AN IMPROVED Apparatus for the ManufacCTURE OF SUGAR
Year: 1870

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Connell, of Mincing Lane, in the City of
London, Merchant, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVED Apparatus
for the ManufacCTURE OF SUGAR.” -A communication from abroad by
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Connell at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
11th March 1870.
I, JOHN CONNELL, of Mincing Lane, in the City of London, Merchant,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR," to be as follows :-
This Invention relates to an improved apparatus to be used in the
manufacture of sugar for evaporating and concentrating the liquor
from which the sugar is to be obtained.
The apparatus consists of a rectangular chamber of considerable
height, say 15 or 20 feet, more or less, and of suitable depth and width.
Within this chamber are several series of tubes placed in rows hori-

page_text: zontally from one side to the other. The tubes in each series are
arranged directly over one another and communicate alternately at either
end so as to permit of steam or hot air circulating freely throughout each
series of tubes for heating the same. The communication between the
ends of the tubes may be effected either by making the side walls of the
apparatus double with suitable partitions or otherwise. Towards the top
of the apparatus and immediately above each series of tubes are placed
pipes for supplying the liquor to be concentrated, said pipes being placed
in communication with the liquor supply cisterns or clarifiers. These
liquor supply pipes are perforated on the under side, from which per-
forations the liquor escapes in minute streams, and is distributed equally
over the topmost pipe of each series, from which it then passes to the
tubes below, and so on downwards from tube to tube successively
throughout the whole of each series, the liquor being gradually evaporated
and the saccharine properties concentrated by contact with the heated
tubes, from which it finally passes into a suitable receiver or granulating
cooler provided for its reception. To facilitate the descent of the liquor
cach tube is provided with a longitudinal plate dependent from the under
side of the tube, and having a serrated edge from the points of which
the liquor drops readily. The tubes are heated as before mentioned by
a current of steam or hot air, which enters at the lower part, and after
circulating throughout the series escapes at the top of the apparatus, and
thereby also serves to assist in carrying off the vapor by increasing the
draft, for which purpose a suitable fan is also employed. In addition to
the above a hot air blast may be introduced at the lower part of the
apparatus when required to assist in evaporating the liquor, and in
carrying off the vapor as it is formed.
In some cases I may wholly or partly close the apparatus at the lower
part and remove the vapor by exhaustion.
If desired the apparatus may be constructed entirely with double walls
within which a current of steam and hot air is introduced to assist in
maintaining the requisite temperature in the apparatus. By the use of
this apparatus an economy in space and labour is effected, whilst the
quantity of crystallizable sugar obtained from a given amount of liquor
is increased.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said John Connell in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 10th September 1870.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL CONE, I, JOHN
CONNELL, of Mincing Lane, in the City of London, Merchant, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of March, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy, in the thirty-third
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and
grant unto me, the said John Connell, Her special licence that I, the said
John Connell, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said John Connell, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and
at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should and
lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "AN IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE
OF SUGAR," a communication to me from abroad by Wilson Hardy, of
Melbourne, in the Colony of Victoria, Australia, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said John Connell, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one
of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be
performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Scal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Connell, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings,
hereunto annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thercon (that
is to say) :-
This Invention relates to an improved apparatus to be used in the
manufacture of sugar for evaporating and concentrating the liquor from

