Process for tempering cereal grains

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY TEMPERING FLOWABLE, LIQUID-RETAINING BULK MATERIAL CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF CEREAL GRAIN, WHICH COMPRISES: FEEDING A FLOWING STREAM OF THE MATERIAL IN A SUBSTANTIALLY DOWNWARD PATH WHICH IS TERMINATED BY A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL, NON-WETTING PROPELLING PATH, DIRECTING A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF AQUEOUS LIQUID UNDER A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT, PRE-DETERMINED HEAD OF PRESSURE AGAINST SUBSTANTIALLY ALL SAID FLOWING MATERIAL IN SAID DOWNWARD PATH AND PERMITTING SAID FALLING MATERIAL TO PASS THROUGH SAID LIQUID, THEREBY ENABLING SAID LIQUID TO WET SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY ALL OF SAID MATERIAL FLOWING IN SAID DOWNWARD PATH, COLLECTING THE WETTED MASS AT THE TERMINUS OF SAID DOWNWARD PATH AND SAID HORIZONTAL PROPELLING PATH IN THE FORM OF A LAYER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULARLY-SHAPED CROSS SECTIONAL AREA, PROPELLING SAID LAYER OF WETTED MASS AT SAID TERMINUS IN SAID HORIZONTAL PATH IN THE FORM OF A LAYER OF WETTED MATERIAL HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS, PROGRESSIVELY DRAINING LIQUID DOWNWARD THROUGH SAID SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM LAYER OF WETTED MASS AND REMOVING SAID DRAINING LIQUID FROM SAID WETTED MASS DURING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID LAYER IN SAID HORIZONTAL PATH, THE RATE OF SPEED AND THICKNESS OF SAID LAYER OF THE WETTED MATERIAL BEING PROPELLED IN SAID HORIZONTAL PATH BEING COORDINATED TO PERMIT THE DESIRED DEGREE OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM LIQUID TEMPERING OF THE MATERIAL, AND DISCHARGING DRAINED MATERIAL FROM SAID HORIZONTAL PATH HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM, PRE-DETERMINED LIQUID CONTENT.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF CONTINUOUSLY TEMPERING FLOWABLE, LIQUID-RETAINING BULK MATERIAL CONSISTING ESSENTIALLY OF CEREAL GRAIN, WHICH COMPRISES: FEEDING A FLOWING STREAM OF THE MATERIAL IN A SUBSTANTIALLY DOWNWARD PATH WHICH IS TERMINATED BY A SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL, NON-WETTING PROPELLING PATH, DIRECTING A CONTINUOUS STREAM OF AQUEOUS LIQUID UNDER A SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT, PRE-DETERMINED HEAD OF PRESSURE AGAINST SUBSTANTIALLY ALL SAID FLOWING MATERIAL IN SAID DOWNWARD PATH AND PERMITTING SAID FALLING MATERIAL TO PASS THROUGH SAID LIQUID, THEREBY ENABLING SAID LIQUID TO WET SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORMLY ALL OF SAID MATERIAL FLOWING IN SAID DOWNWARD PATH, COLLECTING THE WETTED MASS AT THE TERMINUS OF SAID DOWNWARD PATH AND SAID HORIZONTAL PROPELLING PATH IN THE FORM OF A LAYER HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY RECTANGULARLY-SHAPED CROSS SECTIONAL AREA, PROPELLING SAID LAYER OF WETTED MASS AT SAID TERMINUS IN SAID HORIZONTAL PATH IN THE FORM OF A LAYER OF WETTED MATERIAL HAVING SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS, PROGRESSIVELY DRAINING LIQUID DOWNWARD THROUGH SAID SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM LAYER OF WETTED MASS AND REMOVING SAID DRAINING LIQUID FROM SAID WETTED MASS DURING THE MOVEMENT OF SAID LAYER IN SAID HORIZONTAL PATH, THE RATE OF SPEED AND THICKNESS OF SAID LAYER OF THE WETTED MATERIAL BEING PROPELLED IN SAID HORIZONTAL PATH BEING COORDINATED TO PERMIT THE DESIRED DEGREE OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM LIQUID TEMPERING OF THE MATERIAL, AND DISCHARGING DRAINED MATERIAL FROM SAID HORIZONTAL PATH HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM, PRE-DETERMINED LIQUID CONTENT.