IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR CLARIFYING SUGAR, AND IN THEREFOR to be as follows:
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, EUGEN LANGEN of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the
County of Middlesex Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR CLARIFYING SUGAR, AND IN
THEREFOR to be as follows:---*
"
APPARATUS
This invention relates to a process for clarifying sugar, according to which
fresh clarifying liquor is introduced into one of a series of receptacles which
contains partially clarified sugar, the molasses or green syrup displaced from
which are introduced into another receptacle of the series containing sugar in
a more impure condition, the displaced molasses from which are introduced into a
third receptacle, and so on until only crude molasses are discharged from the last
receptacle of the series containing crude sugar.
According to the present invention, instead of subjecting stationary masses of
sugar to the above described process (which has been found to be impracticable in
consequence of the considerable force required to cause the clarifying liquor to
penetrate through a body of sugar of any extent. I cause the sugar, while it is
maintained in a semi-liquid condition, consisting of sugar crystals and molasses
or sirup, to travel continuously in one direction through a vessel or series of vessels,
while the clarifying liquor is caused to pass through the semi liquid mass in the
contrary direction so that the sugar, as it proceeds becomes gradually more and
more cleansed, issuing as perfectly purified sugar at the end of the vessel or series
of vessels where the fresh liquor enters, while the liquor, as it proceeds in the
contrary direction, becomes more and more impure, and issues as crude molasses at
the end of the vessel or series of vessels where the impure sugar enters.
Various arrangements of apparatus. may be employed for carrying out the above
described method of operating; according to the arrangement which I prefer to
employ a series of vessels are arranged side by side through which the semi-liquid
sugar is made to travel consecutively. Each vessel is provided in its lower part
with a continuously revolving stirrer while the upper part is divided by a partition
into two compartments, in one of which the sugar is caused to travel downwards,
while in the other it is caused to travel upwards on its way to the next vessel.
At the top of the partition dividing the one vessel from the next is arranged a box
or trough connected to an exhaust and having fitted on to its open top a revolving

page_text: perforated cylinder on the upper-surface of which the sugar is carried over from
the one vessel into the other. The sugar in being then carried over is subjected to
the exhaust of the trough below, and consequently has the molasses or sirup
extracted therefrom before entering the next vessel; in being thus deprived of its
moisture the sugar will solidify and adhere to the surface of the cylinder from
which it consequently has to be removed by a fixed scraper on the side on which
the sugar has to be delivered into the next vessel.
Should the perforations of the cylinder become clogged with the solidified sugar
this will be removed therefrom as the cylinder passes into the exhaust trough.
The molasses or sirup are led from the exhaust trough into the preceding vessel.
The pure clarifying liquor is introduced into the last vessel of the series which
contains almost perfectly pure sugar, and the exhausted sirup from this vessel is
led into the preceding vessel containing sugar in a less purified condition. The
exhausted liquor from this vessel being in a correspondingly less pure condition is,
in its turn, led into the next preceding vessel, and so on, the liquor becoming more
and more charged with impurities such as salts and other. soluble matters as it
proceeds from one vessel to the other while the sugar travelling in the contrary
direction becomes more and more pure, so that, throughout the system, the more
purified sugar is treated with the less impure liquor. From the first vessel but one
of the series, only crude molasses will be exhausted, a portion of, which is conducted
into the first vessel, in order to impart the requisite fluidity to the sugar therein,
while the remainder is led away to be dealt with in any desired manner.
LARS (1) 17
According to another modification;
ication, each vessel or compartment has a perforated
it
bottom below which is placed the exhaust trough so that as the sugar is made to
travel either by gravity or otherwise from one compartment into the next by
openings or channels formed in the partitions, the molasses or sirups are exhausted
therefrom into the troughs; from which it is then conducted back into the preceding
compartment, as before.
