Improvements in the Manufacture of Malt and in the Apparatus employed therein.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Apr., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Jan., 1893-Accepted, 4th Mar., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Malt and in the Apparatus
employed therein.
I JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields in the County of
Middlesex Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has
been communicated to me from abroad by Jules Alphonse Saladin of 21 Rue
St. Catharine, Nancy in the Republic of France Engineer) to be as follows:-
This invention relates to moistening and aërating or ventilating grain during
the malting process.
According to this invention means for effecting the moistening or the aerating or
both are combined with the apparatus employed for turning the grain or malt in
such a manner that the moistening or aerating or both are performed at the same
time as the turning and caused to take effect throughout the entire mass or body of
grain in an extremely regular and uniform manner.
The ventilating or moistening is effected by means of jets nozzles or spray
producing devices of any suitable form which are combined with the mechanism or
instrument used for turning the grain or malt.
For example the nozzle or device employed for introducing the moisture or air
can be combined with the spade or shovel employed in turning malt by hand. In
this case the handle of the spade is combined with a tube or passage supplied with
liquid or air under pressure through a flexible tube provided with a suitable stop
cock. At the end nearest the spade the tube is connected with the nozzle or spray
producer which is arranged under the spade or in such a position as to enable water
or other suitable liquid or a mixture of air and water or other gas favourable to
the germination to be directed into the mass of grain as the latter is turned over
by the spade.
This
When the grain is turned by means of mechanism such as the Saladin turning
screws for example the gas or liquid is likewise brought in contact with the grain
whilst it is in the act of being turned by means of a flexible tube which connects
the main supply pipe with a passage in the rotating shaft of the screw.
passage is provided at the upper end with a suitable stuffing box or gland for
connecting it with the supply pipe and at the lower end communicates through the
side of the shaft with a pipe which is bent or coiled to correspond with the turns of
the screw so as to pass under the blades of the latter. This pipe is provided at
suitable intervals with small nozzles jets or spray producers through which air, gas
or liquid under pressure is injected and distributed into every part of the grain or
malt as it falls over the edges of the screw blades in being turned over by the
action of the turning screw.
By these means every part of the grain or malt is exposed to the action of the
air, gas or liquid or combinations of these agents with great regularity.
It is preferable to filter the liquid on it way to the injecting or spraying nozzles
in order that the fine orifices of the latter may not be choked with particles of solid
matter. Any suitable liquid, air or gas or combinations thereof suitable for
promoting or otherwise controlling or regulating the germinating or malting process
may be caused to act on the grain during the turning operation as hereinbefore
described being thereby distributed throughout the mass of grain with the greatest
regularity and precision.
Dated the 21st day of April 1892.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Malt and in the Apparatus
employed therein.
I, JAMES YATE JOHNSON of 47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention (which has
been communicated to me from abroad by Jules Alphonse Saladin of 21 Rue
St. Catharine, Nancy in the Republic of France, Engineer) and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
This invention relates to a malting process in which the moistening and aerating
or ventilating of the grain are performed during the operation of turning the grain.
According to this invention means for effecting the moistening or the aerating or
both are combined with the apparatus employed for turning the grain or malt in
such a manner that the moistening or aerating or both are enabled to be performed
at the same time as the turning and are caused to take effect throughout the entire
mass or body of grain in an extremely regular and uniform manner.
The ventilating or moistening is effected by means of jets nozzles or spray
producing devices of any suitable form which are combined with the mechanism or
instrument used for turning the grain or malt as hereinafter described.
And in order that the said invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the
several figures on the annexed sheet of drawings the same letters of reference
indicating corresponding parts in all the figures.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents in elevation a shovel or
instrument for turning over malt by hand according to this invention and Figure 2
drawn to a larger scale represents the instrument in perspective.
Figure 3, illustrates in elevation partly in section an arrangement in which the
invention is combined with a "Saladin "turning screw for turning malt by power.
These instruments and apparatus are illustrated merely by way of example and I
do not limit myself as to the details of construction shewn in the drawing.
In turning malt by hand for example according to this invention the spade or
shovel A Figures 1 and 2 employed for turning the grain is provided with a flexible
or rubber tube B attached to the handle. This tube or passage B is supplied with
liquid or air under pressure through a flexible tube provided with a suitable stop
cock B¹. At the lower end the tube is connected with the nozzle or spray
producer G which is arranged under the blade of the spade or in such a position
as to enable water or other suitable liquid or a mixture of air and water or a gas
favourable to the germination to be directed into the mass of grain as the latter is
turned over by the spade. The tube B is directly connected with the chamber
containing the fluid or fluids employed for acting on the grain the flow of which is
regulated by means of the stop cock B¹.
