US706716A - Pneumatic malting-kiln. - Google Patents

Description

N0. 706,7!6'. Patented Aug` I2, |902.

B. BERG.

PNEUMATICI MALTING KILN.

4 (Application led Dec. 80, 1901.) (lo Rodel.)

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UNITEDY- STATESd NPTEiWr OFFIGE BERNARD BERG, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

PN EU MATIC VIVIALTIINGrKILN.

SPECIFICATION forming` part of Letters Patent No. 706,716, dated August 12, 1902.

Y 1 application tied Beamter 30,1901. serai Nit-87,746. (No man.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNARD BERG, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county ofSan Francisco, State of California, have invented an `Improvement in Pneumatic Malting-Kilns; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the saine.

My invention relates to an improved apparatus for preparing malt. Its objects are to furnish a device in which the air shall iirst be thoroughly heated and sterilized and in Which the air so heatedshall be distributed more equably through the mass of material than is possible by`ordinary means. 1

It consists of a heater or furnace having the iiues carrying the products of combustion separate from the air-passages, said fines arranged serially, decreasing in diameter and increasing in number in succeeding series, whereby the heating area'of the flues is augmented, heating-chambers, drums revoluble therein, cylinders in said drums, longitudinal partitions in certain of said cylinders, means for admitting the material from the drum of one chamber to a drum in a succeeding chamber, means for inducing air-currents through y said chambers and drums, and means for controlling said currents.

It also comprises details which will be more fully set forth hereinafter, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in Which- Figure 1 a longitudinal central vertical section through the kiln. Fig.`2 is a vertical section on line m of Fig. l and showing the upper portion of the passage 6 broken away.

A represents a heater oiyfurnace having the flues 2 arranged in series, as shown, said flues decreasingin size and increasinginnumi ber in the succeeding series.` By means of suitable partitions 3, disposed alternately between the ends of the fines, the heat, smoke, and other products ot' combustion pass in circuitous course through the chamber 4, into which air is received through shutters 5. The flues finally discharge into a passage 6,Whence they may be reconducted to the furnace or discharged into the outer air through a gate 7.

The tlues 2 being so disposed offer a very large heating area to be exposed Within the chamber 4. From the latter chamber the heated and sterilized airis delivered through Isuitable openings 8 into the iirst kiln-chamsides of the trunks 13, so as to form practically air-tight joints and at the same time allow the cylinder to turn. A series of supplemental parallel cylinders 15 are su pported radially of the cylindery 14, and the ends of the former communicate through short sections 16 With'the interior ot' the cylinder 14.

All these cylinders are perforated, so that air "from the passages 13 may pass freely through all of said cylinders and into and through a perforated revoluble drum 17, in which the cylinders arecontained. The drum 17 is inclosed in a superposed chamber 18, which communicates with chamber 9 through hoppers 19. These hoppers may be closed by gates 20, as it is intended that ordinarily chamber 9 shall be practically closed except for the openings 8. A current of air is induced through the chambers and drums by means of the fans or aspirators 21, disposed in the passages 13 and operating ina manner shortly to be explained. Access is had to the interior of the drums for purposes ot' inspection, charging, emptying, tbc., through openings provided with suitable closures 22.

4This apparatus is devised particularly for purposes of drying the already-germinated grain. The material to be treated is delivered in a moist condition by means of a conveyer 23 in the top of the chamber 18into the drum 17 in such quantity as to cover the cylinders Within but not entirely fill the drum. When the grain has been sufciently dried in the drum 17, it is discharged through the hoppers 19 into drum 10, Where the process of drying is completed.

Heretofore it has been customary to use a IOO single drum and central air-cylinder and force theheated air into the latter and out through the surrounding grain. The difficulty has always been to distribute the air throughout the mass so that the grain will be acted upon uniformly. Various devices have been employed to prevent the air from the inner cylinder seeking the shortest route through the surrounding material by attempting to force it by one means or another to penetrate through the deeper portions of the body of grain.

In any form of malt-drying apparatus it is essential that the grain be subjected as little as possible to any bruising effects, and so it is that the containing-drum and air-distributing cylinder are preferably of cylindrical form, as then they oder no sharp edges for the grain to fall against or over, but allow of a gentle movement of one particle upon the other as it is brought gradually to the surface.

