The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-06-03
sugar, or its conversion into molasses with
its discoloration was enormous.
SUGAR REFINING.

sugar, or its conversion into molasses with
its discoloration was enormous.
SUGAR REFINING.
The refining of sugar of first product, or
raw, as now produced, is now almost uni
versally demanded before its consumption
by the civilized world, and it is hazarding
little to say that but for one discovery and
one invention, both made about the same
time (lS12), it would be impossible to an
swer this demand. That discovery was
the effect of animal charcoal, or calcined
bones, upon sugar solutions, and that In
vention was the vacuum pan, or the meth
cd of boiling in vacuo, by E. G. Howard
The discovery was made in France
! (Devoine). the invention in England.
/ Through these alone are the stupendous
operations in sugar refining now possible.
The sugar may consist of several varie-
ties, apportioned by the judgment of the
manager so as to best attain the particular
result desired in quality. 1t is first dissoiv-
ed ID hot water (say one-third), in large
tank fitted with an agitator operated by
steam and a steam-heating coil for quick
ening the process When dissolved it cor
responds to the juice when extracted from
/ the cane OF beet BY the mills, and all pos
sible dispatch is made to restore it again to
the crystal form. From the melting tank
it is pumped to an upper floor of the re-
! fnery into eisterns, called blow-ups, fitted
with steam connections for heating Here
it is further clarified by albumen, and any
acid tendency Is converted by alkali, usually
lime milk, and its weight or quantity Of
sugar adjusted by addition of water or sirup
TO some 27o or 2So Baume saccharimeter,
the test generally used. In some modes of
working the blow ups are now omitted, and
the liquor from the melting pan is passed
directly to the bag filters, which By great
numbers may be made to supereede the ne
cessity of albumen.
Bag Fafers.-The construction Of these
can be best understood by illustration and
description. Their purpose- IS to remove
mechanical impurities still remaining in the
dissolved sugar
They consist Of two long bags, say b or
81 feet long. one of close material, and l5
or 10 inches wide. placed within another
little sharter and much smaller, but 0f very
strong open material outside, TO support the
inner in doing It's work. These are sas
peaded inside and from the top Of close
iron tank, the mouth of each bag being at
taehed to circular hell or opening down
ward in the top of the tank The top OF
the tank outside il surrounded with low
but tight fence or inclosare, perhaps a1oot
high, into which the liquor flows, and Is
conducted through the openings above
spoken OF into the mouths Of the bags.
The incloSure in which the bags are sns-
pended contains from one hundred 10 SIX
az seven hundred bags, and Is steam tight
10 admit of its introduction for heating and
facilitating the aow oF the liquor, aS well a.
Ia Fenaove any sugar that may remain in
tine impurities OF scum arrested by the bags.
The tendency Of late years has been to in
ercasc the number and use Of the bag filters,
aud Ia dispense cnrre-pondingly with the
other clarifying agents.
Gkareoaf FfitrTk.--Frum the bags the
liquor. as it Is called. now enters anew and
most important phase, via The animal
charcoal filters The effect Of animal char
coal in decolorixing sugar solutions was OBJ
served about the close Of the last century,
and used by w. Derosus. about 1871, who
introduced il then into practical use But
At first il was palverixed and mixed with
the sugar in the blow-up. and removed with
the scum and lerst- Afterwari il was placed
in shallow tanks, and the sugar passed
through them, bat about the year 1882
VI. Dunont devised the tall filters similar
in form 10 those now in use. and with sun
dry variations in size, and open or closed
they have continued until now The
present scale Of business relaires the use
Of enormous quantities Of this eharcoal. and
the filters are now made eorrespondingly
large, say eight or ten feet diameter, and
eighteen To twenty feet high The effect
is aot only 70 iiiter and deeolorize the liquor,
bul to remove acids and hme, and in some
mysterious way il also promotes OF facili-
tateS the cryssalhzing power, increasing il,
according 10 some, as much as ten per cent.
The filters are generally capable Of being
closed, so az TO allow the use Of pressure,
which insurgs = more uniform distribution
Of the sirup, 80 that none Of the coal NJ
mains unused. as sometimes happens with
cut pressure. This pressure also allows
the liquor to be passed over from the bot
tom Of one alter TO the top of another,
when further filtration of il IS required,
and saving in such ease the east aud ex-
pense of pumping, and the heat 80 desira-
bic while flteFing.
CONCENTRATION or THE STRIP.
The evaporation Of the water or eoncen-
tTation Of the sirup or liquor in the vacuum
pan, Is the next stage, and BY means of this
invention of Howard We are enabled 10
maintain vacuum Of twenty-seyen to
twenty eight inches, and hence to boil at a
temperature of 1902 to l70', instead Of
220s To 250o, as would be required in open
air. In the early days these pans were
only about six feet diameter and four feet
high in the center Of the elliptical section,
with capacity of twenty or twenty-five
barrels Of sugar
Now there are some in New York of
seventeen feet horizontal diameter and IF
teen to sixteen feet high One in the re-
fnery of Messrs Matthiessen 4 Wiechers
has capacity of boiling four hundred
barrels OF sugar at once, and evaporates
sixty thousand pounds of water in two and
a half hours, or fifty gallons per minute
The vacuum pan and the bcne-black FL
tiers may be regarded respectively as the
heart and the lungs of sugar refinery,
being as vitality important to its successful
working as are those organs to the we'll
being of animal life
A beautiful arrangement of the vacuum
pan devised by NJ Rillieux, of Louisiana,
called The Triple EfFet, consists of two
or three pans so connected that the vapor
from the first, boiling without vacuum, is
conducted to and boils the liquor in the
second under partial vacuum and the
vapor from the second is conducted to and
boils the liquor in the third pan, in which,
thonph the 6auor il heavier the nan he