Improvements in and Applicable to Machinery or Apparatus for Withering and Drying Tea, and for Drying Coffee, Wheat, and other Granular Materials.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1886.
Complete Left, 18th Nov., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 18th Feb., 1887.
Improvements in and Applicable to Machinery or Apparatus for
Withering and Drying Tea, and for Drying Coffee, Wheat, and
other Granular Materials.
I WILLIAM ALFRED GIBBS, of Gilwell Park, Chingford, in the county of Essex.
Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:
--
My invention relates to apparatus or means for withering and drying the leaf of the
Tea plant in the manufacture of Tea and for drying coffee, wheat, malt, brewers grains,
oats, rice, barley and other grain. When the apparatus is to be used for withering
tea I employ a vertical chamber or case to two sides of which I impart an up and
down movement by means of levers or other suitable arrangement. In the middle of
the said chamber I place an inner chamber or air-duct, constructed in short lengths so
that when joined together air spaces are formed at the said junctions. To the sides
of the said air-duct and to the moveable sides of the said chamber I attach shelves or
trays alternating with each other, and placed at such an angle that the leaf may slide
easily from one to the other. Through the said air-duct I blow a current or blast of
air by means of fans, blowers or otherwise. When dry air at the atmospheric
temperature is sufficient I dry the said air by drawing or driving it through chloride
of calcium or any other well known absorbent of moisture before blowing it into the
air-duct, but when warmth also is needed I employ either a coil or a congeries of
straight pipes heated by steam or hot water in the interior of the air-duct. The leaf
is fed in at the top of the chamber and gradually slides down the shelves arranged
therein passing through the streams of dry air issuing from the spaces in the air-duct.
At the bottom of the chamber I arrange an endless band for the purpose of discharging
the leaf and the speed at which this hand is caused to travel regulates the progress of
the leaf through the said chamber.
When my apparatus is employed for drying tea, coffee, wheat, malt, brewers grains,
oats, rice, barley and other grain I find it advantageous to place the chamber and air-
duct in a horizontal position and cause the whole to rotate. The tea or other substance
to be dried is fed in at one end of the chamber, and kept in constant movement by

page_text: trays attached to the exterior of the air-duct, which trays extend to the inner sides of
the said chamber so as to form two or more separate compartments. For heating the
blast of air I employ either furnaces, steam or hot water coils, hot air pipes or other
convenient source of heat, but sometimes for the more effectual and rapid drying of
the substance under treatment as in torrefying barley I place the furnace at one side
of the drying chamber in such a position as that a portion of the heat is radiated from
the said furnace and impinges on the exterior of the chamber thereby increasing the
drying or roasting power.
For regulating the rate of progress of the substance through the machine I employ
any of the well known forms of elevating gear at the discharge end whereby the angle
of the said chamber is rendered easily adjustable.
I sometimes find it advantageous to use in conjunction with drying apparatus when
dry air at atmospheric temperatures is to be used a vertical case attached to the inlet
of the fan having the opposite side to the said inlet left open; in this case I adjust
and support two or more porous diaphragms or narrow baskets containing chloride of
calcium or other well known absorbent, in such a manner that no air can enter the fan
without passing through the absorbent. When it is desired to redry the said absorbent
in an expeditious manner and at the same time to warm the air of the fan after it has
passed through the absorbent, I adjust under the fan a small furnace and draw the hot
air derived therefrom through a flue placed under the absorbent chamber. This flue
is similar in size to the said absorbent chamber and through openings formed in the
top of the said flue the diaphragms are pushed down and drawn up alternately either
by hand or by convenient gear arranged above the chamber. The advantage of this
arrangement being that whilst one or more diaphragms of absorbent are drying the
air others are being redried by the hot air from the furnace.
When it is desired to use the fan and absorbent chamber only as a portable machine
for expediting the withering process in withering houses I prefer to construct the
fan on the principle of my well known duplex fans which combine lightness with
strength.
In this case the fan and absorbent chamber are braced together and either mounted
on travelling wheels or provided with handles so that two men can move the combined
machine from place to place.
The absorbent from the diaphragms is allowed to drain off as it liquifies into a tray
from which it may be drawn off re-evaporated in an ordinary pan and thus used again.
For the better distribution of the dry air a hose or flexible pipe is attached to the
mouth of the fan so that when the men rotate the said fan by means of multiplying
wheels and handles a stream of dry air is driven out and directed among the leaf on
each of the trays in turn. The machine can thus be used in much the same way as a
garden engine in conservatory, and has the further advantage of gradually drying
the whole air of the house.. When some warmth as well as dryness is desired I arrange
a small light fire basket for burning coke or charcoal under the fan, and connect it
therewith.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: 1, WILLIAM ALFRED GIBBS, of Gilwell Park, Chingford, in the County of Essex,
Gentleman, 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 :-
My invention relates to apparatus or means for withering and drying the leaf of the
Tea plant in the manufacture of tea and for drying coffee, wheat, malt, brewer's grains,
oats, rice, barley, and other grain.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings in which figure 1 represents a vertical section
of a vertical machine or apparatus constructed according to my invention for withering
and drying tea and for drying coffee, wheat and other granular materials; figure 2 is
a longitudinal section, partly in elevation, illustrating a horizontal arrangement of my
improved machine or apparatus ; figure 3 is a transverse vertical section drawn to a
larger scale and taken on the line A B of figure 2; figure 4 is an elevation of my
portable machine for expediting the withering process in withering houses. Similar
letters in all the figures represent similar or corresponding parts.
I will first describe my invention by reference to figure 1.
For the purpose of my invention I employ a vertical chamber or case a, (preferably
of rectangular form,) to two sides of which I impart an up and down movement by
means of levers or other suitable arrangement (not shewn in the drawings) when the
nature of the material to be treated requires it, but such up and down movement is
not required in the case of material such as grain. In the middle of the chamber a,
I place an inner chamber or air-duct b, b, b, b, constructed in short lengths so that
when joined together air spaces e, e, e, c, are formed at the said junctions. To the
sides of the said air-duct and to the sides of the said chamber I attach shelves or
trays d, d, and e, e, respectively alternating with each other as shewn and placed at
such an angle that the material being treated may slide easily from one to the other.
Through the said air-duct b, b, b, b, I blow a current or blast of air by means of a fan f,
or otherwise. When dry air at the atmospheric temperature is sufficient, I dry the
said air by drawing or driving it through chloride of calcium or any other well known
absorbent of moisture before blowing it into the air-duct, but when warmth also is
needed, I employ either a coil or a congeries of straight pipes heated by steam or hot
water in the interior of the air-duct. I have not shown in the drawing the chamber