:
Or, according to another arrangement, the sugar is fed from a receptacle in
a layer of any desired thickness on to an endless travelling, band of wire gauze or
other permeable material which passes over a series of exhaust troughs, while at
the same time, pure clarifying, liquor is fed on to the layer, from a receptacle
situated at the discharge end of the endless band, the sirup exhausted from below
being supplied on to the part of the layer situated over the next trough, and so
on, as before.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant,..
28, Southampton Buildings,
London, W.C.

page_text: I, EUGEN LANGEN of No 28 Southampton Buildings Chancery Lane in the
county of Middlesex, Engineer do hereby declare the nature of my invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN PURIFYING OR CLARIFYING SUGAR AND IN APPARATUS THEREFOR »
and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to a process for clarifying sugar, according to which fresh
clarifying liquor is introduced into one of a series of receptacles which contains
partially clarified sugar, the molasses or green syrup displaced from which are
introduced into another receptacle of the series containing sugar in a more impure
condition, the displaced molasses from which are introduced into a third receptacle
and so on until only crude molasses are discharged from the last receptacle of the
series containing crude sugar.
According to the present invention instead of subjecting stationary masses of
sugar to the above described process (which has been found to be impracticable in
consequence of the considerable force required to cause the clarifying liquor to
penetrate through a body of sugar of any extent. I cause the sugar, while it is
maintained in a semi-liquid condition, consisting of sugar crystals and molasses or
sirup, to travel continuously in one direction through a vessel or series of vessels
while the clarifying liquor is caused to pass through the semi-liquid mass in the
contrary direction so that the sugar, as it proceeds becomes gradually more and
more cleansed, issuing as perfectly purified sugar at the end of the vessel or series
of vessels where the fresh liquor enters, while the liquor, as it proceeds in the
contrary direction becomes more and more impure, and issues as crude molasses at
the end of the vessel or series of vessels where the impure sugar enters.
Various arrangements of apparatus may be employed for carrying out the above
described method of operating; according to the arrangement which I prefer to
employ, a series of vessels are arranged side by side through which the semi-liquid
sugar is made to travel consecutively. Each vessel is provided in its lower part
with a continuously revolving stirrer while the upper part is divided by a partition,
into two compartments in one of which the sugar is caused to travel downwards
while in the other it is caused to travel upwards on its way to the next vessel.
At the top of the partition dividing the one vessel from the next is arranged a
box or trough connected to an exhaust and having fitted on to its open top a
revolving perforated cylinder on the upper surface of which the sugar is carried
over from the one vessel into the other. The sugar in being thus carried over is
subjected to the exhaust of the troughs below, and consequently has the molasses
or, sirup extracted therefrom before entering the next vessel; in being thus
deprived of its moisture, the sugar will solidify and adhere to the surface of the
cylinder from which it consequently has to be removed by a fixed scraper on the
side on which the sugar has to be delivered into the next vessel. Should the
perforations of the cylinder become clogged with the solidified sugar, this will be

page_text: removed therefrom as the cylinder passes into the exhaust trough. The molasses
or sirup are led from the exhaust trough into the preceding vessel.
The pure clarifying liquor is introduced into the last vessel of the series which
contains almost perfectly pure sugar and the exhausted syrup from this vessel is
led into the preceding vessel containing sugar in a less purified condition. The
exhausted liquor from this vessel being in a correspondingly less pure condition is,
in its turn, led into the next preceding vessel and so on,, the liquor becoming more
and more charged with impurities; such as salts and other soluble matters, as it
proceeds from one vessel to the other, while the sugar travelling in the contrary
direction becomes more and more pure, so that throughout the system, the more
purified sugar is treated with the less impure liquor. From the first vessel but
one of the series, only crude molasses will be exhausted, a portion of which is
conducted into the first vessel in order to impart the requisite fluidity to the sugar
therein, while the remainder, is led away to be dealt with in any desired manner.
According to another modification each vessel or compartment has a perforated
bottom, below which is placed the exhaust trough so that as the sugar is made to
travel either by gravity or otherwise from one compartment into the next by
openings or channels formed in the partitions, the molasses or sirups are exhausted
therefrom into the troughs, from which they are then conducted back into the
preceding compartment as before.
