IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR
Year: 1877

page_text: A
LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, &
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR."
communication from abroad by Franz Otto Matthiessen and Auguste A. Goubert,
both of Irvington, New York, United States of America.
Sealed the 1st June 1877, and dated the 11th April 1877.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th April 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR THE
MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR." A communication from abroad by Franz Otto
Matthiessen and Auguste A. Goubert, both of Irvington, New York, United States
of America.
The object of this Invention is to arrest and collect drops and minute particles of
sugar liquor carried out of a vacuum pan by the steam which is rapidly evolved
and violently discharged from sugar liquor boiling in vacuo. To accomplish this
object two conditions are necessary,
First. There must be in the path of the current of steam surfaces by which the
steam will be deflected, but upon which particles or drops of sugar liquor will adhere
and collect.
Secondly. There must be a force to act upon the drops of sugar liquor so collected
capable of diverting them from the path pursued by the current of steam, and
directing then back into the bottom of the vacuum pan, or into a chamber from
which they may be drawn.
This Invention embraces three modes of utilizing a force for the desired
purpose,-
In the first mode gravity alone is relied upon to divert the drops of liquor from
the path pursued by the current of steam.
In the second mode the momentum of the drops is partially utilized in conjunction
with the force of gravity.
In the third mode centrifugal force is employed.
For the most efficient accomplishment of the first two modes of operation it is
requisite that a lateral chamber or "goose neck" shall be connected with the upper
LD..

page_text: portion of the vacuum pan, through which the current of steam and vapor from the
boiling sugar liquor will be forced to move in a horizontal or nearly horizontal
direction.
"
The first part of the said Invention consists in erecting vertical deflectors in the
goose neck." These deflectors are made either of wood or inetal, and are firmly
secured to the shell of the said "goose neck." The current of steam deflected by
their surfaces makes its way onward through the spaces between the deflectors.
Drops of sugar liquor projected by the current against a deflector do not rebound as
the steam does, but collect upon and run down the surface of the deflector to the
bottom of the "goose neck," and thence run back into the vacuum pan. If desired
a pipe may be arranged to draw off the liquor from the bottom of the "
goose neck."
To keep the liquor from being blown off the edges of the deflectors by the steam,
thesc edges are curled over to form narrow gutters for retaining the sugar liquor on
the deflectors until by its own gravity it is made to fall to the bottom of the "goose
neck."
The second part of the said Invention consists in arranging inclined deflectors in
the "goose nock," the upper ends of these deflectors being inclined toward the
vacuum pan. In this case the momentum of a drop of liquor projected against the
deflector, instead of being abruptly arrested, is partially deflected in a downward
direction; therefore a drop of liquor caught upon an inclined deflector is forced
downward toward the bottom of the " goose neck" by a portion of its own
momentuin, and also by its own gravity.
The third part of the said Invention consists in arranging in the path of the
current of steam from the sugar liquor a wheel composed of inclined or curved
blades, vanes, or fans having a common axis, and susceptible of being rotated by
the action of the current of steam upon the inclined or curved blades, or, if desired,
by power externally applied through the medium of a pulley on the outer end of
the wheel shaft, which in this case is made to project through the shell of the
chamber wherein the said wheel is placed. In this mode of carrying the said
Invention into practice drops of sugar liquor projected forward by the current of
stean strike upon rotating surfaces instead of upon stationary surfaces, as in the
case of the deflectors. Under the effects of the forces generated by the rotation of
the surfaces upon which they are caught the drops of liquor are thrown from the
wheel againt the wall of the chamber in which the wheel is placed. The drops of
liquor being thus diverted from the path pursued by the current of steam under the
effect of their own gravity run back into the body of sugar liquor in the bottom of
the vacuum pan.

page_text: Figure 12 is a central vertical section of the "goose neck" and the upper part of
a vacuum pan showing a wheel similar to that shown in Figure 9 mounted upon
vertical bearings.
"
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawings.
These Drawings represent a common form of vacuum pan A provided with a
goose neck "B or chamber extending laterally from the upper part of the nock a
of the vacuum pan, and affording the channel of communication through which the
steam from the sugar liquor in the vacuum pan is conveyed to the condenser. The
deflectors are shaped pieces of wood or metal, having their edges curved inwardly,
as shown in Figure 4.
Figure 1 shows two series of deflectors cand e arranged across the " goose
neck" in parallel vertical planes, and in the relative positions shown in Figure 2.
It will be observed that the rear series of deflectors are placed immediately
behind the spaces between the front series of doflectors c', so that drops of liquor
carried through the spaces between the front row of deflectors will be projected against
the surfaces of the deflectors c³. Drops of sugar liquor caught upon the deflectors
run down by their own gravity into the bottom of the " goose neck," and thence
back into the vacuum pan. The sugar liquor in the bottom of the "goose neck " is
kept from running in the contrary direction by the wall D extending across the
goose neck "in the rear of the deflectors. The said deflectors may stand vertically
or may occupy inclined positions in vertical planes like the deflector c³ shown in
dotted lines in Figure 3.
"
Figure 5 shows two series of deflectors c¹ and arranged across the " goose
neck" in inclined planes in the relative positions shown in Figure 6. It will be
seen that drops of sugar liquor projected in a horizontal direction against the
inclined deflectors ell and have a portion of their momentum deflected in a down-
ward direction by the inclined surfaces against which they strike. The diversion of
the drops from the path pursued by the steam is thus effected partly by their
gravity, and partly by a portion of the momentum with which they strike the
inclined deflectors.
The deflectors are not necessarily straight longitudinally; they may be curved,
or they may have the curved lower ends E (shown in Figure 5 in dotted lines) for
the purposes of gradually diminishing the rapidity of their movement as they
approach the bottom of the "
goose neck."
For the employment of centrifugal force to separate the drops of liquor from the
steam, a great variety of forms of wheels may be employed. Such wheels are
chiefly composed of inclined or curved blades, vanes, or fans rotating upon a
common axis.
In Figure 7 is shown a fan wheel rotating upon a vertical axis in the neck of the
vacuum pan. This wheel is composed of two series of inclined blades or fans f, f',
radially affixed to the lower end of the vertical shaft F; the latter has its bearings
g and gl in the arms G, which extend horizontally across the neck of the pan, and
are firmly bolted to the shell of the neck. If desired the shaft F may be carried
upward through the top of the neck, and the extension of the shaft may be
provided with an external pulley F2, by means of which the wheel may be rotated
by power externally applied. It is preferable however to so construct the wheel that
the current of steam from the vacuum pan will cause it to rotate.
The steam discharged in an upward direction from the sugar liquor in the bottom
of the vacuum pan strikes against the inclined under surfaces of the blades fand f¹,
and being slightly deflected thereby makes its way onward through the spaces
between the fans, and causes the wheel to revolve. The drops of sugar liquor
carried upward by the steam are caught upon the under surfaces of the fans, and
adhering thereto sufficiently to be brought under the action of the centrifugal force
generated by the revolution of the wheel are forced radially outward to the ends of
the blades, and thence are thrown tangentially against the wall of the neck. Being
thus separated from the current of steam they collect upon the wall of the neck, and

