Improvements in and Connected with Apparatus for Evaporating and Concentrating Saccharine or other Solutions.
Year: 1889

page_text: Improvements in and Connected with Apparatus for Evaporating and
Concentrating Saccharine or other Solutions.
I, JAMES GREGSON CHAPMAN, of 25 Austin Friars in the City of London, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
In the evaporation of saccharine or other solutions in vacuum pans it has been
found of advantage for certain purposes to carry on the evaporation until the solution
has become exceedingly dense. The point of concentration reached is, however, such
as to render the extraction of the solution by flow from the ordinary discharge valve
exceedingly tedious, and the longer the operation lasts the cooler and therefore the
less fluid does the masse cuite or concentrated liquor become.
Now the object of my invention is to overcome this difficulty by providing means
whereby the extraction can be very rapidly effected so that the masse cuite or
concentrated liquor is extracted in its most fluid condition.
I effect this by very greatly increasing the size of the discharge valve; in short I
open a free way the maximum size of which may be equal to the sectional area of
the vacuum pans or as much less as may be found convenient and sufficient to enable
the operation to be practically performed.
For the purpose of my invention I provide the vacuum pan with a movable bottom
not necessarily air tight, and which may be fitted with means for heating it with
steam if required. A convenient form of movable bottom is a large sluice valve or
sluice valves. This valve or these valves serve to regulate the discharge of the
contents of the pan and in order to maintain an airtight joint at the bottom of the
pan I combine with the valve or movable bottom external or independent means for
ensuring a tight joint. All the tail pipes for conducting the condensed water from
the interior of the heating pipes or worms are connected to the vacuum pan at a point
above the movable bottom.
A convenient arrangement for carrying out my invention is to prolong the seating
or casting of the sluice valve or valves downwards, and to close the box formed by
such prolongation by means of an air-tight door or cover secured to the prolongation
by means of eye-bolts and nuts, or in any other suitable manner. When it is required
to discharge the vacuum pan this door or cover is first unscrewed and moved out of
the way, and then the sluice valve or valves are opened to any desired extent so that
the contents of the pan may be discharged.
Several means may be adopted for moving the door or cover out of the way when
unscrewed, for example-it may be hinged at one side to a rod or bar fitted with
balance weights so that when unscrewed it will drop or can be easily moved into a
vertical position clear of the liquor as it runs from the pan. Or a hydraulic ram may
be provided beneath the pan for the purpose of lowering the door and of again raising
it to position against the valve box and of holding it there; the screws and eye-bolts
might in this case be dispensed with.
Although my invention is specially intended for vacuum pans it can also be applied
to evaporating and concentrating apparatus not.working in vacuo.
Dated this 23rd day of May 1889
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and Connected with Apparatus for Evaporating and
Concentrating Saccharine or other Solutions.
I, JAMES GREGSON CHAPMAN, of 25 Austin Friars in the City of London, Civil
Engineer, 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:-
In the evaporation of saccharine or other solutions in vacuum pans it has been found
of advantage for certain purposes to carry on the evaporation until the solution has
become exceedingly dense. The point of concentration reached is, however such as to
render the extraction of the solution by flow from the ordinary discharge valve
exceedingly tedious, and the longer the operation lasts the cooler and therefore the
less fluid does the masse cuite or concentrated liquor become.
Now the object of my invention is to overcome this difficulty by providing means
whereby the extraction can be very rapidly effected.
I effect this by very greatly increasing the size of the discharge valve; in short I
open a free way the maximum size of which may be equal to the sectional area of
the vacuum pans or as much less as may be found convenient and sufficient to enable
the operation to be practically performed.
For the purpose of my invention I provide the vacuum pan with a movable bottom
not necessarily air tight and which may be fitted with means for heating it with steam
if required or hot water for cleansing it. A convenient form of movable bottom is a
large sluice valve or sluice valves. This valve or these valves serve to regulate the
discharge of the contents of the pan and in order to maintain an air tight joint at
the bottom of the pan I combine with the valve or movable bottom external or
independent means for ensuring a tight joint. All the tail pipes for conducting the
condensed water from the interior of the heating pipes or worms are connected to the
vacuum pan at a point above the movable bottom.
A convenient arrangement for carrying out my invention is to prolong downwards
the seating or casting in which the sluice valve or valves work and to close the box
formed by such prolongation by means of an air-tight door or cover secured to the
prolongation by means of eyebolts and nuts or in any other suitable manner. When
it is required to discharge the vaccum pan this door or cover is first unscrewed and
moved out of the way and then the sluice valve or valves are opened to any desired
extent so that the contents of the pan may be discharged.
Several means may be adopted for moving the door or cover out of the way
when unscrewed. For example it may be hinged at one side to a rod or bar fitted
with balance weights so that when unscrewed it will drop or can be easily moved into
a vertical position clear of the liquor as it runs from the pan. Or a hydraulic ram
may be provided beneath the pan for the purpose of lowering the door and of again
raising it to position against the valve box and of holding it there; the eyebolts and
nuts might in this case be dispensed with. Or the movable bottom itself can be
carried by a hydraulic ram and be made conical or otherwise so as to fit a correspond-
ingly shaped seat at the pan bottom, a tight joint being ensured by means of eyebolts
and nuts connecting an external flange on the movable bottom to an external flange
on the vacuum pan. The movable bottom in this case can be arranged to be lowered
and raised together with a tank into which, when the bottom is lowered, the contents
of the pan discharge.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings is a vertical section of a vacuum pan
provided with a movable bottom in accordance with my invention.
A A is the pan
which may be either of the form shown or of any other suitable form. B B are steam
pipes for heating the contents of the pan; these pipes may be arranged in any ordinary
or convenient manner or any other suitable arrangement for heating the contents of
the pan may be adopted. CC is the movable bottom which in the arrangement