page_text: containing the choride of calcium nor the arrangement of heating pipes as these can
be of any suitable construction.
The fan, being set in operation, the material is fed in at the open top of the
chamber a, and gradually slides down the shelves d, and e, arranged therein, passing
through the streams of dry air issuing from the spaces c, c, c, c, in the air-duct b, b, b, b.
At the bottom of the chamber I arrange screw conveyers g, (or endless bands can be
employed) for the purpose of discharging the material and the speed at which these
screw conveyers or bands are caused to travel regulates the progress of the material
through the said chamber.
Sometimes I find it advantageous to place the chamber a, and air-duct b, b, b, b, in
a horizontal position as illustrated in figures 2 and 3, and cause the whole to rotate by
means of suitable gear such as a spur ring a', and pinion &¹as shewn in figure 2, the
chamber a, being preferably made cylindrical as shewn.
c, c, are runners on which the chamber u, rests and rotates; d' is the driving
pulley operated from any suitable source of power.
The tea or other substance to be dried is fed in at one end of the chamber
u, and
kept in constant movement by trays d, d, attached to the exterior of the air-duct b, b,
b, b, which trays extend and are fixed to the inner sides of the chamber a, so as to
form separate compartments, four of such compartments are shewn at figure 3 of the
drawings, but such number could obviously be varied according to requirements.
For heating the blast of air, I employ either furnaces, steam or hot water coils, hot
air pipes, or other convenient source of heat, but sometimes, for the more effectual and
rapid drying of the substance under treatment, as in torrefying barley, I place the
furnace h, at one side of the drying chamber (as represented in figure 2) in such a
position as that a portion of the heat is radiated from the furnace h, and impinges on
the exterior of the chamber a, thereby increasing the drying or roasting power.
For regulating the rate of progress of the substance through the machine I employ
any of the well known forms of elevating gear (such as that shewn in dotted lines in
figure 2), at the discharge end, whereby the angle of the said chamber a, is rendered
easily adjustable.
When it is desired to use a fan and absorbent chamber or cage only, as a portable
machine for expediting the withering process in withering houses, I prefer to construct
the fan on the principle of my well known duplex fans which combine lightness with
strength. This arrangement of fan and absorbent chamber is illustrated in figure 4.
In this case the fan, and absorbent chamber i, are braced together and mounted
on travelling wheels, and provided with handles k, so that the combined machine can
be easily moved from place to place; or the travelling wheels may be substituted by
a second pair of handles to allow of the machine being carried.
The absorbent from the chamber i, is allowed to drain off as it liquefies into a tray,
from which it may be drawn off through a tap m, and re-evaporated in an ordinary
pan when it can be used again. For the better distribution of the dry air, a hose or
Hexible pipe (not shewn in the drawings) is sometimes attached to nozzles n, n, on
the mouth p, of the fan f, so that when the fan is rotated by means of multiplying
wheels and handles as represented or by other suitable means, a stream of dry air is
driven out and directed among the leaf on each of the trays in turn. The machine can
. thus be used in much the same way as a garden engine in a conservatory, and has the
further advantage of gradually drying the whole air of the house. When some
warmth as well as dryness is desired I arrange a small fire place o, for burning coke
or charcoal under the mouth p, of the fan f, and connect it therewith.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is :-
1. The improved. apparatus for withering and drying tea and for drying coffee,

page_text: wheat and other granular materials such apparatus consisting of a vertical chamber,
to the interior of which are attached sloping shelves as described, in combination with
a central air-duct provided with sloping shelves on the exterior and with spaces for
the exit of the air, which air is supplied by fans in a dry or warm condition substantially
as herein before described and illustrated in figure 1 of the accompanying drawings.
2. The application to the exterior of shelved and horizontal chambers of a side
furnace whereby an increased drying power is obtained substantially as hereinbefore
described and represented in figure 2 of the accompanying drawings.
3. The combination of a fan or blower with a chamber or cage for chloride of
calcium and a small furnace as described so as to constitute a portable withering or
drying machine substantially as and for the purpose herein before described and
illustrated in figure 4 of the accompanying drawings.
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.