An Improved System or Apparatus for Treating Sea-weed for the Manufacture of Products therefrom.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 2nd June, 1898-Accepted, 30th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved System or Apparatus for Treating Sea-weed for the
Manufacture of Products therefrom.
I, AXEL KREFTING, of 18, Kort Adlersgade, Christiania, in the Kingdom of
Norway, 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:-
My invention relates to a filtering system or apparatus for use in the manufac-
ture of products from sea-weed.
The filtering of the solution, which is formed when the sea-weed by any chemical
process has been dissolved is very difficult and has caused me much trouble
during the time, in which I have practically worked out the method on which I
have obtained a former Patent No. 11538 of 1896.
The great difficulty in filtering the said solution of sea-weed is owing to the
great viscidity with which the solid particles of the sea-weed solution adhere to
the filtering medium and cause the same to rapidly become clogged.
After having tried all the different filtering elements or mediums I have found
that the only effective method of operation is to continuously bring new open
meshes under the sea-weed solution. The application of this idea has given an
excellent result and I have on the basis thereof worked out my filtering system.
This is characterized by the sea-weed solutions passing through a series of
moving nets having decreasing sizes of the meshes such as is for example shown
in the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a form of filtering apparatus with horizontal moving meshes and
Figure 2 and 3 show a modified form of apparatus with circular moving meshes.
In both of the forms the same letters indicate the same parts.
From the feeding pipe a the sea-weed solution flows on to the first net b with
the largest meshes. The net is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow and the
solution of sea-weed products (tang-acid soda) goes through the meshes together
with a part of the solid particles while the largest particles remain on the meshes
and are carried away to a point c where jets of water on the opposite side of the
net wash the solid particles down into a receiver d.
The solution, which passes through the net falls upon a plate or a gutter e
from which it is conducted to a net f with smaller meshes, which also moves with
a suitable speed. Here the same process is repeated. Part of the smaller solid
particles is separated from the solution and washed from the meshes, which
return in an open state to a new part of the solution coming from the first
filtering element.
In this manner as many moving nets (with decreasing meshes) may be
arranged as are necessary to filter the solution as clear as required.
The solid particles, which are washed from the moving meshes may be led to
another filtering system arranged in the same manner as described above and
with the same sizes of the meshes to collect more of the adhering solution (the
washwater) as often as is necessary.

page_text: The meshes may of course be made of any suitable material.
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:-
-
A system or apparatus for filtering the sea-weed solution which is obtained by
the dissolving the sea-weed by any chemical process characterized by the sea-
weed solution passing through a series of moving nets with decreasing sizes of the
mesh, said meshes thereon being reopened by suitable means before they again
come below the sea-weed solution to be filtered.
Dated this 2nd day of Ju1900
HASELTINE, LAKE, & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.