IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR REFINING
Year: 1866

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Wagener, of No. 27, Wellclose Square, Sugar
Refiner, and George Jordan Firmin, of Millwall, Manufacturing Chemist,
both in the County of Middlesex, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
SUGAR REFINING."
PROVISIONAL. SPECIFICATION left by the said John Wagener and
George Jordan Firmin at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents,
with their Petition, on the 26th October 1866.
We, JOHN WAGENER, of No. 27, Wellclose Square, Sugar Refiner, and
GEORGE JORDAN FIRMIN, of Millwall, Manufacturing Chemist, both. in the
County of Middlesex, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN SUGAR REFINING," to be: s follows:-
This Invention has for its object improvements in sugar refining, and
consists in the employment of a sand filter in combination with pressure by
atmospheric air or steam in order to force the syrup through the filter. Sand
filters have been and are used for filtering various fluids, and therefore
separately are not claimed; nor is the use of pressure by atmospheric air or
by steam separately claimed as new when acting with other forms of filters..
It is preferred to construct the filter employed. by using layers of the sand
employed of several-degrees of fineness, using fine silver sand by preference at

page_text: the upper part or surfaces and coarser and coarser material below. In using
the word sand we intend it to convey the meaning of a fine granular matter,
not acting chemically on sugar, such as river sand, broken flints or stone or glass,
or vitrified or like material, which materials are sifted into different degrees of
fineness, and the coarsest is placed on the false perforated bottom of the
vessel constituting the filter, and finer and finer layers are placed in strata
above the coarse layer. The syrup of sugar to be filtered is placed on the
upper surface of the filter, and pressure of the atmosphere is obtained therein
by exhausting the space below the bed of the filter, or by forcing atmospheric
air above the syrup on the filter, or by means of steam admitted above the
syrup on the filter.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Wagener and George Jordan Firmin in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 26th April 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, Jonn
WAGENER, of No. 27, Wellclose Square, Sugar Refiner, and GEORGE JORDAN
FIRMIN, of Millwall, Manufacturing Chemist, both in the County of Middlesex,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-sixth day of October, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight bundred and sixty-six, in the thirtieth year of ller reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
John Wagener and George Jordan Firmin; IIer special licence that we, the
said John Wagener and George Jordan Firmin, our executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as we, the said John Wagener and George Jordan
Firmin, our 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 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 SUGAR
REFINING," upon the condition (amongst others) that we, the said John
Wagener and George Jordan Firmin, our executors or administrators, by an
instrument in writing under our or their hands and seals, or under the hand
and seal of one of us or them, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office

page_text: within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said George Jordan Firmin, on behalf of
myself and the said John Wagener, 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, that is
to say):
This Invention has for its object improvements in sugar refining, and
consists in the employment of a sand filter in combination with pressure by
atmospheric air or steam in order to force the syrup through the-filter. Sand
filters have been and are used for filtering various fluids, and therefore
separately are not claimed, nor is the use of pressure by atmospheric air or
by steam separately claimed as new when acting with other forms of filters.
It is preferred to construct the filter by using layers of the sand employed
of several degrees of fineness, using fine silver sand by preference at the
upper part or surface and coarser and coarser material below. In using the
word sand we intend it to convey the meaning of a fine granular matter not
acting chemically on sugar, such as river sand, broken flints, or stone or glass,
vitrified or like material, which materials are sifted into different degrees of
fineness, and the coarsest is placed on the false perforated bottom of the
vessel constituting the filter, and finer and finer layers are placed in strata
above the coarse layer. The syrup of sugar to be filtered is placed on the
upper surface of the filter, and pressure of the atmosphere is obtained thereon
by exhausting the space below the bed of the filter, or by forcing atmospheric
air above the syrup on the filter or by means of steam admitted above the
syrup on the filter.
In carrying out our improvements we prefer to use the form of vessel
shown in the annexed Drawing, which represents a pair of filtering vessels
which may be worked either together or singly; the form of the vessel may
however be varied.
A, A, represents a pair of closed wrought-iron vessels connected by pipes
B, B, at top and bottom; C, C, represents the filter; D, the feed pipe from
the blow-up cistern, with cup to prevent the rush of liquor disturbing the
sand; E, the steam pipes; F, the steam dispersers, composed of plates retained
at a short distance from the orifices of the steam pipes F; G, the gauge glass;
H, the steam pressure gauge; I, the safety valve; J, the vacuum valve; K, the
perforated false bottom; L, the outlet pipes; M, air cocks. In arranging the filter
bed we place the coarsest, stones at the bottom, and build up the filter with
layers of smaller stones, upon which we place the-sand,-which-we-protect-with-

page_text: an iron grating, the interstices of which are also filled with sand; upon the
filter thus formed we run the syrup of sugar, and submit it to a pressure of
steam, which quickly forces the clear syrup through the filter, leaving the
scum and other impurities in the filtering vessel; when the clear syrup has
been forced through the filter which may be known either by the gravity of
the
syrup or by the passage of steam through the outlet pipe, hot water is
run upon the scum in the filtering vessel, and gradually subjected to pressure
until the steam passes freely through the outlet pipe; the pressure is then
stopped, the man-hole cover taken off, and the scum, which will be free from
sugar, removed, a little fresh sand may be sprinkled over the gratings, and
the filter is again ready for use. The man-hole covers are not shown in the
Drawing; they are by preference placed at the sides of the vessels A, just
above the surface level of the sand filters. The hot water may be introduced
through the same pipe D that is employed for introducing syrup into the
filter, or a separate pipe may be employed for the purpose. For sugars that
"filter freely we prefer to employ a pressure of from 5 to 10 lbs. on the incb,
commencing with a low pressure and increasing the pressure as the process
proceeds. For those classes of sugars that do not filter freely considerably
bigher pressures may be employed with advantage. We prefer to use steam
as above described for obtaining pressure within the filter, but in place of
steam the pressure may, as before stated, be obtained in a close vessel by
compressed air, or the filter described may be formed in an open vessel, the
outlet pipe below the filter bed being connected with a cistern in which a
vacuum is maintained. When steam or compressed air is used the syrup
may be treated at the temperature at which it is blown up, but when the
pressure is obtained by vacuum we prefer the syrup partially to cool, say
to about 180° Fahrenheit, before running it on to the filter.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Jordan Firmin, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
GEORGE JORDAN FIRMIN. (L.S.)