Improvements in Multiple Evaporating Apparatus.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 20th July, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 18th Apr., 1889-Accepted, 20th July, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Multiple Evaporating Apparatus.
I, THOMAS SLAITER Mechanical Engineer of 56 Maury Road Stoke Newington
London do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to evaporate and concentrate fluids by passing
the said fluids over open trays heated by steam, such trays with their steam supplying
passages being fixed in a cylindrical chamber or vessel in which a vacuum is main-
tained by means of an air pump. The mode of construction being as follows-
In a long cylindrical vessel with closed ends, placed at a slight incline, at one end
of which is a steam chamber, I insert a number of large tubes. One end of the
tubes pass through the steam chamber and are secured in their place. A slot hole
underneath the part of the tubes passing through the steam chamber serves to admit
steam. Thus one end of the tubes are securely fixed in one end of the cylindrical
Vessel. The other end of the tubes are fixed in a steam tight annular chamber
which is loose in the Vessel and thus permits of the expansion and contraction of
the tubes. The annular chamber serves to receive the condensed water from the
tubes which falls through a hole on the underside of that part of the tubes passing
through the annular chamber and is drawn away either by the air pump of the
apparatus or by separate pumps. The upper part of the tubes, between the steam
chamber and the expansion chamber is cut away and open and in the open tubes
there are gutters rivetted the entire length over which the fluid to be evaporated
slowly runs and as evaporation takes place, the vapour rises and is drawn away.
When working triple effect this vapour would pass into the steam chamber of the
second vessel and so heat the double bottomed trays of that Vessel, a similar process
being continued on the third vessel. The extreme ends of the tubes are sealed and
the trays or gutters are supplied with the fluid to be evaporated by means of Pipes
regulated by Valves and having sight glasses so as to be able to see the admission of
the fluid and regulate it accordingly and at the discharge end, the fluid is either
drawn away in pipes or falls into a chamber and is drawn into the next vessel by
superior vacuum or by pumps. The first vessel is fed by means of a Pump which
drawing the fluid to be evaporated forces it through a heater through which the
Vapour passes from the third Vessel to the Air Pump and is thus heated. The tube
trays are so placed on the Vessels as to permit them to be cleaned from the inside
of the apparatus.
Dated this 20th Ta1 1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Multiple Evaporating Apparatus.
I, THOMAS SLAITER Mechanical Engineer of 56 Maury Road, Stoke Newington
London do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
The object of my Invention is to evaporate and concentrate fluids by passing the
said fluids over open trays heated by steam, such trays with their steam supplying
passages being fixed in a cylindrical chamber or vessel in which a vacuum is main-
tained by means of an air pump. The mode of construction being as follows:-
In a long cylindrical vessel with closed ends and in which there is a steam chamber
at one end I insert a number of large tubes. One end of the tubes pass through
the steam chamber and are secured in their place. A slot hole underneath the part
ID 11/1

page_text: of the tubes passing through the steam chamber serves to admit steam. The other
end of the tubes are fixed in a steam tight annular chamber which is loose in the
vessel and thus permits of the expansion and contraction of the tubes. The annular
chamber serves to receive the condensed water from the tubes which falls through a
hole on the underside of that part of the tubes passing through the annular chamber
and is drawn away either by the air pump of the apparatus or by separate pumps.
The upper part of the tubes between the steam chamber and the expansion chamber
is cut away and open and in the open tubes there are gutters rivetted the entire
length over which the fluid to be evaporated slowly runs and as evaporation takes
place, the vapour rises and is drawn away. When working triple effect this vapour
would pass into the steam chamber of the second vessel and so heat the double-
bottomed trays of that vessel a similar process being continued in the third vessel.
The extreme ends of the tubes are sealed and the trays or gutters are supplied with
the fluid to be evaporated by means of pipes regulated by valves and having sight
glasses so as to be able to see the admission of the fluid and regulate it accordingly.
The drawings annexed show various views of apparatus constructed according to
my invention.
Figure 1. Sheet 1 is an end view partly in section of two of the vessels arranged
in series.
Figure 2. Sheet 2 is a longitudinal section of one of the vessels.
Figure 3. Sheet 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section of tubes, gutters and
pipes.
Fignre 4. shews the outer end of a tube.
Figure 5 is a section of a tube as it passes through the steam or vapour
chamber.
Figure 6 is a section of a tube in the vacuum chamber part of the apparatus.
A is the vacuum or evaporating chamber. B the steam or vapour chamber. C is
the exhaust pipe connecting the vacuum or evaporating chamber of one effect with
the steam or vapour chamber of the next following effect or to an air pump. D is the
chamber or expansion end which receives the condensed water from the ends of
the tubes.
E E E E are the tubes containing the gutters G. The gutters run the entire
length of the tubes and may be flat, corrugated or any other form. H is a pipe
also running the entire length of the tubes and inserted in the steam space of the
same, to permit of the fluid which passes off from the end of the gutter being
conveyed back and delivered to the end of the gutter of the next tube below.
The tubes E pass at their ends completely through the steam or vapour chamber B
and through the moveable chamber D at their expansion end. At the steam chamber
end each tube is retained in place by a collar L bearing against the exterior of the
inner side of the steam chamber and by a nut screwed on to its extremity bearing against
the outer side of the steam chamber. Similarly at their opposite end they are secured
to the moveable chamber D by a collar L' and nut K¹. The collars L L' are secured
to the tubes by pins or tap screws so that they may readily be removed whenever
it is required to take out the tubes. The joints between the nuts and loose washers
and the ends of the chambers are made tight by the insertion between them of
asbestos rings or in other suitable ways. F are hollow bent elbows for closing
the steam chamber ends of the tubes E and passing the fluid under concentration
into the next lower gutter. F¹ are closing caps at the expansion end of the tubes.
bb are the parts cut away on the underside of the tubes where they pass through
the steam or vapour chamber so as to admit steam or vapour below the underside of
the gutters and c c are parts cut away in that portion of the tubes passing through
the expansion chamber for the release of condensed water.
M is a receiving chamber for the fluid after it leaves the last gutter and return
pipe, and N is a valve and float for regulating the discharge into the next vessel or
to the outlet. O is a feed chamber which receives the fluid to be evaporated.
c. c¹³ care a series of valves on the same spindle for regulating the flow of
the fluid to be evaporated and which are all opened or closed at the same time by

