or other Liquor.
Year: 1885

page_text: or other Liquor.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & C°, Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR THE DECOLORIZATION of
SACCHARINE OR OTHER LIQUOR" and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates especially to that class of filters in which sugar liquor is
decolorized by causing it to filter upward through a mass of bone-black contained
in the lower portion of a vertical cylinder, which is filled with bone-black above
the level at which the sugar-liquor is withdrawn, so that the portion of the
bone-black by which the filtering operation is performed is compressed by the
weight of the column of bone-black above it.
The object of the invention is to effect the uniform removal of the sugar liquor
as well from the central portion of the column of bone-black as from the outer
portions thereof, and to this end the invention consists in the arrangement, at the
level at which the sugar liquor is to be discharged, of transverse troughs, protected
above by inverted V-shaped shields, and if need be, by sieves interposed between
the wings of the shields, whereby the bone-black is prevented from making its way
into the draining troughs.
Another feature of the improvement consists in connecting the draining troughs
with the apertures in the side walls of the filtering chamber, through which the
sugar liquor is discharged, by means of horizontal tubes of suitable length, in order
that such portion of the sugar liquor as makes its way upward along the interior
surface of the wall of the filter, may not have immediate access to the draining
troughs, but be compelled to move laterally a short distance in order to reach a
point at which it can make its way into the draining troughs; the reason for this
being that the sugar liquor rises more freely along the inner wall of the filter than
it does through the central portion of the mass of bone-black.

page_text: There is less resistance to the upward movement of the sugar liquor along the
wall of the filtering cylinder than there is in the centre of the mass of bone-black,
and this feature of the improvement is intended to add such a degree of obstruction
to the discharge of the sugar liquor from the surface of the column of bone-black
as will make the total resistance to the movement of the sugar liquor around the
outside of the mass of bone-black, equals the resistance to the upward movement of
the sugar liquor through the centre of the mass of bone-black.
This invention also includes devices for adjusting the height of the column of
sugar liquor which flows into the apparatus and thereby regulating the degree
of hydrostatic pressure under which the sugar liquor is forced upward through the
filtering chamber.
This invention may be applied to bone-black filters of a variety of types, as well
to those in which the bone-black through which the sugar liquor is filtered is
compressed by the weight of a column of superincumbent bone-black, as for instance
to those in which the compression is effected by a screw compressor.
In the accompanying drawing is shewn a filtering apparatus containing the
present improvements.
Figure 1 is a central vertical section shewing the filtering chambers surmounting
a receiving chamber for receiving the exhausted, bone-black discharged from the
bottom of the filtering chamber, and conducting it to the bottom of a well from
which it is elevated by means of a chain and bucket or other elevator.
Figure 2 is a horizontal section on the line x a Figure 1.
•
-
Figure 3 is a horizontal section on the line y-y Figure 1.
Figure 4 is a central vertical section similar to Figure 1, with the exception that
the drain troughs are not represented in transverse section as in Figure 1, but one
of the drain troughs is shewn in central longitudinal section; and the compressor,
which is shewn in Figure 1, is omitted.
Figure 5 is an elevation of the upper part of the filtering chamber and well,
showing the cistern which supplies sugar liquor to the apparatus, in central vertical
section.
Figure 6 is an isometrical perspective view of the end portion of one of the
troughs and portions of its shield &c.
_Figure 7 is a transverse vertical section of one of the said troughs and its shield.
The apparatus represented in the drawing consists, substantially, of a vertical
cylinder A containing a column of bone-black B, supported at the bottom upon the
movable. slotted diaphragm C for gradually discharging the exhausted bone-black
from the base 6 of the column of bone-black.
The exhausted bone-black thus discharged falls into a receiving chamber D,
which has an inclined bottom d, by means of which the exhausted bone black is
conducted by its own gravity into the bottom of the well E, from which it
is elevated by means of the bucket and chain elevator F, and is discharged at the
mouth of the well upon the inclined chute f.
The saccharine liquor to be decolorized is introduced into the well by means of
the pipe G from a suitably elevated reservoir. The sugar liquor thus introduced
falls into the bottom of the well and rises by hydrostatic pressure through the mass
of bone black B contained in the filtering chamber, and is discharged therefrom by
means of the system of transverse draining troughs h through the perforations H*
in the side wall of the cylinder A into the external annular trough H* surrounding
the cylinder A, from which it is conducted off by the discharge pipe H. Each of
the troughs h of the system of troughs is either covered for a short distance from
both of its ends, or is connected with a short tube h¹, the outer end of which
inserted in one of the perforations H in the wall of the cylinder A.
The superincumbent mass b' of bone-black is prevented from falling into the
drain troughs by the inverted V-shaped shields I. As will be seen, each of the
troughs is provided with one of the shields I, the wings i, i of which extend a
suitable distance below the edge of the top of the trough.
'

