IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING LIQUIDS, APPLICABLE TO THE CONCENTRATION OF SACCHARINE OR SALINE SOLUTIONS, DISTILLATION, AND SUCH LIKE OPERATIONS
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Jackson and Thomas Randolph Mellor, both of
No. 84, King William Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineers, for the
Invention of "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS FOR EVAPORATING LIQUIDS,
APPLICABLE TO THE CONCENTRATION OF SACCHARINE OR SALINE SOLUTIONS,
DISTILLATION, AND SUCH LIKE OPERATIONS.”
Scaled the 8th June 1877, and dated the 11th April 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Jackson and Thomas
Randolph Mellor at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the
11th April 1877.
JOHN JACKSON and THOMAS RANDOLPH MELLOR, both of No. 84, King William
Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineers. "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS
FOR EVAPORATING LIQUIDS, APPLICABLE TO THE CONCENTRATION OF SACCHARINE OR
SALINE SOLUTIONS, DISTILLATON, AND SUCH LIKE OPERATIONS."
Our Invention relates to means and apparatus for evaporating liquids by ex-
posing them in a finely divided condition, as in films, thin streams, and drops, so as
to present a large surface to the action of a current of heated air or other gas,
whereby the more volatile portions are carried off in the form of vapour. In
applying our Invention for the concentration of saccharine or saline solutions, the
hot air or gas, after becoming saturated with the vapour of the water of solution,
may be allowed to escape freely; but in applying our Invention for distillation, the
air or gas after being charged with vapour may be subjected to cooling by any
known means for the purpose of condensing the vapour. In either case the
evaporation is effected according to our method by means of apparatus which we
construct in two forms, as we will now describe.
According to one form of our apparatus, we fix on the periphery of a drum or
cylinder a number of buckets in the form of long troughs or half tubes, open along
their upper sides, with open spaces between them, these bucket troughs extending
lengthwise of the drum, which is mounted so that it can rotate on a horizontal axis
within a closed vessel. The bucket troughs are made of a curved form with their
inner lips serrated. The vessel in which the drum revolves is charged with the liquid
to be operated on to such a level that the lower portion of the periphery of the drum,
Prine Gd1

page_text: of it.
with the buckets tbercon, is immersed in the liquid. A current of hot air or other gas is
caused to pass through the vessel containing the drum and the liquid, and the drum
is caused to rotate at a moderate speed. As the drum rotates, the buckets are
successively submerged in the liquid, and ascend therefrom charged with portions
As the buckets continue to ascend in their circular path, their contents,
owing to the curved form of the buckets, are gradually discharged from them over
their inner lips, being by means of the serrations on those lips divided into drops
that fall in a shower through the interior of the drum to rejoin the liquid below.
By thus subdividing the liquid in the form of a thin film covering the surfaces of
the drum and its buckets, and in the form of drops falling from the latter, a large
surface is exposed to the evaporating action of the heated air or gas, which carries
vapour with it as it escapes from the vessel.
In the other form of evaporating apparatus, according to our Invention, we pro-
vide a tall vessel having plates or diaphragms fixed in it in successive tiers or storeys.
These plates are made with numerous holes through them, each holo having a tip
projecting a little downwards, and being of sufficient size to give a free passage for
a current of heated air or other gas which is made to pass through the vessel.
The liquid to be operated on is raised by a rotary or other pump to the top of the
vessel, where it is allowed to flow over the surface of the uppermost plate. It passes
through the holes in that plate, dropping or streaming from the edges of these
holes, whilst the air or gas currents also pass through the holes and the
streams or drops fall on to the next plate below, breaking more or less into
spray, which again, collecting in a film on the second plate, passes through its holes,
and so on from plate to plate till the liquid reaches the bottoin, whence it is again
pumped to the upper part of the vessel.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Jackson and Thomas Randolph Mellor in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th October 1877.