In effecting the desired result of an equable distribution I have employed certain means of controlling such distribution in the cylinders 11, 14, and 15. In the cylinder 11 is a diaphragm 24, extending the entire length of the cylinder and dividing the latter into two entirely' separate though not necessarily equal compartments 25 and 26. Both compartments, however, are in open communication with the air-trunks 12 and may be closed more or less by means of the slide-gates 27, situated exterior to the drum. While in the present instance I have shown but one partition, as that is ordinarily suficient, I do not wish to limit myself to the use of'a single partition. Though not shown, a similar longitudinal partition may be placed in the cylinder 14. The air-supply, however, to the various cylinders 15 is regulated by means of slide-gates 28 in the sections 16. The effect of the aspirators 21 is to create a suction in the trunks 12 and cylinder 11 and a forced draft through the pipe 13 and cylinders 14 and 15, or, in other words, the heated air is drawn from the chamber 9 inwardly through t-he drum and grain, While in the chamber 18 the action of the air is from the center of the drum outwardly through the grain.` By disposing a number of cylinders l5 as shown the body of the grain in chamber 18 is affected in every part in a manner impossible with a single central air-distributing cylinder. Having been partially dried in drum 17, the material is discharged, as before described, into drum 10, where it is subjected to the drier and hotter air of the furnace and the last traces of moisture removed. Thus, in e'ect, the material in drum 10 serves as an attemperating means, cooling and moistening the air just sufficiently so that vit will be in the proper conditionwhen brought into contact lwith the moist material of drum 17, for if .the fan 21.

the kernels would become when dry as hard and irrefrangible as glass.4 The moisture-laden air issuing from the drum 17 into chamber 18 is discharged thence through apertures 29, and the discharge may be facilitated, if desired, by means of an aspirator 30.

The discharge-aperture 29, containing the aspirator 30, is used when the kiln is first started and when the airfrom thedrum is soheavily laden with moisture that it would not pass out readily through Ithe shutters 29 above, and condensation would accordingly take place in the bottom of the chamber.` The aspirator is driven by the gearing 35, which also drives During the operation of the fan the shutters 29 are closed, and as the air becomes drier the shutters may be opened.

When the drums are first charged with malt, the gates or valves 27 and 28 are opened to their fullest extent and the cylinders are allowed to revolve freely with the drums. The apparatus is then stopped for a period of four or six hours longer. It is now that the function of the gates and of the partition 24 becomes apparent. The apparatus is stopped, so that the diaphragm 24 will be inclined in substantial conformity to the angle of resistance of the grain in the drum 10 and with compartments 25, whose air-supply is controlled by the gates 27 adjacent to the shallow portion of the material. By closing the gates 27 the full blast of air may be drawn through the compartment 26 downward and through the center of the body of grain and the latter be acted uponeveninitsdeepestportions. However, it is intended that a certain proportion of the air-supply should be admitted t0 compartment 25 and pass thence through theshallower portions of grain. This air-supply is accordingly regulated by opening the gates more or less,- according to the requirements of a particular case. In the drum 17 the gates 28, controlling the air-supply to those cylinders lying nearest the surface of the grain, are partially closed, so as to force the greater quantity of air through the deeper mass of material. When the process of drying has been finally completed in drum 10, the iinished product is discharged through 4a hopper 3l, located in the iioor of the chamber-9. This hopperis ordinarily closed by agate 32 in such manner thatv no air may enter the chamber except through passages 8 during the operation of the aspirator 21.

By means of gates 33 in the trunks 12 the air may be drawn more or less from one end or the other of cylinder 11, as may be advisable under some circumstances.

In case it is desired to further attempcrate the air entering drum 17, a gate 34, communicating with thekouter air, may be opened more or less to admit a cold draft into the trunks 13.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

IOO

IIO

l. The combination in a malting apparatus of a heater, a plurality of chambers, revoluble perforated drums in said chambers, cylinders in said drums, said cylinders adapted to have their ends extend through the heads of said drums, connections between the ends of said cylinders whereby airis delivered from one to the other, air-passages between the heater and the first chamber, hoods or spreaders in said chamber by which the air from said passages is distributed, and means for inducing an air-current through said chambers, drums and cylinders.

