IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING HOPS, MALT, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1843

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SAMUEL
JOHN KNIGHT, Founder, of the Waterside Iron Works, Maidstone, Kent,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Tenth day of June, in the sixth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Samuel
John Knight, Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority,
that I, the said Samuel John Knight, my exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Samuel John Knight, my exors, admors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Ber-
wick-upon-Tweed, my Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN KILNS OR APPARATUS
FOR DRYING HOPS, MALT, AND OTHER SUBSTANCES;" in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Samuel John Knight, shall
cause a particular description of the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's
High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately
after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the
same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Samuel John Knight; do hereby declare that the nature of my said improve-

page_text: ments are fully described and ascertained in and by the following description
thereof, reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
figures and letters marked thereon (that is to say):-
My Invention relates, first, to discharging or producing a current or currents
of heated air above the kiln floor, on which hops, malt, grain, &c. are to be
dried, in order to create an absorption and removal of the vaporized moisture
evolved from the substances thereon, and also by filling the upper chamber of
the drying kiln with rarified air to obtain a more rapid passage of heated air
from beneath through the substances under process of, drying, thereby expe-
diting the operation.
Secondly, my Invention relates to discharging a current or currents of
heated air beneath the kiln floor on which hops, malt, or other substances are
to be dried.
Thirdly, my Invention relates to the setting or arrangement of the cockle
or other stove, or open fire, steam, hot-water pipes, or boiler, by which the
external air is brought in immediate contact therewith, and regularly heated
in its passage to the lower chamber of a kiln in which hops, malt, &c. are
dried.
Fourthly, my Invention relates to the employment, in combination with a
kiln for drying hops, malt, and other substances, of a peculiar construction of
ventilator for the top of kilns in which hops, malt, &c. are dried.
Fifthly, my Invention relates to the employment of a fan, or other suitable
means, in order to withdraw the vapours generated in the drying of hops;
and also to the use of such fan, or other suitable means, in order to aid in
producing the current of air, whether hot or cold, employed in drying hops.
Sixthly, my In
7. Invention relates to the drying of hops by means of steam or
hot-water pipes.
Seventhly, my improvements relate to the application of a thermometrio
apparatus,, in combination with, a kiln for drying hops, malt, &c., and for
detecting and registering the utmost degree of heat and cold during the
operation of drying..
But in order that my improvements may be better understood, and readily
carried into effect,, I will proceed to describe the Drawing hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1 is a transverse section of a kiln having some of my improvements
applied, thereto, and Figure 2 is a horizontal section of the same. a is the
floor of the kiln, on which, the malt, hops, &c. to be dried would be placed.
b is a pipe, the upper end of which rises above, the floor a; this pipe is for the

page_text: purpose of conveying heated air into the chamber over the floor a. c is a
cockle or stove having a passage through the centre for the lower end of the
tube b, which descends therethrough to the ashpit below, where the cold air
entering the tube b' becomes heated by the cockle c. I would however
remark, that although I have shewn a cockle as the means of heating the
air in its passage up the tube b, I do not confine myself thereto, as other
means may be resorted to for this purpose; and instead of the end of the
tube b terminating in the ashpit, the same may be continued to the exterior
of the kiln, as is represented by red lines, and instead of employing only one
tube b; two or more of such tubes may be used, the peculiarity of this part
of my Invention consisting in causing a current or currents of heated air to
ascend above the floor of the kiln, by which I am enabled to absorb and
carry off more rapidly the reek or vapour. evolved during the drying of the
substances. In the upper part of the cockle c is formed a recess for sulphur,
as in the ordinary mode of drying hops, &c. i, i, are flues from the cockle c,
which, descending to the flue j, convey the vapours of combustion from the
cockle c into the chimney k.
Figures 3 and 4 represent transverse and horizontal sections of another kiln,
in which the arrangement of the pipe b and that of the flues is slightly diffe-
rent from that shewn at Figures 1 and 2. In this case the flues i, i, on each
side ascend in several coils, and then unite into one flue j and enter the
tube b, which at that part is larger as shewn; the flue j then ascends to the
top of the building. Sometimes in place of the tube b, or in connection
therewith, I employ pipes d, heated by means of hot water, steam, or hot air,
as shown.
I will now describe the second part of my Invention, in which I cause
currents of air to rise to the under side of the floor a of the kiln, and in this
case, instead of the upper part of the tube or tubes b-rising through the floor a,
I cause such tube or. tubes 6 to terminate below the floor a, as is represented
by dotted lines in Figure 1.
I will now describe the third part of my improvements, which relates to the
setting or arrangement of the cockle or other heating means; and it will be
seen, by reference to the Drawing, that there is a wall é surrounding the
cockle c at a short distance therefrom, leaving a space between for the pas-
sage of cold air, as indicated by arrows in the Drawing, such air being allowed
to enter through the openings f, f, in the outer wall of the kiln, and becoming
heated in its passage between the 'heating means and the wall ė.
In carrying
out this part of my Invention, sometimes instead of allowing the air to pass.

