US1019958A - Sugar-drier. - Google Patents

Description

W. H. HANNAM & W. E. MURRAY.

SUGAR DRIER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1911.

Patented Mar. 12,1912.

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lri N W. H. HANNAM & W. E. MURRAY.

SUGAR DRIER.

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Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

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I lllllll/llllllllllllllllll To all whom it may concern:

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFioE- WILLIAM H. HANNAM AND WARREN E. MURRAY, 01? SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA ASSIGNORS TO WESTERN SUGAR REFINING COMPANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALI- FORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFDRNIA.

SUGAR-DRIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1912.

Application filed June 22, 1911 Serial No. 634,767.

Be it known that we, WILLIAM H. HAN- NAM and WARREN E. MURRAY, citizens of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sugar-Driers, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to a simple, eflicient, durable and inexpensive device for the drying of sugar to free the same of the moisture contained therein, so as to prevent the adhering and clogging of the sugar crystals, which is a decided objection to the handling of the sugar with the moisture therein; the object of the invention being to subject each grain of the sugar to the action of propellin jets of heated air, which removes or expe s all moisture from the sugar Without in any manner destroying or dullin the luster and brilliancy of the crystai.

To comprehend the invention reference should be had to the accompanying sheets of drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional View taken through the drying apparatus and feed mechanism for delivering the sugar thereto, illustrating one form of means for supplying heated air under pressure to the interior of the heat circulatin chamber thereof. Fig. 2 is a cross sectional'view taken on line m--m- Fig. l of the drawings. Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the transversely slotted grating within the drier. Fig. 4: is an enlarged detail view disclosing a series of the blocks composing said grat- 1n in the drawings, the numeral 1 is used to designate a suitable drying structure, the interior of which constitutes, a drying cham her 2 through which the sugar is passed.-

.6, the outer end of which is substantially closed by an endwall 7.

The diaphragm or grating is composed of the longitudinal supporting pieces 8, one secured to each of the bottom side walls 4, and a series of transversely disposed Wooden pieces or blocks 9 fitted within and sustained by the supporting pieces 8. These transverse pieces or blocks 9 are cut away on one face thereof at an incline as shown at 10, the cut commencing at a point approximately one third the distance from the upper edge of the'block and continued to the bottom edge thereof. These blocks are fitted within or between the supporting pieces 8 a distance apart slightly less than the size of the sugar crystals, so that an ordinary size crystal cannot fall through or pass between said spaced blocks into the hot air chamber 6. When the said blocks are properly arranged within the drying chamber 2, a grate surface is formed for the heating chamber 6 provided with a series of inclined or angular disposed passageways 11, which communicate with the sub-' stantially vertical passage-way 12.

Hot air is admitted into the heat chamber. 6 by the conduit 13, which extends from a blower 14.- taking hot air from a suitable heater 15 through the conduit- 16. The hot air drawn from the heater 15 is forced into the lower chamber 6 under pressure by the blower 14, and circulating within said chamber escapes therefrom through the passageways of the grating into the drying chamber 2 in the form of heated air jets, the inflowing hot air being directed upwardly within the chamber 6 by means of the fixed deflector 17 arranged therein in advance of the discharge opening of the conduit 13.

The sugar to be dried is delivered into the feed hopper 18, situated at the forward end of the drier, and the sugar is fed from said hopper into the drying chamber 2 by means of the worm feeder 19, located in the bottom of the hopper 18 and partly extended within the chamber 2, the sugar discharged from the worm feeder 19 being directed onto the slotted grating by means of the incline 20. As the sugar falls onto the said grating the same 'is intercepted by the first of the series of air jets discharging through the grating and the grains or crystals of the sugar are forced upwardly, and falling downwardly by gravity the are met by the next series of hot air jets and again forced upwardly, being thus gradually prodrying chamber 2 toward the discharge outlet 5, the same are subjected to the action of the jets of heated air, and owing to the pressure under which the said jets are discharged into the chamber 2 the crystals are maintained in an agitated condition, being turned over and over by the air jets and gradually conveyed toward the discharge end of the grating or slotted covering wall for the chamber 6.

