AN APPARATUS POR BOILING SUGAR-CANE JUICE AND OTHER LIQUIDS
Year: 1844

page_text: RONALD, of Glasgow, in Scotland, Merchant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Charter
of Donation or Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain,
bearing date at Westminster, the Fifth day of December, in the eighth year
of Her reign (Eighteen hundred and forty-four); did, for Herself, Her heirs and
successors, give and grant unto me, the said John Ronald, my exors, admors,
and assigns, Her especial license, full power, sole privilege and' authority, that
I, the said John Ronald, my exors, admors, and assigns, and every of us, by
myself and ourselves, or by my and their deputy or deputies, servants or agents,
or such others as I, the said John Ronald, my exors, admors, and assigns;
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all
times thereafter during the term of years therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend my Invention of "AN APPARATUS
POR BOILING SUGAR-CANE JUICE AND OTHER LIQUIDS," within that part of Her said'
Majesty's United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland called England, Her
Dominion of Wales, and Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and also in all Her
Colonies and Plantations abroad, in such manner as to me, the said John
Ronald, my exors, admors, and assigns, or any of us, should' in my or their
discretion seem meet, and that I, the said John Ronald, my exors, admors, and'
assigns, should and lawfully might have and' enjoy the whole profit, benefit,
commodity, and advantage from time to time coming, growing, accruing, and
arising by reason of the said' Invention, for and during the term of fourteen
years therein mentioned; in which said Letters Patent' is contained' a proviso

page_text: that I, the said John Ronald, within the space of six calendar months next
and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent, should particularly
describe and ascertain the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, by an instrument in writing under my hand
and seal, and cause the same to be enrolled in Her Majesty's High Court of
Chancery, in and to which said Letters Patent, reference being thereunto had,
will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE (that), in compliance with the said proviso, that the
nature of my said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be
performed, are fully described and ascertained in and by the following
description thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
Figure A is a ground view of the said apparatus. No. 1, an oblong chest
or vessel, with a high flange made of wood or metal, and lined with copper or
other metal, to contain the cane juice or liquid, which is to be boiled by the
heat of steam. Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, continuous lengths of strong
copper pipes, eight in number, for containing the steam. These pipes have
bends of brass soldered on their ends, which bends are jointed together by
external and internal screws, and screwed up so as to permit a gradual descent
on each piece of pipe from one end to the other, by which means the water
formed by condensation in the pipes flows freely off. Two of these pipes are
of greater diameter than the others, for the purpose of creating a greater
boiling power in a particular part of the chest or vessel. Nos. 10, 11, 12, 13,
14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, are forked copper supports
for the pipes, each being about one sixteenth of an inch shorter than the
preceding one, for the purpose of supporting the pipes at the gradual descent
fixed by the screwing of the joints. No. 26, cock to admit steam from a high-
pressure steam boiler or boilers. Nos. 27 & 28, pipes for admitting the
steam at two places into the pipes in the chest. No. 29, valve in the bottom
of the chest for discharging the contents, the bottom of the chest being sloped
down to the valve so as to discharge the whole contents quickly. No. 30, exit
for the water condensed in the piping. No. 31, pipe, with a descent for
carrying forward the condensed water to the self-acting expansion valve.
No. 32, a strong plank of wood, on which is fixed a portion of the pipe, the
said portion of pipe not being shewn in this Figure. Nos. 33, 34, 35, and
36, iron clasps for holding down, the pipe to the plank. No. 37, a wooden
pole, which keeps in a fixed place the plug of the valve.
nuts, which can be moved so as to lengthen or shorten the pole when necessary,
No. 38, two screw
in order to regulate the plug of the valve, and then keep it in its fixed place.
No. 39, self-acting expansion valve, which discharges the condensed water in

