Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Cooling, Solidi- fying, and Drying Substances in a Liquid or Viscous State.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Nov., 1893-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Apparatus for Cooling, Solidi-
fying, and Drying Substances in a Liquid or Viscous State.
We, AUGUSTE FREDERIC BEYER and ADOLPHE GUSTAVE BEYER, of
16 and 18 Rue de Lorraine, Paris, France, Engineers, 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 has for its object to produce the prompt solidification and
dessication of all kinds of substances in a liquid or viscous state in order to allow
them to be broken up, cut up, inoulded and the like. Amongst such substances
we may mention soaps, fatty matters, sweetmeat, sugar and other similar products.
To obtain the desired result we treat these substances by means of a continuous
apparatus which receives, spreads and solidifies them and simultaneously transfers
them to a receptacle placed at a given distance as to another apparatus wherein
they are subjected to a second operation. The solidification and the dessication
take place under the action of a current of water, air or steam, which are raised
to the required temperature and circulate through the apparatus.
In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1. shews a general view of a solidifying
and drying apparatus combined with an additional drying device, Fig. 2. is a
sectional side view of the drying drum.
The apparatus consists of a large drum A provided throughout the width of
its periphery with a spiral gutter or channel a through which air, water or steam
travels, a metallic casing a' being placed over the periphery of this drum so as to
obtain a hermetic closing for the channel. The shaft of the drum A has two
hollow extremities through which the air, water or steam arrives and escapes;
these extremities being furnished with stuffing boxes. An endless metallic band or
ribbon B having the same width as the drum, is wound like a belt upon the latter
and upon a pulley C placed at a suitable distance. This pulley may be constructed
in a similar manner to the drum A or may be plain according to requirements.
Either shaft may be set in motion by means of any other suitable mechanism.
A receptacle D furnished with a dripping pan at its lower part bears by
means of a lever, counter-weight or spring upon the periphery of the drum, that
is to say, upon the metallic band or ribbon B. The product is admitted in a
liquid state through the pipe d'into the receptacle D and runs out through the
dripping pan while forming at the same time a thin layer upon the endless
band B.
Any suitable cock or valve actuated by the crank handle & permits to regulate
the admission of the substance. During the rotary motion of the drum, the
refrigerating liquid reaches the periphery of the latter through the tube E and
having passed through the spiral a escapes through the pipe E'. The metallic band
thus cooled in a continuous and energetic manner, solidifies, coagulates or dries up
nearly instantaneously the thin layers of the substance which are deposited thereon
and conveys it to the pulley C. It is then detached therefrom by a scraper G and
dropped directly into a receptacle or into another apparatus.
To hasten the cooling or the drying of the substance according as the case may
be, the endless band B passes through a conduit H in which the pipe / conveys a
current of hot or cold air.
To avoid too rapid a cooling, the box D may be heated by an alcohol lamp Lor
by a gas jet placed below the same; or it may be provided with a double casing
allowing the circulation of a steam or hot air current. The cast iron supports I
are mounted upon guides i furnished with a screw whereby the necessary tension
is imparted to the endless band.

page_text: Instead of the substance being fed in a continuous manner upon the band B, it
may be simply deposited thereon according to requirements in the form of drops of
variable shape, in which case the belt would be horizontal and the inlet openings
for the substance arranged at the upper part of the drum A.
Figure 1 shews the cooling and solidifying apparatus combined with a supple-
mentary drying apparatus, both operating in a continuous manner. The amount
of water to be removed in drying certain products may be too considerable for the
solidifier alone to complete this operation, in which case use is made of the
additional drying apparatus. These two apparatus are connected together in such
a manner that the work follows on continuously.
The operation is effected in the following manner :-
The thin layer of substance which has reached the pulley C is detached by the
scraper G and is fed continuously into a crushing mill M arranged below the
drying apparatus and wherein the substance is preliminarily crushed; the said
substance being subsequently removed from the last cylinder by a scraper and
allowed to drop in the chest forming the drying apparatus proper. Inside this
chest are placed endless bands T mounted upon superposed rollers R and extending
throughout the length and width of the drying chest. The substance moves along
these bands so as to follow a downward course whilst being traversed by an
ascending hot air current. This air becomes saturated with moisture and the
substance escapes from the chest in a thoroughly dry state. The crushing mill
may be dispensed with and the substance allowed to fall directly upon the upper-
most band in the drying chest. To obtain the rapid congealment of soap having a
pasty consistence in works where there is not much room to spare, the metallic
band B may be dispensed with and the drum A only used.
For this purpose the substance requiring to be congealed is poured on the
drum in a manner above set forth and is detached after a given travel by any
suitable scraper.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim, is :-
1. The process for cooling, solidifying, or drying upon a rotating endless
metallic band, any substance capable of being subjected to one or the other of
these operations, this band being cooled or heated by its constant contact with two
drum pullies upon which it is wound and within which travels a liquid or gas
having either a high or low temperature according as required'; this liquid or
gaseous current circulating either through one or through both drums, substantially
as herein described and shewn.
2. The passage of the ascending section of the endless travelling band which
carries the substance through a channel or box traversed by a current of air or of
steam having for its object to cool or dry the substance under treatment, substan-
tially as herein set forth.
3. The combination with the solidifying and drying apparatus above claimed, of
an additional automatic drying apparatus, the two apparatus operating together in
order to prolong the treatment of very damp substances substantially as herein set
forth.
•
Dated this 27th day of Navamber 1893
HUGHES, ELI & HUGHES,
76, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.