AN IMPROVED GRANULATING MACHINE
Year: 1873

page_text: ETTERS PATENT to William Morgan-Brown of the Firm of Brandon
& Morgan-Brown, Engineers and Patent Agents, of 38, South-
ampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue Gaillon, Paris, for the
Invention of "AN IMPROVED GRANULATING MACHINE."-A communication
from abroad by Charles Henry Hersey and Francis Coney Hersey,
both of Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America, and
Robert Brookhouse Gray, of San Francisco, California, United States
of America.
ealed the 10th June 1873, and dated the 3rd April 1873.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Morgan-Brown
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 3rd April 1873, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM-THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Morgan-Brown
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 3rd April 1873, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
MORGAN-BROWN, of the Firm of Brandon Morgan-Brown, Engineers,
and Patent Agents, of 38, Southampton Buildings, London, and 13, Rue
Gaillon, Paris, send greeting.

page_text: WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVED
GRANULATING MACHINE," (and have petitioned Her most excellent Majesty
Queen Victoria to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that it has been communicated to me from abroad by Charles
Henry Hersey and Francis Coney Hersey, both of Boston, Massa-
chusetts, United States of America, and Robert Brookhouse Gray, of
San Francisco, California, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Morgan-Brown, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, to be as follows:-
The Invention has reference to the construction of an apparatus for
granulating sugar, salt, and other substances.
In the apparatus embodying the Invention an open cylinder is
mounted and rotates upon friction rolls, and said cylinder has extending
through its centre, another and smaller cylinder fixed with relation to
the larger cylinder, being fastened thereto and maintained in position by
suitable radial arms or spokes, the smaller cylinder having tight heads
and being the heater, it being heated by steam passing through it, while
the space around it and between the cylinders constitutes the conveying
and drying chamber. The cylinder is inclined from a horizontal position,
and the material to be dried or granulated enters the upper end of the
larger cylinder, and by the rotation of the cylinder the material is
alternately dropped from the inner surface of the drier cylinder to the
outer surface of the heater cylinder, and vice versa, the inclination of the
cylinder causing the material to gradually move from the upper to the
lower end of the drying chamber, from which lower end it escapes into
a suitable receptacle beneath the cylinder.
During the progress of the material through the granulator, it is
subject to the action of a current of air passing or driven through the
drying chamber, and such air being dry or heated by radiation from the
heater cylinder, rapidly absorbs the vapours arising from the moist
material, the vaporized air escaping through the upper end of the
cylinder.
The Invention consists in a rotary granulator having this general
construction.
The Drawing represents in vertical central section at Figure 1 and in
vertical cross section at Figure 2, an apparatus embodying the Invention,

page_text: the latter view being taken on the line x, x; a denotes the main
cylinder, encompassed by two rings or tires 6 that rest and rotate upon
two pairs of friction rolls c, these rolls having suitable gudgeons turning
in suitable bearings d; a gear ring, e may also encompass the cylinder,
the teeth of this gear meshing into the teeth of a pinion ƒ on
a driving shaft g, rotative movement being thus imparted to the
cylinder.
The supporting rolls are so arranged as to incline the cylinder as seen
in Figure 1. Extending axially through the cylinder a is the steam
heater cylinder h; this cylinder which is steam-tight has a steam
inlet pipe i extending through its upper head, and a steam escape pipe k
extending through its lower head, the escape pipe extending down to
the bottom of the steam cylinder, and the water of condensation being
driven off by the pressure of the steam. The escape pipe is made tight
by a suitable packing box. (the steam cylinder rotating upon the pipe),
and the inlet pipe may be fixed to the head through which it extends,
and be packed at the junction with it of the stationary pipe that
conducts steam to it. This heater cylinder is supported in position'and
so as to rotate as a fixed part of the drier cylinder by radial spokes
which by suitable adjusting mechanism may be lengthened or shortened
to fix the heater cylinder properly in position. The sugar or other
material enters the upper end of the drier cylinder through a suitable
conductor pipe m, and falls to the bottom of said cylinder, from whence
as the cylinder rotates it is taken up by lifters n extending from the
inner surface of the drier cylinder, dropping from such lifters in showers
upon the heater cylinder, and from said cylinder again to the bottom of
the drier cylinder to be again taken up as before and again dropped, the
inclination of the cylinder causing it to gradually move toward the
delivery end of the drier cylinder, from which end it escapes into any
suitable receptacle.
A current of air is passed or driven through the cylinder, and
becoming charged with the moisture from the drying material bears off
such moisture through a suitable air escape opening o.
A striker p may
be used to jar the cylinder as it rotates for the purpose of dislodging any
material tending to adhere as it first enters the machine, this striker
being raised by cam projections q and falling by its weight or under the
stress of a suitable spring.

page_text: The steam heater cylinder may be made with steam pipes r extending
through it, and between two tube sheets s, the steam entering the pipes
from a chamber t and passing through the tubes into the chamber u. In
practice the drier and conveyer cylinder is preferably made of wood lined
with galvanized iron, and the heater is constructed of steel plate. The
conveyer cylinder may be made twenty-three feet long and six feet in
diameter with the heater cylinder twenty feet long and thirty inches in
diameter, and making five revolutions per minute.
One of the important features of the machine is that the sugar being
delivered from the end into which the cold air is passing is cool so that ]
it does not cake and can be immediately barreled, and will not cause
the barrels to shrink.
The sugar being granulated or dried not so much from extreme heat
but by the moisture being constantly carried from the machineis
brought out clear and white so that the sugar made from our granulator 1
is whiter than any sugar made by any other process.
As the sugar is acted upon as soon as it enters the machine it does
not stick in the least, consequently there is no waste in stained or
burned sugar as will often occur by all other machines. The ventilation
is so arranged that there is little or no dust. The power required to 2
drive the machine is less than one horse, and the steam pressure to he
kept on the heater cylinder is between twenty and thirty pounds. The
machine will easily granulate thirty barrels an hour, and save a large
amount in labor, room, and time.
Having now described and particularly set forth the nature of the said 2
Invention, and the manner of carrying the same into effect, I would
have it understood that what I claim is, the improved granulating
apparatus, constructed and operating substantially as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Morgan-Brown, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Third day of April, in the 30
year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
WILLIAM MORGAN-BROWN. (L.S.)