page_text: The apparatus consists of a rectangular chamber of considerable height,
say 15 or 20 feet, more or less, and of suitable depth and width. Within
this chamber are several series of tubes placed in rows horizontally from
one side to the other. The tubes in each series are arranged directly
over one another and communicate alternately at either end so as to
permit of steam or hot air circulating freely throughout each series of
tubes for heating the same. The communication between the ends of
the tubes may be effected either by making the side walls of the apparatus
double with suitable partitions or otherwise. Towards the top of the
apparatus and immediately above each series of tubes are placed pipes
for supplying the liquor to be concentrated, said pipes being placed in
communication with the liquor supply cisterns or clarifiers. These
liquor supply pipes are perforated on the under side, from which per-
forations the liquor escapes in minute streams, and is distributed equally
over the topmost pipe of each series, from which it then gravitates to the
tubes below and so on downwards from tube to tube succesively through-
out the whole of each series, the liquor being gradually evaporated and
the saccharine properties concentrated by contact with the heated tubes,
the resulting product finally passing into a suitable receiver or
granulating cooler provided for its reception. To facilitate the descent
of the liquor each tube is provided with a longitudinal plate dependent
from the under side of the tube, and having a serrated edge from the
points of which the liquor drops readily. The tubes are heated as before
mentioned by a current of steam or hot air, which enters at the lower
part, and after circulating throughout the series escapes at the top of
the apparatus and thereby serves to assist in carrying off the vapor by
increasing the draft, for which purpose a suitable fan is also employed.
In addition to the above a hot air blast may be introduced at the lower
part of the apparatus when required to assist in evaporating the liquor,
and in carrying off the vapor as it is formed.
In some cases I may wholly or partly close the apparatus at the lower
part and remove the vapor by exhaustion.
If desired the apparatus may be constructed entirely with double walls
within which a current of steam or hot air is introduced to assist in
maintaining the requisite temperature in the apparatus. By the use of
this apparatus an economy in space and labor is effected, whilst tho
quantity of crystallizable sugar obtained from a given amount of liquor
is increased.

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Figures 1 and 2 of the annexed Drawings represent sections of my
improved apparatus taken at right angles to one another.
This apparatus which I term a "saccharator" consists of a rectangular
chamber or flue A of considerable height. This chamber or flue is con-
structed preferably of sheet iron, and is provided with inner or double
walls A' on two opposite sides. Within the chamber are several series
of tubes B of the same or other suitable metal disposed horizontally
across the chamber from one wall A¹ to the other, the tubes in each series
being placed directly over one another; partitions C are placed alter-
nately at either side of the apparatus in the space between the double
walls of the chamber with which all the tubes communicate so as to
form a serpentine passage for steam or hot air introduced at the lowest
tube of each series through which it circulates as shown by the black
arrows on the Drawing, and finally escapes at the blast pipe D, at the top
of the apparatus. Each tube B is furnished with a longitudinal plate or
feather a dependent from the under side thereof, the edge of which plate
is formed with serrations as seen, from which the liquor drops more readily;
F are the liquor supply pipes, one of which is disposed immediately over
cach series of tubes. The liquor to be concentrated is received from
the liquor supply cisterns or clarifiers with which said pipes are in com-
munication, and issues through minute perforations in the lower side of
pipes F, by which it is supplied in fine streams to the topmost tube B of
each series, over which the liquor is equally distributed and whence it
passes downwards as shown in blue lines from tube to tube successively
throughout each series until finally received in a suitable granulator or
cooler G. The pipes B being heated by the current of steam passing
through them the aqueous matter contained in the saccharine (or it
might be a saline) solution will by contact with said tubes be gradually
but rapidly evaporated, and the saccharine (or saline) properties concen-
trated at a comparatively low temperature; H is a fan mounted at the
upper part of the chamber A, and driven by power applied to a pulley on
its spindle for assisting the blast from pipe D in carrying off the vapour
from chamber A. The red arrows indicate the direction of a blast of hot
air which may be introduced by a pipe at the lower part of the chamber
to assist in evaporating the liquor and carrying off the vapour as it is
formed, or the apparatus may be wholly or partly closed at the lower
part and the vapour withdrawn by exhaustion only.

page_text: The liquor is clarified in the usual manner, and is admitted through
the pipes F as before mentioned provided with suitable stop cocks to cut
off the supply of liquor to the apparatus when, for instance, the granu-
lating cooler G is full. I prefer to mount the latter on wheels, and run
it on rails or guides to facilitate its replacement.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as the Invention to be
protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the
improved apparatus to be used in the manufacture of sugar constructed
and operating substantially as herein-before described and illustrated in 1
the Drawings annexed, together with the several modified arrangements
of the apparatus herein-before referred to.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Connell, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Seventh day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy.
E