IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING FLUID FROM OTHER MATTERS
Year: 1850

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, we, DAVID
NAPIER and JAMES MURDOCH NAPIER, of the York Road, in the County of
Surrey, Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her present most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Royal Letters Patent under the Great Seal of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Ireland, bearing date at Westminster, the Fourth day of June,
One thousand eight hundred and fifty, in the thirteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto us, the said
David Napier and James Murdoch Napier, our exors, admors, and assigns,
Her especial licence, full power, sole privilege and authority, that we, the said
David Napier and James Murdoch Napier, our exors, admors, and assigns, or
such others as we, the said David Napier and James Murdoch Napier, our
exors, adors, or assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from
time to time and at all times during the term of years therein expressed,
should and lawfully might. make, use, exercise, and vend, within England,
Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, our Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING FLUID FROM OTHER MATTERS ;" in which
said Letters Patent is contained a proviso that we, the said David Napier and
James Murdoch Napier, or one of us, shall cause a particular description of
the nature of our said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, by an instrument in writing under our hands and seals, or under the
hand and seal of one of us, to be inrolled in Her said Majesty's High Court
of Chancery within six calendar months next and immediately after the date
of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in and by the same, reference
being thereunto had, will more fully and at large appear.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, we, the said
David Napier and James Murdoch Napier, do hereby declare that the nature
of our said Invention, and the manner in which the same is to be performed,
are fully described and ascertained in and by the following statement thereof,
reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the figures
and letters marked thereon, that is to say :-
Before entering upon the details of our Invention we may remark, that the
principle of operation upon which our improvements are based, is that of cen-
trifugal force as exemplified in those machines at present in common use,
and generally designated "hydro-extractors." Our improvements are fourfold,
consisting,
First, of constructing centrifugal apparatus in such manner as to effect a
supply and discharge of matter whilst operating by centrifugal action.
Second, the suspending hydro-extractors, so as to prevent the vibration of
the machines extending or being communicated to the building in which they
may be placed.
Third, an improved drum or rotating vessel, so constructed as to facilitate
the discharge of matter at intervals after the matter has been submitted to
the centrifugal action.
Fourth, the application of a mechanical break to the drums or rotating:
vessels of hydro-extractors, for stopping the same.
For the more explicit description of our Invention, we shall refer to repre-
sentations upon the accompanying Drawing, and may remark, that in all
cases where several views are given to illustrate the same portion, a similar
letter or character is used to indicate that portion.
.
Figures 1, 2, 3, and 4 represent the first and second parts of our Invention,
and are illustrated in the same machine. The band communicating motion
is supposed to apply upon the small pulley a, fixed near the top of the spindle
A, which has its béarings at top in the cross head B, and at bottom is pivoted
in a step formed in the bottom of the cast-iron casing at c, and so fitted as to
turn freely in a brass collar made fast in the cast iron, the point resting upon
a steel disc upon which it turns. The drum D has its cylindrical part formed
of plate perforated with holes, rivetted to a cast-iron or other bottom, provided
with a boss at its centre through which the spindle A passes, and is secured
by the nut below. To the drum D is fixed a flat rim d round its outer dia-
meter; at the mouth and upon this rim are uprights e, which support and
attach the toothed ring f upon it. E is an incline plane in the form of a
screw, the outer diameter of which is somewhat smaller than the inside of the
drum D, so that it goes easily into the drum, leaving a space sufficient for

