IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR, IN THE PREPARA- TION OF CERTAIN SUBSTANCES FOR SUCH MANUFACTURE, AND IN THE MACHINERY AND APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN
Year: 1851

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of the Firm of J. C. Robertson & Co., 166, Fleet
Street, in the City of London, Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Eighth day of December,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-one, in the fifteenth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, Her
special license, full power, sole privilege and authority, that ; the said
Richard Archibald Brooman, my exors, adñiors, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my exors, adñiors, or assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at
all times during the term of years therein expressed, should and lawfully
might make, use, exercise, and vend, within England, Wales, and the Town
of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the Islands of Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Sark,
and Man, and, in all Her Majesty's Colonies and Plantations abroad, the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR, IN THE PREPARA-
TION OF CERTAIN SUBSTANCES FOR SUCH MANUFACTURE, AND IN THE MACHINERY AND
APPARATUS EMPLOYED THEREIN," communicated to me from abroad; in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that I, the said Richard Archibald
Brooman, shall cause a particular description of the nature of the said Inven-.
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, by an instrument in
writing under my hand and seal, to be inrolled in Her Majesty's High Court

page_text: of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Richard Archibald Brooman, hereby declare that the nature of the said Inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, are fully described and
ascertained in and by the present Specification thereof, reference being had to
the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to say:
Firstly, the Invention consists of an improved arrangement of evaporating
pans for the concentration of saccharine fluids by the employment of a series
of centrifugal apparatuses, by means of which the liquid is passed through a
succession of evaporating operations until sufficiently concentrated.
Figure 1 is a vertical section of this apparatus, and Figure 2 a plan. A is
a pan or casing. B is a vertical shaft resting at bottom on a step a¹ in the
centre of the pan; on this shaft are fixed a series of centrifugal drums
6, 6, 6 (for the purpose of dividing the material to be operated on into minute
particles). Each drum is constructed as follows:-6 is the bottom of the
drum; a cone fixed on the bottom for the purpose of supporting the drum
on the shaft; the periphery of the drum, which is perforated, and has a flat
ring on the top. The drum is divided into two compartments by the
ring 6, for the purpose of ensuring an equable dispersion of the liquid when
the quantity supplied is greater than a single compartment of the drum can
carry off, at the same time confining the delivery to a smaller depth when a
lesser quantity of liquid is being operated on. C is a circular box fixed on the
plate D; it contains a heating apparatus (there are to be a box and heating
apparatus for every drum). 2 is a flat pipe or channel, bent into a spiral
form and enclosed within the box. The upper edge of the flat pipe has
attached to it a slip of metal c³, which raises the open channel formed
by the coil of pipe above the steam-heated portions of the coil. The
interior of the flat pipe is supplied with steam by the pipe cat the inner
end of the coil, and the condensed water escapes through the pipe cat
the outer extremity. This may be made to communicate with the next
heating apparatus, and through the whole series in succession, the steam
then passing through the whole, and the condensed water escaping at the
bottom; or each heating apparatus may have a separate inlet and outlet pipe.
The liquid under operation is introduced into the box at the periphery, from
whence it traverses the spiral channel, and is delivered at the centre of the
box over the top of the pipe c into the centrifugal drum. The pan is divided
into as many compartments as there are drums employed by circular plates D

page_text: fixed to the outside of the pan by supports d'. These plates are corrugated
radially, in order to obtain a large amount of heating surface to take up as
much as possible of the heat of the vapour rising from the liquid passing
through the centrifugal drums. The outer edge of the plate D has a ring d
fixed to it, at the top of which a space is left for the escape of vapour; a
passage is also left on the outside of these rings, and between them and the
pan, for the escape of vapour and condensed water. The inner edge d³ of the
plate is turned up, as shewn, forming a ledge, by which the plate is kept con-
stantly covered with liquid. Small spouts are placed under the corrugations
of the plates D to carry off to the periphery of the casing any water that
may condense upon them. The liquid is introduced through a pipe E, and
flows over the circular plate and ledge d into the heating apparatus, from
which it passes into the centrifugal drums and is dispersed over the next plate,
flowing back into the next heating apparatus and drum, and so on through all
of them in succession. An arrangement for condensing the vapour when the
apparatus is worked with a vacuum is shewn applied to the upper part of the
pan A. In this case vacuum pumps, or the apparatus herein-after described,
must be used to produce the vacuum. (When the apparatus is worked with-
out a vacuum, a chimney or other means of withdrawing the vapour must be
used, and the condensing water dispensed with.) The centre of the cover_has
a tundish-shaped recess a² formed on it for containing water through which
the shaft B passes.
A small centrifugal drum is fixed to the shaft, and is
supplied with water for condensing the vapour through an annular opening a³,
at the bottom of the tundish around the shaft. The water contained in the
tundish recess forms a hermetical joint, so long as the delivery into the appa-
ratus is less than the supply to the tundish (suitable arrangements must be
made to keep the tundish full). The water from the centrifugal machine,
along with the condensed water, runs down the side of the pan. The shaft B
has a bearing above the tundish, and is driven by suitable gearing. H is a
pipe leading to a closed vessel to receive the liquor when it has passed through
the different evaporating compartments. In the Drawing only four of these
are shewn, but any desired number may be used. If it is desired to employ.
centrifugal machinery in an ordinary vacuum pan, the machinery should be so
constructed as to raise (by its own revolutions) the liquor for dispersion.
Secondly, the Invention consists of an improved method of producing
a vacuum for evaporating saccharine fluids. Figures 1 and 2 shew an
arrangement of apparatus for this purpose. a is a box communicating with
the pan A, and having valves a, a, fitted to it. G', G², are cylindrical
vessels, communicating with a boiler by steam pipes g', 9, and with the