page_text: a most effectual manner. No. 40, a revolving fan or agitator, made of copper
or other metal, or wood; it is worked by the rolling motion of the boiling.
liquid, and is so constructed that it can be placed as low or as high in the-
chest as is necessary; it consists of a spindle, with flanges fixed to it,
the spindle being a hollow cylinder, which gives sufficient buoyancy to the
fan or agitator, so as to float it on the surface, the journals of the spindle being
guided in slots.
Figure B is a side view of the self-acting expansion valve. No. 1, the
plank of wood, on which is fixed a portion of the pipe. No. 2, a portion of
the pipe which is fixed on the plank of wood; Nos. 3, 4, 5, and 6, iron clasps
for holding down the portion of pipe on the plank of wood; No. 7, the
wooden pole; No. 8, the two screw nuts; No. 9, the valve; No. 10, the
plug before described.
Figure C is a side section of the chest or vessel with a flange. No. 1, the
chest with a flange; No. 2, cock to admit the steam from the steam boiler;
No. 3, one of the admission pipes for the steam; No. 4, part of the pipes ;
Nos. 5 & 6, two of the copper forked supports of the pipes; No. 7, valve
for discharging the contents of the chest; No. 8, the revolving fan or
agitator.
Figure D is an end section of the chest. No. 1, the chest with a flange;
Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, forked supports for the pipes, shewing the
gradual descent of the pipes. Nos. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, & 17, shews
the pipes; No. 18, the revolving fan or agitator.
I do not claim as my Invention the application of steam for boiling cane
juice or other liquids, nor the application of piping to contain the steam for
said purpose; such applications have been long known and freely used in
Great Britain and Ireland, and in the British Colonies, and almost all parts of
the world. What I claim as my Invention of the apparatus of which the
foregoing is a description, and which I believe to be entirely new, useful, and
most effectual for boiling sugar-cane juice and other liquids, is as follows:-
Firstly, I claim the Invention of the plan of admitting the steam into the
pipes at two different places, by which means the heating power of the pipes
is greatly encreased compared with what it is when admitted at one place only.
When the steam is admitted at one place only a great deal of its heating power
is exhausted before it reaches the farther end of the piping.
Secondly, I claim the Invention of the plan of creating a much greater
degree of boiling in a particular part of the chest or vessel, by introducing into
that particular part piping of a greater diameter than what is in the other
part of the chest or vessel. This causes a much greater ebullition; it also
causes a constant and rapid rolling motion of the liquid from the one side of

page_text: the chest to the other, thereby greatly encreasing the evaporation, causing the
scum on the top to flow all to one side of the chest, where it can be skimmed
off with ease, and thereby preventing the liquid when it has become thick
from settling down and charring on the pipes, and thereby driving or working
the revolving fan or agitator.
Thirdly, I claim the Invention of the plan of driving a revolving fan or
agitator by means of the rolling motion of boiling liquid in manner like
an undershot water wheel. By this revolving fan or agitator evaporation
is aided.
Fourthly, I claim the Invention of the plan of joining the lengths of pipe
by bends with external and internal screws, by which means alone lengths of
piping of sufficient diameter can be placed close enough together, and at the
same time afford the means of having a gradual descent from the one end to
the other. It also affords the most convenient means of proving, by a
force pump, the strength and soundness of each piece of pipe before it is joined
to the others.
Fifthly, I claim the Invention of the plan of forked supports for the piping
fixed through the bottom of the chest, each support being about one sixteenth
of an inch shorter than the one which preceeds it, thereby meeting the descent
which the external and internal screws permit in the piping.
Sixthly, I claim the Invention of the plan of affixing all the entrance
and exit pipes at one end or side of the chest, by which means the expansion
of the piping when heating, and the contraction thereof when cooling, will not
injure the chest or joints of the piping, and will render unnecessary the usual
and troublesome plan of stuffing boxes.
Seventhly, I claim as my Invention the self-acting expansion valve for
keeping the pipes clear of the water formed by condensation. When no steam
is in the piping this valve remains fully open, but as soon as steam is admitted
the hot water from condensation, and at first a small portion of the steam, rush
along the pipe down to the valve. The pipe is immediately lengthened by the
heat, and the mouth of the valve advances up to the plug, which is kept fixed
in its position by the pole; the valve is thereby shut, and the water collects
in the pipe, which thereby becomes less hot, and contracts in length just so
much as to withdraw the mouth of the valve from the plug no farther than
allows the water to trickle away without wasting steam.
Although I have described particular plans to effect the objects of my
Inventions, and particular materials, and a particular mode of constructing
the apparatus, I reserve power to use other materials in the construction, and
other modes of accomplishing the said Inventions or objects. In particular I
I reserve right to make the chest or vessel of any other form or shape.

page_text: reserve right to use more than two pipes for the admission of steam. I reserve
right to use such number of pipes in the chests or vessels as may from time to
time be necessary. I reserve right of creating the rolling motion of the liquid
by additional pipes in a particular part of the chest, or by leaving a part of
the chest without pipes, or by any other plan which will effect the same object.
I reserve right to drive or work any kind of machinery which I may apply to
effect the object of my said Patent by the force of boiling liquid. I reserve
right to introduce into the chests half cylinders of copper or other metal, or
wood, which the rolling motion of the liquid may rush upon and over them,
thereby encreasing the evaporation, or to introduce any other contrivance to
answer that purpose.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ronald, have hereunto set my
hand and seal at Glasgow, this Thirtieth day of May, Eighteen
hundred and forty-five years.
Enrolled the Fourth day of June, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and forty-five.