Improvements in Apparatus for Reducing, Mixing, and Dissolving Fibrous or other Materials.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 25th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Left, 21st Nov., 1889-Accepted, 21st Dec., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Reducing, Mixing, and Dissolving
Fibrous or other Materials.
A communication from abroad by EMIL HERMANN NACKE, of 8, Ostra-Allee,
Dresden, Saxony, German Empire, Engineer.
I, JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 55 & 56 Chancery Lane in the County of Middlesex,
Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The present invention relates to improved apparatus for reducing, mixing, and
dissolving fibrous or other materials while contained in a liquid, and chiefly fibrous
materials such as are used in papermaking, the essential feature of the invention being
that the material under treatment is repeatedly exposed to the centrifugal action of
vanes, suitably arranged for this purpose.
The liquid containing the fibrous material to be reduced, mixed or dissolved is
supplied to the apparatus by a pipe, and is drawn or sucked into the central openings
of a centrifugal wheel, which revolves at high speed, the vanes of such wheel
expelling the liquid and the material at its peripheral openings and dashing them
against the inner wall of the casing which surrounds the wheel at a short distance
therefrom; the dashing action against such wall causes the reduction, mixing, or
dissolving of the fibrous material under treatment.
The action or method of sucking or drawing liquid into the central part of a
revolving wheel with vanes and discharging the liquid at great velocity at the
peripheral openings is not new, as this is done in many centrifugal pumps. But
the novel feature in the present apparatus is the arranging of the parts in such a
manner that the reducing or mixing or dissolving action upon the fibre is repeated
many times by one and the same revolving wheel, so that the degree of reduction
can be regulated by repeating the action a greater or less number of times as
may be found necessary.
For this purpose the rim or edge of the central inlet openings of the revolving
wheel does not fit closely against the walls of the casing as in centrifugal pumps;
on the contrary a sufficiently wide space is left between the wall of the casing and
the central inlet openings of the wheel, to allow the liquid after having been
expelled or propelled at the periphery of the wheel, to return outside the wheel to the
central openings owing to the sucking or drawing action of this central part of the
wheel. This circulation may take place as often as required to reduce the fibre or
material by its repeated dashing against the inner wall of the casing to the proper
size. The apparatus therefore mainly differs from other reducing apparatus based
upon the centrifugal principle by its continuously reducing the liquid mass in
constant circulation, until the mass under treatment is replaced by a fresh mass to be
reduced or mixed or dissolved, the fresh mass being introduced by means of a pump
or by natural pressure.
This admission of fresh masses offers the means for regulating the process in
regard to the fineness of the mass by accelerating or retarding such admission.
Supposing there is passing through the revolving wheel every minute at a certain
number of revolutions, forty times as much of the liquid mass as is admitted during
the same period, every particle of the liquid mass will be thrown forty times on
the average against the walls of the casing; the result therefore obtained by one
revolving wheel is very much greater than with any known reducing apparatus with
one wheel based on the centrifugal principle.
In order to materially increase the result the apparatus may be provided with
wo revolving wheels or with more of these wheels on a common shaft and all enclosed
[Price-8dl

page_text: or arranged in one and the same casing. The same process is in this instance repeated
in all the wheels, so that the result is doubled by the addition of a second wheel,
trebled by the addition of a third wheel, and so on.
Dated thin orth L
1000
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Reducing, Mixing, and Dissolving
Fibrous or other Materials.
A communication from abroad by EMIL HERMANN NACKE, of 8, Ostra-Allee,
Dresden, Saxony, German Empire, Engineer.
1, JOHN CLAYTON MEWBURN of 55 and 56 Chancery Lane in the County of
Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent Agents, 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 :-
The present invention relates to improved apparatus for reducing, mixing and
dissolving fibrous or other materials while contained in a liquid and chiefly fibrous
materials such as are used in paper making, the essential feature of the invention
being that the material under treatment is repeatedly exposed to the centrifugal
action of vanes, suitably arranged for this purpose.
Figure 1 of the annexed drawings is a longitudinal section and Figure 2 a
transverse section of an apparatus constructed according to the invention in its
simplest form.
The liquid contained in the fibrous material to be reduced mixel or dissolved is
supplied to the apparatus by a pipe a and is drawn or sucked into the central openings
of a centrifugal wheel b which revolves at high speed, the vanes of such wheel
expelling the liquid and the material at its peripheral openings and dashing them
against the inner wall c of the casing which surrounds the wheel at a short distance
therefrom, the dashing action against such wall causes the reduction, mixing or
dissolving of the fibrous material under treatment.
The action or method of sucking or drawing liquid into the contral part of a
revolving wheel with vanes and discharging the liquid at great velocity at the peri-
pheral openings is not new, as this is done in many centrifugal pumps. But the
novel feature in the present apparatus is the arranging of the parts in such a manner
that the reducing or mixing or dissolving action upon the fibre is repeated many times
by one and the same revolving wheel b, so that the degree of reduction can be regulated
by repeating the action a greater or less number of times as may be found necessary.
For this purpose the rim or edge of the central inlet openings of the revolving wheel
does not fit closely against the walls of the casing as in centrifugal pumps; on the
contrary a sufficiently wide space is left between the walls of the casing and the
central inlet openings ii of the wheel to allow the liquid after having been expelled
or propelled at the periphery of the wheel, to return outside the wheel to the contral
openings, owing to the sucking or drawing action of this central part of the wheel.
This circulation may take place as often as required to reduce the fibre or material by
its repeated dashing against the inner wall of the casing, to the proper size. The
apparatus therefore mainly differs from other reducing apparatus based upon the
centrifugal principle by its continuously reducing the liquid mass in constant cir-
culation until the mass under treatment is replaced by a fresh mass to be reduced
or mixed or dissolved, the fresh mass being introduced by means of a pump or by
natural pressure. The reduced mass issues at d.
This admission of fresh masses offers the means for regulating the process in
regard to the fineness of the mass by accelerating or retarding such admission.
Supposing there is passing through the revolving wheel b every minute at a certain
number of revolutions, forty times as much of the liquid mass as is admitted
during the same period at a, every particle of the liquid mass will be thrown forty

page_text: times on the average against the walls of the casing c; the result, therefore, obtained
by one revolving wheel is very much greater than with any known reducing apparatus
with one wheel based on the centrifugal principle.
In order to materially increase the result the apparatus may be provided with two
revolving wheels bb as shown in Figure 3, or with more of these wheels on a common
shaft and all enclosed or arranged in one and the same casing. The same process is
in this instance repeated in all the wheels, so that the result is doubled by the
addition of a second wheel, trebled by the addition of a third wheel, and so on.
The mass to be treated must be forced into the apparatus either by a pump or by
natural pressure, but as in some cases the addition of a teed pump is inconvenient and
as natural pressure of the necessary amount is not always obtainable the apparatus
may be provided with means whereby an adjustable sucking or drawing action is
produced through the first of the wheels employed in the apparatus.
Such an
arrangement will be advantageous for instance where the apparatus is used in paper
making machinery to dissolve or break up the knots which may be contained in the
pulp. These knots are dissolved or broken up by passing through the apparatus
which for this purpose is provided with means whereby an adjustable sucking or
drawing action is produced. This sucking or drawing action should be so regulated
that the exact amount of pulp delivered by the previous part of the paper making
machine is drawn in by the apparatus, dissolved or broken up by passing through the
latter, and delivered to the sand strainer. If the apparatus drew less pulp than is
delivered, a part of the pulp would overflow and go to waste; if on the other hand
the apparatus exerted more drawing power than was sufficient to draw what was
delivered to it, a certain amount of air would by passing into the apparatus become
mixed with the pulp, thereby producing large quantities of foam which are very
objectionable.
In order to make the sucking action adjustable I make the distance between the
rim of the central opening of the first wheel b, see Figure 4-and the rims of the
mouth of the inlet pipe a adjustable so that the opening or slot xx between the 'rim
of the said wheel and that of the said mouth may be made smaller or wider. To
effect this either of the rims r and s may be made movable relatively to the other.
The simplest way is to make the rim r adjustable with regard to s by shifting length-
wise the shaft p on which the wheel b is fixed.
This adjustment can easily be effected by providing the bearing m with a male
screw thread, and the frame n in which this bearing rests with a female screw thread,
the bearing m resting at both ends against shoulders or rings oo on the shaft p and
being fitted with a hand wheel q.
For the other end of the shaft p a long sleeve-like bearing t is provided to allow the
shaft to be shifted lengthwise without losing its support at t.
If by turning the hand wheel q in the proper direction the rims r and s are set
near each other the revolving wheel 6 will produce a strong sucking action, thereby
carrying a large amount of pulp through the apparatus. If the distance between r
and s be increased the sucking or drawing action of the wheel 6 will be diminished with
the increased opening of the space or slot x¹ and vice versa. Thus more pulp will be
drawn in if the space or slot is narrow and less pulp if it is wide, the speed of the
shaft p and of the wheels band therefore the main action and purpose of the apparatus,
viz. to reduce, mix or dissolve fibrous and other materials, remaining the same in all
cases, whether the apparatus be arranged with the adjustable suction or not.
Variations occurring in the supply of the pulp to the apparatus will not interfere with
its correct working if the pulp flows in closed tubes connected directly to the flanges
of the inlet and outlet openings of the apparatus.
If on the other hand the pulp
flows to the apparatus by an open channel as would generally be the case in a paper-
making machine, variations in the flow would require a frequent readjustment of the
suction action to prevent overflow of the pulp or the sucking in of air. To make this
readjustment less often necessary I provide in one of the tanks or boxes k k¹ which are
bolted to the inlet and outlet openings a float and in the two tanks two valves t¹ t'
connected together by straps or rods y, levers u and geared segments z, or in any
0

page_text: other suitable manner so that the float v will close the valves t¹t and thereby throttle
the sucking action of the apparatus if less pulp is flowing through the tank k, while
the float and both valves will rise, giving the pulp free access to the apparatus if more
pulp is entering the tank k.
Only minor variations in the delivery of the pulp can be regulated in this way;
the main correction or adjustment should be done by varying the sucking action as
previously described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention as communicated to me and in what manner the same is to be performed
I declare that what I claim is :-
1. An apparatus for reducing mixing or dissolving fibrous or other material while
contained in a liquid, consisting of one or more revolving wheels 6 with vanes,
which wheels revolve at high speed in a closed casing cc, the central inlet openings
as well as the peripheral outlet openings of the wheel or wheels communicating with
the interior of the casing so that the liquid mass thrown or dashed by the wheels
against the inner wall of the casing, is again sucked or drawn into the central inlet
openings of the wheels and expelled again at the periphery; this circulation and
consequently the mixing, reducing or dissolving of the material in the liquid being
more or less continued according to the less or greater rate at which the mass is
allowed to flow through the apparatus, substantially as hereinbefore described.
2. In an apparatus constructed and acting as described in claim 1, an arrangement
by which the distance between the rim of the inlet opening and the rim of the central
opening of the first wheel can be adjusted at will, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
3. In an apparatus constructed and acting as described in claim 1, a float and
valves for regulating the inlet and outlet of the liquid mass to and from the apparatus,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 21st day of November 1889
J. C. MEWBURN.