Improvements in Apparatus for Defecating and Evaporating Saccharine Juices.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 15th July, 1891-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Defecating and Evaporating
Saccharine Juices.
I, RAMON FEBRES CORDERO, Farmer, of No. 1 Calle Páez Rubio, Section
of Tachira, State of Los Andes, United States of Venezuela, South America, 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 consists in an apparatus of novel construction including a series
of cleaning pans into which the saccharine juices are successively passed before
treatment in the evaporating pan, substantially as hereinafter described and more
particularly pointed out in the claims, and whereby a continuous action may be
kept up and there is reduced tendency to inversion of the sugar, manual labor is
reduced, economy generally and a more perfect cleaning of the molasses, besides
other advantages, are obtained.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this
Specification, in which
Figure 1 represents a view in perspective of my improved apparatus and
Figure 2 a further (broken) perspective view of a furnace used in the apparatus.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both figures.
A and B indicate receptacles into which the saccharine juices as they come from
the mill are conducted by a tube b on opening cocks c c. From these receptacles,
the juices in order to keep up a continuous action, are alternately, passed on opening
cocks d d and by means of a tube e into which the cocks d open into a receptacle C
subject however to the control of an automatically operating cock f controlled by
a float g in said receptacle C. The float g shuts off the supply into the receptacle C
when fully or sufficiently charged with the juices and from this receptacle C the
juices are passed in properly regulated quantities by means of a tube and graduated
cock into the first one D of a series of scumming or cleaning pans D, E, F.
These pans have their adjacent dividing walls i k of reduced heights, the wall i
dividing the j
.pans D and E being of less height than the wall & dividing pans E, F,
and the several pans are connected to discharge the one into the other in succession
by rising and falling or adjustable tubes im operated, say, by handles m and con-
nected respectively, the one tube / with the lower portion of the pan D and the
other tube m with the lower portion of the pan E. The pan E is also similarly
fitted with a rising and falling or adjustable tube n to discharge, when raised for
the purpose, contents of said pan F into an evaporating pan G. The evaporating
pan G has an interior series of walls o o arranged to produce a circulating or return
passage by which the juices flowing from the tube n are free to circulate first
along the one side of the pan and then back along the other side and finally reach
a pipe or outlet t from which on opening a cock in a connecting pipe v. the con-
centrated juices are run into a receptacle H and from thence on opening a cook z
are discharged as required into a teache or pan J and on suitably adjusting a nozzle-
like revoluble tube m', that is turning its nozzle end downwards instead of upwards,
the contents of the pan J are run into a pan or trough K which constitutes the
crystallizing pan of the apparatns. The pipe v is extended and provided with an
additional cock a¹ for passing water when required from the evaporating pan G, the
cook u then being closed, The pans D, E, and F, are also provided with tubes b
controlled by cocks c¹ and connected with a pipe d for the purpose of discharging
26

page_text: pan or
water with which said pans are cleaned or rather the impurities they may contain
removed into a receptacle L. Mis a shoot or plane on to which the dregs are
scooped from the pan D and emptied into a receiver e¹ and from thence passed by
a pipe to the receptacle L from whence they may be taken to be used as food
for cattle or as a fertilizing material. N is the masonry foundation of the
teache J including the furnace by which said pan is heated and of which g' indicates
the feed opening for the fuel, the arch for extraction of collecting ashes, and
the chimney. R is the masonry foundation that supports the pans D, E, F, and
evaporating pan G, and constitutes the furnace therefor (see Figures 1 and 2)
q indicating the feed opening for the fuel to said furnace, & the grate, c³ ash-pit
opening, da wall that keeps the air entering a from passing direct into the heating
flue without passing by the fire in the grate. This flue e is a return one
corresponding to the return passages of the evaporating pan G beneath which it
lies. The gaseous products of combustion pass through and from this flue e³ to the
chimney as indicated by arrows in Figure 2, 9 is an arch for removing
ashes from the flue e and one for removing ashes from the base of the
chimney ƒ³
The operation of the apparatus is as follows; In commencing the operation, the
return passage of the evaporating pan is more or less supplied with water from
any suitable source, to keep said pan from burning, and the adjustable tube n get so
that it will stand up to the height of the wall that separates the pans D, E, and
the other adjustable tubes and m lowered. The saccharine juices as they come
from the mill are then passed into the receptacles A, B, and from thence by
opening the cocks d and h and the action of the automatic cock fare run into
the pan D and from it into the pan E and from the pan E into the last pan Fuoti!
the level of the juices in the three pans D, E, and F, corresponds with the level
of the outlet end of the adjustable tube n. So soon as the juices get to the height
of said tube n, the cocks that have been opened to admit the juices into the
pans D, E, and F are closed and fire is started in the furnace under said pans and
the evaporating pan G, placing beforehand into the pans D, E, and F, the materials
used for defecation. Next, in due course, the operator collects, by means of a
culander or large ladle, the scum that ascends to the surface of the pans E' and F
and throws it into the receptacle L. When the juice is thus cleaned in these two
pans the cocks d d or one of them, according to which receptacle A or B is then
charged with raw juice, are opened and the juice allowed to flow into the
receptacle C. The graduating cock is then opened, causing the float g-con-
trolling the valve to fall and allowing only so much of the juice as the
evaporating pan is capable of concentrating at a time to flow first into the pan D
and from the latter in succession into the pans E and F and thence into the
evaporating pan G from which the water previously introduced is rapidly drawn
off through the pipe t on opening the cock a for the purpose. The cock al is then
closed and the cock u opened. By this time the juice when it arrives at the outlet
end of the passages s of the evaporating pan will have been converted into molasses
and pass off by the pipes t and v into the receptacle H and is subsequently run
into the teache J and from thence in due course
revoluble tube m' delivered into the crystallizing pan K.
on turning downwards the
With the parts arranged as described, the apparatus may be run night and day if
required, the juice being fed from the one receptacle A or B while the other one
is being charged and flowing in a continuous stream until known or given quantities
of molasses are delivered into the teache or pan J which will give to it the
necessary concentration to transform it into raw sugar when it will be passed by
the revoluble tube m¹ into the pan K. Here the product is stirred by the action of
a spatula causing it to lose the greater part of its heat and in due course to arrive
at a proper consistency to be put in moulds. During this operation, the operator
in attendance on the apparatus will mainly be occupied in taking the' acum from
the pan Dithat does not boil owing to the renewal of the juice and' which enables

