IMPROVEMENTS IN EVAPORATING FLUID SOLUTIONS, AND IN THE MACHINERY, APPARATUS, OR .MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Rowand, of Glasgow, in the County of
Lanark, North Britain, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN EVAPORATING FLUID SOLUTIONS, AND IN THE MACHINERY, APPARATUS, OR
.MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN."
Sealed the 10th November 1868, and dated the 29th August 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Alexander Rowand at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
29th August 1863.
1, ALEXANDER ROWAND, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN EVAPORATING FLUID SOLUTIONS, AND IN THE MACHINERY, APPA-
RATUS, OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates to the employment, adaptation, and use of rotatory
discs, lifters, or other mechanical movements or apparatus for the purpose of
exposing thin films or increments of fluid solutions to the action of the open
atmosphere so as to produce evaporation, and if necessary crystallization. To
this end a chamber, heated by steam or otherwise, has fitted to it a horizontal
shaft carrying a set or series of discs or lifting surfaces, which surfaces lift up
thin films of the solution contained in such chamber, and thus carry on the
process of evaporation or crystallization. The heat applied to the chamber is
regulated in any convenient manner to suit the requirements of the special
solution under treatment, and this may be carried out in practice either by
using a graduated; radiated, or radiant heat as desired directly from a fire, or

page_text: by applying steam at two different temperatures, which can be employed in
greater or lesser relative proportions, or by using any heating or cooling
apparatus such as a partial application of heat or cold water for the purpose
of adjusting the temperature to the precise limit required.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Alexander Rowand in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
29th February 1864.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
ROWAND, of Glasgow, in the County of Lanark, North Britain, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-ninth day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-seventh year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Alexander Rowand, Her special license that I, the said Alexander
Rowand, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Alexander Rowand, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should
at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times
thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might make,
use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great Britain
and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN EVAPORATING FLUID SOLUTIONS, AND IN THE MACHINERY, APPA-
RATUS, OR MEANS EMPLOYED THEREIN," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Alexander Rowand, my executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under my hand and seal, or under the hand and seal of
of them, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said
Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the
same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
one
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Rowand, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same. is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say :-
My said Invention relates to the employment, adaptation, and use of rotatory
discs, lifters, or other mechanical movements or apparatus, for the purpose of

page_text: exposing thin films or increments of fluid solutions to the action of the open
atmosphere so as to produce evaporation, and if necessary, crystallization. To
this end a chamber heated by steam or otherwise, has fitted to it a horizontal
shaft carrying a set or series of discs or lifting surfaces, which surfaces lift up
thin films of the solution contained in such chamber, and thus carry on the
process of evaporation or crystallization. The heat applied to the chamber is
regulated in any convenient manner to suit the requirements of the special
solution under treatment, and this may be carried out in practice cither by
using a graduated, radiated, or radiant heat as desired directly from a fire, or
by applying steam at two different temperatures, which can be employed in
greater or lesser relative proporations, or by using any heating or cooling
apparatus such as a partial application of heat or cold water, for the purpose
of adjusting the temperature to the precise limit required.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several illustrative Figures upon the explanatory
Sheet of Drawings which I have hereunto appended for the purpose of showing
certain modifications under which my improvements may be judiciously carried
out in practice, that is to say,-
Figure 1 is a transverse, and Figure 2, a longitudinal section of one form
of apparatus which I employ, in which A represents a trough or receiver for
holding the fluid, liquid matter, or solution to be operated upon. The top portion
of this trough or receiver is made to extend or spread laterally, and thus forms
a species of hopper. To the lower part of this trough or receiver A is riveted
or otherwise fixed an external metal casing B, the two being united by means
of the angle irons C, more particularly seen in transverse section at Figure 1.
The upper portions of the ends of the trough A and casing B, or tliese por-
tions of them more particularly seen at D, Figure 2, are covered with a flat
metal flange E, secured to the angle irons C by rivets or otherwise, and at
about the centre of the flat metal flange E are also bolted or otherwise' secured
the journal bearings F, carrying the brass or gun metal bushes G, in which
the longitudinal shaft H revolves. Along the shaft H, and at convenient
intervals, are keyed or otherwise fixed the circular, corrugated, or ribbed discs
or agitators I, shown in two forms of section at I, and in elevation at I',
Figure 2, and in end elevation at I, Figure 1. The fluid or liquid to be
operated upon is shown in blue lining in Figures 1 and 2. On again referring
to Figure 2 it will be seen that at K, on the outer casing B, there is fixed the
inlet pipe or duct K', and at L on the lower or under part of the same casing,
there is also fixed the outlet pipe L', this pipe being provided with a valve or
cock, which is opened when required for the purpose of drawing off the water

page_text: or other liquid used for heating or warming the fluid to be evaporated, or any
water which may have become condensed from steam when it is used for
the purposes of heating. Between the trough A and outer casing B is
placed the pipe or duct M, secured to both the trough and casing by flanges
as at m, Figures 1 and 2, and to the outer portion of the casing and imme-
diately below the pipe or duct M is also placed the valve box N, this box
containing the slide valve O, by preference made of gun metal. To this valve
is fitted the spindle or actuating rod P, which passes through a stuffing box P¹
in the side of the box, as seen more particularly in the transverse section,
Figure 1, this valve being for the purpose of drawing off the liquid or matter
in the receiver or trough A, when it has been sufficiently operated upon by
the evaporative action.
Having now explained in detail the system or construction of apparatus or
machinery which I employ for the herein-before mentioned purposes, I shall
now proceed to describe the manner of operating with the same.
The fluid to be evaporated is put or poured into the trough or receiver A,
the space between the receiver A and outer casing B is then filled with water
heated to the temperature required, and I wish it to be understood that if the
temperature required for evaporation is below 212° Fahrenheit, or the boiling
point of water, that I prefer to use water, but if a higher temperature is neces-
sary, as may sometimes be found to be the case, then I use steam, the tempe-
rature in either case being regulated by a thermometer whose bulb is contained
in the space between the trough A and casing B. When the liquid is raised
in this manner to the required temperature, rotatory motion is imparted to the
shaft H from any convenient prime mover, which carries round with it the
annularly corrugated or ribbed discs I and I', and these from presenting a
more extended surface to the fluid than has hitherto been obtained by the use
of flat discs, thereby cause a more rapid evaporation of the fluid. When the
fluid is in this manner evaporated to the necessary extent, which state is ascer-
tained in the usual manner by the hydrometer, it is then drawn off through
the valve O.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into
practical effect, I may observe in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my Invention, but what I
consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention secured
to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,―

page_text: First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery, apparatus,
or means for evaporating fluids as herein-before described.
Second, the application and use of corrugated discs, or irregularly formed
surfaces for the purpose of effecting a rapid evaporation, and corresponding
crystallization, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Rowand have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-fifth day of February, One thousand eight
hundred and sixty-four.