Improvements in plant for drying, conditioning, and otherwise treating cereals and other substances

摘要

467,623. Drying and conditioning cereals &c. CURTIS, E. E., and NEWMAN, J. E. May 21, 1936, No. 14369. [Class 58] [Also in Group XIII] Grass, cereals, leafy and other vegetable materials, granular and powdered substances are dried or conditioned by being subjected whilst on trays to the passage of a gaseous medium therethrough such medium passing in parallel through the trays and the material being moved between the preliminary and the final treatments from one tray to another. The trays 6, 7, 8, 9 having perforated floors are supported in an inclined position in an enclosure 1 that is divided by transverse walls 2, 3, 4 into compartments fitted with ledges 5 to support the trays. Hinged doors 11 are arranged at the front of the enclosure and when cereals are being treated a conveyer leading to an elevator may be provided. The walls 2, 4 are apertured or arched to permit passage of the treating medium between the compartments. A chamber 13 triangular in plan is arranged at the rear of the enclosure and is divided into two compartments 15, 16, by a central wall 14 in line with the wall 3. Each compartment 15, 16 communicates with the spaces beneath two of the trays through the open rear side of the enclosure 1 so that hot air fed to either of the compartments 15, 16 passes to the underside of the two corresponding trays to dry the grass as it passes therethrough. The air is heated by coke furnaces 22 through, over and around which the air is drawn by a fan 20 which forces the heated air through a trunk 19 past a regulating valve 24 and distributing vanes 27. A canopy 29 travels on rails 28 to cover either of the two middle trays as desired ; a mattress 30 adjustable by chains 31 prevents grass being lifted by the air current. A second canopy to cover the other tray may be fitted. A second triangular compartment 32 also divided by a middle partition 33 is arranged over the middle portion of the air chamber 13 ; this compartment is provided with apertures adapted to register with openings in the end of the canopy 29 when this is above one of the trays. In operation, the grass &c. is preliminarily dried in the outer trays 6, 9, the hot, heavily moisture-laden air being permitted to exhaust ; the material is then thrown on to the middle trays, the hot air that passes through the material then flowing through the canopy or canopies and chambers 34, 35, to a trunk 36 leading to the suction side of the fan. The air that has passed through the middle trays may thus be recirculated. Means may be provided at the ends of the canopy to secure a portion of the hot air rising from the outer trays for testing purposes.