IMPROVED SYSTEM OR MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR FACILITATING THE BOILING OR TREATMENT AND THE DISCHARGE OF STUFF AND 1
Year: 1873

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Frederick Burnett Houghton, of No. 40, Borough
Road, in the Borough of Southwark, and County of Surrey, for
the Invention of "IMPROVED SYSTEM OR MEANS AND APPLIANCES FOR
FACILITATING THE BOILING OR TREATMENT AND THE DISCHARGE OF STUFF AND
1
19
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Frederick Burnett
Houghton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 6th March 1873.
I, FREDERICK BURNETT HOUGHTON, of No. 40, Borough Road, in the
Borough of Southwark and County of Surrey, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVED SYSTEM OR MEANS AND
APPLIANCES FOR FACILITATING THE BOILING OR TREATMENT AND THE DISCHARGE OF
STUFF AND PULP TO BE USED FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," to be as follows :-
My Invention has for object certain means of facilitating the boiling
treatment of stuff suitable for paper pulp, and also to means and
appliances for facilitating the discharge of the boiled material from the

page_text: vessel in which it has been treated, by which the following advantages
are obtained: A continuous succession of boilings, an economy of
steam, saving of labour, and a reduction in the cost of producing the
pulp.
I arrango, say, four egg or flat ended vessels in proximity, each of them
being capable of rotation upon hollow trunnions and bearings at the
ends only. The barrel or body of each vessel contains fixed shelves or
bars which act as agitators to the contents when the vessel is rotated,
and also as strengtheners to prevent the sides collapsing or bulging out
under a high pressure of steam, which is admitted from a boiler of
ordinary construction, as hereafter described. Each vessel has one or
moro man-holes with covers, through the openings of which the wood,
esparto, or other fibrous material to be treated is admitted, as also the
caustic or soda lye. One of the hollow trunnions has pipe attachments
fitted with gauge and thermometer tubos for regulating the heat and
pressure, the other hollow trunnion serving for the main steam pipe
attachment, through which the contents are brought up to boiling heat
while the vessel is rotating. The barrel of the vessel has two pipes
marked, say, A, B, attached; onc, A, for leading a main supply of
sicam on to the surface of the pulp when the rotation is stopped, and
the first described main supply shut-off the other pipe B, whose inner
end is near the bottom of the vessel for leading the pulp to a tank at
a distance, the dischargo being automatic by the surface pressure of
steam.
By my system or arrangement I propose to employ four of these
vessels in proximity, each being capable of revolving independently of
the others. The first of the series is charged with stuff and lye through
the man-holes, and the covers fastened down; the vessel is set revolving,
and high pressure steam is admitted through its hollow trunnion until
the liquid is made to boil. The steam is then shut off, and the rotation
stopped. One end of a loose pipe is then attached to the pipe A of the
vessel, and its other end to the similar pipe of the second vessel, which
vessel has in the meantime been charged with stuff and lye, and the
covers fastened down, the taps of the two pipes A are then opened, and
the steam that was held in the first vessel is permitted to flow into the
second vessel to partially heat is contents, at the same time bringing
down the pressure in the first vessel to about one to two atmospheres;
the taps of the two pipes A are then closed, and the loose pipe dis.

page_text: connected. Steam at high pressure is then admitted through the hollow
trunnion of the second vessel, and the rotation set going until the liquor
therein boils, when the steam is shut off and the rotation stopped, as
described for the first vessel. The loose pipe is the connected to the tap
pipes A of the second and of third vessel for the spent or escape steam
from the second vessel to heat the contents of the third vessel, and so on
to the fourth vessel, and from the fourth vessel to the first vessel for a
repeat of the system. By this means a continuous successions of treat-
ment of the contents of each vessel is carried on, each vessel being
charged with fresh stuff and and liquor provious to its turn coming round
for the steam supply and the rotation.
Each vessel, after the boiling, and the loose pipe has been disconnected,
has a branch pipe leading from the boiler attached to the pipe A, 60
that the steam when admitted acts upon the pulp and liquor, and blows
or forces it up the pipe B to a tank or receiver to be afterwards treated
for the separation.
I have referred to employing four vessels, cach being used in suc-
cession, but they may be worked in pairs, that is to say, after the
contents of No. 1 have been treated and discharged, and No. 2 is in
progress, No. 1 is again charged to receive the spent or escape steam from
No. 2, and so on between themselves alone, Nos. 3 and 4 being used in
a similar manner by themselves as pairs.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Frederick Burnett Houghton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 6th September 1873.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, FREDERICK
BURNETT HOUGHTON, of No. 40, Borough Road, in the Borough of
Southwark and County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Sixth day of March, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three, in the
thirty-sixth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors,
give and grant unto me, the said Frederick Burnett Houghton, Her
special licence that I, the said Frederick Burnett Houghton, my cxe-