page_text: freely through the openings f. f, into the space between the outer wall of the
kiln and the wall e, I construct channels or drains which conduct the cold air
to the space between the wall e and the heating means, when it becomes
heated and ascends, and passes through the floor a, which it is to observed is
to be reticulate, as in the ordinary mode of constructing kiln floors.
I will now describe the fourth part of my improvements, which is seen in the
vertical section Figure 1, and in horizontal section at Figure 5, where it will
be seen that the ventilator is formed of the parts 9, 9, arranged so as to leave
openings h, h, through which the vapours may pass away. Over the openings
there are other picces o, o, which serve to protect the top of kiln from sudden
gusts of wind.
I will now describe the fifth part of my Invention. In order to facilitate
the withdrawment of the vapours generated in the drying of hops, and also to
aid the passage of the heated air through the floor a of the kiln, and through
the substances being operated upon, I sometimes introduce a fan or other
suitable apparatus in the upper part of the kiln and near the ventilator; and
in order to increase the draft of air through the kiln in drying hops, I some
times employ a fan or other suitable contrivance, which I place in any suitable
position where this effect may most effectually take place, whether such appa-
ratus be employed to force cold air simply, or cold air in order that it may
become heated.
I will now describe the sixth part of my Invention. Sometimes in the
drying of hops I have found the operation facilitated by placing a coil of pipes,
heated either by hot water, steam, or hot air, immediately below the floor on
which such hops would be placed in order to be dried; or in place of laying
such pipes below, I arrange them just above the floor; or they may be
arranged both above and below such floor.
I is a thermometer of the kind usually employed for registering the utmost
degree of heat and cold within the kiln, and constituting the seventh part of
my Invention.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the best means I
am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I would remark, that
I am aware that variations may be made without departing from my Invention,
I do not therefore confine myself to the precise details shewn; but what I
claim is,
First, the causing the removal of the vapours from kilns when drying hops,
malt, and other substances, by heating the air, or producing currents of heated
air over the floor of such kilns, as herein-before described.

page_text: Secondly, I claim the mode herein described of carrying currents of heated
air to ascend to the under side of floors of kilns in which hops, malt, and other
substances are to be dried.
Thirdly, I claim the mode of heating currents of air in their passage to
the under side of the floor of kiln by suitable apparatus, as herein described.
Fourthly, I claim the mode of constructing ventilators for kilns in which
hops, malt, and other substances are dried, as herein described.
Fifthly, I claim the mode of applying a fan, or other such-like apparatus,
for withdrawing vapours, &c. from kilns for drying hops, as herein described.
Also, I claim the mode of applying fans, or such-like apparatus, for forcing
air into kilns in which hops are dried, as herein described.
Sixthly, I claim the mode of drying hops by means of steam, hot water, or
hot-air pipes, as herein described.
Seventhly, I claim the application of a register thermometer to kilns in
which malt, hops, and other substances are dried, as herein described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Samuel John Knight, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Ninth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and forty-three.