AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE . REFINING OF SUGAR
Year: 1859

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Aspinall, of Great Tower Street, in the City of
London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN THE
. REFINING OF SUGAR."
Sealed the 8th April 1859, and dated the 8th February 1859.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Aspinall at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 8th February
1859.
I, JOHN ASPINALL, of Great Tower Street, in the City of London, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IM-
PROVEMENT IN THE REFINING OF SUGAR," to be as follows:-
My Invention refers to that part of the process known technically as
"blowing up," that is the melting of the raw sugar. Various means are now
followed to effect this object; the most general is to use an open pari containing
perforated steam pipes on the bottom, and surrounded or not with a jacket.
Into this pan water, blood, and sugar are introduced, and steam is turned on
until the sugar is melted, the blood rises up in the state of scum to the
surface and is skimmed off. In this process the sugar being of greater
specific gravity than the water, falls to the bottom, and coming in contact with
the steam becomes carbonized and much treacle is thus produced. Now my.
Invention consists in causing the melting of the sugar to take place before
coming in contact with the steam by the employment of a perforated false;
bottom for the sugar to rest upon. This false bottom serves also for the
removal of the scum, as hereafter stated. My process is as follows:-Water.
is first introduced and its level is maintained above that at which the perforated
false bottom is kept, the sugar is next placed upon the perforated false bottom
and steam being turned on, as in the ordinary blow-up pan, the water becomes

page_text: heated sufficiently to melt the sugar which then only comes in contact with
the steam in the state of "liquor." When no carbonizing effect takes place
after the sugar is thoroughly melted, I turn the steam off or not according to
circumstances, lower the false bottom on to the steam pipes or bottom of the
pan, pour in the blood and boil the whole as long as may be necessary to
coagulate the blood, and throw the scum to the surface. The steam is then
shut off and the false bottom raised. Upon raising the false bottom ät will
remove and take up with it the scum from the liquor.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Aspinall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 8th
August 1859.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ASPINALL, of Great Tower Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Eighth day of February, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-nine, in the twenty-second year of
Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Aspinall, Her special licence that I, the said John
Aspinall, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Aspinall, 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 "AN
IMPROVEMENT IN THE REFINING OF SUGAR," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said John Aspinall, my executors or administrators, by an instru-
ment 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 performed, 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 John Aspinall, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed,
that is to say:-

page_text: My Invention refers to that part of the process known techuically as
"blowing up," that is the melting of the raw sugar. Various means are now
followed to effect this object, the most general is to use an open pan containing
perforated steam pipes in the bottom, and surrounded or not with a jacket.
Into this pan water, blood, and sugar are introduced, and steam is turned on
until the sugar. is melted; the blood rises up in the state of scum to the
surface and is skimmed off. In this process, the sugar being of greater
specific gravity than the water, falls to the bottom, and coming in contact
with the steam becomes carbonized and much treacle is thus produced. Now
my Invention consists in causing the melting of the sugar to take place before
coming in contact with the steam, steam pipes, or heated bottom or heated
sides of the pan, whereby no carbonization will take place, and consequently
there will be less treacle than is now produced in the ordinary method of
melting.
In order to carry my Invention into effect, I support the sugar upon a
perforated false bottom or by other suitable means, and keep the water level,
up to, or just above the level at which the bottom or lowest stratum of the
sugar is maintained on the perforated false bottom or other support. The
water melts the sugar, and the sugar enters the lower part of the pan in a
state of solution or "liquor," in which state steam or steam pipes or other
heated medium exercise no carbonizing effect. It is obvious that pans may
be variously constructed in which my Invention of what I term "surface
melting" may be performed, but one of the most suitable arrangements is
that shewn in the accompanying Drawings.
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a melting pan and apparatus complete ;
Figure 2 is a plan thereof; and Figure 3 an external view. A, A, is the pan
proper; B, B, steam pipes for heating the water and boiling the liquor; C is
an inner pan which is formed with radial arms a, a, shewn in the plan,
Figure 4, upon which net work or open plates rest, and upon these perforated
copper plates or wire grating c, c, covering the whole bottom of the pan,. are
placed; the sides of the pan C may also be perforated if desired; D is a frame.
supported in brackets d, d; E is a threaded shaft which takes into a threaded
nut e bolted or otherwise firmly fixed to the pan C; F is a bevilled wheel
keyed on the shaft E, geared into by a toothed pinion G in one end of a shaft
H, on the opposite end of which is another toothed pinion geared into by the
toothed wheel.I on one end of a shaft K, to the other end of which a crank
bandle L is fixed;f, f, is the water level in the pan. The raw sugar is placed
in the pan C, and when it has all melted the pan C should be lowered to the
bottom of the, pan A by turning the threaded shaft Ę through the crank

page_text: .
handle L and toothed gear. Although the subsequent treatment of the sugar
forms no part of my present Invention, I recommend that blood (where blood
is necessary) should now be introduced, and the liquor and blood boiled
sufficiently long to coagulate the albumen; the pan C should be then raised,
when it will be found to take up on the bottom the greater part of the scum.
If it is found the scum is not sufficiently removed, then by increasing the
height of the frame D, the pan C may be raised high enough out of the liquor
to allow of the scum being taken off by ladles in the ordinary manner. In
some cases I assist the melting by pouring water in fine streams on the sugar
being melted.
The apparatus just described will be found to answer for some descriptions
of sugar, but for the melting of sugars which do not melt very readily, then
my arrangement of apparatus consists in the employment in the same pan of
two or more perforated plates or bottoms under each other, as shewn in
Figure 1. The top plate having large apertures or perforations, and the plate
or plates under it having the apertures or perforations smaller than those in
the top plate, and so small as not to allow any sugar unmelted to pass through
the perforations in the lowest plate, the objects being to prevent any clogging
or sticking of the sugar and to effect the ready melting thereof. As in the
arrangement of apparatus first described, the level of the water should be
maintained above the level at which the top plate is kept.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim the method of
melting sugar in the refining thereof in such manner that the melting shall
take place at or near the surface of the water used to melt the same, and
before the sugar comes in contact with the steam, steam pipes, heated bottom
or sides of the pan or other medium for heating the contents of the pan,
whatever be the arrangements of apparatuses or machinery whereby the
"surface melting" is obtained. I also claim the employment in pans for
carrying on the "surface melting" of two or more perforated false bottoms or
plates in manner and for the purposes herein-before described.
'
In witness whereof, I, the said John Aspinall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighth day of August, One thousand eight hundred
and fifty-nine.
JOHN ASPINALL. (L.S.)