A New or Improved Process for Crushing and Extracting Oil or Liquids from Oleaginous Seeds and other like Materials and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th June, 1889-Accepted, 20th July, 1889.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
A New or Improved Process for Crushing and Extracting Oil or
Liquids from Oleaginous Seeds and other like Materials and
Apparatus therefor.
I, EUGÈNE CUVELIER of 95 Boulevard Beaumarchais Paris Engineer 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:-
This Invention relates to a new or improved method of crushing or reducing
oleaginous seeds and other materials requiring similar treatment and extracting or
expressing the oil or liquid matter which they contain with the aid of apparatus
arranged and operating as hereinafter explained.
There are two processes that have hitherto been generally employed for crushing
oleaginous seeds. One consists in employing an apparatus provided with rollers or
stones rolling in annular troughs. The seeds placed in these troughs are crushed
by the rollers or stones and scrapers are provided which continually draw the seeds
into the path of the said rollers or stones. With this process the crushing is very
unequally performed and occupies a relatively considerable time.
In the other process the seeds are caused to pass between rollers which simply
produce a flattening action without tearing the cells. Consequently the oil contained
in these cells cannot be properly extracted without great difficulty.
Now my Invention relates to a new process which is free from these disadvantages
and which while affording a continuous crushing action has the advantage of tearing
all the cells in the seeds so that the latter are completely disintegrated this being
an indispensible condition for the effectual extraction of the whole of the oil which
they contain.
This process is based on the observation of the following facts which constitutes
the principle of the Invention. When seeds are compressed in a closed space under a
somewhat powerful pressure and this space provided with holes or slots whose form
and dimensions are regulated according to the nature of the seeds to be crushed as
hereinafter explained the seeds are forced through these orifices and in their passage,
under the action of the high pressure are crushed and broken up much more effectually
than in the ordinary processes partly by their friction against the sides of the orifices
and partly by their friction against one another.
Starting with this new principle I construct an apparatus in which the seeds are
crushed in their forced passage through orifices of suitable form and at the same time
I may subject them to pressure in such a manner as to enable the oil to be simul-
taneously extracted or expressed from the pulp.
Nevertheless the crushing and extracting may be performed in two separate
apparatus one being employed solely for crushing the seeds and the other for extracting
the oil moreover the principle of the crushing hereinbefore described being the chief
object of the Invention, I claim all apparatus operating on this principle.
And in order that my said Invention may be fully understood I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same and for that purpose shall refer to the several
Figures on the annexed sheets of drawings the same letters of reference indicating
corresponding parts in all the Figures.
Figure of the accompanying drawings represents in longitudinal section a
combined crushing and extracting apparatus according to this Invention.
Figure 2 is a similar view of an apparatus for crushing without extracting.
Figure 3 represents this apparatus in plan.
Bianco in d
17:

page_text: Figures 5, 6, 7, 8, 11 and 12 illustrate modifications of the orifices employed for
crushing the seed and Figures 9 and 10 show modifications in the form of the slots
in the apparatus for extracting the oil.
In the apparatus of the type illustrated in Figure 1.. the first part of the apparatus
(on the left hand in the drawing) serves to crush or grind any description of oleaginous
seed and reduce it to a suitable condition for extracting the oil therefrom by pressure.
The second part (on the right hand in the drawing) is employed for extracting or
expressing the oil. The apparatus is consequently capable of taking the place of the
cylinders and stones or rollers as well as of the hydraulic presses commonly employed
for performing similar operations.
The apparatus is provided with a cylinder C in which works a piston P. A funnel
or hopper D from which the seed is supplied to the apparatus is placed upon the
cylinder. The piston P has a reciprocating motion imparted to it by means of an
eccentric or a crank or lever for example. The cylinder C is constructed with a
flange E at one end connected by rods F with a disc or plate E¹ and between the
plate E and the flange E there are arranged a series of rings or washers H and a
plate & placed next to the cylinder C being provided with orifices M. of a form suitable
for the kind of seed that is to be treated. At the right hand end the apparatus
is provided with a taper tube I and a lever K connected to a valve J closing the orifice
of the tube.