page_text: and also as strengtheners to provent the sides collapsing or bulging out
under a high pressure of steam, which is admitted from a boiler of
ordinary construction as hereafter described. Each vessel has one or
more man-holes with covers through the openings of which the wood,
esparto, or other fibrous material to be treated is admitted, as also the
caustic or soda lye. One of the hollow trunnions has pipe attachments
fitted with gauge and thermometer tubes for regulating the heat and
pressure, the other hollow trunnion serving for the main steam pipe
attachment through which the contents are brought up to the required
) temperature while the vessel is rotating. The barrel of the vessel has
two pipes attached to it one for leading a main supply of steam into the
bottom of the pulp through a pipe. When the rotation is stopped and
the first described main supply shut off the other pipe whose inner end is
near the bottom of the vessel leads the pulp to a tank at a distance, the
5 discharge being automatic by the surface pressure of steam.
.
By my system or arrangement I propose to employ four of these
vessels in proximity, each being capable of revolving independently of
the others. The first of the series is charged with stuff and lye through
the man-holes, and the covers fastened down, the vessel is set revolving,
) and high pressure steam is admitted through its hollow trunnion until
the liquor is of the required temperature. The steam is then shut off
and the rotation stopped. One end of a loose pipe is then attached to
one pipe of the vessel, and its other end to another pipe leading to the
bottom of the second vessel, which vessel has in the meantime been
3 charged with stuff and lye and the covers fastened down; the taps of tho
two pipes are then opened and the steam that was held in the first vessel
is permitted to flow into the second vessel to partially heat its contents,
at the same time bringing down the pressure in the first vessel to about
one third of the pressure originally employed, the remainder of the
steam in the boiler being blown through a pipe, and its connection into
the reservoir containing the alkali thus serving to heat it in preparation
for the next boiling, the taps of the two pipes are then closed and the
loosó pipe disconnected. Steam at high pressure is then admitted
through the hollow trunnion of the second vessel, and the rotation set.
going until the liquor therein boils to the desired pressure, when the
steam is shut off, and the rotation stopped as described for the first
vessel. The loose pipe is then connected to the tap pipes of the second
and third vessel for the spent or escape stoam from the second vessel to

page_text: heat the contents of the third vessel, and so on to the fourth vessel, and
from the fourth vessel to the first vessel for a repeat of the system. By
this means a continuous succession of treatments of the contents of cach
vessel is carried on, each vessel being charged with fresh stuff and
liquor previous to its turn coming round for the steam supply and the 5
rotation.
Each vessel after the boiling and the loose pipe has been disconnected
has a branch pipe leading from the boiler attached to one pipe, so that
the steam when admitted acts upon the surface of tho pulp and liquor,
and blows or forces it up another pipe to a tank or receiver to be 10
afterwards treated for the separation, or this can be donc from the
generator.
I have referred to employing four vessels, each being used in succession,
but they may be worked singly or in pairs, that is to say, after the con-
tents of No. 1 have been treated and discharged, and No. 2 is in progress; 15
No. 1 is again charged to receive the spent or escapo steam from No. 2,
and so on between themselves alone; Nos. 3 and 4 being used in a
similar manner by themselves as pairs, or singly.
In the case of esparto or other material which it is preferred to boil to
the state of half stuff rather than reduce it into pulp, being employed, 20
then the said half stuff may be discharged by the man-holes.
I
The following detailed description of the annexed Drawings will
clearly explain the Invention.
Boiler No. 1 is filled with wood which is allowed to pass into the man-
holes, say from the floor above, and with alkali of the desired quantity 26
and strength descending from the tank A through one of the man-holes.
The man-lids are put on, the vessel set in motion, and steam is introduced
by the trunnion B from the generator. It will be easy to know when it
has attained its full heat or pressure by the indicator, thermometer, and
pressure gauge on the opposite trunnion O, the pipe leading to which 80
has its end D always turned up out of the liquor, and into the steam.
When the pressure has attained the proper point which I consider
should be about 160 lbs. to the square inch, the rotative motion of this
boiler is stopped and the steam from the gencrator cut off; a pipe E is then
connected with the cock F and cock G of boiler No. 2, which boiler has 35
been filled with wood and alkali in the manner as before described for
boiler No. 1, and the taps opened. The steam or pressure is then allowed to

page_text: pass from the upper part of boiler No. 1 to the bottom of boiler No. 2;
and so continues until they acquire an equal pressure; the pipe E is then.
removed and boiler No. 2 is set in rotative motion, and the steam
introduced from the generator to complete boiling up to, say 160 lbs.
pressure as before. The remainder of the steam in boiler No. 1 is then
blown into the tank A, containing the alkali which serves to heat the
same preparatory to its introduction into boiler, say No. 3. It is
optional either to blow out the whole of this steam or to leave a pressure of
15 or 20 lbs. in the boiler, so that upon attaching a pipe L to the cock J,
the end of which passes into the tank H for holding the pulp and alkali
together, which pass out with a rapidity upon opening the tap J, should
the pressure be sufficient, but if not, a small quantity of steam can be
let in from the generator to blow the pulp out. Boiler No. 1 has now in
its turn the man-lids taken off and fresh wood and hot alkali introduced,
and the connection made between it and boiler No. 2, when this latter
has attained its pressure, or in caso there should be four boilers, the
pressure of steam is passed from the one to the other, as may be most
convenient. The wood pulp which is now in combination with the
alkali in tho tank H should now be treated for the separation which I
prefer to do by means of a centrifugal machine, after which it can be
washed and bleached in the usual manner, and the alkali also treated in
such manner as may be preferred for the purpose of recovering the
soda ash.
In the case of employing these boilers for the treatment of esparto,
straw, flax, and other similar materials when it is preferred not to reduce
the same to the consistency of a pulp, but which when mixed with its
alkali would flow through a pipe, it would be advisable to discharge the
same by the man-lids as the boiler revolves. The same system for
passing the high pressure steam from the boiler which has attained its
pressure to that ready to be started can be employed when wood,
bamboo, and other similar fibres are under treatment, and the liquor
without admixture with fibre may be allowed to pass through the pipe
with the tap J should it be thought advisable.
'
And having now described the nature of my said Invention and in
· what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,-
Firstly. The improved system or means and appliances for the treat-
ment of wood, esparto, or other similar fibrous materials as herein-before

page_text: descriveu WOU SHOW
w
for paper, and the discharge of the said pulp as described.
Secondly. I claim the working of a single boiler or of two boilers, as
pairs, or any larger number in succession in the manner and for the
purposes set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Frederick Burnett Houghton, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Fifth day of September,
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-three.