CASTOR-OIL INDUSTRY. 



11 



after " wetting" the equipment. The acidity of the oil of the control 

 (unheated) beans was 0.37 per cent, while that of the heated beans 

 was 0.31 per cent, showing no deleterious action due to such heating. 

 The color of the oil in 

 both cases was the 

 same. 



A type of heater 

 used in this country 

 for castor beans and 

 known as a grain drier 

 is illustrated in figure 

 2. This equipment, 

 including the ac- 

 companying racks 

 (figs. 3 and 4), is con- 

 structed entirely of 

 galvanized steel 

 plates, pressed into 

 the desired shapes and 

 cleated or riveted to- 

 gether in sections, 

 which are assembled 

 and bolted together 

 to build up any de- 

 sired capacity. The 

 bean-holding com- 

 partments consist of 

 a series of vertical 

 racks made up of 

 horizontal steel 

 shelves (pitched 

 bottoms) attached to 

 vertical steel plates. 

 These shelves are 

 staggered opposite 



each Other in Such a Fig. 2.— A small assembled heater. It is to be noted that the lower 

 ■ " j i , -1 cooling section is discarded when used for heating castor beans. 



manner that beans 



entering the upper end of the racks will descend through a zigzag course 

 between the shelves and from one shelf to another until they are 

 stopped at the bottom by a series of slides operated by rockshafts 

 and levers. They will then pile up vertically without overflowing 

 or leaking from the sides of the racks until the entire height of the 

 racks is again full of beans, forming vertical zigzag layers with both 

 sides entirely open. The beans do not pack in these vertical columns, 

 for the reason that each shelf bears the load of the beans resting 

 directly upon it and the weight is distributed equally throughout 



