IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF OBTAINING A VACUUM OR PARTIAL VACUUM AS APPLIED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Clark, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County
of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF OBTAINING A VACUUM OR PARTIAL
VACUUM AS APPLIED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER."-A communication
from abroad by Désiré Mathurin Legat, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin,
Paris.
Sealed the 12th May 1863, and dated the 24th November 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Clark at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 24th
November 1862.
I, WILLIAM CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer and Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of the said
Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MEANS OF OBTAINING A VACUUM OR PARTIAL
VACUUM AS APPLIED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," to be as follows:―
. Ordinarily, in the manufacture of paper by machinery, a vacuum is pro-
duced by means of pumps whereby to quickly obtain proper consistency in
the sheets of paper.
This Invention relates to the application, in lieu of said pumps, of a hydro-
pneumatic self-acting apparatus with converging and diverging cones similar
to those used for feeding steam generators, except that in this case the motor

page_text: is water, which in running rapidly through a central cone creates a vacuum
in another cone surrounding it which communicates with the space in which
the vacuum is to be obtained. One of the principal advantages of this arrange-
ment is the absence of any moving parts for creating the vacuum.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said William Clark in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 23rd
May 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Engineer and
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of November, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth
year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant
unto me, the said William Clark, Her special licence that I, the said
William Clark, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said William Clark, 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 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 THE MEANS OF OBTAINING A VACUUM OR PARTIAL VACUUM
AS APPLIED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PAPER," a com" to me from abroad by
Désiré Mathurin Legat, of 29, Boulevart St. Martin, Paris, upon the condition
(amongst others) that I, the said William Clark, my executors or adminis-
trators, 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 William Clark, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the Sheet of Drawings hereunto-annexed,
and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
This improved apparatus is based on the principle of lateral communication

page_text: in the movement of fluids. The numerous experiments on the flow of water
which I have made with a self-acting condenser on this principle, and the
good results obtained, have proved that it may be successfully applied to
extractors with certain modifications determined by practical use.
.
Before describing the apparatus, and in order to render its advantages
better understood, I would observe, that in the manufacture of paper, the
pulp, before being introduced into the first drying apparatus, should only
contain the exact amount of moisture proportionate to its thickness, and that
in an extremely uniform degree throughout, as, if it varies, each instant the
manufacture becomes increasingly defective in proportion to its fineness of
quality. It also often happens that the pulp, containing too much moisture,
has not sufficient consistency, and tears before reaching the drying apparatus;
in all cases losses result, on the serious importance of which it is unnecessary
to remark.
The object desired to be obtained in the manufacture of paper by the
application of this Invention. being thus understood, I will proceed to explain
the nature of the operation. It will be seen, as above mentioned, that in
order to obtain a good result the water and air should be extracted from the
pulp by means of an apparatus acting in a perfectly regular manner without
intermission, whatever may be the thickness of the paper or its quality. This
result I obtain by means of the improved apparatus which I will now
proceed to describe, explaining the various parts, as also their combination
and use..
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying Drawing represents an elevation, partly in
section, of the self-acting bydro-pneumatic extractor, the section being taken
on line 1, 2, 3, Fig. 2, which is a plan of part of the apparatus, while Fig. 3
shows a vertical section of one half of the support or column of the apparatus.
The same letters of reference indicate like parts in the several Figures seen in
different positions.
A, circular case communicating with the feed reservoir by means of junction
pipe P; B, seating fixed to casing A, and serving to guide the aspirating or
exhausting water; C, movable cylinder communicating with the paper.
machinery by junction pipe O; D, tail piece fixed to tube C, and serving on
the exterior to guide the aspirating or exhausting film, and on the interior the
water and air exhausted; E, movable piece serving to impart the saine
direction to the water and air extracted as that.taken by the exhausting water
or medium; F, screwed rod, to which part E is fixed, and serving as a guide

page_text: therefor; G, screwed part connected to cylinder C; H, nut, movable in a
circular direction only, in order to produce the vertical movement of cylinder C;
I, double-armed lever fixed to nut H for imparting the motion described. ;
J, collar having three arms, carrying nut H; K, elastic india-rubber packing;
L, bolts connecting collar J to cylinder A; M, lugs cast on cylinder C, serving
to regulate its position by means of nuts N.; Q, hand wheel fixed on rod F,
serving to impart motion thereto, and also to regulate the position of part E;
R, column supporting the apparatus. I should add, that the parts B and D
may be of converging and diverging forms, so that the water aspirated or
exhausted, as also the air shall pass between two exhausting films; the orifices
also may be either circular or of other form, as required.
:
Method of operation. The apparatus should be carefully fitted up, the
elastic packing K being arranged so as to allow the cylinder C to descend
sufficiently for the annular space between parts B and D to regularly pass as
thin an exhausting film as possible, without destroying its continuity, which is
an essential condition. The exhausting water should enter the casing A at
as high a pressure as possible, and, if not filtered, should be at least clean for
this purpose;
the mouth of the supply pipe may be covered with fine wire
gauze. The parts being thus arranged; the circulation of water is established
by means of a cock placed on the supply pipe; communication with the
machine is also obtained by opening the cocks on the pipes connecting
branches o with the casing. The exhausting action is first regulated at the
maximum on an examination of the draught on the paper produced by the
position of the part E, which is actuated by the hand wheel; this being done,
the exhausting action may be modified by simply regulating the cock on the
branches o of the exhauster.
Advantages. From the foregoing it will be observed that this improved
apparatus presents the advantages of an unintermittent exhausting power of
extreme regularity, while the exhausting water is always clean, and of a
uniform power. This apparatus may be placed either near or at a distance
from the machine, and either on a level with or above or below the pulp,
without its useful effect being diminished. I would observe that the
apparatus when once regulated works without the aid of moving parts, while
the mechanical power necessary for the supply of the exhausting water does
not exceed the eighteenth or twentieth part of a horse
power.
If to all these advantages there is added that the apparatus may be easily
applied to all kinds of machinery without any alteration whatever, it will
enable all to appreciate the important services which this improved extractor.
is capable of rendering in the manufacture of paper.

page_text: Having described the nature of this Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to
the precise details herein described and represented in the Drawing annexed,
as such may be varied without departing from the principle of this Invention ;
but that what I claim as the Invention to be protected by the herein-before
in part recited Letters Patent is, the arrangement and construction of the
improved self-acting hydro-pneumatic apparatus for extracting water and air
from paper pulp before it passes to the first drying rollers, all as herein-before
described.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Clark, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-second day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
JAMES DAISH,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
W. CLARK. (L.S.)