page_text: means of the hand wheel d. e e¹ are the pipes that feed the uppermost row of
gutters.
P is the pipe connecting the discharge of one vessel to the feed chamber of the
following vesself is the pipe for removing the condensed water in the annular
chamber and which may be in connection with the air pump of the apparatus. This
pipe passes out as shewn through a stuffing box carried by the end cover of the
vacuum chamber.
The end cover is made readily removeable-the caps F¹ at the ends of the tubes
are also readily removable so that the ends of the tubes can from time to time be
readily got at and cleaned.
As will be seen from Figure 1, a central space is left in the vacuum chamber
unoccupied by tubes. A man hole cover C¹ (see Fig. 2 of the drawings) is also
provided to allow of a workman passing into the central space and cleaning the
gutters whenever it may be requisite.
Between the last vessel or effect and the air pump I place a vertical multitubular
heater through which the vapour from the last vessel passes on its way to the air
pump and the expansion chambers of second and following vessels may also be
connected to the air pump as already mentioned but the expansion chamber of the
first is connected with a condensed water box which also receives the condensed water
from the steam or vapour chamber of the same.
Each vessel is provided with sight glasses to allow the progress of the work to be
seen and is also provided with the usual fittings. The general action of the apparatus
may be described as follows:-
The first vessel or effect receives the steam partly from the exhaust of the air
pump engine or otherwise or in place of heating it by steam it might if desired be
heated by hot air or other heated fluid.
The second vessel derives its heat from the vapour arising from the fluids
in course of concentration in the first vessel-the third from the second and
so on.
The fluid to be concentrated is pumped into the multitubular heater through which
it passes and falls by gravity into the feed chamber 0 of the first vessel and by means
of the pipes e e e e into the uppermost gutters it passes in a film along the gutters
in the uppermost tubes and falling over at the end into the closing caps is returned
by means of the pipe in the steam passage to the next succeeding lower gutters and
so throughout the series. From the last gutter and pipe the fluid is discharged into
the partitioned space M at the bottom of the vacuum chamber and is drawn into the
next effect by superior vacuum and so on throughout the series.
The finally concentrated fluid is drawn off from the last vessel by means of a
pump.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The combination of the vacuum chamber, the cylindrical tubes passing through
it open at the top except at their ends, the gutters running from end to end of the
tubes and means for supplying steam or hot fluid to the pipes below the gutters
and for supplying fluid to be concentrated to and conveying it away to the
gutters.
2. The combination of the vacuum chamber, the readily removable tubes each
having a tray or gutter within it and open at the top where it is within the vacuum
chamber, and also means for supplying steam or hot fluid to the tube below the
gutter and a pipe also below the gutter passing back through the tube and serving to
return the fluid under concentration from the gutter in the tube to a gutter or tray
in another tube below it.
3. The combination of the vacuum chamber, the readily removable tubes each
having a tray or gutter within it and open at the top where it is within the vacuum
chamber, means for supplying steam or hot fluid to the tube below the gutter, a

page_text: pipe also below the gutter passing back through the tube, and the readily removable
caps for closing one end of the tubes and hollow elbow bends at the other end of
the tubes for leading the fluid under concentration from the return pipe in one tubo
to the gutter of a tube below it.
4. The combination of the vacuum chamber, the steam chamber at one end thereof,
the readily removable tubes passing through the steam chamber and into the vacuum
chamber each tube having a tray or gutter within it and open at the top where it is
within the vacuum chamber and on its underside where it passes through the steam
chamber so that steam or hot fluid may enter below the gutter.
5. The combination of the vacuum chamber, the steam chamber at one end thereof,
the readily removable tubes passing through the steam chamber and into the vacuum
chamber and at their ends passing through and secured to a hollow chamber which
can move to and fro in the vacuum chamber each tube open at the top where it
passes through the vacuum chamber and at the bottom where it passes through the
steam chamber and the movable chamber respectively to allow steam to enter the tubes
below the trays or gutters and water resulting from condensation to pass away from
them.
6. The construction of evaporating apparatus substantially as herein before
described.
1
THOMAS SLAITER.