Owing to the angular disposition of the openings or passages of the grating, the jets of hot air impinge onto the separated crystals of sugar at an outward inclination, which prevents the crystals banking at any point on the surface of the grating, which the same would tend to do in case the heated air jets discharged in a direct vertical line. It is the pressure of the air jets and the angle of their discharge which serves to slowly, but gradually work the crystals toward the discharge end of the grating, the

time of travel required for the crystals of sugar being sufficient to enable the heated air jets to expel all moisture therefrom.

To provide against the upwardly driven crystals describing too great a curve or path of movement within the drying chamber 2, which would tend to rapidly propel the same toward the discharge end of the grating and skip a number of the air jets, a series of baffles are suspended within the chamber 2 a slight distance above and throughout the length of the grating, each baffle comprising a transversely disposed open frame 21 covered with a wire mesh 22. These bailie frames 21 conform to the shape of-the chamber 2 and are suspended from the-roof 23 of the drier, and serve as transverse partition walls. With these bailies situated within the drying chamber 2, as the crystals of sugar'are forced upwardly they impinge or strike against the mesh cov- .ering of the bafiles, which breaks or arrests the movement thereof, causing the same to fall by gravity toward thesurface of the grating until they are met by the next series of air jets, which throw the same upwardly against the second baflies, and so on throughout their line of travel.

Some of the finer particles of the sugar will work through the transverse slots or passage-ways of the grating and find their way into the heating chamberv 6, but such of the "finer particles will be forced along the bottomfof the said chamber and over the incline 24 toward the outlet opening 25 by ent invention, the essential feature of which resides in propelling the crystals of sugar through the drying chamberby the application of a series of air jet streams successively directed thereagainst throughout their line of travel.

While the invention has been described for the drying of sugar its use is not limited to such material, as the same may be utilized for the expelling of moisture from granular material generally.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed asnew and desired to be protected by Letters Patent is- .1. In an apparatus for drying sugar, the combination with a drying chamber provided with a discharge outlet, of an air receiving chamber, a cover for said chamber provided with a series of transversel disposed inclined passage-ways establishing communication with the drying chamber, means for delivering sugar to be dried onto the covering for the heat chamber, and mechanism for supplying hot air into said chamber and forcing the same into the drying chamber as jet streams of heated air.

2. In an apparatus for drying sugar, the combination with a drying structure having its interior divided into a drying chamber and an air receiving chamber, of a covering for the heat receiving chamber provided with a series of transversely disposed inclined passage-ways establishing communication with the drying chamber, a plurality of transversely disposed baffles suspended within the drying chamber, a discharge outlet extended from said chamber, means for delivering sugar onto the covering for the air receiving chamber, and mechanism for delivering hotair into the said chamber and forcing the same therefrom into the drying chamber as jet streams of heated air.

3. In an apparatus for the described purpose, the combination with a drying structure the interior of which is provided with I a drying chamber and an air circulating chamber, ofa grated covering for the heat circulating chamber, a feeder for delivering material to be dried within the drying cham ber, means for delivering heated air under pressure into the air receiving chamber and forcing the same therefrom into the drying chamber through the grated covering in the form of air jets, and a discharge outlet extended from the drying chamber.

an air receiving chamber, the said heat receiving chamber being provided with an outlet opening, an lncline extended from the floor of said chamber to the outlet opening thereof, of a transversely slottedcovering for the air receiving chamber, a feeder for deliverin material to be dried into the drying cham er, means for forcing heated air under pressure into 'the air receiving chamber and from said chamber into the drying chamber as jet streams, and a dischargeoutlet extended from the drying chamber for the driedmaterial.

5. In an apparatus for the described-purpose, the combination with a drying structure provided with a' drying chamber and an air receiving chamber,-of a transversely slotted covering for the air receiving chamher, a series of transversely disposed screened bafiles suspended within the drying chamber, a .feeder for delivering material .to be dried into the drying chamber,-

and means for delivering heated air into the air receiving chamber.

6.- In an apparatus for the described purpose, the combination with a drying structure provided with a drying chamber and an air receiving chamber, of a covering for the air receiving chamber composed of a series of transversely disposed pieces spaced apart, devices for supporting the same within the drying chamber, a feeder for delivering material to be dried into the said chamber, and means for supplying heated air under pressure within the air receiving chamber and forcing the same therefrom into the drying chamber as jets of heated air.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM H. HANNAM. WARREN E. MURRAY.

\ Witnessesz I N. A. ACKER,

D. B. RICHARDS.

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