JOHN JACKSON and THOMAS RANDOLPH MELLOR, both of No. 84, King William
Street, in the City of London, Civil Engineers. "IMPROVED MEANS AND APPARATUS
FOR EVAPORATING LIQUIDE, APPLICABLE TO THE CONCENTRATION OF SACCHARINE OR
SALINE SOLUTIONS, DISTILLATION, AND SUCH LIKE OPERATIONS."
Our Invention relates to means and apparatus for evaporating liquids by ex-
posing them in a finely divided condition, as in films, thin streams, and drops, so as
to prevent a large surface to the action of a current of heated air or other gas,
whereby the more volatile portions are carried off in the form of vapour. In
applying our Invention for the concentration of saccharine or saline solutions, the
hot air or gas, after becoming saturated with the vapour of the water of solution,
may be allowed to escape freely; but in applying our Invention for distillation, the
air or gas, after being charged with vapour, may be subjected to cooling by any
known means for the purpose of condensing the vapour. In either case the
evaporation is effected according to our method by means of apparatus, which wo
construct, as we will now describe.
In constructing apparatus for this purpose we fix on the periphery of a drum or
cylinder a number of buckets in the form of long troughs, or half tubes open along
their upper sides, with open spaces between them; these bucket troughs extend
lengthwise of the drum, which is mounted so that it can rotate on a horizontal axis
within a closed vessel. The bucket troughs are made of a curved form with their
inner lips serrated. The vessel in which the drum revolves is charged with the
liquid to be operated on to such a level that the lower portion of the periphery of
the drum, with the buckets thereon, is immersed in the liquid. A current of hot air or
other gas is caused to pass through the vessel containing the drum and the liquid, and
the drum is caused to rotate at a moderate speed. As the drum rotates, the buckets

page_text: portions of it. As the buckets continue to ascend in their circular pau, men
contents, owing to the curved form of the buckets, are gradually discharged from
them over their inner lips, being by means of the serrations on those lips divided
into drops that fall in a shower through the interior of the drum to rejoin the
liquid below. By thus subdividing the liquid in the form of a thin film covering
the surfaces of the drum and its buckets, and in the form of drops falling from the
latter, a large surface is exposed to the evaporating action of the heated air or gas,
which carries vapour with it as it escapes from the vessel.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 a transverse section of apparatus
according to our Invention.
A drum or skeleton framing composed of rings A, A, secured by tie rods B, B, is
supported in a closed casing C by rollers D on shafts E, one of which passes through
a stuffing box on the casing, and is provided with a driving pulley F, by means of
which rotary motion is imparted to the rollers, so as to cause the drum to rotate
slowly. To the periphery of the rings A are fixed the trough-shaped buckets G,
which as the drum revolves in the direction of the arrow, carry up a portion of the
liquor H, in which the drum is partially immersed. As the buckets move around,
the liquor falls from them in a shower or streams to the bottom of the vessel again,
the buckets being so formed that the liquor descends in a nearly uniform stream
until the buckets are emptied.
If it is desired to subdivide the liquor, so as to cause it to descend in separate
drops instead of in a thin sheet, this may be effected by serrating the lips of the
buckets over which the liquor flows. While the liquor is thus caused to fall in a
shower, a current of air, either cold, or heated to any desired degree by any suitable
heating apparatus, enters the casing through the pipe I, and in passing longitudinally
through the interior of the drum, as shewn by the arrows, in close contact with
the falling liquor, it effectually evaporates the watery or volatile particles therefrom,
carrying such vapour along with it as it escapes through the pipe K, which is
provided with a valve L for regulating the draught. When the liquor in the casing
has become sufficiently concentrated by this means, or when, as in the case of
distillation, the volatile particles have been evaporated thereform, it is discharged
from the casing through the pipe M, and a fresh charge is introduced. N is a
chamber communicating at bottom with the casing C, and having an aperture
through which a small quantity of the liquid can be withdrawn from time to time
to ascertain the degree of concentration attained.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, we claim the use, for evaporating liquids, of apparatus
consisting of a revolving frame carrying buckets or receptacles, which raise the
liquid and allow it to fall in thin streams or showers, substantially as herein
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Jackson, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-seven.