An Improved Apparatus for Acetifying Alcoholic Wash and Liquor in the Manufacture of Vinegar.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Oct., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 5th July, 1889-Accepted, 10th Aug., 1889
1
An Improved Apparatus for Acetifying Alcoholic Wash and Liquor
in the Manufacture of Vinegar.
We JAMES CHARLES SHEARS of 27 Bankside in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
and ALEXANDRE MANBRÉ senior of 128 Kennington Park Road in the County of
Surrey, Brewer and Sugar Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
An Improved Apparatus for Acetifying Alcoholic Wash and Liquor in the
Manufacture of Vinegar.
Hitherto it has been the practise to carry on the Process of Acetification chiefly
by two well known methods (1) The Slow Process. (2) The Quick Process. But
both Processes are defective and costly. The Old Process owing to the length of
time required to obtain a suitable Acetification of the Alcoholic Liquor, and the
Quick Process, owing to the loss sustained in the evaporation of varying proportions
of Alcohol in the form of Aldehide through the deficiency in the supply of atmospheric
air which is not adequate to the proportion of oxygen required in order to obtain
the complete oxydization of the Alcohol; such loss of Alcohol averaging from 20
to 25%
Now by the use of our Improved Apparatus we are enabled to introduce and
distributo in a most efficient manner throughout the Apparatus, the requisite
proportion of Atmospheric Air, by means of which we obtain a continuous Acetification
and a complete oxydization and conversion of the Alcoholic Liquor into Vinegar in
a comparatively short timo and reducing the loss of Alcohol to a minimum,
barely 4 to 6%..
Our Improved Apparatus consists of a series of oxydising Filtering Chambers
superposed one over the other so as to form together a column; each Chamber is
open at the top and has a perforated bottom on which is placed a Bed of Beech Wood
Shavings so as to fill up the Chamber to the extent of two thirds of its capacity, the
other third being reserved as a free space for the admission of atmospheric air
through holes specially made for the purpose around the sides of the Chamber at
about three inches from the top. The holes of the perforated Bottom are to be fine
enough to cause the liquor descending through them to become as a fine rain or
spray, or if larger, to be loosely filled up with cotton wicks hanging down to about 1
to 2 inches from the bottom, so as to allow the Alcoholic Liquor to permeate through
and to trickle down drop by drop on the top of the Bed of Beech Wood Shavings
in the next Chamber below, and so on from one Chamber to another.
Now taking as an illustration that the Column consists of 4 Chambers superposed
one over the other, on the top of this Column is placed a Delivery Box with
perforated bottom, as already described, and at the bottom of the Column is placed
another Tub to receive the Vinegar, the Operation is then to be carried out as
follows;
The Alcoholic Liquor is allowed to run gradually into the Delivery Box, trickling
down drop by drop on to the top of the Bed of Beech Wood Shavings in the 1st
Filtering Chamber, then on the top of the 2nd, then on the top of the 3rd, then on
the top of the 4th, thus meeting or otherwise coming in contact with fresh oxygen
in the free space as it descends or otherwise falls down drop by drop successfully or
in the form of a spray from Chamber to Chamber, so that when the Alcoholic Liquor
reaches the Receiver at the bottom it is completely oxydised and converted into

page_text: This Apparatus- can be made of Wood or of any metal or other materials or
substances, suitable for the purpose; it can also be made of any size or shape, and
the Beech Wood Shavings can be replaced by other suitable oxydising substances.
Dated this Fifth day of October 1888.
JAMES CHARLES SHEARS.
ALEXANDRE MANBRÉ.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Apparatus for Acetifying Alcoholic Wash and Liquor
in the Manufacture of Vinegar.
We JAMES CHARLES SHEARS of 27 Bankside in the County of Surrey, Engineer,
and ALEXANDRE MANBRÉ senior of 128 Kennington Park Road in the County of
Surrey, Brewer and Sugar Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
An Improved Apparatus for Acetifying Alcoholic Wash and Liquor in the
Manufacture of Vinegar.
Hitherto it has been the practice to carry on the Process of Acetification chiefly
by two well known Methods (1) The Slow Process, (2) The Quick Process, but both
Processes are defective and costly, the Old Process, owing to the length of time
required to obtain a suitable Acetification of the Alcoholic Liquor; and the Quick
Process owing to the loss sustained in the evaporation of varying proportions of
Alcohol in the form of Aldehide, through the deficiency in the supply of atmospheric
air, which is not adequate to the proportion of oxygen required, in order to obtain
the complete oxydization of the Alcohol, such loss of Alcohol varying from 20
to 25 per cent.
