IM- PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE REFINING OF SUGAR
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Archibald Brooman, of 166, Fleet Street,
in the City of London, E.C., Patent Agent, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE REFINING OF SUGAR.”-
A communication from Pierre André de Coster, of Paris.
Sealed the 6th November 1857, and dated the 15th May 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Archibald Brooman
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th May 1857.
I, RICHARD ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of
London, E.C., Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY TO BE EMPLOYED IN THE REFINING
OF SUGAR," (communicated to me by Pierre André de Coster, of Paris, a
foreigner residing abroad,) to be as follows:-
The improvements refer to centrifugal machinery for purifying sugar, and
for separating the granular from the liquid portions thereof; also to machinery
for breaking up and mixing with water, or other clarifying or cleansing liquor,
lumps or cakes of raw sugar.
The centrifugal machinery is constructed as follows:-The sides of the drum
for containing the syrup or sugar to be operated upon are formed of metal
perforated in all directions. This perforated metal is used instead of wire
cloth, and serves to retain inside the drum the grains and crystals of sugar,

page_text: while it permits of the escape through the perforations therein of the liquid
separated therefrom by centrifugal action as hereafter explained. At top the
sides of the drum fit into a plate which forms a closed cover, and at bottom
into another plate. Both of these plates are fixed to a central hollow tube
formed with perforations or horizontal slots therein, which tube descends
below the bottom of the drum, and after passing through a chamber contain-
ing oil, enters a socket, in which it is free to revolve. Just below the level of
the bottom of the drum the shaft is made solid, and after entering the oil
chamber it is again hollow, and pierced at the sides for receiving oil from the
chamber, and carrying it down to the bottom of the socket and round its
sides. The upper end of the hollow shaft passes, through and is free to
revolve in a bearing fixed on the cover of the outer casing of the machine;
an oil chamber fitted thereto provides for the lubrication of the upper part of
the shaft. The plate forming the cover to the drum is fitted to the hollow
shaft through a nut threaded on the inside, and free to move up and down
upon a screw formed on the shaft. Before placing the cover over the drum,
I slide a perforated pipe over the hollow shaft, and fix this pipe by screwing
down the nut to which the cover of the drum is connected; vanes or wings
may be fixed to this pipe, and they serve to regulate the distribution of the
sugar or syrup. The charge may be introduced directly into the drum, or
through a funnel and tube into the hollow central shaft. A small air tube is
inserted in the feed tube. In order to reduce the ascending action of the
charge or of the purifying liquor; the diameter of the drum may be diminished,
and that of the perforated tube proportionably increased, so as to cause the
charge to reach nearly to the top of the drum. Rotary motion is imparted to
the drum through a belt, which passes round a pulley formed by a projection
from the under side of the bottom of the drum. The belt also passes round
a fixed pulley upon a shaft revolving in lubricated bearings, and which shaft
also carries a loose pulley. These pulleys are driven by a belt passing also
round a larger fixed pulley upon another shaft revolving also in lubricated
bearings, and carrying another fixed as well as a loose pulley. A belt from
some prime mover passes over these pulleys. Levers for shifting the belts from
fast to loose pulleys, and vice versâ, are provided..
The operation is as follows:-The charge may be placed in the drum by
removing the outer cover and the cover of the drum, but the Inventor prefers to
charge through the funnel and tube, and the charge being so introduced spreads
itself over the inside of the hollow shaft, issues through the lateral orifices,
and escaping through the apertures in the perforated tube, finds its way into
the interior of the drum. By the rotary motion communicated to the drum

page_text: through the driving gear, the matters in the drum become projected against the
sides thereof, the liquid become separated from the solid contents, the former
being driven through the perforations and apertures in the sides of the drum,
while the latter remain inside the drum. From the rapidity with which the
drum is driven, about 2,000 revolutions a minute, it will be found, that after
about three minutes' work the grains and crystals remaining inside the drum
are perfectly cleansed and dry. The liquid issues from a spout connected to
the outer casing. The machinery for breaking up lumps and cakes of. sugar,
and for mixing it with liquor prior to being treated in a centrifugal machine,
consists of a pair of rollers with rings or flutes formed thereon, the rings or
one roller coming between the rings on the opposite roller. These rollers
are geared together, and caused to rotate in opposite directions at the bottom
of a hopper with the lumps to be broken, and with water. or other purify-
ing liquors. After issuing from the rollers the sugar and liquor fall into a
vessel in which there is a revolving agitator, in which they become regularly
mixed, and from which they are drawn off to be introduced into a centrifugal
.machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Richard Archibald Brooman in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 14th November 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, RICHARD
ARCHIBALD BROOMAN, of 166, Fleet Street, in the City of London, C.E.,
Patent, Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of May, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, givé and grant. unto me, the
said Richard Archibald Brooman, Her special licence that I, the said Richard
Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, my executors, administrators; 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 law-
fully 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 MACHINERY TO BE EMPLOYED IN. THE REPINING
OP, SUGAR," (a communication from. Pierre André de Coster, of Paris, upon.
"

