IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF CLARIFYING SYRUPS AND OTHER FLUIDS AND ALSO OF SUBSEQUENTLY CLEANSING THE CLARIFYING MEDIUM
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sydney Pitt of Sutton in the County of Surrey for an
invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE PROCESS OF CLARIFYING SYRUPS AND
OTHER FLUIDS AND ALSO OF SUBSEQUENTLY CLEANSING THE CLARIFYING
MEDIUM."-A communication from abroad by George Alexander Drummond
of the City of Montreal in the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec
Canada
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sydney Pitt at the Office of
the Commissioners of Patents on the 11th March 1882.
SYDNEY PITT, of Sutton in the County of Surrey IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PROCESS OF CLARIFYING SYRUPS AND OTHER FLUIDS AND ALSO OF SUBSEQUENTLY
"
"
CLEANSING THE CLARIFYING MEDIUM [A communication from abroad by George
Alexander Drummond of the City of Montreal in the District of Montreal and
Province of Quebec Canada.]
My Invention renders it practicable for a solution or syrup requiring clarification
to be forced up through the medium employed for that purpose, at the same time
ensuring the cleansing of such medium by a liquid of less specific gravity than that
purified.
I propose to force the fluid, such as saccharine syrup, up through the charcoal
or equivalent substance contained in a suitable vessel until nearly all the amount
which it is desired to clarify has passed through.
I then invert the vessel which is constructed and arranged for that purpose, and
at the original inlet, now at the top, pour in the fluid which is to cleanse the
clarifying medium, in this case water. The syrup left in the vessel gravitates in
its original course to the original outlet the water poured in resting on the syrup
and thoroughly clearing it out of the charcoal, which is then removed to be
renovated.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Sydney Pitt in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 9th September
1882.
.
SYDNEY PITT of Sutton in the County of Surrey "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE
PROCESS OF CLARIFYING SYRUPS AND OTHER FLUIDS AND ALSO OF SUBSEQUENTLY
CLEANSING THE CLARIFYING MEDIUM" A communication from abroad by Georgo
Alexander Drummond of the City of Montreal in the District of Montreal and
Province of Quebec Canada.
This Invention although applicable in all cases in which a medium for clarifying
any liquid has afterward to be cleansed therefrom by a liquid of less density, such
for instance as in the case of an agulous solution followed by alcohol, has particular
reference to the clarification of the syrup in sugar refining in which connection it
will be particularly described.
This operation is now performed by allowing the syrup to filtrate through
vessels containing animal charcoal in a granular condition or its equivalent, but it
has been long known that the process could be more effectually carried out by
forcing the syrup up through the clarifying material, the difficulty which has
hitherto prevented this plan from being adopted is that the water or other liquid
which must follow the syrup to expel it from the vessel and cleanse the charcoal is
of less specific gravity than the syrup itself and therefore when forced up into the
vessel is driven through the syrup instead of following it and forcing it out of the
cleansing medium.
To obviate this difficulty and allow the syrup to be purified by forcing it from
below, up through the medium and at the same time to ensure the thorough
cleansing of such purifying medium by water following the syrup, is the object of
this invention, which may be thus described.
The charcoal or its equivalent is placed in a vessel constructed as desired, with
suitable inlets and outlets, stop cocks, gauges, &c and hung on trunnions, or
otherwise so arranged as to be easily reversed-the only requisite being that both
ends of the vessel must be provided with the usual straining devices.
Into the lower part of this vessel is forced by any well known means, the syrup
or solution of sugar which passes up, overflows and is carried off as long as may be
desired.
When a sufficient quantity of syrup has been forced up through the charcoal,
the supply from below is cut off and the vessel inverted.
.
The remainder of the syrupi.e. that left in the charcoal then gravitates through
it but in the original direction of its course and to the original outlet, thereby
avoiding passing a second time through the clarifying substance.
The water is at the same time and during this part of the operation let in at the
original inlet now at the top and filtrates through the charcoal resting on and
following the syrup, and thoroughly cleansing the charcoal, from it till the
operation is completed and the charcoal ready to be removed from the vessel and
renovated.
It will be seen that by this process the advantages of forcing the syrup up
through the charcoal are obtained and at the same time the charcoal is thoroughly
cleansed after use.
I do not confine myself to any special means for putting the process into
operation, as although I prefer to place the charcoal in cylinders hung on trunnions,
and of a depth about equal to their diameter any kind of vessel so mounted that
it can be inverted may be used.

page_text: Although as just mentioned the vessel in which the operation is carried on may
be varied in shape &c. to suit differing requirements and the medium itself be
changed the modus operandi will be same in all cases.
What I claim is as follows:-
First. The art or process of clarifying syrup or solution of sugar by forcing it
up through a suitable medium contained in a vessel which at the desired point of
the operation is inverted so that the syrup remaining therein filtrates downwards
but in the original direction and to the original outlet all substantially as herein
described and for the purposes set forth.
Second. The art or process of clarifying any liquid and cleansing the clarifying
medium by a liquid of less density, by forcing the liquid to be purified up through
the medium reversing when desired the vessel containing same, allowing the
remainder of the liquid to filtrate downwards and simultaneously letting in the
cleansing fluid on top all as herein described and for the purposes set forth.
In witness whereof I the said Sydney Pitt have hereunto set my hand and
seal this seventh day of September in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty two.
SYDNEY PITT (L.S.)