page_text: by their own gravity run down the wall back into the body of the sugar liquor in the
bottom of the vacuum pan
Another mode of constructing the wheel is shown in Figures 9 and 10. In this
case I affix series of curved blades longitudinally to a horizontal shaft H, and pro-
jecting radially therefrom. The curved blades are wider at one end than the
other, and therefore their outer edges in rotating upon a common axis describe a
frustrum of a cone. The outer edges of the curved blades terminate insido the
troughs or gutters h¹; the shaft H rotates in the horizontal bearings i, i, on either
side of the neck of the vacuum pan. That portion of the neck in which the wheel
revolves is made to partially conform in shape to the frustrum of the cone descr bed
by the curved blades in their rotation by means of the shields K, K, which are
affixed to the walls of the neck, and present two concave surfaces, each embracing
about one quarter of the wheel upon opposite sides. By means of these shields the
entire current of steam from the sugar liquor is directed upon the wheel. As the
blades upon one side of the shaft present their concave surfaces, and upon the other
side their convex surfaces to the current, the effect of the upward pressure upon the
wheel is to cause it to rotate in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 10.
Steam entering between the blades from below is carried around and discharged
into the upper part of the neck. Drops of sugar liquor projected against the blades
adhere thereto until they are driven by centrifugal force into the gutters h¹.
The gutters are shown open at their ends, but they may be closed at the small
end of the wheel. The sugar liquor collected in the gutters, still under the
effect of the centrifugal forces, is driven along the gutters to the large end H* of the
wheel, where it is discharged from the gutters against the wall of the chamber in
which the wheel is placed. The liquor thus collects upon the wall of the neck, and
under the influence of its own gravity runs down the wall and back into the sugar
liquor in the bottom of the vacuum pan. A wheel of this description, that is to
say, with the curved blades and the gutters h', may be arranged in the " goose
neck," as shown in Figure 12, and thus be caused to rotate upon a vertical axis by
the current of steam through the "
goose neck.'
In this case, if the blades are
made of uniform width, gravity alone will act upon the liquor collected in the
gutters, causing it to run down the gutters to the bottom of the neck. On the
other hand if the wheel is constructed as shown in Figure 12, and mounted in the
goose neck," with its large end at the bottom, both gravity and centrifugal force
will act to discharge the liquor from the gutters, and thus divert the liquor from the
path followed by the current of steam.
"
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondents, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim,―
First. Deflectors V shaped in cross section, and having their edges turned inward,
as shewn in Figure 4 of the Drawing, and as above described and for the purpose
specified.
Second. Two or more series of vertical deflectors erected in transverse vertical
planes within the "goose neck," as shown and described and for the purpose set
forth.
Third. Two or more series of inclined deflectors erected in transverse vertical
planes within the "goose neck," as above specified and for the purpose set forth.
Fourth. Two or more series of inclined deflectors erected within the "
and having their upper ends inclined toward the neck of the vacuum pan, as shown
and described and for the purpose set forth.
goose neck,"
Fifth. Inclined deflectors having their curved lower ends arranged within the
"goose neck," as shown and described.
Sixth. The vertical wall extending transversely across the "goose neck " for the
purpose of holding back liquor collected upon the bottom of the goose neck, and
thus preventing the flowing of such liquor away from the vacuum pan.
Seventh. A wheel composed of inclined or curved blades, vanes, or fans rotating

page_text: upon a common axis, and so arranged in the path of the current of steam and vapor
discharged from the boiling sugar liquor in the vacuum pan as to be made to rotate
by the impact of the current, for the purposes specified.
Eighth. A wheel composed of curved blades, vanes, or fans rotating upon a
common axis within the vacuum pan or "goose neck," and affixed to a shaft projecting
through the shell of the vacuum pan or "goose neck," and having a pulley upon its
outer end for the purpose of permitting the wheel to be rotated by power externally
applied.
Ninth. The vertical shaft having inclined blades or fans radially affixed to its
lower end, and mounted in vertical bearings above the fans within the neck of the
vacuum pan, as above described.
Tenth. The horizontal wheel composed of the shaft, the curved blades, and the
gutters mounted in horizontal bearings across the neck of the vacuum pan, as shown
and described and for the purpose specified.
Eleventh. series of curved blades provided with gutters, and affixed to a shaft
mounted in vertical bearings in the "goose neck," as shown and described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eleventh day of April, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.
DAT