294 MANUFACTURE OF MILK POWDER 



the same, while in the Stauf patent the milk spray ascends and is 

 carried into separate collecting chambers. 



In a later design, U. S. patent No. 1,038,773, September 17, 

 1912, McLachlan causes the heated air to be forced into the drying 

 chamber through a rotating discharge head located in the center of 

 the drying chamber. The rotating discharge head directs the air 

 currents radially outward toward a deflecting ring. 



The milk is blown into the drying chamber through multiple 

 supply nozzles or atomizers. These supply nozzles enter through the 

 periphery of the deflecting ring. They discharge in a horizontal 

 plane and incline to the radius in such a manner as to cause maxi- 

 mum commingling of the finely divided particles of the milk with the 

 heated air. The dried powder, deposits in the bottom of the drying 

 chamber, a belt conveyor discharges it into a screw conveyor pocket, 

 whence it is removed to any suitable storage container. 



The moisture-laden air leaves the drying chamber through 

 drums near the bottom and top of the drying chamber. These dis- 

 charge drums are equipped with suitable arrangement to recover 

 such parts of the powder as are deposited on their surfaces. 



The Merrell-Merrell-Gere Process. This process is similar 

 to the Stauf process except that the patent covering the Merrell- 

 Merrell-Gere process specifically refers to the desiccation of pre- 

 viously condensed milk, while the Stauf patent makes no specific ref- 

 erence to the use of condensed milk, although the term "milk" may 

 have been intended to embrace all kinds of milk regardless of the 

 degree of concentration prior to desiccation. 



The Merrell-Soule Co., of Syracuse, N. Y., purchased the 

 Stauf patent in 1905 and two years later L. C. Merrell, I. S. Merrell 

 and W. B. Gere, of Syracuse, N. Y., assignors to Merrell-Soule Co. 

 patented the process as applied to desiccating condensed milk, U. S. 

 patent No. 860,929, July 23, 1907. Their patent claims read as 

 follows :' 



1. "The process of obtaining the solid constituents of 

 liquids and semi-liquids, in the form of powder, which process 

 consists in concentrating the substance by removing" a large 

 percentage of the water therefrom, converting- the concentrated 

 mass into a fine spray, bringing such spray into a current of dry 

 air or gas having an avidity for moisture so that substantially 

 all the remaining liquid constituents are separated thereby, 