The action of this apparatus is as follows:-The seed or other matter to be crushed
and pressed being placed in the hopper D descends (when the end of the piston or
plunger P has been moved to the point) L (Figure 1) into the cylinder C and on
the return of the piston P is forcibly compressed and forced through the orifices M.
being suitably torn and crushed in its passage. The seed or materials after passing
through these orifices are received in a space or chamber N formed by the rings
or washers H herein before referred to and being continually compressed and forced
into this chamber by the continued action of the piston P gradually works its way to
the farther end of the chamber where it escapes through the valve J after being caused
to part with the greater part of the oil or liquid which it contained the pressure to
which it is subjected in the chamber N. causing the said oil or liquid to filter or
percolate through the openings of about one tenth of a millimetre which are formed
between the rings or washers H.
The orifices in the crushing plate G may be of various forms. In Figures_5
and 6 they are represented as being of elongated and taper form for example.
The plate G may be composed of three pieces in order to enable the area of the
orifices to be adjusted by means of screws according to the nature of the seeds
under treatment.
In the arrangement illustrated in Figures 1, 4 7 and 8 the orifices are taper
and circular. Any convenient shape may be given to the orifices but their
dimensions and their number must be calculated according to the nature of the
materials to be treated, the amount of work to be done and the degree of fineness
which is to be obtained in the product.
In the apparatus illustrated in Figure 1 the taper orifices are arranged with their
small ends inwards or next to the materials in the cylinder so that the said
materials are forced to pass from the small end to the large end but in certain
cases it is preferable to reverse this position. In dealing with soft or tender seeds
that would be liable to choke the openings between the filtering rings H the plate G
may be dispensed with the internal diameter of the rings H being made the same as
the diameter of the plunger P so that they form a continuation of the cylinder C.
The stroke of the piston is considerably increased so that it advances up to the
tubular part I. The openings or orifices are then kept clear by the passage and
friction of the piston or plunger. In this case the cylinder must be placed vertically
in order that it may be completely filled with the seeds.
Figure 2 represents an apparatus whose sole function is to crush and reduce the
seeds to a suitable condition for being treated in the hydraulic presses.

page_text: This apparatus illustrated in Figure 2 is composed of a cast iron cylinder R pro-
vided at its lower part with a tube or lining m of cementation steel and in which
works an accurately guided piston or plunger P. This piston or plunger is provided
at its lower end with a disc of tempered steel of exactly the same diameter as the
interior of the cylinder. A hopper O is placed upon the cylinder and at the lower
end of the latter there is provided a plate S retained in position by a screwed ring V
and having orifices M of circular or other form. An opening T provided with a
safety valve J is formed in the side of the cylinder at a short distance from the
perforated plate S.
This apparatus operates as follows:-The seeds or other materials placed in the
hopper O descend into and completely fill the cylinder R when the piston P is elevated.
This piston then descends about as far as the point I exerting a powerful pressure
L
on the seeds crushing them effectually as they are squeezed out through the
orifices M.
The new or improved principle of crushing herein before described is applicable to
the crushing or reduction of seeds of all descriptions and to the extraction of the juices
of pulp of all descriptions and in general to all materials requiring similar grinding
or crushing and extracting treatment.
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 1
claim is :-
1. Crushing or reducing oleaginous seeds and other like materials by forcing them
under pressure through orifices of suitable shape and dimensions substantially as
hereinbefore described.
2. Extracting oils or other liquids from oleaginous or other pulp by filtration or
straining between rings or washers packed tightly together and forming a cylinder
the liquids being allowed to pass through orifices or interstices of suitable form and
dimensions between the rings or washers and the solid pulp or residue being retained
in the cylinder as hereinbefore described.
3. The apparatus consisting of a cylinder provided with a feed hopper and closed
at one end by a plate with crushing orifices in combination with an oil extractor
composed of rings or washers packed tightly together between two plates or collars
connected by bolts, a valve provided with a counterweight being placed at one end
of the apparatus in order to regulate the extracting pressure substantially as herein-
before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
4. The vertical crushing apparatus having a hopper placed above the cylinder and
on the same axis in combination with a crushing plate secured by a retaining ring and
a piston provided with a steel disc substantially as hereinbefore described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 5th day of June 1889
J. H. JOHNSON & Co.,
Agents.