AN IMPROVED METHOD OF, AND APPARATUS FOR ROASTING OR DRYING GRAIN
Year: 1885

page_text: Drying Grain.
We ALEXANDER PERRY of Fairfield Road, Bow in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and JAMES VICKERS WALMSLEY of New Road Whitechapel in the
County of Middlesex, Maltster do hereby declare the nature of the said inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED METHOD OF, AND APPARATUS FOR ROASTING OR DRYING
GRAIN," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to an improved method of, and apparatus for, roasting or
drying grain and berries (Coffee) and other produce the operation as applied to
grain being in lieu of the preliminary operations of steeping and germinating
in the process of malting, and it consists in effecting the roasting or drying by
subjecting the grain to the action of a sand bath, the operation being performed in
an apparatus constructed in the following manner.
The apparatus consists of a cylindrical or other shell heated by a furnace and
traversed longitudinally by an inner cylinder of wire cloth communicating at
the ends with supply and discharge chambers for the grain and containing an
archimedian screw conveyor preferably also made of wire cloth by which the
grain is carried through the cloth cylinder.
This inner cylinder is embedded in sand which heated by the furnace and has
access to the interior through the meshes of the cloth, so as to mingle with the grain
in its passage through the cloth cylinder, whereby uniformity of roasting or drying
is ensured, the mixed grain and sand being subsequently separated by sifting.

page_text: We ALEXANDER PERRY of Fairfield Road, Bow in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and JAMES VICKERS WALMSLEY of New Road Whitechapel in the
County of Middlesex, Maltster 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 an improved method of, and apparatus for, roasting or
drying grain the operation being in lieu of the preliminary operations of steeping
and germinating in the process of malting, and it consists in effecting the roasting
or drying by subjecting the grain to the action of a sand bath, the operation being
performed in an apparatus constructed in the following manner.
The apparatus consists of a cylindrical or other shell heated by a furnace and
traversed longitudinally by an inner cylinder of wire cloth communicating at
the ends with supply and discharge chambers for the grain and containing an
archimedian screw conveyor preferably also made of wire cloth by which the
grain is carried through the cloth cylinder, which latter is also formed with
pockets or lifters to raise the sand and allow it to fall through the body of grain
under treatment.
This inner cylinder is embedded in sand which is heated by the furnace and has
access to the interior through the meshes of the cloth, so as to mingle with the
grain in its passage through the cloth cylinder, whereby uniformity of roasting or
drying is cusured, the mixed grain and sand being subsequently separated by
sifting.
And in order that the said invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect we will proceed aided by the accompanying drawings more fully

page_text: The invention consists in effecting the drying or roasting of the grain by
subjecting it to the action of a sand bath which is caused to pass through and
mingle with the grain under treatment so as to apply heat quickly and regularly
thereto whereby the grain may be swollen and burst thereby bursting and opening
up the starch granules and rendering it suitable for employment in lieu of a
portion of germinated malt in brewing, distilling and vinegar making.
The apparatus employed in effecting this operation consists of a cylindrical or
other shell a preferably of cast iron heated by a furnace b and traversed longi-
tudinally by an inner cylinder c of wire cloth communicating at one end with a
supply chamber or hopper d and at the other with a discharge chamber or passage e
for the grain. The cylinder c contains a screw conveyor f preferably also made of
wire cloth (it might however be made of perforated or solid sheet metal) by which
the grain is conveyed through the cylinder c. The cylinder c and the conveyor f
are fixed on the shaft g and revolve therewith. The chamber or hopper & com-
municates with a fixed cylinder c¹ which enters a short distance into the contracted
end c² of the cylinder c and around which the latter revolves; this fixed cylinder c
is provided with a feeding screw f¹ also fixed to the shaft g and serving to supply
the grain to the cylinder c. The discharge end c³ of the cylinder c and the
corresponding portion of the screw conveyor f are formed of smaller diameter than
the main portions c of the cylinder and conveyor for the purpose of separating to
some extent the sand from the grain and the exterior of the cylinder c is provided
with pockets or lifters c preferably fixed in a slightly curved or screw like
direction around the same and reduced in width towards the delivery end of the
cylinder c whilst they are also fixed in a reverse direction to that of the screw
conveyor fin order to keep the sand as far as possible from heaping up towards
the discharge end of the cylinder c and thereby prevent all but a small portion
thereof passing off with the grain through the discharge passage e.
The furnace setting and flues may be constructed as shown in the drawings or
in other convenient and suitable manner.
If desired the grain may be washed previous to being passed through the
machine.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:
The cylindrical or other shell a is supplied with sand to about the depth
indicated in the drawings and this sand being in direct contact with the shell a
becomes highly heated.
The shaft g is rotated by any suitable means at the required speed and in its
revolution it carries with it the screws f, f¹, wire cloth cylinder c and pockets or
lifters c Grain from the hopper d is thus fed by the screw f¹ into the cylinder c
along which it is carried by the screw conveyor f to the discharge passage e. In
the revolution of the cylinder c the pockets or lifters c lift up the heated sand and
cause it to drop through the wire cloth of the cylinder c and through that of the
screw conveyor f onto and amongst the grain under treatment whereby the said
grain becomes quickly and uniformly heated until it has acquired the desired degree
of roasting or drying which may be regulated by varying the speed of the shaft
which regulates the length of time occupied by the grain in passing through the
cylinder c and during which it is submitted to heat therein.
Any sand thrown over by the pockets or lifters c against the shell a will pass
into the side pockets a¹ and be thereby kept for some little time against the inner
face of the shell a after which it will pass off at the bottom of such pockets a².
The grain after passing away from the cylinder c is cooled and the sand passing
out therewith is separated therefrom in any convenient manner.
The shaft g may
if desired be formed hollow to enable a thermometer to be inserted in order to
ascertain the temperature within the cylinder.

page_text: Having now particulary described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we claim is
1. The improved method of and apparatus for roasting or drying grain substan-
tially as herein shown and described.
2. The method of roasting or drying grain by submitting the same to a bath of
heated sand substantially as herein described.
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