Hydro-extractors.
Year: 1886

page_text: otherwise known as Hydro-extractors.
We, JOHN LAIDLAW of the firm of Watson L. dlaw and Company of 98 Dundas
Street, Kingston, Glasgow, in the Counties of I.anark and Renfrew, North Britain,
Engineer and ALFRED JOHN LIVERSEDGE f No. 3 Hampden Terrace, Mount
Florida, Glasgow aforesaid, Engineering Ti veller do hereby declare the nature
of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF CENTRIFUGAL
MACHINES OTHERWISE KNOWN AS HYDRO-EXTRACTORS and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
Our Invention, which relates to improvements in centrifugal machines otherwise
known as Hydro-extractors, consists in the construction or arrangement of the
basket of a centrifugal machine or Hydro-extractor with one or more draining
surfaces placed horizontally, or nearly horizontally in addition to, or instead of, the
usual vertical draining surface, so as to permit a liquid, separated from a solid by
centrifugal action in the basket of the machine, to pass downwards or upwards
through the horizontal or nearly horizontal draining surface or surfaces, or both
downwards and upwards, therethrough and thence by channels and perforations
in the basket itself to escape into the outer casing of the machine, and the said
Invention has for its object to facilitate the drying in such centrifugal machines,
of paints, starch, yeast and other pasty, clayey or sticky materials.
Besides making such draining surfaces horizontal or nearly so, the basket may
be fitted with vertical or inclined radial divisions which are or may be used as
draining surfaces, either combined or not combined with one or more horizontal or
nearly horizontal draining surfaces as hereinafter more particularly set forth.
In the ordinary type of centrifugal machine, in which a substance is being dried,
the drainage takes place radially only. Whilst such machines are perfectly adapted
for drying most classes of sugar and other comparatively free drying materials in
which the material to be dried is more or less granular, such type of machines is not
well adapted for drying paints and such other substances in which the solid particles
are extremely fine and which, being at the same time of greater specific gravity
than the liquid to be separated therefrom pack themselves so closely together by
the effect of centrifugal action in the revolving basket of the machine, as to form

page_text: a wall which becomes practically impervious to the passage through it of liquid
when only a very limited thickness has been built up. The liquid separated by
centrifugal action, is therefore, by the density of such wall prevented from passing
through the wall radially, and tends to dispose itself on or against the inner surface
of the said wall.
It is to permit the continuous escape of a liquid so separated, and so tending to
dispose itself towards the centre of the basket, or which from any cause does not
readily escape radially in the ordinary manner, that one or more horizontal or nearly
horizontal or vertical draining surfaces are provided. The horizontal or vertical
draining surfaces or both may consist of a lining of stout woven wire gauze covered
with finer gauze or filter cloth or both; or the said draining surfaces may be formed
of a perforated plate or plates raised slightly by feet or projections from the bottom
or top or vertical or inclined divisions of the basket covered with linings or wire
gauze, and the said horizontal draining surfaces may be. arranged both on the
bottom as well as at the underside of the lip of the basket, or one or more annular
rings may be fitted in the basket intermediately between the bottom and the lip
thereof, and being covered with similar linings these are also caused to constitute
horizontal or nearly horizontal draining surfaces. It is to be understood that all
or any of the herein before described arrangements of applying draining surfaces to
the baskets of centrifugal machines may be combined or used separately.
This Invention is applicable either to machines in which the revolving drum is
perforated or not perforated. In the case of a machine in which the revolving
drum is perforated the basket is or may be fitted with annular vertical draining
surfaces in addition to the horizontal or nearly horizontal or radial draining
surfaces. Generally in such a machine it is sufficient to have one horizontal
draining surface on the bottom or at the underside of the lip of the basket. The
liquid which passes through this borizontal draining surface may be allowed simply
to run along on the innerside of the wire gauze or other draining surface, after it
has passed therethrough; until it reaches the periphery of the basket, when it
escapes through the perforations in the periphery, into the outer enclosing casing
of the machine. But in order to facilitate the escape of the liquid into the outer
casing, holes may be formed in the bottom or lip of the basket itself and imme-
diately under or over the horizontal draining surface as the case may be. In the
case of a machine in which the basket is solid, that is to say, without perforations
in its vertical wall, holes must be provided in the bottom and in the lip thereof,
to permit the liquid to pass through the draining surface at the bottom or in the
lip, and finally to escape into the outer casing. The horizontal or.nearly horizontal
draining surfaces may be constructed either as complete rings or as segments of
rings distributed at intervals round the inside of the basket.
'
In order that our said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect we have, as an example, hereinafter described and represented in vertical
section upon the annexed drawing, one form or construction of machine in which
the said improvements are shewn as applied.
In this machine the beforementioned draining surfaces are shown as arranged
upon the vertical wall of the basket as well as upon the bottom and the lip thereof.
The vertical wall a, is shewn perforated with the holes c, and the bottom d, and
lip h, of the basket are also provided with perforations e, and i, respectively. The
lower plate d, at its outer edge is formed with the vertical flange f, which is riveted
as shewn at g, or otherwise secured to the outer vertical wall a, while at its inner
edge the said plate is riveted to the flange p. The upper plate or lip h, of the
basket is formed with the vertical flange j, which is riveted or otherwise secured
to the outer vertical shell a. The surface marked I, and shewn in a thick. black
line at the lower part of the machine is a lining of fine wire gauze or filter cloth
or composed of both wire gauze and filter cloth which at its central part is secured
down in position by means of the ring or collar n, through which the screws o,
pass which screws also pass down through the plate d, and screw into the flange p.
The part marked q, at the upper part of the machine is also. a draining surface of

page_text: fine wire gauze or filter cloth or composed of both and at its inner edge the said
draining surface q, is turned upwards and is there provided with the ring s, which
is secured in position by the screws t or the equivalents thereof. The vertical inner
draining surface b, is formed similarly to the bottom and lip linings or draining
surfaces l, and q, respectively. Beneath the hereinbefore described fine wire gauze
or filter cloth or analogous draining surface, there is placed the stout woven wire
gauze y.
The revolving basket herein before described is supported in any of the ordinary
well-known methods within the enclosing casing z, the discharge outlet of which
is shewn at a¹.
We desire it to be understood, in addition to the before described draining
surfaces that we may provide one or more horizontal draining surfaces in the form
of flat annular rings projecting from the vertical wall towards the axis of the
basket and arranged at any desired height or distance between the plates 1, and q,
and when vertically radial or approximately vertically radial divisions are placed
round the interior of the baskets of centrifugal machines, these are or may be
covered with draining surfaces like those hereinbefore described and shewn in the
annexed drawings, provision being made for allowing the separated liquid to escape
to the perforations in the shell of the baskets.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is
The improvements in centrifugal machines otherwise known as Hydro-extractors
consisting of draining surfaces applied to the interior of the basket all substantially
as and for the purposes herein before set forth and shewn upon the annexed sheet
of drawing.
Dated this twenty-third day of March 1886.
J. H. JOHNSON, DAY & JOHNSON,
Applicants' Agents.