Or, according to another arrangement, the sugar is fed from a receptacle in a
layer of any desired thickness on to an endless travelling band of wire gauze or
other permeable material which passes over a series of exhaust troughs, while at
the same time, pure clarifying liquor is fed on to the layer from a receptacle
situated at the discharge end of the endless band, the sirup exhausted from below
being supplied on to the part of the layer situated over the next trough and so on,
as before.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews diagrammatically a longitudinal
section of an apparatus such as is first herein before described for carrying out my
invention. Fig. 2 shews a cross section of the same and fig. 3 a part longitudinal
section of one of the perforated cylinders. A¹ A2 A³ &c are troughs or vessels
arranged side by side through which the semi-liquid sugar to be treated is made to
flow consecutively as shewn by the arrows, the sugar being charged into the first
vessel A' from the tank B into which the sugar crystals are introduced, and where
they are mixed with the requisite quantity of liquor for maintaining the whole mass
in a semi liquid condition, the thorough incorporation of the whole mass being
effected by revolving stirrers C. Each vessel A¹ A² &c, contains firstly a revolving
stirrer D and secondly a perforated or pervious cylinder E against one side of
which a scraper F is made to press, so as to remove the sugar adhering thereto.-
A pipe G leads from the interior of each cylinder E to a suction pump H, the
discharge pipe G¹ of which passes up to a liquor supply trough I' &c, situated over.
the vessels A&c from which the liquor flows into the said vessels. The last
trough I of the series is supplied with fresh clarifying liquor from a tank through
the pipe K.
Assuming the apparatus. to be in operation and that the whole of the vessels A¹
&c are charged with the semi-liquid mass, the action will be as follows:
The sugar, entering the first vessel A¹ from the tank B, is caused by the
partition L first to flow downwards so as to be acted upon by the stirrers D, and
then upwards and over the perforated cylinder E¹ revolving in the direction of the
arrow, and into the vessel A³, and so on till it reaches the last vessel A¹. Into
this vessel pure liquor is supplied from the trough I and as the sugar passes over
the cylinder. E the pump H2 exhausts the liquor therefrom, carrying with it any
impurities that may still remain in the sugar, and delivers it into the trough I",
whence it flows into the vessel A" and is there incorporated with the sugar passing
through on its way to A12. In passing, over the cylinder E, the sugar again has
the liquor xhausted from it by the pump. H which discharges it into trough-
whence it hows into A and so on. Thus, as, the, sugar flows in the direction
-:-

page_text: from A to A¹ it is repeatedly subjected to the action of one and the same body
of liquor made to flow in the direction from A to A¹ so that as the sugar becomes
gradually purer by the repeated action thereon of the liquor it is brought in contact
with liquor that has taken up less of the impurities, until, when arriving in the
vessel A12 in a nearly pure condition, it is subjected to the action of perfectly pure
liquor from the trough I¹. The liquor, on the other hand, in becoming more and
more impure as it passes in the contrary direction, is made to act successively on
masses of sugar from which less impurities have been removed, until the most
impure liquor withdrawn by the pump H from the cylinder E¹ is partly charged
through pipe G into the tank B to serve as the liquid with which the sugar
crystals are mixed, and is partly discharged through the branch pipe G² to wherever
required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is
1, The method of purifying or clarifying sugar wherein the sugar crystals,
mixed with liquid so as to form a semi-liquid mass, are treated with purifying
liquid in successive stages in such a manner that the liquid being drawn through
the mass by suction as it passes over a pervious or perforated surface at one stage,
is delivered on to the mass that is passing over the pervious surface at the
preceding stage, so that the liquid which has taken up the least amount of
impurities is made to act upon sugar from which the greater amount of impurities
has been removed, while the liquid which has taken up most impurities is made to
act upon sugar that still contains most of its impurities.
2, The use for purifying or clarifying sugar in the manner set forth in the
preceding claim, of apparatus constructed and operating substantially as herein
described.