Method of moistening whole grains

Claim 1

A method of uniformly moistening whole grain kernels to a predetermined uniform moisture content in preparation for milling, comprising the steps of: a. admitting whole grain kernels through an inlet at one end of a closed, circular vessel having an inner circumferential wall; b. admitting metered quantities of water into contact with said grain kernels in the region of said vessel inlet; c. accelerating the admitted grain kernels circumferentially within the vessel and creating a whirling tubular veil of generally freely moving grain kernels in the vicinity of the inner circumferential wall of the vessel that moves substantially continuously lengthwise of the vessel, through the use of a rotor that extends axially within the vessel, the rotor having a plurality of individual blades projecting transversely of the rotor axis and having free outer ends, said blades being spaced over substantially the entire length of the rotor and generally uniformly spaced around its circumference, the blades numbering at least twenty blades for every square meter of surface area of said inner circumferential wall, and the rotor being made to rotate at a speed requisite for imparting to the outer ends of the blades a circumferential velocity of between substantially six meters per second and thirty meters per second, whereby said whole grain kernels are impacted within the whirling tubular veil by the rotating blades and caused to frictionally engage each other, thereby effecting uniform moistening of the grain kernels; d. and removing and uniformly moistened whole grain kernels through an outlet at the other end of the vessel.

Claim 2

A method of uniformly moistening whole grain kernels to a predetermined uniform moisture content in preparation for milling, comprising the steps of: a. admitting whole grain kernels through an inlet at one end of a closed, circular vessel having an inner circumferential wall; b. admitting metered quantities of water into contact with said grain kernels in the region of said vessel inlet; c. accelerating the admitted grain kernels circumferentially within the vessel and creating a whirling tubular veil of generally freely moving grain kernels in the vicinity of the inner circumferential wall of the vessel that moves substantially continuously lengthwise of the vessel, through the use of a rotor that extends axially within the vessel, the rotor having a plurality of individual blades projecting transversely of the rotor axis and having free outer ends, said blades being spaced over substantially the entire length of the rotor and generally uniformly spaced around its circumference, the blades numbering at least twenty blades for every square meter of surface area of said inner circumferential wall, and the rotor being made to rotate at a speed requisite for imparting to the outer ends of the blades a circumferential velocity of between substantially six meters per second and thirty meters per second, whereby said whole grain kernels are impacted within the whirling tubular veil by the rotating blades and caused to frictionally engage each other, thereby effecting uniform moistening of the grain kernels; d. and removing and uniformly moistened whole grain kernels through an outlet at the other end of the vessel.