US56823A - Drying apparatus - Google Patents

Description

A. STEVENS.

I Drying Apparatus.

Patented July.- 31, 1866.

-UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEG ANDREW STEVENS, OF WEST MILTON, OHIO.`

DRYING APPARATUS.

Specieation forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,823, dated July 31, 1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW STEvENs, of West Milton, Miami county, Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drying Apparatus 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawingmaking part of this specication. I

My invention relates to that class of drying apparatus which are employed for drying fruits, vegetables, roots, &c. and my improvements consist in so arranging the apparatus that the greatest amount of heat can be attained from a small quantity of fuel, while the drier is so simple in its construction as to be easily managed, and it can be erected at a mere nominal cost.

In the accompanying drawing, which is a vertical longitudinal section of a drying ap.- paratus embodying my improvements, A represents `the housing supported on a brick or stone foundation, B, which completely sur.

` means of `the pipes b.

The pipes b may enter the chamber a sufficient distance to conduct the cold air to the f bottom of the furnace C; but these pipes may be omitted and openings in the Walls substituted for them without impairin g the efciency of the apparatus.

Placed immediately above the furnace Gis a concave deecting-plate, D, extending the entire length of the drier, and the object of this deflector is to distribute the heated air from said furnace equally into all parts of the apparatus. The end cl of this detlector passes through the Wall of the hot-air chamber, so as to communicate with the external atmosphere, and a current of fresh air is always entering at said open end d, as indicated by the blue BJITOW.

vThe pipe which conveys the smoke and other products of combustion from the furnace U is composed of two vertical portions, E E', and one horizontal part, F, andsad horizontal part is located at about one-half the height of the apparatus.

If preferred, a series of pipes may be substituted for the ones E and F, and the horizontal ones may alldischarge into a drum located at the intersection of said horizontal pipes with the vertical smoke-pipe E', the position of said drum being indicated by dotted lines in the drawing.

Placed above the horizontal smoke-pipe F is another concave deilector, G, which serves to distribute the hot air from said pipe F in the same manner that the deiiector D does from the furnace C. This deector does not communicate directlyA with the external atmosphere, but it is supplied with cold :air in the following manner: H is avertical cold-air passage located between the pipe E and housing A, having a semi-tubular form, and provided at its lower end with a valve, H', for regulating the admission of cold air, while its upper end has a series of apertures, h, through which the cold air escapes and is brought in contact with the pipe F and bottom of the detlector G. This cold-air passage H serves the double purpose of admitting air to the detlector Gr and also prevents the housing A from being warped and cracked by the heat which is radiated from the pipe E. p

I I I, Ste., are a number of cleats placed athwart the drying-chamber for the reception of trays J, which trays are composed of side pieces, j, end pieces, K K', and slatted bottom j'.

The cleats I and end pieces, KK', of the trays form, when in position, one side of the vertical hot-air ilues L L', and a current ot' hot air is continually passing up said dues and escaping from the drier through the ventages a a, and said ventages may be partially or entirely closed by means of the slide-valve M.

The entire apparatus is protected from the Weather by the roof N, and access is had to all parts of the drier by simply opening the doors O O'. t

Operation: The trays J being filled with fruits, vegetables, or any other articles to be dried, the doors O O' are closed and the re lighted in furnace (l. The furnace C and smokepipe E E' and F being composed of sheetmetal, the `heatspeedily passes through them and warms the body of air contained in` the drier in a few minutes, and as the hot air ascends and escapes through the ventages a a fresh air is entering through the pipes b, and thus a constant circulation of pure warm air is kept up through the entire apparatus. As the warm air circulates it passes up thel flues L L', and also between the slats j of the trays bottoms, so that any articles which may be placed in said trays are completely enveloped in this constantly-ascending current of warm air, and all of the moisture which may be contained in said articles is extracted from them in a few minutes.

By surrounding` my furnace with a wall of brick, stone, or other suitable heat-retaining material, I am enabled to economize the fuel to the utmost, and the brick serves as a good foundation, which prevents the wood-work from rotting by coming in contact with the damp earth.

Corn stalks or cobs, chips, twigs, and stubble may be used for fuel in my furnace, by which means the expense of using my apparatus is reduced to a mere nominal cost.

I have described my drier as constructed on a small scale for the purposeof drying fruit, 85e. 5 but it is evident that the apparatus may be enlarged, so as to season lumber for carpenters, sl1ip-builders,and farmers use 5 and when it is to be employed in connection with a factory or mill which is furnished with steam power the escape-steam from the engine may be conducted into the furnace C, which will thus serve as asteam-drum, from which it will l Y pass into the pipe E E F, thereby warming the air as completely as though there was a fire in said furnace.

I claim herein as new and of my invention.

l. Arranging the cleats I and trays J of drying apparatus so that they may form or side of a hot-air ue, L, as described.

2. The vertical cold-air passage H, whe placed between the smoke-pipe and housin of a drying apparatus, substantially as d. scribed, and for the purpose set forth.

3. In the described combination, the vertica cold-air passage H, smoke-pipe E E F, and the concave deiiecting-plates D and G, arranged and operating as explained.

4. The horizontal branch F, when arranged to pass between two sets of drying-trays, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

ANDREW STEVENS.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. KNIGHT, JAMES H. LAYMAN.

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