GB191011867A - An Improved Method of and Apparatus for the Drying of Tea. - Google Patents

Abstract

11,867. Kupferberg, B. A. May 13. Rotary-chamber apparatus; temperature, controlling. - Tea is dried in a rotary steamjacketed vacuous drum containing a stationary hopper, between which and another hopper without the drum runs an airtight conduit ; shoots are fixed below the hoppers, A carrier formed by a pair of pistons connected by two rotatable half - tubes passes from one hopper to the other, carrying wet tea into the drum and removing the dried tea. One of the bearing-bosses 8, Fig. 2, carries steam-pipes 64. 65; the pipe 64 leads to a chamber 66 within a rotating member 67 and through an annular chamber 69 within a bearing 70 to an inlet pipe 68; the pipe 65 leads to a chamber 71 within the member 67 and through an annular chamber 73 to the outlet pipe 72. Air, exhausting .-Air is exhausted through a pipe 75 leading by a space within a sleeve 15, which supports the carrier conduit 13, and surrounding a sleeve 40', to the interior of the conduit and through holes in this to the drum. Feeding and discharging.-The pistons 17, 18, Fig. 1, of the carrier are connected by a halftube 19 and secured to a sleeve 20, within which passes a shaft 21 secured to one of two disks in the face of the pistons carrying the half-tube 23; a scoop in the carrier rotates with the pistons. The conduit is open to and carries the interior hopper 24 and also carries the shoot 25 resiliently. The shoot is oscillated by a rocking member 36, Fig. 2, connected to the reciprocating rod 40. Deflecting-blades 33 and a scraper 63 above the hopper are provided. The sleeve 40<1> carries a rocking arm 48, Fig. 2, at one end, and at the other an arm 49 carrying a rod 50 which supports directly and indirectly two intercalating sets of combs 53, Fig. 3, passing through the sides of the hopper. The combs 78, Fig. 1, of the outer hopper 16 are similarly actuated by a shaft 79 and an arm 80. The arm 80 is connected by a link 82 to an arm carried by a sleeve 83<1> free to rotate on a shaft 81; the sleeve 40<1> is connected by an arm and a link 84, Fig. 2, to an arm on a shaft 81<1> in line with the shaft 81. The shaft 81<1> and sleeve 83<1> carry clutch devices, and a slutch 88 between them on the shaft 81 is reciprocated at intervals by a lever 91 connected to and moving synchronously with a lever 113, which reciprocates the sleeve 20 and the carrier at intervals. By means of levers 125, 135 and cam and groove devices, rotary motion can be given to the sleeve 20 and shaft 21. Means for effecting the various operations automatically in sequence comprise a rotary arm which in each revolution moves a star-wheel through a quarter-turn, actuating the levers 91, 113 and thus moving the carrier from one hopper to the other and shifting the clutch 88 so that the shaft 81 is fixed either to the shaft 81' or to the sleeve 83<1>. During each revolution the arm engages also with six gab arms arranged in pairs connected by levers which operate mechanism so that in turn (1) the half-tube 19 is rotated allowing tea to fall through the shoot 25 within the hopper, (2) the half-tube 23 is moved to its bottom position, (3) the half-tube 19 is moved back to its bottom position, (4) the link 82 or 84 is actuated to separate the combs and allow the hopper to fill, (5) the combs are moved back and cram the tea into the carrier, and (6) the half-tube 23 is moved back to close the carrier, which is then transferred to the other hopper.