IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTILLING, EVAPORATING, CONCENTRATING, AGITATING, AND OTHERWISE TREATING LIQUIDS, PART OR PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR GRANULATING OR CRYSTALLISING MATERIALS IN SOLUTION OR MIXED WITH LIQUIDS."
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to David Crawford Miller, of Larkhall, in the
County of Lanark, North Britain, Bleacher, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTILLING, EVAPORATING, CONCENTRATING, AGITATING,
AND OTHERWISE TREATING LIQUIDS, PART OR PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR GRANULATING OR CRYSTALLISING MATERIALS IN
SOLUTION OR MIXED WITH LIQUIDS."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said David Crawford Miller
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 13th March 1873.
I, DAVID CRAWFORD MILLER, of Larkhall, in the County of Lanark,
North Britain, Bleacher, do hereby declare the nature of the said In-
vention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN DISTILLING, EVAPORATING, CONCENTRATING,
AGITATING, AND OTHERWISE TREATING LIQUIDS, PART OR PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVE-
MENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR GRANULATING OR CRYSTALLISING MATERIALS IN
SOLUTION OR MIXED WITH LIQUIDS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
..
Laton
La
immmments in distilling avanamatinc Ax

page_text: concentrating liquids and solutions, to the separation of volatile matters
from liquids, to the agitation or mixing together of liquids, or liquids
and solids, to the mixing of gases and liquids, or to the absorption of
gases by liquids, and to the granulation or crystallization of materials
and salts in solution or mixed with liquids, also to cooling liquids.
The Invention consists in causing air, or vapours, or gases to pass into
and through the liquid or solution or mixture to be treated, the air or
vapours or gases being conducted through a pipe or pipes or other suit-
able channel by a force pump or blower below the surface of the liquid
or solution.
When using the Invention for mixing vapours or gases and liquids, or
for causing the absorption of gases or vapours by liquids, this is also
effected by conducting the vapours or gases through a pipe or pipes into
the vessel or chamber containing the liquids, the gases or vapours being
discharged into the vessel below the surface of the liquids, and such
portion thereof as is not absorbed or mixed, but escapes above the surface
of the liquid in the vessel is collected and re-conducted through a pipe
or pipes into the liquids until the required absorption or mixing has been
effected.
When using the Invention for cooling liquids or solutions, a cold
current of air or vapours or gases is forced into and through the liquids
or solutions.
When using the Invention for effecting or accelerating the granulation
or crystallization of materials or salts in solution or mixed with liquids,
by passing air or vapours or gases into and through the solution or
mixture, this is carried into practice, or assisted, either by the pressure
caused by the air or vapours or gases alone, or by pressure and agitation
of the solution or mixture combined.
The operations herein-before described may be conducted under
pressure or in a vacuum, and the gases or vanours proceeding from the

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said David Crawford Miller in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 13th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DAVID
CRAWFORD MILLER, of Larkhall, in the County of Lanark, North
Britain, Bleacher, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Thirteenth day of March, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
36th year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said David Crawford Miller, Her special license
that I, the said David Crawford Miller, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said David Crawford Miller, my
executors, administrators, or 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DISTILLING, EVAPORATING, CONCENTRATING, AGITATING, AND OTHERWISE TREATING
LIQUIDS, PART OR PARTS OF WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE FOR
GRANULATING OR CRYSTALLIZING MATERIALS IN SOLUTION OR MIXED WITH LIQUIDS,"
upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said David Crawford
Miller, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Seal Patent Office within six calendar
months next and immediately after the date of the said Letters
Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said David Crawford Miller, do hereby
declare the nature of my 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 accompanying
Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon, that is to
say :-

page_text: matters from liquids, to the agitation or mixing together of liquids, or
liquids and solids, to the mixing of gases and liquids, or to the absorption
of gases by liquids, and to the granulation or crystallization of materials
and salts in solution or mixed with liquids, also to cooling liquids.
The Invention consists in causing air, or vapours, or gases to pass
into and through the liquid or solution, or mixture to be treated, the air
or vapours, or gases, being conducted through a pipe or pipes or other
suitable channel by a force pump or blower below the surface of the
liquid or solution.
And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood I
now proceed more particularly to set forth the system, mode, or manner
in or under which the same is, or may be used, or practically carried
into effect, that is to say :-
On the Sheet of Drawings hereunto appended Figure 1 is a vertical
section of one form of the apparatus used in carrying out my said im-
provements.
As shewn by the Drawing the apparatus consists of an open vessel A.
of any convenient form into which the liquid or liquids to be evaporated
or distilled, or solutions to be concentrated, or liquids or solutions to be
separated from other liquids or solutions or volatile matters with which
they are or may be mixed, and which liquids or solutions or matters
may be volatile at different temperatures is or are placed. One end of
a pipe B is situated within, and which by preference extends nearly to
the bottom of the vessel A, the other end of the pipe B being connected
to a blower or force pump. The liquid or liquids, solutions or mixtures
within the vessel A is or are heated when such is necessary by placing a
fire underneath the vessel A or otherwise, and air or other gases or
vapours is or are conducted through the pipe B and passed into. below
the surface and through the liquids, solutions, or mixtures within the
vessel A. If the air, gasses, or vapours be of a lower temperature than
the liquid or liquids, solutions, or mixtures into which it or they are
forced, an immediate lowering of the temperature of the liquid or liquids,
solutions, or mixtures is produced, and owing to the agitation thus
caused an increased exposure of surface of the liquid to the evaporating
agency is effected, so that the vapours are removed and the liquids so
treated, distil, evaporate freely, or become concentrated at temperatures
much lower than the liquids would boil at; thus for example, a

