GB1129533A - Improvements in apparatus for malting grain - Google Patents

Abstract

1,129,533. Mixing granular materials. VICKERS Ltd. 1 June, 1966 [2 July, 1965], No. 28236/65. Heading B1C. [Also in Division C6] A malting apparatus incorporates an enclosed, stationary vessel 1, Figs. 4 and 6, a perforated false floor 9, a connection 17 for supplying and draining steeping liquor to and from the charge space 2, connections to an air conditioning plant or to a kilning plant whereby humid conditioned air or dry heated air may be passed through the charge of grain (at the appropriate stage in malting) in either direction, a stirrer 50 operative over substantially the whole area of the charge space 2, and hinged doors 10a in the false floor 9 through which the vessel can be discharged. Barley is delivered into the charge space 2 through openings in the top of the vessel afforded by chain-operated slides. After the malting, a screw conveyer 11 is wheeled in beneath the doors 10a to facilitate discharge of the malt after the doors have been opened. Rotary ploughs 65 push the malted grain into the elongated opening 10. Any overflow of the steeping liquor is drained away through a skimming box 23. The rotary malt stirrer 50 travels sequentially along a revolving frame structure 33. The rotary motion of spindle 29 is imparted through a clutch to a radial shaft which in turn drives a sprocket 38, holding the frame structure, over the pins of a circumferential track 37. The carriage of the stirrer is slidably mounted on rails along the frame structure and the radial position of the carriage therealong is adjusted by a hand wheel through the intermediary of an arm which engages a chain drive. The spindle is actuated by an electric motor 32. The single helical conveyer (stirrer) 50 may be replaced by two such conveyers two pitches apart, and the helical conveyer(s) and the carriage may have individual motors. The plough mechanism incorporates two blades 65 disposed end to end and together extending across substantially the full diameter of the vessel. The two blades 65 are supported and rotated through link chains 66a which are attached to arms 66 secured to the centre spindle 29 by a releasable clutch 67, 67a. The chains (at the lower end) are attached to levers 68 which are secured edgewise to the backs of the respective plough blades 65 and provide the bearings for plough spindles 69 carried by a collar 71 and upon which the blades can tilt. During the discharging of the green malt, the stirrer is brought to a position directly above the elongated opening and the plough arms are rotated to and fro through an angle of 180‹. If, however, the helical stirrers are completely removed from the vessel prior to the discharging, then the ploughs may be arranged to rotate continuously without any reversing. The plough mechanism, when it is not in use, is lifted manually to an uppermost position in which it can be hooked to the frame structure by a hook 72.