In turning a layer of grain with this instrument the workman holds the spade
with both hands in the usual way and opens the stop cock so as to allow the fluid
or fluids to be discharged through the nozzle G in the form of a jet which enters
the mass of grain as the latter is in the act of being turned over with the spade or
shovel A. By these means each shovelful of grain is effectually acted on by or
impregnated with the fluid. This process or method of treatment enables the grain
to be either moistened or aerated with a regularity or uniformity which is not
possible with the means heretofore employed. A mixture of air and water or spray
can likewise be injected through the tube B thus combining the two operations of
moistening and aerating under the most favourable conditions.
This improved method of operating can also be advantageously combined with
mechanical appliances or machinery of any ordinary or suitable construction
employed for turning malt by power,

page_text: Figure 3 illustrates by way of example a Saladin turning screw combined with
means for treating the malt according to this invention.
The
In this figure the blade of the turning screw marked C is attached to the lower
part of a vertical shaft B to which rotary motion is imparted by means of a worm
wheel B. The turning apparatus travels from one end of the germinating case to
the other whilst the screw rotates and turns over the grain in the usual way.
vertical shaft B is hollow or formed with a passage connected by means of a
gland or stuffing box at the upper extremity with a pipe B communicating through
a flexible or rubber pipe B with a main supply pipe D.
This pipe D is connected with the chamber containing the fluid under pressure
employed for treating the grain by means of a flexible tube or hose (not shewn in
the drawing) in order to allow of the travelling movements of the turning apparatus.
A stop cock is provided for controlling the supply of fluid.
b
At a suitable place in the shaft B a hole is formed perpendicular to its axis
through which the passage coniniunicates with a pipe C which is bent or coiled to
correspond with the turns of the scrow C and passes under the blade of the latter
extending from one end of the screw to the other being preferably arranged in
proximity to the shaft or boss.
This pipe is provided at suitable intervals, regulated according to the effect to
be produced, with a number of small nozzles T arranged to produce a similar effect
to that of the nozzle hereinbefore described. When the stop cock is opened the
tube D being placed in direct communication with the chamber containing the
fluid to be employed enables this fluid to pass through the passage in the shaft B
to the pipe C whence it is discharged in the form of jets of fine spray through the
nozzles T. The turning screw being set in motion in the grain which is to be
turned the grain is elevated by the travelling screw or helix and the air gas or
liquid or mixture of fluids under pressure discharged from the nozzles T is enabled
to be injected and distributed at different levels into the body of grain as the latter
is in the act of being turned by the operation of the screw. By these means the
mass of grain can be irrigated or moistened and impregnated with the fluid
proceeding from the nozzles not only throughout its entire depth but also with
perfect uniformity in all the parts acted on by the turning mechanism.
The nozzles employed for injecting or distributing the fluid being generally
provided with extremely fine orifices it is preferable to employ filtered water only
when water is employed the filter being situated beyond the tank or chamber
supplying the main pipe or close to the nozzles for example. The said filter
may be constructed with sponges, cotton, tow or other porous material capable
of producing the desired effect and should be capable of being readily taken to
pieces in order to enable the filtering material to be readily and quickly cleaned.
Any suitable liquid or air or gas or combinations of fluids suitable for promoting
or accelerating or otherwise controlling or regulating the germinating or malting
process in order to accelerate it with a view to saving time or favouring the
germination or development in order to obtain a more perfect product for example
may be caused to act on the grain during the turning operation as hereinbefore
described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is :-
1. A malting process in which the operation of turning over the grain is combined
with a regulated moistening or aerating of the grain the grains being acted on
in a uniform manner as herein before described.
2. A malting process consisting in combining the operations of turning moistening
and aerating the grain the said operations being simultaneously performed as and
for the purpose hereinbefore described.
3. In combination with the malting process hereinbefore described and claimed
a turning instrument or apparatus worked by hand or power combined with means

page_text: such as a pipe or pipes provided with nozzles enabling a fluid or mixture of fluids
to act upon the grain as it is in the act of being turned substantially as hereinbefore
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th day of January 1893.
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.