page_text: solution of sugar in water which would boil in an ordinary open pan at
a temperature of over 212° Fahrenheit can be concentrated to the
crystallising density in the same pan in about the same time and under
the same conditions of heating at a temperature 30° to 80° lower by.
blowing under the surface of the liquid atmospheric air at the ordinary
temperature. This process effectually does away with "priming" or
boiling over. The temperature of the liquid or liquids, solutions, or
mixtures under treatment can be kept steady or practically so at any
given point by forcing in more or less air, gas, or vapour, as the
temperature of the liquid or liquids, solutions, or mixtures tends or tend
to rise or fall.
In some cases it is necessary to conduct these processes or any one of
them under artificial pressure.
Figure 2 of the Drawings represents in vertical section a vessel, and
connected apparatus suitable therefor. As shewn by that Figure an air-
tight vessel A capable of bearing internal pressure is used to contain the
liquid to be treated. The ends and a portion of one or more pipes or
tubes B for conveying air, gases, or vapours from the blower or force
pump is or are situated therein, the pipe or pipes or tubes B being provided
with stop cocks C. A pressure valve D is connected to the top of the
air-tight vessel A, and is furnished with a pipe E to conduct away the
resulting vapours for condensation or otherwise as required. Should it
be wished to collect the resulting vapours for condensation or otherwise
without artificial pressure, any form of still cover may be adopted. A
discharge pipe F also furnished with a stop-cock G is situated at the.
bottom of the vessel A, and a removable door H for charging the same
is situated at the top thereof.
To cool hot liquids, and to mix or agitate liquids together, and to mix
liquids and solids, the air, gases, or vapours is or are passed into and.
through the liquids or mixtures in a similar manner to that herein-before
described in reference to the open vessel shewn at Figure 1 of the
Drawings; as however a considerable amount of vapours come off may
liquids when cooled or treated in this way, it may be necessary to
collect the vapours by a still head or by the arrangement shewn at
Figure 2.
1°
1

page_text: and through the liquids as herein-before described and shewn at Figure 1
and 2 of the Drawings.
To produce granulation or crystallization it may be necessary to
apply heat to the solution or mixture so as to assist evaporation or
concentration.
An apparatus as herein-before described and shewn at Figure 2 of the
Drawings will be found applicable for enabling an artificial pressure to
be put on the liquid under treatment, thereby causing or accellerating
the granulation or crystallisation. The pressure may be applied after
the agitation of the liquid is stopped, and the granulated or crystallized
material may be taken out of the vessel by means of the discharge
pipe F without entirely emptying the vessel A.
To agitate or mix together gases or vapours with liquids, or with
liquids and solids, or to absorb gases or vapours by liquids, the gases,
or vapours are passed into the liquids, and should they come to the
surface of the liquids they are caused to pass again into the liquids,
which process may be repeated and continued indefinitely. It is pre-
ferred to conduct this process under artificial pressure, and a suitable
apparatus for that purpose is shewn in vertical section at Figure 3 of the
Drawings. The apparatus as shewn in this case is similar to that shewn
at Figure 2, with the exception that a pipe I is connected at the upper
and lower part of the vessel A. The pipe I is provided near its upper
part with a blower or force pump J, and as the gases or vapours come to
the surface of the liquids they are by means of the blower or force
pump J conducted to the bottom of the vessel A and again passed into
the liquids.
In evaporating under vacuum it will sometimes be found useful to
admit a small quantity of air or gases under the surface of the liquids,
thus preventing "priming" or boiling over, and assisting evaporation.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my
said Invention, and several arrangements of apparatus in or with which
the same is, or may be used, or practically carried into effect, I would
observe in conclusion that such apparatus forms no part of my said
Invention, as such apparatus may be considerably varied without
departure from the practice of my Invention, what however I do con-
sider to be novel and original and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is, the

page_text: improvements in distilling, evaporating, concentrating, agitating, and
otherwise treating liquids, in absorbing gases by liquids; and for granu-
lating or crystallizing materials in solution, by blowing or forcing air, or
gases, or vapours beneath the surface of such liquids or solutions, and
in the case of absorption of gases by liquids returning the non-absorbed
portions into the liquids as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said David Crawford Miller, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Eleventh day of September, One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.
DAVID CRAWFORD MILLER. (L.S.)