2. The combination in a malting apparatus of a heater, a plurality of chambers superposed in relation to each other, revoluble perforated drums therein, perforated cylinders in said drums, means for admitting material into said drums, openings in the iioor of the uppermost chambers through which the material in the uppermost drum may be delivered into the drum in thechamber beneath,

closures for said openings, passages through which air from the heater is admitted to said lower chamber, connections between the ends of said cylinders, and means in said connections by which the air is drawn into the rst cylinder through the surrounding material whereby it is attemparated and is thence delivered to the second cylinder and forced outwardly through the material surrounding the latter.

3.v In a malting apparatus, the combination of a heating-furnace, a chamber within which said furnace is located, a malting-chamber, one or more mains connecting said chambers, a stationary horizontally-disposed cylinder in the malting-chamber, said cylinder divided longitudinally into compartments, mains in which the ends of said compartments terminate and valves controlling the flow of air through said compartments, and means for forcing air through the apparatus.

fl. In a malting apparatus, the combination of a furnace, an air-chamber within which said furnace is located, mains leading from said chamber, a horizontal, perforated cylinder longitudnally divided into a plurality of separate compartments, a revoluble perforated drum inclosing said cylinder, mains in which the ends of the cylinder terminate, valves adjacent to the ends of said cylinder whereby the flow of air through said longitudinal compartments may be regulated,'and means for forcing a current of air through the apparatus.

5. In a malting apparatus, the combination of a horizontal, perforated, hollow structure, means for forcing a current of air therethrough, longitudinal partitions therein whereby the air-current is divided, and valves at the ends of the cylinder controlling the compartments thereof and regulating the admission of air thereto, and a drum inclosing said structure and revoluble thereto.

6. In a malting apparatus the combination of a stationary horizontal cylinder, means for forcing a current of air therethrough, longitudinal partitions in said cylinder whereby the airis divided, valves at the ends of the cylinder for controlling the flow of air through certain of the compartments formed by said partitions, and a revoluble drum inclosing said cylinder.

7. In a malting apparatus the combination of a stationary horizontal perforated cylinder, partitions in said cylinder whereby the latter is interiorly divided into a plurality of separatedlongitudinal compartments, means by which heated airmay be forced through said compartments, slide-valves at each end of the cylinder by which the supply of air to any one of said compartments may b'e controlled, and a drum or germinating-chamber within which said cylinder is contained.

S. In a malting apparatus the combination of a horizontal perforated stationary cylinder, air-conducting mains with which the ends of said cylinder communicate, longitudinal partitions in and extending the length of said cylinder, gates slidable across the ends of the cylinder and regulating the admission of air to the compartments thereof, and a revoluble 4 drum inclosing said cylinder.

9. In a malting apparatus, the combination of a horizontal perforated cylinder, air-conducting mains with which the ends of said cylinder communicate, partitions within said cylinder whereby the cylinder is longitudinally divided into a plurality of air-conduits communicating with said air-mains, gates or valves slidable across the ends of the cylinder whereby the admission of airto said conduitsv maybe controlled, and a drum inclosing saidY cylinder.

l0. In a malting apparatus, a revoluble perforated drum,a centrally and horizontally dis- IOO IOS

posed, perforated cylinder in said drum, the

ends of said cylinder extending lbeyond the ends of the drum, mains connected therewith, a plurality of perforated cylinders within the drum parallel with the first and having their ends extending beyond the ends of the drum, and short sections connecting the ends of said last-named cylinders with the central cylinder.

1l. Ina malting apparatus, a perforated drum, a plurality of perforated cylinders in said drum disposed parallel with the axis of the drum, said'cylinders having their ends extending through the heads of the drum, means by which a current of air is forced through said cylinders and means in said cylinders exterior to the drum by which the air supplied to said cylinders is regulated.

l2. The combination in a malting-kiln of a furnace, a chamber in which said furnace is situated, air inlets and outlets in said chamber, a plurality of drying-chambers, the lirst of'said chambers adapted to receive the air from said heating-chamber, perforated drums in said drying-chambers, a horizontal perfo- IIO rated cylinder in the irst of said drums, a whereby the flow of air therethrough Vmay loe longitudinal partition insaid cylinder, a pluregulated. 1o rality of horizontal cylinders in the second In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my drum, air-trunks uniting the ends of the oylhand.

5 inders in both drums, a suction apparatus in BERNARD BERG.

said trunks whereby a current of air is in- Witnesses: duced through the chambers, drums and oyl- S. H. NOURSE, inders, and valves in each of said cylinders CHAS. E. TOWNSEND.

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