or Concentrating Liquids.
Year: 1897

page_text: or Concentrating Liquids.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex, 6, Lord Street,
Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street, Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, and
Lower Temple Street Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Civil Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner the same is to be
performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
The process forming the subject of the present application for a patent, and the
apparatus hereinafter illustrated and described for the carrying out of the same are
based upon the discovery that under otherwise normal circumstances upon violent
ebullition of a liquid the steam formed and continuously forming in the midst of the
same lifts and agitates the surface of the liquid in such a manner that a kind of
projection of an innumerable quantity of fine drops takes place. In such violent
ebullition the liquid affords a considerably greater evaporation surface than when
no such projection takes place; that is, exactly in moments of violent ebullition the
evolution of steam reaches its maximum.
The object of the present invention is to produce this condition, most favourable to
the formation of steam, by means of an artificial more or less mechanical spraying
at the moment of evaporation in a practical and economical manner, and to maintain
the same continuously by automatic action. The process is applicable to all evaporations
to any extent, and in the following description an apparatus applicable for the carrying
out of the same in view of the most important and usual applications and by way of
example is set forth.
Amongst such industrial applications may be named the evaporation of sugar
solutions, the distillation of fats, oils, mineral oils and the like the concentration of
acids (sulphuric acid etc.) and the evaporation of saline solutions.
The spraying contemplated will be effected most suitably according to the conditions
present in industrial working, by the application of pressure to the fluids, as for
instance by heating them in a closed vessel, or under atmospheric pressure, or under
diminished pressure. The spraying may also be effected by means of the difference
of pressure between the outside and inside of the apparatus (exhaustion of air). The
spraying can also be effected by the projection of the fluid (injection) by means of
injectors, during which the fluid is heated to the requisite extent and the
steam requisite for the working of the injector may be either superheated or not
superheated.
The apparatus shown diagrammatically in the drawing is designed in accordance
with the principal idea for the abovementioned important industrial applications
thereof. The fluid to be sprayed is collected in any suitable manner in a reservoir A
placed at a height, runs then over B into the tube C, passes at D down into the
column E, rises in the same around a central inner tube F, quits the column E at its

page_text: upper end E¹ passes down the tube H, passes through Y, into the injector L which
effects the spraying. The volatile part of the fluid passes out of the tube M in the
form of spray within the column N upwards and escapes over a disc N2 to 0, 0¹ in
the space P and from there into the central inner tube F so that it can descend the
same and again rise.in. the tube S. from whence it finally passes into the worm Z³ of
the condenser Z in order to be there condensed. The non-volatile constituents or
those less volatile of the sprayed fluid fall back in the column N to the bottom thereof
and are continuously removed in order that in the injecting action of the spraying
apparatus only the volatile portions or as far as possible only these latter, should pass
off at the top through O. For this purpose there is inserted in the upper part of the
column N a disc N of somewhat smaller diameter than that of the interior of the tube
so that sufficient space for the escape of the vapours is left free. The spraying
apparatus is in the form of an injector with two conical nozzles W W between
which the access of the fluid to be sprayed from the tube H into the space X
takes place, as usual there is valve Y2 for the control of the access of vapour, the
latter is effected by means of the steam valve Y' and tube U. The arrows indicate
the track of the fluid and of the vapours. The vapours which pass from the central
pipe F and which partly condense in consequence of yielding up their heat to the
fluid to be heated rising in the outer column E, deposit already in the lower part of
F the heavy fluid constituents carried off with them, which then pass through G into
a special receptacle R.
It must now be mentioned that the introduction of steam into the spraying
apparatus in certain of the processes named is requisite only at the commencement,
in others throughout the whole operation in others not at all. Thus for instance
the introduction of steam in the spraying apparatus L in the evaporation of sugar
solution is only necessary at the commencement until the whole apparatus has
acquired the requisite heat, in order that the sugar solution already heated entering
in the same afterwards can be suitably sprayed and evaporated. The same conditions
apply to the evaporation of saline solutions and the concentration of acid whereas the
distillation of fatty bodies mineral oils and so forth requires the continuous
introduction of steam in the spraying apparatus. In the application to acids the
supply mechanism A B C is altered corresponding to the well known Monte-Jus
apparatus and there exists in the interior of the columns à pressure less than the
usual atmospheric one. At the commencement of the operation for the concentration
of acid for instance of sulphuric acid, the latter is brought in any suitable manner
into E, steam is then allowed to pass through B in order to heat the acid to the
required temperature. The acid is supplied to the spraying apparatus by means of
the Monte-Jus apparatus aforesaid or by means of an acid pump, at which point the
acid arrives at a temperature of 100 or more degrees Centigrade. The sulphuric acid
passes into the spraying apparatus in the exhausted space of the column N in which
a vigorous evaporation of the water takes place. The concentrated acid falls to the
bottom at N¹ and is there let off continuously. The evaporated water containing
little distilled acid is condensed in the central tube where it gives up its heat to the
acid to be sprayed which is circulating in E.
a
The evaporation of sugar solutions and the like is effected in the usual manner...
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. The process for the production of a maximum of vapour (as it appears at the
commencement of violent ebullition) in previously heated liquids of all kinds
characterised by bringing the same by mechanical means before or at their entrance
into the evaporation, distillation, or concentration space into the state of spray (with.
or without the application of steam), so that the escape of the steam bubbles or of the
easily volatilized constituents from the fluid to be evaporated distilled or condensed
takes place upon a surface increased to its maximum by means of the division into
fine spray.
E

page_text: The constructional form of the apparatus for use in the process set forth in
n 1 characterised :-
a) By the arrangement of concentric tubes E F so that the heat of the vapours
escaping after the spray is utilised for the preliminary heating or warming of
the fluid to be sprayed before its entrance into the spraying apparatus L or
into the evaporation space N effecting the recovery of the heat rendered latent
by the evaporation.
b) By the application of a spraying apparatus L in the form of an injector in
the lower end of a column N forming the evaporating, distillating or
condensing space, in such a manner that the separated heavy or concentrated
portions of the sprayed fluid can be continuously removed at the bottom of
the said column and the lighter or volatile portions can escape at the upper end
thereof, effecting the continuous separation of the light and heavy portions of
the fluid.
c) By the application of the arrangement for the admission of steam into the
spraying apparatus in such manner that the fluid to be sprayed can be warned
or heated according to need either at the commencement or during the
spraying and simultaneously also the mechanical division of the same by
means of the steam can be effected (warming or heating and mechanical
spraying).
1007
ay of
007
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of London, Liverpool, Manchester, and Birmingham,
Patent Agents for the Applicant.