page_text: +
the condition (amongst others) that I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman,
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 Richard Archibald Brooman, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof, reference being had to the Drawings hereunto
annexed, that is to say :-
These improvements refer to centrifugal machinery for purifying sugar, and
for separating the granular from the liquid portions thereof; also to machinery
for breaking up and mixing with water, or other clarifying or cleansing liquor,
lumps or cakes of raw sugar.
The centrifugal machinery is constructed as follows:-The sides of the drum
for containing the syrup or sugar to be operated upon are formed of metal
perforated in all directions. This perforated metal is used instead of wire
cloth, and serves to retain inside the drum the grains and crystals of sugar,
while it permits of the escape through the perforations therein of the liquid
separated therefrom by centrifugal action, as hereafter explained. At top the
sides of the drum fit into a plate which forms a closed cover, and at bottom
into another plate. Both of these plates are fixed to a central hollow tube
formed with perforations or horizontal slots therein, which tube descends
below the bottom of the drum, and after passing through a chamber contain-
ing oil, enters a socket, in which it is free to revolve. Just below the level of
the bottom of the drum the shaft is made solid, and after entering the oil
chamber it is again hollow, and pierced at the sides for receiving oil from the
chamber, and carrying it down to the bottom of the socket and round its
sides. The upper end of the hollow shaft passes through and is free to
revolve in a bearing fixed on the cover of the outer casing of the machine;
an oil chamber fitted thereto provides for the lubrication of the upper part of
the shaft. The plate forming the cover to the drum is fitted to the hollow
shaft through a nut threaded on the inside, and free to move up and down
upon a screw formed on the shaft. Before placing the cover over the drum,
I slide a perforated pipe over the hollow shaft, and fix this pipe by screwing
. down the nut to which the cover of the drum is connected; vanes or wings
may be fixed to this pipe, and they serve to regulate the distribution of the

page_text: sugar or syrup. The charge may be introduced directly into the drum, or
through a funnel and tube into the hollow central shaft. A small air tube is
inserted in the feed tube. In order to reduce the ascending action of the
charge or of the purifying liquor, the diameter of the drum may be diminished,
and that of the perforated tube proportionably increased, so as to cause the
charge to reach nearly to the top of the drum. Rotary motion is imparted
to the drum through a belt, which passes round a pulley formed by a projec-
tion from the under side of the bottom of the drum. The belt also passes
round a fixed pulley upon a shaft revolving in lubricated bearings, and which
shaft also carries a loose pulley. These pulleys are driven by a belt passing
also round a larger fixed pulley upon another shaft revolving also in lubricated
bearings; and carrying another fixed as well as a loose pulley. A belt from
some prime mover passes over these pulleys. Levers for shifting the belts
from the fast to the loose pulleys, and vice versâ, are provided.
The operation is as follows:-The charge may be placed in the drum by
removing the outer cover and the cover of the drum, but the Inventor prefers
to charge through the funnel and tube, and the charge being so introduced
spreads itself over the inside of the hollow shaft, issues through the lateral
orifices, and escaping through the apertures in the perforated tube finds its
way into the interior of the drum. By the rotary motion communicated to
the drum through the driving gear, the matters in the drum become projected
against the sides thereof, the liquid becomes separated from' the solid contents,
the former being driven through the perforations and apertures in the sides
of the drum, while the latter remain inside the drum. From the rapidity
with which the drum is driven, say about two thousand revolutions a minute,
it will be found that after about three minutes' work, the grains and crystals
remaining inside the drum are perfectly cleansed and dry. The liquid issues
from a spout connected to the outer casing. The machinery for breaking- up
lumps and cakes of sugar, and for mixing it with liquor prior to being treated
in a centrifugal machine, consists of a pair of rollers with rings or flutes
formed thereon, the rings on one roller coming between the rings on the
opposite roller. These rollers are geared together and caused to rotate in
opposite directions at the bottom of a hopper fed with the lumps to be broken,
and with water or other purifying liquor. After issuing from the rollers the
sugar and liquor fall into a vessel, in which there is a revolving agitator, by
which they become regularly mixed, and from the said vessel they are drawn
off to be introduced into a centrifugal machine.
The accompanying Drawings exhibit the details of the present Invention,
and the best known method of carrying it into effect.

