLMAN and SAMUEL SPENDER, both of The Castle.
Brewery, St. George's Road, Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Managing
Directors of Gillman & Spencer, Limited, 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 invention has for its object an improved process of, and apparatus for,
torrefying or popping grain or cereals, and consists in submitting grain or
cereals, in a suitable chamber or vessel, to the action of superheated steam of the

page_text: temperature required for producing the desired torrefaction or popping of the grain
or cereal under treatment.
The steaming chamber may be constructed of iron, fire clay, or other suitable
material; it may be either stationary or caused to revolve, and it may be constructed
with a steam jacket or with a jacket of non-conducting material, or it may be
mounted either partially or entirely in a furnace or hot chamber, so as to keep it at
the desired equable temperature.
When employing a revolving steaming chamber, a convenient method of con-
structing, mounting, and revolving the same is as follows: Metal rings are fixed
around the steaming chamber and these are each supported on a pair of rollers; a
toothed ring is also fixed around the said chamber, and a toothed pinion, to which
motion is given in any suitable manner. gears into such toothed ring and thereby
gives motion to the steaming chamber at a suitable speed. Such revolving steaming
chamber is also mounted at a slight angle and is fitted on its inner surface with
blades or lifters, so that in revolving it shall lift the grain or cereal under treat-
ment and thereby effect its gradual passage through the chamber, and at the same
time, by dropping it in small quantities from the upper part of the chamber, present
it in a suitable form to ensure the full action of the steain thereon; or a worm con-
veyor may be used to carry the grain or cereal along the cylinder, which is in such
case worked horizontally.
When employing a stationary steaming chamber, we mount in the interior thereof,
a revolving wire-work cylinder, the moshes or spaces of which are small enough to
prevent the grain or cereal passing through; this wire-work cylinder may be fitted
with blades or lifters as before described, or with a worm or screw fixed to the inner
surface thereof and preferably formed of wire-work.
The revolving steaming chamber, or the revolving wire-work cylinder within a
fixed steaming chamber, is provided at one end with a suitable feed apparatus con-
sisting preferably of a hopper to receive tho grain or cereal and a feed worm or screw
or double slides at the bottom of such hopper acting to feed the grain or cereal
gradually forward into the steaming chamber or into the revolving wire-work
cylinder, and the discharge end is fitted with self-acting discharge valves, or with
any suitable discharge appliance, whereby the grain or cereal is gradually discharged
and such discharge appliance is preferably so arranged as to prevent too free a
passage of the steam thorethrough.
The superheated steam of the required temperature, say about 400° Fahrenheit, is
supplied to the steaming chamber at the grain inlet end, and is so directed as to
impinge directly on to the grain or cereal, and after having acted upon the grain or
cereal, the waste steam passes out at the opposite end of the steaming chamber and
may be used to discharge the grain or cereal through a suitable valve. When
employing a fixed steaming chamber, a pipe for the superheated steam may be
arranged between the fixed chamber and the revolving wire-work cylinder, and one
or more pipes may be arranged within the wire-work cylinder, the jets being directed
on to the grain or cereal. Or the superheated steam may be caused to issue in
streams into the interior of the steaming chamber or wire-work cylinder from one
or more perforated pipos conveniently arranged therein. The steaming chamber is
provided with a shaft or flue for carrying off the waste steam and the inlet and
outlet ends are fitted as closely as possible to prevent undue loss of steam.
We would here remark that we have not thought it necessary to give drawings of
the apparatus herein described, as such class of apparatus, when using heat from
fire or gas as the torrefying or popping agent is well understood.
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 :-
The improved process of, and apparatus for, torrefying or popping grain or
cereals, in which superheated steam is used as the torrefying or popping agent, such

page_text: apparatus being provided with feed and delivery appliances, and with pipes for
supplying the superheated steam thereto, and for causing it to act on the grain or
cereals, substantially as herein described."
Dated this 10th day of September 1.90
A. W. GILLMAN.
S. SPENCER.
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents.