Improvements in and relating to Evaporating Apparatus.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Aug., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 21st May, 1891-Accepted, 8th Aug., 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Evaporating Apparatus.
1, JAMES FOSTER, of Baltic Chambers, Sunderland, in the County of Durham,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction,
or arrangement and combination of the parts of the vessels and their fittings
forming the apparatus for the vacuum distillation or evaporation of sugar and
other liquors, of the vertical class of the nature of triple or multiple "effects," and
which will give these vessels a greater heating surface, and a more perfect circu-
lation of the fluids, and a higher efficiency of evaporation than heretofore.
The nature and novelty of my improvements consist all as follows. In construct-
ing the lower heating parts of these vertical vacuum evaporating vessels, preferably
square or rectangular in horizontal section and with a series of vertical tubes
through which the juice circulates to be evaporated. These tubes would be ranged
in parallel rows which would gradually decrease in length or height from the inlet
end towards the outlet end, forming stepped inclined rows at their upper ends. The
lower ends of these tubes would all be jointed and expanded into a flat bottom tube
plate, jointed between the lower flange of the vessel and the flanges of an inlet and
return channel or pocket plate or chest. The liquid to be treated would enter
by one or two branches into the first channel of this pocket chest, and ascend the
first and tallest row of circulating and heating tubes, and descend through the next
row of tubes into the second channel and from this up through the third row of tubes
and so on throughout the whole series, their being a descending and ascending row of
tubes entering each channel in the lower end chest until the last channel which would
only have a descending row of tubes with one or two discharge branches conveying
the liquid therefrom. The ascending tubes are all preferred to be smaller in
diameter than the descending tubes to assist the circulation through them, that is
the proportion of 1 inch diameter of tubes might do in the one case and 2 or
3 inches for the other. The upper ends of these tubes would be jointed and expanded
into a plate or bottom part of a shallow vessel sunk into the upper part of the
heating vessel and jointed by a flange all round between the upper flanges of the
lower heating case and the lower flanges of the upper vapour evaporating case.
Between each pair of descending and ascending tubes, a low recessed partition
woud be formed into the grooves of which the lower end of transverse plates would
be inserted, reaching to two-thirds of the height of the evaporating chamber or so,
to form as many divisional chambers in this across the whole vessel, as there were
pairs of ascending and descending tubes, that is a chamber for each pair, into which
the liquor would circulate or ascend and descend, and allow the vapour to escape
freely to the upper part of the main vessel. Curved or flat baffle-plates would be
fitted on the opposite sides of these divisional chambers to throw back the liquid
and allow the vapour to escape to the top as stated, and a vertical loose hinged or
other door would be fitted in one side of this upper chamber for the insertion of the
said division plates which would be secured by flanged joints and screws when the
plates were inserted. Or as an alternative arrangement, the upper tube plate
might also be made flat, and have the ends of the rows of tubes rising up through it
on the entering side of the liquid and stepped down towards the tube plate at the
discharge end, and have the stepped ends projecting above the tube plate, made
trumpet shaped, so that the liquid would flow up into and down from the divisional
chambers with greater ease, and allow of the more free escape of the vapours.
In some cases, to assist the evaporation in the larger descending tubes, a small

page_text: tube might be mounted in the centre of this tube open at the upper end and project-
ing above the top of the large tube, and have fitted at intervals on these tubes thin
conoidal hollow cases or caps close at top but open below, and somewhat smaller in
diameter than the inside of the outer tube to allow the liquid to descend in a thin
annular stream round the circumference of the tube, and permit the vapour
evaporated off this surface to pass up into the cones through slots into the inner tube
and up into the evaporating division.
The upper evaporating chamber would be surmounted. by a flanged conoidal or
domed end from which the evaporated vapour would be conveyed away by swan
necks to the upper part of large stand pipes mounted between cach pair of such
evaporators, from the lower ends of which the vapour would be taken by one, two,
or more branches preferably to the lower part of the heating chamber of the second
evaporator to give increased circulation of the heating steam or vapour and of the
liquid, and so on throughout a set of two, three, or more of these, to the last which
would convey the vapour to an ordinary condenser, so that the whole would work
under, vacuo proportionally increasing towards the last, live or exhaust steam being
admitted by one or more branches to the first heater. The liquid being treated
would be similarly led from the discharge branches of the one vessel to the inlet
branches of the other by pipes and controlling cocks, preferably to branches in the
lower upper part of the first division of each vapour vessel, and branches and pipes
might lead from the last or any of these vessels for drawing off the liquid when
sufficiently concentrated to a fourth or striking vacuum vessel, from which it would
be discharged in a saturated state ready for forming sugar in a hydro-extractor.
