Improvements in Lixiviating Batteries for Raw Sugar or Sugar Mass.
Year: 1888

page_text: Improvements in Lixiviating Batteries for Raw Sugar or Sugar
Mass.
I, CARL STEFFEN, of No. 40 Heugasse, in the City of Vienna, in the Empire of
Austria, 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:—
My invention relates to improvements in lixiviating batteries for raw sugar or
raw sugar mass, in which the lixiviation or washing of the sugar mass is effected by
means of an aqueous, alcoholic or other solution of sugar in a systematic manner,
id est, by saccharine solutions of varying concentration as set forth in my British
Letters Patent No. 7119, dated 16th May 1887.
According to the specification forming a part of my said British Letters Patent
No. 7119 of 1887, the removal of the disadvantage that the lixiviating fluid in con-
sequence of its varying concentration remains too long in contact with the sugar mass
and that the sugar which crystallises out of the lixiviating fluid delays the passage of
the said fluid through the mass of sugar, is effected by employing a lixiviating battery
of special construction.
This lixiviating battery consists, according to the above-named Patent, of the con-
nection of the washing or suction vessels with special vessels, cells or compartments,
(cellular system), in which the lixiviating fluid is separately collected according to its
varying specific gravity.
Now the object of my present invention is a novel combination of the cells and
lixiviating vessels for the lixiviating battery, the object of which is to simplify the
construction of the washing or lixiviating fluids vessels belonging to the battery and
to render the mode of operating more uniform, which improvement, according to the
accompanying drawing, which represents my improved apparatus partly in elevation
and partly in section, consists in employing a single vessel divided into a number of
cells or compartments as a central cellular vessel in connection with a large number of
washing or suction vessels.

page_text: .
A cellular vessel or vessel subdivided into a large number of cells or compartments
must be able to contain at least two and a half times the quantity of washing or
lixiviating fluid than the vessels which are for the greater part filled with the raw
sugar or sugar mass to be operated on can contain, the contents of the said cellular
vessel being distributed over more than 12 cells in the well known succession.
The contents of each single cell of the central cellular vessel is simultaneously
employed for all the lixiviating vessels of the battery in such manner that the entire
contents of each cell is divided into as many portions as there are lixiviating vessels in
the battery consequently each washing vessel receives its washing or lixiviating fluid
from the central cellular vessel as if a separate cellular system were provided for each
single lixiviating vessel.
The operation is carried out in charges in such manner that the entire contents of
one cell is equably distributed to all the washing vessels and this is effected either by
means of a measuring vessel, which measures off the quantity for each vessel, or by
applying a mark or sign to each washing or lixiviating vessel which shows the quantity
of fluid to be fed into the vessels or by means of a distributing apparatus, which
receives the entire quantity of the washing fluid in cach cell of the central cellular
vessel and is subdivided into a number of compartments corresponding with the
number of washing or lixiviating apparatus employed.
The washing vessels are charged from these compartments with a corresponding
quantity of lixiviating fluid. In the accompanying drawing I have represented this
distributing apparatus as a shallow vessel or trough R which is subdivded by partition
walls for receiving the separate charges of washing fluid for each lixiviating
vessel A', A to A", the sum total of the said fluid in these compartments representing
the contents of one cell C³, c³ or c³ etc., of the central cellular vessel C.
The vessels A1, A2 to A" are provided with sieve bottoms a and can all be connected
to a common service pipe B by short connections with cocks 6, 62 to b, n, said service
pipe leading to the cells of the central cellular vessel C whilst the outlets from the
said central vessel with their cocks d¹, & to d, n, connect the separate cells with the
supply pipe D for the distributing vessel R or for a measuring vessel for measuring
off the fluid for each separate lixiviating vessel A', A³ to A".
The operations with the aforedescribed lixiviating battery are carried out in the
following manner :—
The washing or lixiviating vessels A¹, A³ to A" which are for the greater part filled
with raw sugar or sugar mass are then charged with the contents of the first cell c'
of the central cellular vessel C, which contains the most concentrated fluid, in such
manner that the contents of the said cell c¹ are distributed in equally large portions
and led onto the raw sugar or sugar mass contained in each separate washing or
lixiviating vessel A¹, A² to A".
In like manner the contents of the entire number of cells in the central cellular
vessel C are successively led into the washing or lixiviating vessels A¹, A³ to A".
After the washing fluid has passed the lixiviating vessels and a quantity corresponding
to the quantity of molasses extracted from the raw sugar has been abstracted, the
same is again led back into the central cellular vessel in the same succession as it was
delivered in order to be employed for a new washing or lixiviating operation.
From this it will be seen that the same cells will always contain the same kind of
lixiviating fluid and that the last residuo of washing fluid adhering to the sugar
crystals will be driven off by the succeeding pure solution of sugar and be led back
into the last cell c, n of the central cellular vessel C, the pure sugar solution being
again supplied to each washing vessel in exactly corresponding portions.
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 is
A lixiviating battery for raw sugar or sugar mass consisting of a central cellula
1

page_text: lixiviating vessels A², A² to A", in such manner that the contents of each separate cell
of the central cellular vessel, by measuring off the same or by means of a distributing
apparatus, is equally distributed to all the washing vessels, the outlets 6¹, b³ to b, n, of
which communicate with the service pipe B for feeding the central cellular vessel,
substantially as and for the purpose set forth in the foregoing specification.
Dated this 16th day of November 1888.
CARL
STEFFEN.
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London,
Agent.