Year: 1896

page_text: We, HENRI BAUDOIN and EMILE SCHRIBAUX, both of 11 Rue Michelet, Paris, in the
Republic of France, Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be
as follows:-
Our Invention consists of a process of concentration and apparatus therefor,
applicable
(1) To liquors such as wine, cider or beer the useful constituents in which are
partly fixed and partly volatile;
(2) To solutions obtained by treating a wide range of diverse substances with
suitable volatile dissolvents, such for example as water, alcohol, ether, carbonic
sulphide, which dissolvents it is, not infrequently, desirable to recover and collect
after use; and
(3) To alimentary liquids such as milk, broth or the like, from which it is
proposed to extract the fixed bodies only.
The results attained by our Invention are as follows:-
The difficulty and cost of conveyance of liquid goods from place to place is reduced
as is also the cost of storage. The preservation of the substances under treatment is
facilitated and in some of the cases to which the invention is applicable, certain
bodies can be separated in a purer condition than that in which they have hitherto
been obtainable, this being owing to the fact that they have according to this
Invention not been subjected to high temperatures; in addition to which the same
solvents can be used over and over again almost indefinitely.
We will now, for the purpose of illustration, consider the most complicated case
that is likely to arise viz. the treatment of wine with a view to the extraction of
both the fixed and the volatile constituents of the same.
By heating in vacuo, nearly the whole of the fluid constituents of the liquor is
converted into vapour, whereby the wine is brought down to the state of an extract,
or in other words the condition of a highly concentrated liquor, combining, all the
fixed bodies which wine contains. The vapours being a mixture of water and the
volatile principles or compounds which it is desired to retain, are conducted into a
set of apparatus acting as condensers, each in succession, and adapted to collect, in
separate receivers, water on the one hand, and volatile bodies on the other, the
volatile bodies mixed with the extract being ready for the market without requiring
any further manipulation.
Upon arriving at its destination, the concentrated product obtained by such means
may be readily reconverted into its original state by the addition thereto of the same
quantity of water of which it was previously freed. The water, which has (in the first
instance) been extracted from the material treated, is either thrown away as waste; or

page_text: around the mixer 11, wherein the mixture of extract and alcohol is cooled; then it passes
through the tube 36 into the condenser 19, and is thence discharged, through the
pipe 37, into a receiver 38 provided with an overflow 39.
From this receiver it passes by the pipe 40, into the analyzer 17, where its speed of
circulation is controlled by a predetermined difference of level between its inlet and
outlet orifices; such difference being provided for by a sliding tube 41 on the
outlet.
The water escapes through such tube while hot and descends into a receiver 42,
and thence through the pipe 43, it flows to the wine-heater 2, and is finally discharged
through an outlet 44.
D
Concentration is obtained by heating the evaporators 7 and 8 by means of steam
admitted through inlets 47 and 48, the condensation water escaping through the
outlets 49 and 50.
The wine-residue receiver 23 is, in its turn, heated by a steam coil, with inlet 51
and outlet 52.
We will now proceed fully to describe the duplex evaporator proper, 7 and 8. It
consists of a number of series of tubes, divided into two superposed sets and closed at the
top and bottom by tube-plates. The heating steam circulates outside such tubes,
within the tube-case. The liquor to be concentrated is first introduced through the
conduit pipe 5, above the upper tube-plate of the upper set of tubes 7, and enters
such tubes. As it comes into contact with the heated tube-walls, it gives off vapours
which tend to escape through both ends of the tube; and, finding their way out at
the top, they counteract too rapid a descent of the liquor and retain it in contact with
the entire heating surface, which is thus fully turned to account. On the other hand,
the bubbles of steam, by thus retarding the decent of the liquor, detain it for a time
upon the tube-plate, which ensures an even distribution among all the tubes. The
vapours, similarly escaping below, rise-together with the liquor which has not been
converted into vapour-above the lower tube-plate of the upper set of tubes 7. They
next rise into the froth-breaker 15 by the tube 13; whilst the liquor that has not yet
been volatilized descends to the lower set of tubes 8, acting exactly in the same
manner as the first set of tubes 7. The vapours generated in this lower set of tubes
now flow towards the froth-breaker 15, both through the pipe 13 and through the
pipe 14; and the liquor, having attained the desired degree of concentration, owing
to its passage through the two sets of tubes, 7 and 8, descends into the second
receiver 9. We have described two series of evaporator tubes, to be traversed in
succession; but their number and their relative dimensions may vary according to
the substances to be treated and the degree of concentration to which they require to
be brought in each case. We do not strictly confine ourselves to the construction of
certain other parts of our apparatus, as hereinbefore described. Thus, the wine-
heater 2, spirit-condenser 19, and analyzer 17 may be constructed after any well-known
system of exchangeable apparatus.
The mixer 11, may be agitated within the cooler 35 by means of a rod 45, linked
to an eccentric or crank 46, as shewn in Figure 2, or any other device capable of well
agitating the contents of the said mixer and cooler may be employed.
In apparatus constructed according to our invention the concentrated liquors can.
also be collected separately as well as the condensed vapours, unmixed with the said
concentrated liquors or extract.
This applies to the case when it is desired, for example, to extract certain dye-
stuffs dissolved in proper solvents. The solvents are then re-generated and may be
used afresh.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. The improved process for concentrating liquors by evaporation, whereby part of
the vapours, which such liquors have given off during the concentration process, may

page_text: 2. Apparatus for concentrating liquors by evaporation consisting of the combination,
with ordinary heaters, analyzers and condensers, of an evaporator formed of sets of
superposed series of tubes, discharging the vapours at both ends and causing them to
meet and combine in a common collector, the concentrated liquors being discharged
below and conveyed to a suitable receiver, substantially as set forth.
3. Apparatus for concentrating liquors by evaporation, enabling part of the vapours
given off by such liquor during the concentration process, to combine with the said
concentrated liquor, and consisting of a combination, with ordinary heaters, analyzers
and condensers, of an evaporator, formed of sets of superposed series of tubes,
discharging the vapours at both ends and then causing them to combine in a common
collector while at the same time, discharging below, the concentrated liquors, which
are thence conveyed to a receiver wherein the condensed vapours likewise collect for
combination when desired with the concentrated fluid, a thorough mixture of such
fluid and the vapours being ensured by the provision of a mechanical stirring or
shaking device; substantially as set forth.
4. The arrangement and combination of parts constituting improved apparatus for
concentrating liquids substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated in the
drawings.
Dated this 8th day of June 1907
JOHNSONS & WILLCOX,
47 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C., Agents.