The upper chamber or evoporating part of the vessels would be fitted with transverse
glasses jointed in metallic cases at the top and lower parts on the sides for letting
in light and inspecting the state of ebullition or evaporation within; and the lower
part of this vessel where the liquid lies above the tubes would be fitted with a glass
gauge to show the level of the liquid on the outside; and small pipes would be fitted
to draw off any permanent gases or of air from the upper or lower part of the heating
vessels to the condenser; and drain pipes and traps would be fitted to the lower
part of these chambers above the lower tube plate to draw off all condensed vapour
or water in these heating chambers.
Dated the 22nd August 1900
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to Evaporating Apparatus.
I, JAMES FOSTER, of Baltic Chambers, Sunderland, in the County of Durham,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of my invention and in what manner the
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement in writing, that is to say :-
This invention has reference to and comprises improvements in the construction,
or arrangement and combination of the parts of the vessels and their fittings forming
the apparatus for the vacuum distillation or evaporation of sugar and other liquors,.
of the vertical class of the nature of triple or multiple "effects" and which will
give these vessels a greater heating surface, and a more perfect circulation of the
fluids, and a higher efficiency of evaporation than heretofore.
And in order that my said invention and the manner of performing or carrying
the same into effect or practice may be properly understood. I have hereunto
appended an explanatory sheet of drawings, in which the same reference letters are
used to indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where shown. Figure 1 is a.
sectional elevation of a single evaporating vessel as constructed in accordance with.
my improvements; and Figure 2 is a sectional plan view, as taken one half.
on the line 1-1 and the other half on the line 2-2 in Figure 1, while Figure. 3

page_text: is a man sectional elevation at right angles to and as taken on the line 3-3 in
Figure 1.
Referring to these drawings, the improvements consist all as follows:-In con-
structing the lower heating parts A, A, of these vertical vacuum evaporating vessels,
preferably nearly square or rectangular in horizontal section as shown in Figure 2,
and with a series of vertical tubes a, a', through which the juice circulates to be
evaporated. These tubes a a¹ are ranged in parallel rows which gradually decrease
in length or height from the inlet end or side of the juice to be heated, towards the
outlet side, forming stepped inclined rows in their upper tube plate A'. The lower
ends of these tubes a a¹ are all jointed and expanded into a flat bottom tube
plate A jointed between the lower flange of the heating vessel A and the flanges
of an inlet and return shallow channel or pocket plate or chest A². The liquid to
be treated would enter by one or two branches into the first channel b of this
pocket chest A² and ascend the first and tallest row of circulating and heating
tubes a and descend through the next row of tubes a¹ into the second channel b of
the set in the channel chest A2 and from this up through the third row of tubes a
leading from the same channel band so on throughout the whole series, there being
a descending and ascending row of tubes a¹, a, entering and leaving each channel b
in the lower end chest A2 until the last channel " which would only have a descen-
ding row of tubes a¹ with one or two discharge branches 62 conveying the liquid
therefrom. The ascending tubes a are all preferred to be smaller in diameter than
the descending tubes a¹ to assist the circulation through them, that is the proportion
of 1 inch diameter of tubes might do in the one case a and 2 or 3 inches for the
other a. The upper ends of these tubes a a' are jointed and expanded into a tube
plate or shallow vessel A' sunk into the upper part of the heating vessel AA, and
jointed by a Aange all round between the upper flanges of the lower heating case A
and the lower flanges of the upper vapour evaporating case or vessel A³, A³:
Between each pair of descending and ascending tubes a', a, a low recessed partition c
is formed resting on the top tube plate or vessel A', secured vertically between.
grooved projections at c¹ on opposite sides of the evaporating vessel A³ and reaching
to two thirds or so of the height of this vessel A3 A³, to form as many divisional
chambers in this across the whole vessel, as there are pairs of ascending and
descending tubes a, a', that is a chamber ³ for each pair a, a', into which the liquor.
