Improvements in Centrifugal Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 19th Nov., 1890-Accepted, 3rd Jan., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by LA SOCIÉTÉ NOUVELLE DES RAFFINERIES DE SUCRE
DE SAINT LOUIS, of Marseilles, in the French Republic.]
Improvements in Centrifugal Machines.
I, JOHN IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County
of London, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:-
The centrifugal machines employed for treating sugar and other substances con-
taining more or less liquid, are usually worked intermittently, being stopped for the
purpose of charging and discharging. When such machines are worked continuously,
the material treated has to travel over, and is liable to adhere to the filtering surface,
which thus becomes more or less obstructed. This invention relates to a construction
of centrifugal machine adapted for continuous working, the filtering surface being
made to travel along with the material which is pressed against it, and being
kept continually cleared from obstructions, so that the action is highly effective as
well as uniform.
For this purpose, the rotating drum is divided by vertical radial partitions into a
number of compartments, of which there may be six or more.
In each compartment, which has the form of a sector of a circle, at its outer or
widest part there are mounted two horizontal rollers, one at the top and one at the
bottom of the compartment, and round them passes a web of suitable filtering fabric
which may be supported against the centrifugal force by a number of vertical rods or
blades. The two rollers are connected by suitable gearing to a wheel loose on the
vertical shaft of the machine, which wheel is driven by gearing or frictional contact
from a lateral wheel driven from the shaft of a machine. This gearing can be varied
so as to give the rollers a speed suitable to the material treated. The filtering fabric
is thus caused to travel continuously upwards on the side of the compartment next
the centre, and downwards on the outside. The upwardly travelling face may receive
at its lower part a flow of liquid for washing it transmitted through a channel from
the centre of the drum ; at about its middle it receives the material to be filtered
delivered to it from an annular feeding channel near the middle of the drum, and at
its upper part it may receive a flow of steam or vapour.
As the inner face of the fabric ascends the material fed on to it travels up with it,
having its liquid discharged into a compartment between the rollers, from which the
liquid is conveyed by a pipe or pipes to a gutter below; as the outer face of the fabric
travels down, the solid material, carried by it, is thrown by centrifugal force into
the stationary casing whence it is discharged from below. Near the lower roller
there is a brush which may be a revolving one, to clear the fabric before it ascends
again.
Dated this 20th day of February 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Centrifugal Machines.
I, JOHN IMRAY of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in the County
of London, Consulting Engineer. and Patent Agent 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:-
The centrifugal machines employed for treating sugar and other substances con-
taining more or less liquid, are usually worked intermittently being stopped for the

page_text: purpose of charging and discharging. When such machines are worked continuously,
the material treated has to travel over and is liable to adhere to the filtering surface,
which thus becomes moro or less obstructed. This invention relates to a construction
of centrifugal machine adapted for continuous working, the filtering surface being
made to travel along with the material which is pressed against it. and being kept
continually cleared from obstructions so that the action is highly effective as well as
uniform as I shall describe referring to the accompanying drawings.
Fig. 1 is partly an elevation partly a vertical section and Fig. 2 is a sectional plan
of a centrifugal machine according to this invention.
In
A is the base supporting an upper casing in which there are doors B for
inspection of the interior, C compartment receiving the material treated, C outlets,
D gutter, F the shaft on which is fixed the revolving drum which is divided by
partitions G into a number of compartments of which there may be six or more.
each of those compartments which has the form of a sector of a circle a mechanism
is arranged as follows. H H are two draw rollers round which passes the endless
filtering web J J'. The lower roller is driven from a spindle I worked by bevil gear a.
Attached to the partitions G is a box K the wall L of which facing towards the axis
is perforated to allow passage of liquid under the influence of centrifugal force, which
liquid flows into the gutter D by a pipe M placed at one side of the compartment clear
of the filtering web. N are packings of caoutchouc or other suitable material to
prevent passage of liquid except through the filtering web. O, P are vertical bars
fixed to the bottom of the drum and to crossbars QQ. The bars P sustain the filtering
web against the centrifugal pressure; the bars O form in the matter undergoing treatment
grooves which when the web passes to the outer side are occupied by the bars P.
The number of these vertical bars may be varied according to the centrifugal force
to be provided for and the strength of the web. R is a brush for cleaning the web
after the material has been thrown from it. In the middle is a compartment S
supplied with hot or cold water or other liquid suitable for cleansing the filtering
surface, which liquid passes through holes U, and up the incline V against the filtering
web. X is the compartment supplied by a pipe Y with the material to be treated
which issues against the deflector Z and ascends to Z¹ against the filtering web. W is
a compartment supplied with steam or other suitable vapour.
a is the wheel for driving the spindle I, which wheel is in a piece with b and is
free on the shaft F, whilst another wheel c is keyed on F. Both the wheels b and c
bear against the conical drum d which is pressed down by a spring e. The carriage
of the drum d be slid up or down a guide f, by a screw g worked by the hand wheel h.
The centrifugal is driven by a belt on the pulley ;; its shaft I is carried in the
bearings, below and above. The action of the whole may be understood from the
description of what takes place in each compartment.
The centrifugal being driven at speed, the matter to be treated fed in greater or less
quantity at Y, descends X and is projected in the space a against the filtering web J
which, moving as is indicated by arrows carries the matter with it; the liquid passes
through the web into K and thence by M into D, whilst the solid portion of the matter
on ascending to W may receive steam or vapour, and thence passing to the outer
side J¹, is thrown off against the outer casing and issues by the outlets C'. The web
continuing its motion is externally cleansed by the brush R, passes in front ofw where
it has its pores cleared by liquid, and ascends above Z¹ to receive fresh charge of
matter. By varying the proportions of the wheels b and c, the drum d being suitably
tapered, the speed of travel of the filtering web may be varied, the train of movement
being from c, which revolves with the shaft F, to d, from d to b and to a which is on
the same sleeve with 6; from a to the spindle I and roller H'.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The centrifugal machine, substantially as described and represented in the
drawings having for its filtering surface a vertically travelling web, against the inner

page_text: face of which are projected the matter to be treated and also if necessary, cleansing
liquid and vapour, and from the outer face of which the solid portion of the matter
treated is projected into an outer casing, whilst between the faces the strained out
liquid is collected and run off.
2. In a centrifugal machine, such as is above referred to, the gearing for driving
the travelling filter web at suitable and adjustable speed, consisting of the roller H₁
the spindle and its bevil pinion, the wheels a and b, the conical drum d adjustable
in position, and the wheel c, substantially as described.
Dated this 19th day of November 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.