page_text: shown is formed of two large sluice valves which are fitted with screw shafts D D and
handles E E for moving them in and out as required. When moved inwards the two
valves meet at the centre of the bottom of the pan. F is the seating or casting in
which the sluice valves work; this seating is prolonged downwards as shown at Ğ so
as to form a sort of box and this box is closed by means of an air-tight door or cover H
secured thereto by means of eyebolts and nuts I. J is a packing ring carried by the
door H. When it is required to discharge the vacuum pan the door or cover is first
unscrewed and moved out of the way and then the sluice valves C C are opened to
any desired extent so that the contents of the pan may be discharged. In the arrange-
ment shown in Figure 1 the door H is shown as hinged at one side to a rod or bar K
seen more clearly in the detached plan view Figure 2, this rod or bar being fitted with
balance weights L L so that when the door H is unscrewed it can be easily moved or
will drop into a vertical position clear of the liquor as it runs from the pan.
M, Figure 1, represents a wagon or other receptacle which is run on the rails N under
the pan for the purpose of receiving the contents of same as they are discharged and
subsequently conveying them away.
Figure 3 is a vertical section showing an arrangement in which the door or cover H
instead of turning on a hinge as in Figures 1 and 2 is raised and lowered as required
by means of a hydraulic ram P. The figure shows the door or cover in the lowered
position clear of the wagon M; its normal position against the sluice valve box is
indicated in dotted lines. When a hydraulic ram is used the eyebolts and nuts I, I
might be dispensed with, the power of the ram being depended upon to maintain a
tight joint between the door or cover H and the sluice valve box G.
Figure 4 illustrates the modification herein before described in which the movable
bottom H is itself carried by a hydraulic ram P, the bottom being made conical as
shown so as to fit a corresponding conical seat on the pan A. I, I are the eyebolts
and nuts and a packing ring for ensuring an air-tight joint. The movable bottom H
moves down and up with the tank M into which the contents of the pan A discharge
when the bottom H is lowered. The tank is large enough to hold the contents of
the valve and is provided with one or more sluice valves R to enable the tank to be
subsequently emptied.
It
Although my invention is specially intended for vacuum pans it can also be
applied to evaporating and concentrating apparatus not working in vacuo.
applies particularly to evaporating saccharine solutions but is also applicable to
other solutions.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim
in respect of apparatus for evaporating and concentrating saccharine or other
solutions is :-
1. Constructing and evaporating pan or vessel with a movable bottom and with
means external to or independent of such movable bottom for ensuring an air-
tight joint at the pan bottom substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described.
2. Constructing an evaporating pan or vessel with a bottom in the form of a
large sluice valve or sluice valves and with means external to or independent of
such valve or valves for ensuring an air-tight joint at the pan bottom substan-
tially as and for the purpose herein before described.
3. Constructing an evaporating pan or vessel with a bottom in the form of a
large sluice valve or sluice valves, and with a removable air-tight door or cover
external to such valve or valves for ensuring an air-tight joint at the pan bottom,
substantially as and for the purpose herein before described."
4. Constructing an evaporating pan or vessel with a movable bottom carried by
a hydraulic ram by which it can be raised and lowered, such bottom having
means external thereto for ensuring an air-tight joint at the pan bottom, substan-
tially as and for the purpose herein before described.

page_text: 5. Constructing apparatus as herein before described and represented in the
accompanying drawings for evaporating and concentrating saccharine or other
solutions.
Dated this 27th day of December 1889.
J. C. MEWBURN,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Patent Agent.