would circulate or ascend and descend and allow the vapour to escape freely to the
upper part of the main vessel A³ A³. Angled or curved flat baffle-plates c¹¹ c² arc
fitted on the opposite sides of the plates c of these divisional chambers 6³ to throw
back the liquid and allow the vapour to escape to the top as stated and as indicated
by the arrows in Figure 1, and a vertical loose hinged or other door B is fitted in
one side of this upper chamber A³ A³ for the insertion and removal of the said
division plates c which might be secured by flanged joints and screws when the
plates were inserted instead of in the grooved projections e¹ before mentioned. Or as.
an alternative arrangement, the upper tube plate A' A', might also be made flat,
and have the upper ends of the rows of tubes a, a', rising up through it on the
entering side of the liquid and stepped down towards the tube plate at the discharge
end, and have the stepped ends projecting above the tube plate made trumpet.
shaped, as indicated in the detailed view Figure 14, so that the liquid would flow..
up into and down from the divisional chambers 63 with greater ease, and allow of the
more free escape of the vapours.
In some cases to assist the evaporation in the larger descending tubes a¹ a small
tube might be mounted in the centre of this tube a' open at the upper end and pro-
jecting above the top of the large tube, and have fitted at intervals on these tubes
thin conoidal hollow cases or caps close at top but open below, and somewhat smaller
in diameter than the inside of the outer tube to allow the liquid to descend in a thin
annular stream round the circumference of the tube, and permit the vapours
evaporated off this surface to pass up into the cones through slots into the inner
tube and up into the evaporating division.
The upper evaporating chamber A³ A³ is surmounted by a flanged conoidal and

page_text: 111
domed end A4, A5, from which the evaporated vapour would be conveyed away by
the domed swan neck A to the upper part of large stand pipes mounted between
cach pair of such evaporators A to A' from the lower ends of which stand pipes the
vapour would be taken by one, two, or more branches to the branches Air at the
lower or lower and upper parts of one side of the heating chamber A. A shown in
Figure 1, of the second evaporator to give increased circulation of the heating steam
or vapour and of the liquid, and so on through a set of two, three, or more of these
evaporators A to A' to the last, which would convey the vapour to an ordinary
condenser, so that the whole would work under vacuo proportionally increasing
towards the last evaporator next the condenser, live or exhaust steam being
admitted by one or more branches AA" to the first heater A A. The liquid
being treated would be similarly led from the discharge branches 62 of the one vessel
to the inlet branches 6' of the other by pipes and controlling cocks, preferably to
branches in the lower part of the first division of each vapour vessel, and branches
and pipes might lead from the last or any of these vessels for drawing off the liquid
when sufficiently concentrated to a fourth or striking vacuum vessel, from which it
would be discharged in a saturated state ready for forming sugar in a hydro-
extractor. The upper chamber or evaporating part A3 A3 of the evaporators
would be fitted with transverse glasses at d jointed in metallic cases at the top and
lower parts on the sides for letting in light and inspecting the state of ebullition or
cvaporation within, and the lower part of this vessel with the liquid above the tube
plate A¹ A would be fitted with a glass gauge to show the level of the liquid
above this plate on the outside, and small pipes would be fitted to draw off any
permanent gases or air from the upper or lower part of the heating vessels A A, to
the condenser, and the usual drain pipes and traps would be fitted to the lower part
of these chambers above the lower tube plate A" A", to draw off all condensed
vapour or water in these heating chambers."
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
First. The construction or arrangement and combination of the parts of evaporat-
ing vessels having stepped inclined rows of vertical tubes in the lower heating vessel
entering and leaving channels or pocket chambers in a lower end chest, and with
partition plates to form open chambers in the evaporating vessel over each double
row of tubes, substantially as herein described, in reference to and shown in the
accompanying drawings.
Second. In an evaporating vessel, the fitting and use of divisional channels or
pocket chambers in a lower end chest, with inlet and return vertical juice tubes
from each chamber, substantially as herein described, in reference to and by way
of application shown in the accompanying drawings.
Third. In an evaporating vessel, the fitting and use of partition plates to form open
divisional chambers in the evaporating vessel over each double row or set of tubes
and with curved or angled baffle plates on opposite sides of chambers, substantially
as herein described, in reference to and by way of application shown in the
accompanying drawings.
BABY
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.
W. R. M. THOMSON & Co.,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.