page_text: Figure 1 is a central vertical section, and Figure 2 a plan of the centri-
.fugal,refiner. a is the drum for the reception of the syrup. This drum is
perforated throughout its surface with conical perforations widening towards
.the outside, and is secured above to the plate or cover b, and below to the
plate c. These two plates are fixed to the central shaft d, which works in the
bearing or socket e, formed on the basement plate e¹, and surmounted by the
circular vessel f, containing oil for lubricating the shaft d and its bearing.
The better to effect the lubrication, the shaft itself has an oil chamber formed
in the lower part, from which the oil escapes by the perforations g, g, and aids
in effecting the required lubrication. Figure 3 is a horizontal section of this
bearing with the shaft in it. The upper end of the shaft d works in a
socket g', which is fixed to the cover h of the enveloping cylinder k. This
bearing is lubricated by means of the circular oil vessel i. The shaft dis
pierced from the top to just below the plate c, as shewn in the Drawing, by a
circular channel, and again by horizontal perforations 1, l. The plate b, which
closes the upper part of the drum a, is, supported by the screwed nut j,
which is turned by hand. This nut is screwed on to a threaded part of the
shaft d. When this screw. is turned back, the cover 6 may be raised at will.
A perforated pipe or tube o surrounds that part of the shaft which is within
the drum, and may be furnished with blades m, m, in any convenient number.
This pipe or tube is intended not to revolve with the shaft, and its vanes are
designed to regulate the distribution of the syrup in the drum when the liquor
is poured into the machine by the funnel A. A small tube o¹, pierced with
holes at its lower part to allow the escape of air as the liquor is poured in, is
previously introduced into the hollow shaft. The drum a is completely
enclosed by the outer cylinder k, which must be strongly supported by
masonry or woodwork. This cylinder is closed by the cover h, which is
secured to it with nuts and screws. A handle n is fitted to this cover for
convenience in opening or closing it. This cylinder k is of cast iron, covered
on the outside with wood staves hooped round it. A very rapid rotary motion
is communicated to the drum a by the following means:-The lower plate c
of the drum carries a pulley p, shewn also in Figure 4, and
strap.q, which also.embraces the wide pulley r on the shaft s. This last shaft
carries a. loose pulley t, embraced by a strap u, which also embraces the
pulley t¹, fixed on the shaft v. The shafts s and v turn in lubricated bearings
x, x, x¹³, x¹, either at any required constant velocity, or with the capability of
receiving any required variation of velocity, and always without the bearings
becoming heated. The shaft v, besides the fixed pulley t¹, carries a fixed
pulley H and a loose pulley I. The strap E, when driven by some prime
embraced by a

page_text: mover, will drive the centrifugal machine through the straps or belts and
pulleys before described. By a strap lever, the strap E may be made to slide
from the fixed pulley H on to the loose pulley I, and vice versâ, so that the
machinery may be arrested or set going at pleasure. By means of another.
lever J and the sliding rod F, the strap u may be shifted from the loose pulley t
to the fixed pulley r, or vice versâ; and thus, too, the machine may be arrested.
or set in motion. And by a proper use of these levers which command the
straps E and u, the rapidity of the rotation of the drum may be increased or
diminished in any desired manner, or the machine may be stopped altogether,
as will be readily understood.
1
The covers b and h may be removed and the syrup poured directly into the
drum, or (as is preferable) the syrup may be introduced into the drum through
the funnel and pipe A, Figure 1. The pipe to which this funnel is attached.
enters loosely the hollow shaft d of the drum. The syrup poured into this.
funnel and tube fills the hollow shaft and flows through its horizontal perfora-
tions 1, 1, and through the openings in the perforated pipe or tube o, into the
drum. During the feeding by this method an ascending motion is given to
the funnel by the hand of the operator. When the drum containing the
syrup is made to rotate rapidly, the syrup, regulated by the winged tube o, is
projected against the side of the drum, and from the force induced by the:
rotating motion, the liquid is obliged to escape through the perforations of
the side of the drum, leaving the crystals adhering to the inside of the drum.
The velocity of rotation communicated to the drum by the means above
described reaches two thousand revolutions per minute, and is such that in
less than three minutes the sugar is completely freed from the liquid, and the
crystals adhering to the inside of the drum are thoroughly dry. The liquid
which escapes from the drum runs off by the channel B.
The mixing and crushing apparatus is represented in Figures 5 and 6.
Figure 5 is an elevation of this machine, partly in section. The wood frame B,
which supports it, is composed of two uprights, between which are placed two
rollers or cylinders C, C¹. These rollers are corrugated, as shewn in Figure 6,
and their corrugations are so arranged that the projections on each cylinder
fit into the recesses of the other. Rotary motion in opposite directions is
communicated to these rollers by means of the toothed wheels D, D', and the
5 pulley F placed on the opposite end of one of these rollers. A strap G
embraces this pulley and also the pulley on the shaft I, which carries a bevel
wheel J. and a fly wheel K. The wheel J gears with another bevel wheel L,
placed at the top of the vertical shaft M. This shaft carries at its lower part
a number of arms or agitators N, N. The lumps of sugar and the liquid ia

page_text: which they are to be dissolved are poured into the trough P, placed above
the cylinders C, C', and descending between these corrugated cylinders, the
said lumps of sugar are crushed by the action of the same. The mixture
thence falls into the vessel Q, where it is well stirred by the agitators N, N.
From this vessel the syrup may be drawn off into another vessel S, and
thence conveyed to the centrifugal drum, to be treated as already described.
And having now described the nature of the said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First, the construction of centrifugal machinery for purifying sugar and for
separating the granular from the liquid portions thereof, essentially in the
manner herein-before described, and represented in the Drawings annexed.
Second, the construction of machinery for breaking up and mixing with
water or other liquid lumps or cakes of raw sugar, essentially in the manner
herein-before described, and represented in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Archibald Brooman, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fourteenth day of November, One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
R. A. BROOMAN. (L.S.)