Improvements in or relating to the Treatment of Grain.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 1st Apr., 1896-Accepted, 16th May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Treatment of Grain.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM GREW of 90 Ritherdon Road, Upper Tooting, in the
County of Surrey, Milling Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to what is known as the bleaching of grain or treating it
with sulphur. At present this is usually effected by applying sulphur fumes to the
grain while upon the drying floor after the wetting process; this is necessarily a
tedious process, involves considerable handling of the grain and is slow as the grain
has to be left upon the kiln or drying floor for a very considerable period, commonly
as much as 14 hours.
In carrying out my invention I employ any suitable form of cylinder or similar
drying apparatus in which the process is automatic and continuous and apply the
sulphur to the cylinder during the drying process. Preferably the drying is
effected by a current of heated air with which is mixed the sulphur fumes so that
the drying of the grain and the application of the sulphur are carried on
simultaneously, continuously, and to a large extent automatically, and the handling
of the grain is avoided..
Any convenient means may be employed for providing and applying the sulphur,
a convenient way being to obtain the fumes by burning the sulphur in the usual
manner and allowing it to be sucked into the cylinder by the entering air current
or it may be injected into the air current either before or after the air passes the
fan or blower as found most convenient.
I have hitherto described the use of a cylinder which may be revolving or fixed
and provided or not with an internal stirrer or beaters or shelves, blades or worms
inside the cylinder, but I can carry out the process with apparatus differing
materially from this. For example I may use a vertical cylinder or tower provided
with louvres or equivalent down which the grain would trickle while the sulphur
umes and drying air pass upwards amongst them. Or perforated cylinders,
inclined planes, screws or the like could be employed so as to bring the grain into
intimate contact with the air and sulphur. Where the air is sucked in by the
current of air any suitable arrangement of tubes or injection or suction device may
be employed.
Dated this 3rd day of July 1895.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or relating to the Treatment of Grain.
I, FREDERICK WILLIAM GREW of 90 Ritherdon Road, Upper Tooting, in the
County of Surrey, Milling 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 :—
This invention relates to what is known as the bleaching of grain or treating it
with sulphur. At present this is usually effected by applying sulphur fumes to the
D

page_text: -
grain while upon the drying floor of a kiln after the wetting process; this is
necessarily a tedious process, involves considerable handling of the grain and is slow,
as the grain has to be left upon the-kiln or drying floor for a very considerable
period commonly as much as 14 hours and is moreover detrimental to health as the
attendants are exposed to the -sulphur fumes and have to wear cloths over their
noses and mouths to prevent them from inhaling these fumes.
In the accompanying drawing I have diagrammatically represented one form of
apparatus for carrying the invention into practice.
In the apparatus as here illustrated I employ any suitable form of cylinder or
similar drying apparatus A in which the process is automatic and continuous and
apply the sulphur to the cylinder during the drying process. Preferably the
drying is effected by a current of heated air with which are mixed the sulphur
fumes so that the drying of the grain and the application of the sulphur are carried
on simultaneously, continuously, and to a large extent automatically, and the
handling of the grain is avoided.
Any convenient means may be employed for providing and applying the sulphur,
a convenient way being to obtain the fumes by burning the sulphur in the usual
manner, say in a furnace B and allowing these fumes to be introduced, by way of
the pipe C into the cylinder A along with the heated air from the furnace and the
air injected into the pipe C by the fan D; or they may be injected into or mixed
with the air current at any other part before entering the cylinder A.
I prefer the cylinder A to discharge the heated grain into an elevator E which
in turn discharges it on to an inclined perforated plate F through which cool air is
forced or drawn so that as the grain falls over this plate it is cooled and deprived
of the sulphur fumes and when it reaches the outlet G is ready for sacking.
I have hitherto described the use of a cylinder which may be revolving or
fixed and provided or not with an internal stirrer or beaters or shelves, blades or
worms inside the cylinder, but I can carry out the process with apparatus differing
materially from this. For example I may use a vertical cylinder or tower provided
with louvres or equivalent down which the 'grain would trickle while the sulphur
fumes and drying air pass upwards amongst them. Or perforated cylinders, inclined
planes, screws or the like could be employed so as to bring the grain into intimate
contact with the air and sulphur.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. The mechanical agitation of grain during the application thereto of sulphur
+fumes.
2. In the treatment of grain with sulphur the combination with a sulphur-fume-
generator of apparatus for mechanically agitating the grain during the application
of the fumes.
Dated this 28th day of March 1906.
FREDK. W. GREW.
Boult & Wade,
.Agents for the Applicant.
FREDK. W. GREW.
Boult & Wade,
Agents for the Applicant.