Now by the use of our Improved Apparatus we are enabled to introduce and
distribute in a most efficient manner throughout the Apparatus the required proportion
of Atmospheric Air, by means of which we obtain a continuous Acetification and a
completo Oxydization and conversion of the Alcoholic Liquor into Vinegar in a
comparatively short time, and reducing the loss of Alcohol to a minimum, barely 4
to 6 per cent.
Our Improved Apparatus consists of a series of Oxydising Filtering Chambers
superposed one over the other so as to form together a Column: each Chamber is
open at the top, and has a perforated Bottom on which is placed a Bed of Beechwood
Shavings, so as to fill up the Chamber to the extent of two thirds of its capacity,
the other third being reserved as a free space for the admission of atmospheric air
through holes specially made for the purpose around the sides of the Chamber at
about three inches from the top. The holes of the perforated Bottom are to be fine
enough to cause the liquor descending through them to become as a fine rain or spray,
or. if larger, to be loosely filled up with cotton wicks hanging down to about 1 to 2
inches from the bottom, so as to allow the Alcoholic Liquor to permeate through, and
to trickle down drop by drop on the top of the Bed of Beechwood Shavings in the
next Chamber below, and so on from one Chamber to another.
Now taking as an illustration that the Column consists of 4 Chambers superposed
one over the other, on the top of this Column is placed a Delivery Box with perforated
bottom as already described, and at the bottom of the Column is placed another
Tub to receive the Vinegar; the operation is then to be carried out as
follows-
The Alcoholic Liquor is first heated up to a temperature of from 85° to 100° Ft. in a
Tub half full of Beechwood Shavings, and immediately the acetous fermentation sets
in the liquor is allowed to run gradually into the Delivery Box, trickling down drop
by drop on to the top of the Bed of Beechwood Shavings in the 1st Filtering Chamber,
then on the top of the 2nd, then on the top of the 3rd, then on the top of the 4th,
thus meeting or otherwise coming in contact with fresh oxygen in the free space as

page_text: it descends or otherwise falls down drop by drop successively, or in the form of a
spray, from Chamber to Chamber, so that when the Alcoholic Liquor reaches the
Receiver at the bottom, it is completely oxydised and converted into Vinegar.
In some cases when the Alcoholic Liquor is contaminated with certain proportions
of sugar or gum or other like substances in solution therein, or in case it has a
greater alcoholio strength than 5 per cent. of absolute alcohol, the operation must be
repeated by repassing the alcoholic Liquor through the said Filtering Chambers once
or twice, until it is ascertained that the Acetification is effected, this can easily be
done by pumping the Liquor over and over again in proportion as it runs down into
the Receiver, thereby forming a continuous stream up and down the whole time.
The Filtering Chambers instead of being superposed one over the other may also be
fixed near each other in such a manner as to get the bottom of the top Chamber level
with the top of the next Chamber below, and so on from Chamber to Chamber until
the Liquor reaches the Receiver, and it is then pumped up again on the top Chamber
as above described, until the Acetification is completed.
This Apparatus can be made of Wood or of any Metal or other materials or
substances suitable for the purpose; it can also be made of any size or shape, and of any
number of Chambers according to the quantity of Vinegar it is intended to produce,
and the Beechwood Shavings can also be replaced by other suitable Oxydising
Substances, and the Cotton Wicks by other suitable cloth and material.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is,
1st. The Rapid Process of manufacturing Vinegar by subjecting the Alcoholic
Liquor to a combined continuous current of atmospheric air and filtration substantially
and in manner herein described.
2nd. The combination and arrangement of Apparatus consisting of a series of
Oxydising Filtering Chambers through which Atmospheric Air is continuously
admitted, which Filtering Chambers are either superposed one over the other so as to
form a Column, as already described, or fixed so that each Chamber commands the
next one below it, so as to allow the liquor to run down from one to the other by a
continuous gradual fall, substantially, and in manner herein described.
Dated this Fifth day of July 1889
JAMES C. SHEARS.
ALEXANDRE MANBRÉ.