IMPROVEMENTS IN MANUFACTURING AND REFINING SUGAR AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Robey, of No. 49, Hereford Road North, in
the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MANUFACTURING AND REFINING SUGAR AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Robey at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 15th
March 1862.
I, JAMES ROBEY, of No. 49, Hereford Road North, in the County of Mid-
desea, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for for
IMPROVEMENTS
IN MANUFACTURING AND REFINING SUGAR AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in manufacturing and
refining sugar and in apparatus employed therein.
For these purposes in place of employing the ordinary construction of
vacuum pans in manufacturing and refining sugar, a vessel is employed which
by preference is of a cylindrical form with hemispherical ends, but this is not
essential. The vessel is arranged to turn or move on axes supported in
suitable bearings. The axes of the vessel are hollow, and one of them commu-
nicates with an air pump or other suitable apparatus for obtaining a vacuum
and through the other the syrup is introduced into the vessel. It is preferred
ereby declar
IMPROVEMENTS
IN MANUFACTURING AND REFINING SUGAR AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN,"
to be as follows:-
-
This Invention has for its object improvements in manufacturing and
refining sugar and in apparatus employed therein.
For these purposes in place of employing the ordinary construction of
vacuum pans in manufacturing and refining sugar, a vessel is employed which
by preference is of a cylindrical form with hemispherical ends, but this is not
essential. The vessel is arranged to turn or move on axes supported in
suitable bearings. The axes of the vessel are hollow, and one of them commu-
nicates with an air pump or other suitable apparatus for obtaining a vacuum
and through the other the syrup is introduced into the vessel. It is preferred

page_text: that the vessel should be caused, when in use, to rotate, but it may have only
a reciprocating motion communicated to it; the vessel is also by preference
enclosed within a jacket, into which steam is 'supplied in order to heat the
exterior of the vessel, but other means of heating may be resorted to. When
the vessel has been partially filled with syrup the rotating or reciprocating
motion is communicated to the vessel, and is continued until the sugar is
crystallized or the desired concentration has been attained; the charge is then
withdrawn through an opening in the vessel which is covered by a slide or
other suitable cover. In performing the process of dissolving sugar called
the "blow-up," a similar vessel is employed, which has the power of being
rotated or reciprocated on axes. Into this vessel the sugar and water are
introduced, and it is preferred that steam should also be introduced into the
vessel to exclude atmospheric air when the process is being performed therein.
The rotating or reciprocating motion communicated to the vessel will be found
to facilitate the process of dissolving the sugar, and the "blow-up" will be
performed under very favorable circumstances as compared with other modes
of performing this process.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said James Robey in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th September 1862.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JAMES
ROBEY, of No. 49, Hereford Road North, in the County of Middlesex, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-fifth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said James Robey, Her special licence that I, the said James Robey, my
executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said James,
Robey, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the
term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MANU-
FACTURING AND REFINING SUGAR, AND IN APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said James Robey, my executors or

page_text: administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of
their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature
of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said James Robey, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed :-
For these purposes in place of employing the ordinary vacuum or other
pans now in use in the manufacturing and refining of sugar, a rotating vessel
is employed of a suitable form, by preference of a cylindrical shape, with
hemispherical or curved ends, within which the saccharine fluid is placed and
heated, the saccharine fluid only occupying a comparatively small portion of
the cubic capacity of the vessel, by which means the saccharine fluid in the
vessel will constantly gravitate to the lowest point, whilst the inner surface of
the vessel above the body of the fluid therein will be covered with a film of
the fluid, by which a very extensive and comparatively thin surface of the
fluid will be presented for evaporation, and this effect of heating surface may
be extended, if desired, by making the rotating vessel of corrugated copper or

page_text: the pipe or tube 61, the end of which passes into the interior of the vessel a, a,
as shewn, and the same is so supported and rendered air-tight within .the
hollow axis a that the vessel a, a, may rotate freely around such pipe or
tube 6. It is preferred in thus using hollow axes at the ends of the vessel a, a,
that they should be relieved of the weight of the vessel a, a, and the charge of
saccharine fluid therein, which is readily done by the employment of supporting
rollers c, c, under the flanges at the ends of the vessel a, a, as is shewn in the
Drawing. dis the tube or pipe by which the saccharine fluid is supplied to
the vessel a, a; this pipe is shewn as being passed through the hollow axis or
neck a', but the pipe may be passed through the other axis. or neck a², or the
supply of saccharine fluid may be otherwise introduced into the vessel a, a.
The charge, when completed, is withdrawn from the vessel a, a, at the outlet a³.
In order to ascertain the progress of the process a testing stick or instrument,
such as is used in ordinary vacuum pans, and sight glasses are applied as
shewn at e and e¹. The steam for heating the vessel a, a, is shewn to be
introduced through the axis or neck a³, and provision is made for removing the
water of condensation from the jacket by means of the tube f. A continuous
rotatory motion (or it may be only an alternating rotary motion) is to be com-
municated to this vessel, which may readily be done by an endless band acting
on a pulley g fixed on either of the necks or axes or by other convenient
means. It is preferred that this apparatus should be worked by constantly
withdrawing the air and vapour from the interior of the vessel a, a, in like
manner to that in which ordinary vacuum pans are worked, but in place
thereof the hollow axis may be continued across the vessel and be perforated
with numerous small holes so that the air pump or apparatus may be
arranged to force numerous streams of air into the vessel a, a, and against the
film of saccharine fluid constantly carried up by the interior surface thereof, in
which case then there will be required an opening at the opposite end of the
vessel a, a, through the other neck or axis or otherwise sufficiently large to
admit of the air and vapour passing freely out from the vessel a, a.
In carrying on the process technically called the "blow up," a similar
rotating vessel is used, but it is not necessary that it should have a steam
jacket or be otherwise heated, but provision should be made for admitting free
steam into the interior of the vessel, which may be conveniently done by a pipe
passed through one of the axes or necks, and caused to ascend to the upper
part of such vessel, and the pipe may be arranged to distribute the steam in
numerous streams. Into this vessel the requisite water and sugar are to be
introduced, which may be conveniently done by an opening of suitable size
such as is shewn for withdrawing the charge from the vessel a, a, above

page_text: described, through which the charge may afterwards be removed from this
'blow-up" vessel.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I make no claim to
any of the parts of the apparatus herein described; but what I claim is, the
manufacturing and refining sugar as herein described, and the constructing
and combining of apparatus therefor as herein described.
In witness whereof, J, the said James Robey, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
JAS ROBEY. (L.S.)