page_text: box a, by the valves a", a. The vessels G', G, have taps g', 9, at the
ends opposite to the steam pipes for the escape of air, and are further pro-
vided in the bottom with valves and pipes g', g', for the outlet of water.
Suitable indicators are placed on the pan A in order to enable the workman
to ascertain the degree of vacuum. The working of the apparatus is as
follows-The air pipes are opened, the communication with the pan A shut
off by the closing of the valves a, as; steam is admitted into the vessels G¹, G.
As soon as the air is expelled from the vessels, the air taps are closed, and the
vessels being now full of steam, the steam pipes are also closed. The valve a
in the box at is now opened, when the water from the condensing apparatus
of the pan A rushes into the vessel G'. A vacuum is now produced in the
pan A. When this vacuum is reduced, the valve a, in communication with
the vessel G', is closed, and the valve a, in communication with the vessel G
is opened, by which means the vacuum will be obtained as before. The
valve g³, in the vessel G', and the air tap connected with it, must now be
opened. As soon as the water is discharged, the valve g' is closed and steam
is introduced and the operation performed in the manner before described, and
so on continuously using each vessel alternately.
Thirdly, the Invention consists of an improved method of unloading and
working the drums of centrifugá! machines. Figure 3 is a sectional elevation
of a machine showing this improvement. P is the shaft of the machine on
which the drum K is fixed, and supported by means of the dome p'. The
drum is composed of a bottom and top ², both of which are fastened on
the shaft P. The drum has also a loose bottom and a loose top k'. A
The top k is formed
plan of one of the tops is given separately in Figure 4.
with openings, which serve for loading the machine and liquoring the material
under operation. One of the arms of the openings is represented in section in
Figure 5; they are placed in the position shewn, and bevilled off downwards,
the sharp edge at the top pointing in the direction of the rotation of the drum
to allow the material to pass into the machine. The top is constructed in a
similar manner to ', and is fixed to the shaft. The perforated periphery of
the drum is divided horizontally into two portions, l', ; the portion is made
fast to the bottom k¹, and the portion to the loose top . The loose
bottom ³ is connected to the loose top + by rods passing through holes in
the fast top. is a reticulated canvas or other suitable lining fastened to
the loose bottom of the drum, and to the top of the lower half of the per-
forated periphery e¹.
e is a similar lining, fastened to the fixed top and to
the lower edge of the upper half of the periphery . A lining is fixed to
the top of the dome p' and the loose bottom k³ to prevent the passage of

page_text: liquor under the loose bottom . On the top of the shaft P is a screw-
threaded pipe p', which turns freely on the shaft between the shoulders p³, p.
is a boss fastened to the loose top of the drum, and having a screw
thread cut in it working on the screw p. is a small hand wheel, attached
to the screw p, for the purpose of raising the loose top ', when it is desired
to discharge the drum of its contents. The machine turns in the pan N,
which has a moveable casing n' and an outer fixed casing n³. The working of
the machine is as follows:-The materials having been introduced into the
machine, and the casing a drawn up to enclose the periphery of the drum, the
centrifugal action will cause the molasses and other impurities to be expelled
from the sugar. When this is accomplished, the moveable casing n' is lowered
so as to bring the top of it below that of the fixed portion of the periphery .
The speed of the machine being reduced, the hand wheel p is then taken hold
of, which causes the loose top and the loose bottom to be drawn up, by
which means the lining will be raised and turned inside out, taking the posi-
tion shewn in the dotted lines, thus discharging the drum of its contents,
which will be thrown over the pan and casing n' into the space between the
pan and the outside casing n², from whence they may be conveyed away as
desired.
Fourthly, the improvements in the preparation of materials to be used in
the manufacture of sugar consist of an improved method of cleaning the
charcoal used in such manufacture previous to reburning. This is accomplished
by placing the charcoal in a suitably constructed centrifugal machine, and
passing water through it while in a state of rapid rotation, whereby the
impurities of the charcoal are more effectually and more rapidly removed than
by the methods at present adopted. The charcoal is afterwards dried as far
as convenient before removing it from the machine.
Fifthly, the Invention consists of an improved method of constructing the
forms or moulds used in making sugar loaves. Figure 6 is an example of a
form or mould constructed according to this improvement. is the body of
the form, which has an extension at the small end, the ordinary plug hole
being at the extremity of the part . By this arrangement, the hydraulic
pressure of the liquid passing through the form will cause the sugar to be
cleared lower down than is effected by the methods now in use. When employed
in centrifugal machines the prolongation must be at the outer extremity of the
mould; and if the broad end is worked outwards, more than one such pro-
longation should be used.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-

page_text: First, the employment of centrifugal acting machinery in vacuum pans for
the manufacture of sugar.
Second, the improved arrangement of machinery for evaporating saccharine
matter, in so far as regards the employment therein of centrifugal drums
acting in succession on the liquid passing through the machinery, as before
described.
Third, the method of obtaining a vacuum for operating on saccharine
matter, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the improved method of unloading centrifugal sugar machines, as
herein-before described..
Fifth, the improvement described with reference to Figures 4 and 5, in so
far as regards the bevilled shape given to the arms of the openings on the top
of centrifugal sugar machines.
Sixth, the method of preparing substances to be used in the manufacture of
sugar, described under the fourth head of this Specification. And,
Seventh, the improvement with reference to the manufacture of the forms
or moulds, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have herc-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eighth day of June, in the year of
our Lord. One thousand night hundred and fifty two-