Improvement in Apparatus for Filtering Liquids, or for Separating Liquids from or Drying Crystallised or other Granular Matters.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 12th Jan., 1894-Accepted, 17th Feb., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Apparatus for Filtering Liquids, or for Separating
Liquids from or Drying Crystallised or other Granular Matters.
I, JAMES DRUMMOND, of 3, Bloomfield Terrace, Govan, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows, that is to say :-
My said invention has for its object the rapid and complete separation of liquids
from granular matters, whether the purpose is to obtain the liquid in a filtered
condition, or to obtain the granular matters in a dry condition and free from
moisture. My improved apparatus is applicable for dealing with chemical salts of
various kinds when in a granular condition or when consisting of comparatively
small crystals; and it is also applicable for treating uncrystalline granular
matters.
In carrying out my invention I provide a series of cavities of a vertical
cylindrical or other simple form to hold the materials whilst being operated on,
these cavities being formed in a thick horizontal annulus or ring arranged to rotate
about a vertical axis. The rotation of the annulus is intermittent and applied to it
by means of a ratchet wheel and pawl lever acted on by a rod from a crank or
eccentric on a first-motion shaft driven in any convenient way. The cavaties are
formed quite through the annulus but their bottom ends are closed at certain parts
of the circuit by a fixed plate or plates in contact with which the underside of the
annulus moves.
At one part of the circuit each cavity passes under a hopper from
which it receives a charge of the materials to be operated on, and passing on each
cavity gets under an air-supply pipe or passage and the materials are acted on by
compressed air, or any suitable gas there being at that part below the annulus a
perforated plate or sheet of wire gauze through which the compressed air forces
the liquid constituents of the materials into a space or pipe provided below to
receive it. An important part of the present improvements consists in fitting
the air-supply pipe with a stop-cock or valve which is opened for a short period
only just when a cavity charged with materials is in the position for being acted on
by the compressed air, the opening and closing of the stopcock or valve being
effected by means of a cam on the first-motion shaft or on a shaft driven from that
shaft. On passing on each cavity may become uncovered to allow of the materials
being treated with water or other liquid for further purification, and it next passes
on to a position in which the materials are again subjected to the action of com-
pressed air, controlled by a stopcock or valve actuated by a cam as in the first
case. Finally each cavity reaches a position in which the dried material drops out
of it or is pushed down out of it by a plunger into a receptacle. In some cases a
jet of steam may be injected into the stream of compressed air to soften it.
Dated this Twelfth day of April 1893.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Filtering Liquids, or for Separating
Liquids from or Drying Crystallised or other Granular Matters.
I, JAMES DRUMMOND, of 3, Bloomfield Terrace, Govan, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, 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, that is to say :—
My said invention has for its object the rapid and complete separation of liquids
from granular matters, whether the purpose is to obtain the liquid in a filtered
condition, or to obtain the granular matters in a dry condition and free from
moisture. My improved apparatus is applicable for dealing with chemical salts of
various kinds when in a granular condition or when consisting of comparatively
small crystals; and it is also applicable for treating various other crystalline or
uncrystalline granular matters.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing the same may
be properly understood I hereunto append a sheet of explanatory drawings to be
hereinafter referred to and showing my improvements.
Figure, 1, of the drawings is a plan, Figure, 2, a sectional elevation; and
Figure, 3, an elevation as at right angles to Figure, 2, of my improved apparatus.
Figure, 4, is a view of a detail to be hereinafter referred to.
In these drawings the same reference letters and numerals are used to mark the
same or like parts wherever they are repeated.
In carrying out my invention I provide a series of cavaties, A, of a vertical
cylindrical or other simple form to hold the materials whilst being operated, these
cavaties being formed in a thick horizontal annulus or ring, B, arranged to rotate
about a vertical axis, C. The rotation of the annulus, B, is intermittent and
applied to it by means of a ratchet wheel, D, and pawl lever, E, acted on by a
rod, F, from a crank or eccentric, G, on a shaft, H, driven through spur gearing, J,
from a first-motion shaft, K, on which are pulleys, L, for a driving belt. The
cavaties, A, are formed quite through the annulus, B, but their bottom ends are
closed at certain parts of the circuit by a fixed plate, M, (or it might be a number
of plates) in contact with which the under side of the annulus moves.
At one part
of the circuit each cavity, A, passes under a hopper, N, from which it receives a
charge of the materials to be operated on; and passing on each cavity gets under
an air-supply pipe or passage, P, and the materials are acted on by compressed air
or any suitable gas there being at that part below the annulus, B, a perforated
plate or sheet of wire gauze, (such as what is shown at, Q, Figure, 2) through
which the compressed air forces the liquid constituent of the materials into a space
or pipe, R, provided below to receive it. An important part of my present
improvements consists in fitting the air-supply pipe, P, with a stopcock or valve, S,
which is opened for a short period only just when a cavity, A, charged with
materials is in the position for being acted on by the compressed air, the opening
and closing of the stopcock or valve, S, being effected by means of a cam, T, such
as is shown in Figure, 4, this cam being on a shaft, U, driven by spur gearing, V,
from the shaft, H, and acting on a pin, W, in a lever, X, connected to one end of
a horizontal rod, Y, the other end of which is connected to a short lever, Z, on the
spindle of the stopcock, S.
On passing on, each cavity, A, becomes uncovered to allow of the materials being
treated with water or other liquid for further purification and it next passes on to
a position in which the materials are again subjected to the action of compressed
air from a branch air-supply pipe, P 1, controlled by a stopcock or valve, S 1,
actuated through a cam, T1, a pin, W 1, lever, X 1, rod, Y ), and lever, Z 1, as in
the first case. The groove in the cam, T 1, is placed diametrically opposite to the

page_text: groove in the cam, T, as shown by dotted lines in Figure, 4, so that when one
valve, S, is open the other valve, S 1, will be shut, and vice versa. Finally each
cavity, A, reaches a position in which the dried materials drop out of it (or may be
pushed down of it by a plunger) into a receptacle. In some cases a jet of steam
may be injected into the stream of compressed air to soften it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
In apparatus for filtering liquids or for separating liquids from or drying crystallised
or other granular matters, a horizontal annulus arranged to rotate intermittently
and having formed through it a series of cavities the bottoms of which pass over a
fixed plate or plates at certain parts of the circuit and over a perforated plate or
wire gauze at other parts at which latter parts the materials in the cavities are
acted on by compressed air or any suitable gas the supply pipes for which are fitted
with stopcocks or valves opened only when a cavity of the annulus is in a position
to receive the compressed air or gas, the parts being arranged and operating
substantially as herein before described.
Dated this Eleventh day of January 1894.
EDMUND HUNT,
Applicant's Agent.