US895405A - Apparatus for oxidizing flour. - Google Patents

Description

'110.895,405, n PATEN'r-Bn' Ua-1,1998;

QW.L.J01\ILS.v

I APPARATUS POR OXIDIZING PLOIIR.L Y urucnxox rum JAN. 3, nos.'

wiLLLui LEsr'n-JoN-Es, or srooK'ronoALiroRNra APPARATUS Fon. o rz'rNG rLoUrt.-

vNo. 895,405.

lTo all -uzom it may concern:

Be it known .that I, lViLLIAM LESTER JONES, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Stockton, in the county of San -Joaqiiin and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in 'Ap aratus for Oxidizing Flour, of which the ibllowing is a speciication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

'My invention relates to the art of artificially aging flour by subjectin the saine to a gaseous oxidizing agent, and as for its object to use a simpler, yet efficient, .'process, and also provide for such purpose a more simple apparatus, than 'heretofore used.-

The principle of such artificial aUing-.treat means employed .towards such end be as sim# .ple as possible. Since only Aa very small quantity of nascent oxygen,l is needed, electric sparking ,of a confined volumeof air has been employed; but such means are fraught with danger in a smill. I have discovered that I may' obtain nascent oxygen by the use of 'a voltaic cell, the cathode and anode of which' are electrically connected; or, referabl by a plurality of units of such cells; the cathode and anode of each of which is electrically connected that is so .that each cell will constitute a unit by itselfI and in which the veltaic action is produced. by certain acids..

In the practice of my inventionl have found itcon'renient to employ a cell commercially known as a Fuller cell, and consisting of an outer jar in which is suspended a slitted cylinder of carbon', aporous potplacedwithf inthe latter, and abar of zinc inserted in the porous pot. I partially fill the central orf ous pot with a weak solution of sul uric `acid-one pai-t of the acid to forty of water; -and tlie outer jar l )artially till with chemically pure nitric acid. 4These cells I place in a chamber through whiclil force a current of air into the flour agitator-chamber.

The cell chamberl have constructed as illustrated in the drawings, in which Figure 1 is .a longitudinal section of such lchamber, on aline :z: oflig. 2, and its appur- Speccaton .of Letters Patent. Application-feed January 2, isos. Serin 116,294,236.

Patented Aug'. 4, 1908..

' tenances, 2 is a plan or'top view thereof, 'and Fig. 3 -is a cross-section on line /yJgof preceding figures, viewing the saine as pointed by the arrow z.

The chamber C is conveniently constructune sfrarasfrannr ormoni lj ed of lumber and com rises a bottom 1, sides 2, 8 and ends 4, 5.. 'also referably make. the same of such size'tliatpl may divide` it longitudinally by a removable partition .6, slidably heid by its ends in vertical' grooves in the inner faces of theends 4, 5. By this arrangement VI am enabled to treat two grades of lo'ur simultaneously, as will be fur-l ther explained below.`

The inlet-end has an opening 7 in which to inject a vcurrent 'of air from a rotary fan 8 operated by a belt and pulley 9. Such inlet 'end is' controllable by a slide 154 having a hole 16 so that the slide may beadjusted to allow the full volumel of the iii-blown current of air to enter the chamber from the fan, or cut off a part there'ot` proportionatelyto the volume of nascent oxygen generate o enings from which extend ducts 10, 11 to t .e flour agitator-chamber, that is ,-the cham-' ber in which the ground Hour is contained in an agitated' state and exposed to the air impregnated with'nascent oxygen.

'lie outlet openings are controlled by vertically slidable doors 12, 13 respectively. As already mentioned, the chamber C-is divided into two compartments c c2, and ducts 10, 11 lead therefrom into two independent agitator-chambers (not shown) in which to simultaneously oxdize two grades of Hour. By closing either of moving the artition 6 a chamber of increased size is obtained. Under such circumstances of course the air-current woul bedischarged through one outlet-duct only, and 'the other be closed bya door dropped in front thereof. Such arrangement is` conven by the voltaic cells., The 'outlet end. is made with two the doors 12, 12S-andre.-

ient for treating a large quantity of tlour of a single grade..

The chamber ispro length of about 28 inc es, width 1'1 inches and ljieight of 16 inches. '.Whens'o'pro ortioned the two compartments obtane by dividing the chamber lengthwise, as nientioi'iedfwilleach have a capacity for treating about 400 barrels per twenty four hbu'rs.

On the floor ofeachdiv'ision or compara' ment vof the cliainberis placed a pluralityv cellsl?, and the two terminals of each cell.

ortioiied tol have a u once every twenty four hours, to maintain i the efficiency of the cells; and therefore I prefer t-o arrange them as disconnected units. To obtainv a ractically airtight t for the slides I line t e same with cotton flannel or other Asuitable fabric. For the same end, the top-edge ofthe Walls of the chamber C are faced with a like material., For the flange of vthe coverv to lie on. The chamber is provided with a hinged cover 14, and therefore allows convenient access to the Voltaic cells.

wWhile I have particularly mentioned a Fuller cell, ofcourse any cell may be used capable of emitting, While inaction, a gase- 2e .having inlet and outlet openings and means for blowing a current of -air through the chamber.A of a voltaic 4battery contained in said chamber, the terminals of the battery being short-circuited, said short-circuited battery generating gaseous compounds possessing bleaching pro erties.

In testimony w iereof, I have hereunto affixed/my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

\-VILLIAl\I LESTER JONES.

Vitnesses:

T. J. GEISLER,

ALPHA A. TURNER.

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