Improvements in the Manufacture of Salt in Blocks or Cakes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 30th Dec., 1891-Accepted, 30th Jan.. 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Salt in Blocks or Cakes.
I, PIERRE JEAN BAPTISTE VINCENT, of 31 Boulevard Henri IV. Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of salt in blocks or cakes.
But
It is well known that salt or chloride of sodium when transported in sacks or
bags is exposed to great loss, resulting either from moisture or the tearing of the
sacks or bags. For this reason it has been the practice to agglutinate this product
by pressing it in a moist condition in moulds and then drying it in a stove.
the blocks or cakes obtained by this process become easily disaggregated and will
not stand long voyages in variable climates, especially in countries such, for example,
as Africa, where facilities of transport are defective. Moreover many of such
regions are unsupplied with salt.
My invention has for object the manufacture of very compact cakes or blocks of
salt which will not be liable to loss through the causes referred to nor to be affected
by climatic influence.
For this purpose I avail myself of the property known to be possessed by salt of
not being subject to decomposition by heat and consequently of being melted without
its colour, flavour or chemical constitution being altered.
Fine salt, salt of large crystals and in fact any quality of salt can be employed
in this manufacture.
I submit the salt to a sufficient degree of heat to bring it to a red heat and to
subject it to the igneous fusion. I then run the molten salt into moulds of
refractory clay or of other suitable material which will resist the action of the
fused salt. To prevent a too sudden cooling and solidification which would be
detrimental to the cohesion and solidity of the blocks of salt, it is necessary that
the moulds should be preliminarily heated and that they should not be exposed to
the cold air too soon after fusion. As soon as the cooling of the block of salt is
finished it only remains to take it out of the mould and the operation is complete.
My process thus differs essentially from that hitherto employed and which con-
sisted, as before stated, in pressing the salt in a state of moist powder into moulds
and then drying it in a stove. The result is also very different. By my process I
can produce blocks of salt of any required shape, size and weight which will be of
great consistence and somewhat resemble white marble in appearance. The upper
surface forms into a kind of enamel which is very hard and inalterable by moisture
of the atmosphere.
Consequently these blocks of salt can stand long voyages without alteration or
loss of any kind, even in the absence of any sort of packing.
Luk of I wil 1201
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Salt in Blocks or Cakes.
I, PIERRE JEAN BAPTISTE VINCENT, of 31 Boulevard Henri IV., Paris, in
the Republic of France, Engineer, 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:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of salt in blocks or cakes.

page_text: But
It is well known that salt or chloride of sodium when transported in sacks or
bags is exposed to great loss, resulting either from moisture or the tearing of the
sacks or bags. For this reason it has been the practice to agglutinate this product
by pressing it in a moist condition in moulds and then drying it in a stove.
the blocks or cakes obtained by this process become easily disaggregated and will
not stand long voyages in variable climates, especially in countries such, for
example, as Africa, where facilities of transport are defective. Moreover many of
such regions are unsupplied with salt.
My invention has for object the manufacture of very compact cakes or blocks of
salt which will not be liable to loss through the causes referred to nor to be affected
by climatic influence.
For this purpose I avail myself of the property known to be possessed by salt of
not being subject to decomposition by heat and consequently of being melted
without its colour, flavour or chemical constitution being altered.
Fine salt, salt of large crystals and in fact any quality of salt can be employed
in this manufacture.
I submit the salt to a sufficient degree of heat to bring it to a red heat and to
subject it to igneous fusion. I then run the molten salt into moulds of refractory
clay or of other suitable material which will resist the action of the fused salt. To
prevent a too sudden cooling and solidification which would be detrimental to the
cohesion and solidity of the blocks of salt, it is necessary that the moulds should be
preliminarily heated and that they should not be exposed to the cold air too soon
after fusion. As soon as the cooling of the block of salt is finished it only remains
to take it out of the mould and the operation is complete.
My process thus differs essentially from that hitherto employed and which con-
sisted, as before stated, in pressing the salt in a state of moist powder into moulds
and then drying it in a stove. The result is also very different. By my process I
can produce blocks of salt of any required shape, size and weight which will be of
great consistence and somewhat resemble white marble in appearance.
The upper
surface forms into a kind of enamel which is very hard and inalterable by moisture
of the atmosphere.
Consequently these blocks of salt can stand long voyages without alteration or
loss of any kind, even in the absence of any sort of packing.
By making the cakes or blocks of different shapes and sizes the transport of the
salt is greatly facilitated and it is rendered especially suitable for commercial
exchanges in certain countries such as Africa.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
1 claim is :-
The herein described method of manufacturing salt in blocks or cakes consisting
in agglomerating the salt by submitting it to igneous fusion and then running it
into moulds in which it is left to cool.
Dated the 20th day
ombo 1001
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicant.