IMPROVED APPARATUS
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Juan Francisco Nepomuceno Macay, of Charapotó, in the
Republic of Ecuador, South America, and at present of Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, for an Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Juan Francisco Nepomuceno
Macay at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th November
1880.
JUAN FRANCISCO NEPOMUCENO MACAY, of Charapotó, in the Republic of
Ecuador, South America, and at present of Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex. "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISSOLVING AND FILTERING IN CHEMICAL
AND METALLURGICAL PROCESSES."
My Invention relates to improved apparatus for use in effecting the operations
of dissolving solids in liquids, and of filtering or separating liquids from solids
in chemical and metallurgical processes in which a soluble substance or substances
mixed or combined with an insoluble substance or substances is or are to be
dissolved separately or together, wholly or partially in a given solvent, and the
solution separated by filtration from the undissolved residue. Before proceeding
to describe my Invention I would observe that minute subdivision of the solid
substances, pressure, motion, and heat generally, if not always, favor the solution of
solid substances, whether the solution is the result of physical or chemical action,
and that in effecting the separation of liquid from solid matters by filtration it is
of the first importance to keep the filtering surface from being clogged by the
particles of solid matter, and to present a clear and unobstructed filtering surface
for effecting the rapid separation of the liquid from the solid matters.
In the apparatus of my Invention these important conditions are capable of
being realised in a very effective manner, the construction and operation of the
apparatus being as follows:-
Within a cylinder of wood or other material not chemically acted on by the
materials treated or the reagents employed is enclosed, an inner cylinder of hard
九
1

page_text: wood, or of hard earthenware, or stoneware, or other material not chemically acted
on by the materials treated or the reagents employed and capable of withstanding
the attrition of the solid matters under treatment, and of the earthenware balls
hereafter referred to. This inner cylinder may be built up of staves of the said
material suitably jointed or dovetailed and bound together with or without
intervening strips of wood or other material between them, or it may be made of
wood staves lined with slabs of earthenware. Between the inner and outer
cylinder there is an annular space, and the inner cylinder is perforated with holes
and covered with asbestos, cloth, or other suitable filtering material stretched over
the whole of its external circumference, and kept in place by longitudinal and
circumferential divisions of wood which divide the said annular space in which the
filtering surface is contained into a number of distinct compartments, each provided
with a draw off cock for running off the liquid when separated by filtration. The
heads of the cylinder may be similarly provided with an inner perforated head
covered with a filtering material.
In the construction of the cylinder care should be taken to avoid exposing any
nails or other metallic parts to the action of the reagents when these are of a nature
to act on such metals. This cylinder is capable of being rotated, and is provided
with a door or manhole, say in one of the ends near the circumference, by which
the matters to be treated may be introduced and the undissolved residue removed,
and the cylinder is also provided with a tubular journal or journals for the
introduction of steam or air under pressure when required. place within the
inner cylinder the ore or other matter to be treated, and previously ground or
otherwise reduced to a pulverulent state if necessary together with the reagents or
solvents by which it is to be acted on, and a number of balls of earthenware. By
imparting rotary motion to the cylinder, the draw off cocks and manhole being
closed, the solid matters are disintegrated and reduced to a still finer state of
subdivision by the attrition of the earthenware balls and that of the solid matters
themselves, thus exposing fresh surfaces to the action of the liquid which is brought
by the rotary motion into intimate contact with the solid matters. The annular
space between the inner and outer cylinders being divided into compartments by
longitudinal divisions, the liquid which passes through into it is carried round by
the rotation of the cylinder, and flows back into the inner cylinder, thus helping
to keep the filtering surface clear and unobstructed.
When the soluble substances are completely dissolved, and it is desired to
separate the liquid from the solid matters, the draw off cocks are opened, and then
by giving a slow rotary motion to the apparatus the liquid may be decanted off
from the bulk of the solid matter, and at same time filtered from any such matters
which it may hold in suspension by passing through the filtering surface. By
this rotary decanting action a clear filtering surface unobstructed by solid matter
is constantly presented for the liquid to pass through.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Juan Francisco Nepomuceno Macay in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 28th May 1881.
JUAN FRANCISCO NEPOMUCENO MACAY, of Charapotó, in the Republic of
Ecuador, South America, and at present of Chancery Lane, in the County of
Middlesex. " IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISSOLVING AND FILTERING IN CHEMICAL
AND METALLURGICAL PROCESSES."
My Invention relates to improved apparatus for use in effecting the operations
of dissolving solids in liquids, and of filtering or separating liquids from solids in
chemical and metallurgical processes in which a soluble substance or substances
mixed or combined with an insoluble substance or substances is or are to be
dissolved separately or together, wholly or partially in a given solvent or solvents,
and the solution separated by filtration from the undissolved residue.
In effecting the separation of liquid from solid matters by filtration it is
important to keep the filtering surface from being clogged by the particles of solid
matter, and to present a clear and unobstructed filtering surface for effecting the
rapid separation of the liquid from the solid matters. In the apparatus of my
Invention this important condition is realised in a very effective manner, the
construction and operation of the apparatus being as follows:-
Within a cylinder of wood or other material, not chemically acted on by the
materials treated or the reagents employed, is enclosed an inner cylinder of hard
wood, or of hard earthenware, or stoneware, or other material not chemically acted
on by the materials treated or the reagents employed, this inner cylinder being
perforated with holes and lined with asbestos, cloth, or other suitable filtering
material.
Between the inner and outer cylinders there is an annular space, and the inner
cylinder is kept in place by longitudinal and circumferential partitions, the former
of which divide the annular space into a number of distinct compartments, each
provided with a draw off cock for running off the liquid when separated by
filtration. This cylinder is capable of being rotated, and is provided with doors or
manholes in one of the heads, by which the matters to be treated may be introduced,
and the undissolved residue removed, and the cylinder is also provided with a tubular
journal or journals for the introduction of steam, or air under pressure, or otherwise,
which may be blown, forced, or drawn into the annular space for the purpose of
keeping the filtering surface clear, I place within the inner cylinder the ore or
other matter to be treated (previously ground or otherwise reduced to a pulverulent
state) together with the solvents by which it is to be treated.
By imparting rotary motion to the cylinder (the draw off cocks and man holes
being closed), the solid matters are brought into intimate contact with the solvents,
and by forcing steam or air into the space between the inner and outer cylinders,
and thence through the filtering medium into the inner cylinder, any solid matters
that may adhere to the filtering surface are disengaged therefrom, whereby the
said surface is kept clear, and the solid matters are kept in suspension in the liquid.
The annular space between the inner and outer cylinders being divided into com-
partments by longitudinal divisions, the liquid which passes through into it is
carried round by the rotation of the cylinder and flows back into the inner cylinder,
thus helping to keep the filtering surface clear aud unobstructed.
When the
soluble substances are dissolved and it is desired to separate the liquid from the
solid matters, the draw off cocks are opened, and then by giving a slow rotary
motion to the apparatus the liquid may be decanted off from the bulk of the solid
matter, and at same time filtered from any such matters which it may hold in

page_text: presented for the liquid to pass through.
Having described the general nature of my Invention I will proceed to describe
in detail the construction of the apparatus as illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings, but I would here observe that although I at present prefer the construc-
tion herein represented I do not limit myself to the details thereof, nor to the use
of any particular material, but would select such as would be best adapted for each
particular case.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a rear end elevation of the rotary filter with one half of the end
cover removed, and partly in section on line A-B, Figure 2; Figure 2 is a longi-
tudinal section of the filter on line C-D, Figures 1 and 3; Figure 3 is a front end
elevation with one half in section through the middle on line E-F, Figure 2.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the Figures.
It is preferred in most cases to construct the filter in the following manner:-
A, A', A, is the outer barrel or cylinder, and B is the inner barrel or cylinder.
When made of wood the outer cylinder is preferably made of the barrel shape
shown, and is built up of a number of staves jointed together and bound by iron
hoops, as usual in cask making. The end hoops a are preferably made of angle
iron for another purpose hereafter described. The heads A', A2, are bound with
iron hoops, and are tied to the body of the cask by tie rods a¹ passing through an
iron ring on the face of the head and through the flange of the angle iron hoops a,
and are screw-threaded and furnished with nuts a² which bear against the face of
the heads, and with other nuts a³ which bear against the angle iron hoops a so as
to draw them tight on the body of the cask and permit of either one or both the
heads A, A, being removed for access to the interior of the filter. A water tight
joint is made between each head and the body of the barrel by an indiarubber
ring compressed in a shallow groove in the head, as shown at a*.
The inner cylinder B is preferably in the form of a polygonal prism, or it might
be a true cylinder, and is placed concentrically within the outer barrel, and is also
constructed of staves jointed together and supported by three wooden rings C', C², C³,
made in segments and fitted within the outer barrel A. On the inside the ends of
the staves butt against a strengthening lining a fixed to the inside of the heads.
Between the inner and outer barrel there is a space which is divided into segmental
compartments D by longitudinal watertight partitions d, which also serve to
support the inner cylinder. The compartments at opposite sides of the central
ring C communicate by openings c in said ring, and each compartment is furnished
with a draw-off cock E. The staves of the inner cylinder are perforated with
holes b, placed as close as possible together, and are covered over the whole internal
surface with asbestos cloth F or other suitable filtering medium.
The cloth is secured in place by its edges being caulked with asbestos yarn or
asbestos cloth cuttings into grooves f along the joints of the staves and across the
ends thereof. G are dashboards arranged around the interior of the inner cylinder,
and placed by preference in the inclined or tangential position shown, but they
might be radial or otherwise. Half the number of these dashboards, i.e., the
alternate ones, are carried by the arms of end frames g fitting within the inner
cylinder and abutting against the heads. The intermediate dashboards are carried
at one end by the manhole doors, hereafter referred to, and fit at the other end
into recesses g¹ in the opposite head of the cylinder. These dashboards are
preferably set at such inclination and distance apart that when the cylinder is
rotated in the direction of the arrow x the matters carried round by them will fall
from dashboard to dashboard, and so avoid injury to the filtering cloth by hard
substances falling upon it. When rotated in the direction of the arrow y (which
would be the ordinary way of revolving it when the solid matters treated have

page_text: been finely ground) the dashboards collect the solid and liquid matters, raise and
allow the same to drop from a height, thereby ensuring their thorough agitation
and intimate mixture. The use of these dashboards is not obligatory; they may
be dispensed with in some cases when a less energetic mixing action and a clearer
filtrate are required.
The head A² is provided with manholes H, preferably four in number, closed by
flanged covers H¹ made watertight by india rubber washers, and secured by cross
barsh pivotted at one end to the head and secured at the other end by a nut, the
covers having a slightly convex surface so that the cross bars shall bear on the
centre thereof. At the centre of the head a2 there is an aperture closed when
working under pressure by a similar cover H³ secured in the same way as the man-
hole covers, or left open to permit the escape of air, gases, or liquid blown in, as
hereafter described. The aperture may also be used for charging and as a sight
hole.
The rear head A³ has a number of radial passages I on the outside, leading one
to each compartment D of the annular space with which they communicate by
openings through the head A'. These passages I radiate from a central dis-
tributing valve consisting of an outer shell K screwed to the head, an intermediate
conical sleeve L ground into the outer shell, and an inner tubular plug M attached
to a supply pipe N. The outer shell K is in constant communication with all the
passages I by ports k. The sleeve L has one or more ports and is adjusted and
fixed in any desired position by a hand wheel O and tightening screw o. The
outer shell K revolves upon this sleeve L with the barrel, and thus the radial
passages I are brought in succession into communication with the supply pipe N at
any desired point or points of the revolution, so that fluid may be forced into or
withdrawn from any of the compartments of the annular space at will, and
consequently to or from the inner cylinder through the filtering surface and
through the contents of the barrel or not, as may be required.
The inner tubular plug M is ground into the intermediate sleeve L, and is
preferably coned to a rather more acute angle than the latter. The inner plug is
carried past the port of the intermediate sleeve by feathers or ribs m so as to
give an all round port, and terminates at the inner end in a ring m¹ received
within the intermediate sleeve L whose inner end is received in a bearing of the
outer shell, the whole being tied together by a central bolt P. These parts
K, L, M, N, would be made of metal unless it be desired to syphon out or exhaust
the liquid through them, in which case they would be preferably made of glass or
porcelain if the liquids are liable to act on metals.
The entire filtering barrel is carried upon grooved rollers R mounted in a
suitable frame or cradle S, the angle iron hoops a running in the grooves of the
rollers. The barrel may be revolved by hand or power through suitable gear.
When made of wood I prefer teak or other hard wood for the outer barrel and
pine for the inner barrel and dashboards.
.
It will be seen that in the construction of the filter, as above described, care is
taken to avoid the use of any metallic parts within the filter. For certain
purposes however both the inner and outer barrels might be made of cast iron or
other metal, and other filtering materials than asbestos cloth might be used.
When the substances treated are of such a nature that the use of wood or metals
is inadmissible, the inner and outer barrels might be made wholly or partly of
earthenware, which in the case of small filters might be moulded in one or more
pieces, or built up of slabs or staves of earthenware and bound with boops, as
above described.
The application of this Invention to the use of chemical reagents as distinguished
from simple solvents and the necessary modifications in the apparatus for these
purposes, are parts of the subject matter of another application which I have made
for Letters Patent, dated this 28th day of May, A.D. 1881.
Having described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of performing

page_text: the same, I would have it understood that what I claim as the lierein before in
part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. A rotary decanting filter constructed of an inner and outer barrel or shell
with an intervening annular space, the inner shell being perforated and covered
with filtering material for use, as and for the purposes specified.
2nd. A rotary decanting filter constructed of an outer barrel or cylinder, and an
inner perforated shell covered with filtering material, the intervening space being
divided into segmental compartments for use, substantially as and for the purposes
specified.
3rd.. A rotary decanting filter constructed, as herein specified, and provided with
means, as herein specified, for. forcing in steam or air through the filtering material
and through the contents of the apparatus or not, as may be required.
4th. The rotary decanting filter, constructed and operating substantially as
shown and described for the purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said Juan Francisco Nepomuceno Macay, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Twenty eighth day of May, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
WM CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane.
J. FRANCO. N. MACAY. (L.S.)