page_text: me from time to time to remove a compact crust forming on the surface of the
juice. The drawings that pass by the tube l, suitably adjusted for the purpose, to
the pan E return to the pan D when they commence to boil owing to the fact that
the wall dividing E and D is the lowest one of said pan E and this is acccom-
plished without stirring up the juice in the pan D. The dregs that pass from
the pan F by the tube m, suitably adjusted for the purpose, pass for the same
reasons that control the passage of the dregs between D and E into the pan E
thus leaving in the pan F approximately clean juice. The operator should be
careful to place in the receptacles A and B the substance used to saturate the juice
or to help the defecation of the latter, to do which it will be necessary for him to
open and shut alternately the cocks d d and c c. By using two receptacles A.
and B. I am enabled to supply and keep in them the substance employed for
defecating, in a known quantity.
.
At the end of the operation when the mills no longer work, the tube n that
previously had occupied a raised position should be gradually lowered so that the
three pans D, E, F, will discharge their contents leaving but a small quantity of
juice in each pan. The fire should then be shut off or drawn out and the juice
from the pans D and E should be transferred to the pan F by means of a ladle,
replacing the juice with water that may be taken from the receptacle A or B filled
with water for the purpose or be otherwise supplied. Having charged the pans D
and with water, the fire should be started again and the dregs from the pan F
and those from the evaporating pan G should be removed with the last juice, care
being taken to turn or lower the tube n till it reaches the bottom of the evaporating
pan after which the tubes and m should be sufficiently lowered to flood the
apparatus with a quantity of water that will dislodge remaining molasses and
protect the pans from damage by the fire, besides cleaning the apparatus by
freshening it.
This apparatus will be found very economical in fuel, having an extensive
heating surface and providing for the necessary concentration of the juice with
only cane refuse for the fuel. Cheap and comparatively little labor will answer
to work the apparatus and a better quality of product is made by reason of the
successive cleaning of the juices in the several pans into which the juice or juices
are admitted and the removal of the scum before passing to the evaporating pan.
The operation too, is continuous, the juice entering the first cleaning pan, flowing
in a continuous stream and so that in a few minutes it is freed from the action of
the heat, which will lessen the amount of inverted sugar made, as compared with
apparatus that are not continuous in their action.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:
1. In apparatus for defecating and evaporating saccharine juices, the combi-
nation, with an evaporating pan, of a series of juice-cleaning pans having separating
walls of unequal height and a series of adjustable rising and falling tubes connecting
the juice-cleaning pans in succession with each other and the last one of said
pans with the evaporating pan, substantially as and for the purposes specified.
2. The evaporating pan having a return passage within and along it in combi-
nation with a furnace for heating the same provided with a corresponding return
heating flue, essentially as described.
3. The combination, with the juice-cleaning pans D, E, F, and their adjustable
rising and falling tubes I m n, of the receptacles A B provided with discharge
cocks d d the separate inlet cooks ee the connection the receptacle C float
valve g and graduated cock h, substantially as and for the purposes herein set
forth.
4. The combination, with the evaporating pan G, of the pipes tv cocks u a¹
receptacle H and teache or pan J, essentially as described.

page_text: 5. The combination of the pan J the revoluble tube m¹ attached thereto and the
pan or trough K, substantially as specified.
Dated this 15th day of July 1891
R. F. CORDERO.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agents.