Patent GB-189923134-A (GB)
Title: Method of and Apparatus for Refining Sugar.
Inventor: ROBIN-LANGLOIS JOSEPH
Filed: 1899-11-20
Granted: 1900-11-20
Abstract: 23,134. Robin-Zaaglois, J. Nov. 20. Moulding sugar.-Relates to apparatus for refining beet, cane, or other sugars, and moulding the refined sugar into small slabs or plates. The raw crystallized sugar is passed through several cleaners, for removing hairs or other foreign matter, and is next washed with cleare which is nearly or quite saturated with sugar. The pasty mass, thus obtained, is machined after each washing ; the syrup, thus extracted, may be used in making fresh cleare, for use in subsequent washing operations. After machining, the sugar is passed through a drying-apparatus, and is then crushed and sieved, so as to obtain a granular portion, which is moistened with water, containing indigo, and fed through pipes into the mixers 33. The very fine sugar powder, separated from the granular portion, is used in making cleare solutions for washing. The mixers 33 are cylindrical chambers, each provided with a double bottom 34 into which hot water is introduced by pipes 35, 36. Motion is communicated to the mixer shafts, from the main shaft 18, by means of bevel gearing 23, 24, vertical shaft 25, and toothed wheels 27, 29. Each mixer is provided with a sluice, actuated by means of a hand-wheel 49 and pinion 50, for allowing the mixed sugar to pass into a kneading-mill 51, which is provided with knives 63 mounted upon a shaft 58, driven by gearing 61 from the main shaft. The temperature of the mill 51 is kept at least as high as that of the mixers, by means of a hot-water casing 52. From the mill 51 the sugar is fed into a vertical distributing-chamber 64, provided with a shaft 65, which is fitted with arms 68 and is driven by bevel gearing 69, 70. Two sightholes 72, 73 are formed in the sides of the chamber 64. The supply of sugar from the mill 51 to the chamber 64 is regulated by means of a disc valve, actuated by a hand-lever 75. The lower end of shaft 65 is provided with one or more arms 77, carrying blades 78, which divide the pasty sugar as it passes on to an annular moulding-table 76. A series of curved arms mounted on a vertical shaft driven by means of a toothed wheel 81, on the shaft 65, smooth the upper surface of the divided layer of sugar on the moulding-table. Standards 89 support rollers 90 carrying the moulding-table, which is connected by radial arms 96 to a central shaft 98 and is rotated by means of an endless screw 19 and wheel 20. Hot-water pipes 79, 80 are mounted near the table upon stands 95, carried by the standards 89. The sugar is moulded into slabs, having the form, when seen in plan, of a portion of a sector of a circle, in a mould formed by removable copper plates laid on the moulding-table, a fixed ring 99, and a series of vertically-movable plates 100. These plates are provided with rollers 103 travelling between guides 105, 106, which are horizontal except near the delivery portion of the table, where the guides are curved downwards so as to cause the plates 100 to descend flush with the moulding-table. The sugar is cut by means of copper knives into the sector-shaped slabs, which are discharged upon a ring 102 of galvanized sheet iron. Before receiving the pasty mass of sugar, the removable copper plates are pressed down upon the moulding-table by a roller. A counterweighted roller 109 is also employed for smoothing the upper surface of the moulded sugar.