IMPROVEMENTS IN THE EVAPORATION AND GRANULATION OF SUGAR, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MACHINERY CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Fletcher, the younger, of Derby, in the
County of Derby, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE EVAPORATION AND GRANULATION OF SUGAR, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY CONNECTED THEREWITH."-Partly a communication from
abroad by George Brocklehurst, of Barbadoes.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Fletcher at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
1st February 1872.
I, GEORGE FLETCHER, the younger, of Derby, in the County of Derby,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE EVAPORATION AND GRANULATION OF SUGAR, AND IN THE
APPARATUS OR MACHINERY CONNECTED THEREWITH," to be as follows, that is to
say:
To carry out these improvements I jacket the bottom or bottom and
sides of the evaporating and granulating pan containing the steam drum,
whereby the amount of heating surface is greatly increased, and a better
1

page_text: quality of sugar is obtained than in the ordinary pan, the jacket under
the steam drum enabling me to effect a thorough boiling of the sugar.
I weld the steam drum, instead of rivetting it up, with angle iron, by
which a larger number of tubes can be set up in the drum, and the
outside presents a smooth and even surface all over, thus facilitating its
being cleaned.
I fix the drum in its place by means of a screw nut on the end of its
spindle, thus enabling the drum to be easily taken out to be cleaned, by
simply removing the said nut and hoisting the drum by hand power or
by a counterbalance from an eye bolt with which its spindle is provided.
I cause the condensed water to pass from the drum by its own specific
gravity (instead of having to be forced up vertically as in the old
construction of pan) through a branch on the bottom or under side of
the steam drum and the distance block in the jacket of the pan, and
thence into and through the nozzle to the condensed water box.
I use a lower or less pressure of steam, or the waste steam from each
pan, if more than one pan be used, for the purpose of boiling or concen-
trating at a lower temperature, and to obtain a larger grain and assist
evaporation.
I agitate the liquor or syrup, during ebullition or not, by a cylindrical
or spherical steam drum or discs, or pipes of metal driven by mechanical
or other means, or by an ordinary wooden agitator or revolver.
Two or more of such jacketted pans, either suitably connected or
separate, on a level or elevated one above the other, may be used to
supersede the ordinary teach, and boil slowly by steam. For this
purpose round the rims of the pans (not the striking teach or pan) I
attach a gutter to receive the skimmings which are carried off by
pipes.
The pan may be used either as a vacuum pan or as a still. To convert
the pan
into a vacuum pan the top is fitted with a dome as in an ordinary
vacuum pan having the usual arm pipe, and thus will avoid the use of a
condenser, sight glasses, and gauges, the drum acting instead of the
copper coil. For a still the pan is fitted on the top with the ordinary
still head and arm pipe.

page_text: The inner surface of the pans and outside of the drum may be coated
with copper, nickel, tin, or other metal capable of resisting acids by any
of the known electro metallurgical processes.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said George Fletcher in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 29th July 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GEORGE
FLETCHER, the younger, of Derby, in the County of Derby, Engineer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the First day of February, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the thirty-
fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said George Fletcher, Her special licence, that
I, the said George Fletcher, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said George Fletcher, my executors, admi-
nistrators, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
EVAPORATION AND GRANULATION OF SUGAR, AND IN THE APPARATUS OR MACHINERY
CONNECTED THEREWITH," partly a communication to me from abroad by
George Brocklehurst, of Barbadoes, and partly the result of Invention
made by myself, upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
George Fletcher, 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 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 George Fletcher, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be

page_text: performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement, reference being had to the Drawing hereto annexed,
and to the figures and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
To make the Invention better understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing in which Figure 1
is a plan, and Figure 2 a section of an evaporating and granulating pan
constructed according to these improvements, and which are as follows,
videlicet:-
I jacket the bottom or bottom and sides of the evaporating and
granulating pan containing the steam drum B, whereby the amount of
heating surface is greatly increased, and a better quality of sugar is
obtained than by the ordinary pan, the jacket A under the steam drum
enabling me to effect a thorough boiling of the sugar.
I weld the steam drum B, instead of rivetting it up, with angle iron, as
usual, by which a larger number of tubes can be set up in the drum, and
the outside presents a smooth and even surface all over, thus facilitating
its being cleaned.
I fix the drum B in its place by means of a screw nut C on the end of
the drum spindle D, thus enabling the drum to be easily taken out to be
cleaned, by simply removing the said nut C and hoisting the drum by
hand power or by a counterbalance from an eye bolt E with which the
spindle is provided.
I cause the condensed water to pass from the drum by its own specific
gravity (instead of its being forced up vertically as in the old construction
of pan) by the employment of a branch F'on the bottom or under side of
the steam drum B, through which it passes, and also through an opening
or passage in the distance block in the jacket of the pan, and thence into
and through the nozzle to the condensed water box.
I use a lower or less pressure of steam, or the waste steam from each
pan, if more than one pan be used, for the purpose of boiling or concen-
trating the syrup at a lower temperature than usual, to obtain a larger
grain of sugar and assist the evaporation.
:
I agitate the liquor or syrup, during ebullition or not, by means of a
cylindrical or spherical steam drum or discs, or pipes of metal driven by
mechanical or other means, or I agitate by an ordinary wooden agitator
or revolver.

page_text: Two or more of such herein-before described jacketed pans, either
suitably connected or separate, on the same level or elevated one above
the other, may be used to supersede the ordinary teach, and boil solely by
steam. For this purpose round the rims of the pans (not the striking
teach or pan) I attach a gutter to receive the skimmings which are
carried off by pipes.
The pan may also be used either as a vacuum pan or as a still. To
make the pan available as a vacuum pan the top is fitted with a dome
as in an ordinary vacuum pan, having the usual arm pipe, condenser,
glasses, and gauges, and other fittings, the drum acting instead of the
copper coil.
To make the pan available as a still it is fitted on the
top with the ordinary still head and arm pipe.
The inner surface of the pans and outside of the drum may be coated
with copper, nickel, tin, or other metal capable of resisting acids by any
of the known electro metallurgical processes.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, what I claim is, the improve-
ments in the evaporation and granulation of sugar, and in the apparatus
connected therewith as herein-before described and represented in the
accompanying Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Fletcher, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of July, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
GEORGE FLETCHER, JUN³. (L.S.)