page_text: If required, wire gauze sieves k, k may be fastened in the spaces between the
troughs and the inner sides of the wings i, i of the shields, as shewn in Figure 7;
or a single sieve K may be attached at its edges to the wings i, i of the shields, and
may extend across under the trough h, as shewn in Figure 6. The object of the
sieve is to prevent fine particles of bone-black from being floated up into the
troughs..
.
By this mode of organization, the resistance to the upward movement of the
sugar liquor through the exterior as well as the central portion of the mass of bone-
black is rendered as nearly as possible uniform.
The compression of the mass of bone-black through which the sugar liquor is
filtered may be effected, as shown in Figure 1, merely by the weight of the superin-
cumbent mass 61 of the column of bone black; or, if desired, compression may be
produced by means of the compressor L, the rim L' of which is supported in the
circumferential enlargement A¹ of the cylinder A, and has formed upon its face
suitable teeth L³; for engagement by the horizontal worm M by means of which
the compressor is rotated.
The compressor L is composed of the rim L¹, and of radially arranged, suitably
winding blades 7, 1, &c. like the blades of a propeller. The inner ends of the
blades are attached to a central hub L, and their outer ends to the interior
surface of the rim L¹.
The sugar liquor makes its way upward through the spaces between the
blades 1,, &c., which are arranged just above the compressor, as shewn in
Figure 1.
As an additional precaution, to secure the uniform and suitably slow movement
of the sugar liquor through the bone-black I introduce it. into the apparatus from
a cistern G¹, which is supplied from the main reservoir through a supply pipe G³,
provided with a ball-cock g and adjusting devices, by means of which the surface
of the sugar liquor in the cistern is maintained at a level just sufficiently far above
the level of the outlet or outlets, through which the sugar liquor escapes from the
filtering chamber, to compensate for the frictional resistance which the sugar liquor
meets with in passing down the well and upward through the mass of bone-black
in the filtering chamber to its point of discharge therefrom.
The desired adjustment may easily be obtained by making the float g' vertically
adjustable relatively to the free end of the lever or arm g¹ by means of which the
valve g is operated. Thus the float g³ may be affixed to the lower end of a stem g³,
which is loosely inserted through a sleeve g*, provided with a 'set screw g³, for
clamping the stem g³ in the position in which it may be adjusted. The sleeve g'is
provided with a horizontal pivotal connection go with the free end of the valve
operating arm g¹.
The valve g is capable of supplying the cistern with a larger quantity of liquor
than is required, and, therefore, by varying the height of the float g³ relatively to
the end of the arm g', with which it is connected the height of the sugar liquor in
the cistern may be correspondingly varied.
.
It will be understood that the draining troughs h and their shields need not
necessarily be parallel with each other nor necessarily independent of each other so
long as they are arranged so as to drain the sugar liquor from the column of bone-
black at a prescribed level.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is
First. In apparatus for decolorizing sugar liquor by the process of upward
filtration through a column of hone-black contained in a suitable vessel or cylinder,
a system of draining troughs extending transversely into or across the column of
bone black at the height at which it is desired to drain the sugar liquor therefrom,
and a system of shields over the draining troughs, for preventing the bone-black

page_text: from falling into the said troughs; and a conduit or conduits for receiving and
conducting off the sugar liquor discharged through the draining troughs.
Second. The draining troughs h, h &c., extending transversely into or across the
column of bone-black at the desired height, and the shields I, I &c., each having
the flaring sides or wings i, i as, and for the purposes, set forth.
Third: The draining troughs h, h &c and the shields I, I &c., each provided with
a sieve for preventing particles of bone black from being floated upward into the
said troughs by the rising of the sugar liquor through the column of bone-black
into or across which the draining troughs extend.
Fourth. A system of draining troughs provided with suitable shields and
arranged transversely across a column of bone-black contained in a filtering
cylinder, and connected, by comparatively short tubes, with perforations in the
wall of the filtering cylinder leading to a conduit or conduits for receiving and
conducting off the sugar liquor drained from the column of bone-black, for the
purpose of increasing the facility of drainage from the interior portion of the
column of bone-black, and diminishing the facility of drainage from the exterior
portion thereof, and thereby rendering the upward current of sugar liquor through
all parts of the column of bone black as nearly uniform as may be.
Fifth. In combination with filtering apparatus for decolorizing sugar liquor by
the process of upward filtration through bone black, substantially such as described,
a cistern, for supplying sugar-liquor to the apparatus, suitably elevated, and
provided with means for adjusting the height of the sugar-liquor in the said
cistern relatively to the height of the outlets through which. the sugar liquor is
discharged from the filtering chamber, substantially as described.
Sixth. The filtering cylinder A, provided, at a prescribed elevation, with outlets H¹
for the discharge of the sugar liquor after filtration, in combination with a cistern G¹
and to a suitable connection therefrom to the lower part of the cylinder A; the
supply pipe G; the valve g provided with the operating arm g¹ and the vertically
adjustable float 9%, connected with the free end of the arm g¹; and means for
vertically adjusting the float g' relatively to the said arm, as, and for the purpose,
set forth.