page_text: wire gauze to be inserted between, or a thickness of wire gauze next the
drum and a finely perforated sheet of metal within it, and next to the worm
or incline plane E. The coils of the worm are kept at their proper distance
from each other by the stays g, which at top are crowned by a strong ring h,
and at bottom are fastened to a circular plate with a hole in it, which fits
freely upon the boss of the drum D. Upon the ring h, carriages i, i, i, are.
fixed with rollers attached, so disposed as to run in the turned recess upon the
ring f; other rollers j, j,j, are also provided, which are so fixed upon the
ring has to act against the internal diameter of the ring f. Upon the ring h
are also fixed supports k, k, carrying a tangent screw o, which gears into the
toothed part of the ring f. Upon one end of the screw spindle is a toothed
wheel l, the teeth being shaped so that the incline m fixed upon the upper
cast-iron casing F can pass between them. Now, suppose the power to be
applied, drum D revolves, and with it the toothed ring f, and the tangent
screw in gear with it along with the worm, but as the toothed wheel on the
tangent screw spindle revolves with the rest on the grand centre, it is made.
to revolve on its own axis by the incline m, which at every revolution of the
machine enters into a new tooth of the wheel 1, and thus the tangent screw.
is made to act upon the toothed ring f, and causes the worm E to revolve
within the drum D, in such direction as to raise up "matter" which may be
contained in the drum until it arrives at the top, where it is discharged by
its centrifugal force through the opening G, and is collected below into a
receiver by means of a circular dished form with hole at bottom, made in
canvas or other material, figured at H. Saccharine matter when operated
upon by this machine is fed into the drum D, through the tube I, which
should be in connection with the vat containing the matter. to be operated.
upon. Suppose that the saccharine matter is admitted into the drum D.
while revolving at a high velocity, it immediately coats round the inside of
the drum at bottom, and the fluid portion commences to pass through the;
straining medium into the casing C, and through the exit tube T, meanwhile
the worm movement before explained raises the matter. slowly up the inside
of the drum, during which time the fluid and coloring matters continue
to escape into the cast-iron casing C, so that upon its arrival at the mouth
of the drum the sugar is discharged in a comparatively dry state. The
quantity of matter allowed to pass into the drum may be regulated at pleasure.
by the valve n in the feed pipe I. The worm motion for raising. the sugar
in the drum should be calculated so as to allow a sufficient time for the fluid
to escape from the sugar by the centrifugal force, before the sugar is dis-
charged. The sugar, upon being discharged over the top of the drum, passes.

page_text: down between the two cast-iron cases C and F, and is collected together
by a canvass-dished bag with a hole in the centre, such as denoted at H,
under which the vessel for receiving the sugar is supposed to be placed.
Instead of allowing the sugar to discharge through the opening G, and fall
around outside the casing C, the plan indicated in Figure 5 might be
adopted if preferred, and the sugar discharged through one opening only, G*,
placed at a tangent, through which opening the sugar will pass by its cen-
trifugal force upon arriving at the top of the drum, as well as by the
assistance of the vanes f, which would be fixed on to the top ring of the
drum, and revolve in a fixed casing provided with the opening G. For
introducing liquid agents into the revolving cylinder D, so as to act upon the
matter therein treated, tube K is provided and is fixed to the top cover L;
the upper end of this tube should be connected to the vat or cistern contain-
ing the liquid to be used, and a cock applied to govern the connection, on
opening which the liquid passes into the revolving drum, and takes effect upon
the "matter" therein. The position and form of the discharge end of the
tube K will be regulated according to the character of the "matter" treated
as heretofore; the form shewn in Figure 1 is more particularly adapted to the
manufacture and refining of sugar. We propose that the stream of liquid
from the pipe K shall be continuous, and as the "matter" operated upon
by the improved process rises gradually in the drum, the liquid should not be
applied too near the top of the drum, as the "matter" would then be dis-
charged in a wet state. If it should be desired to apply different liquid agents
in rotation, one acting above the other, a separate tube would be required for
each, and in that case each quality of liquid may be kept separate after having
passed through the matter by being caught in circular troughs like to that
shewn at M, and run off by pipes from each. Or, suppose saccharine
"matter is acted upon, and syrup or water is used in a jet from pipe K,
that fluid will pass through the sugar and will find its way into the trough M,
and so be kept distinct, and a pipe Y used to conduct it away where desired.
We propose also to admit steam into the interior of the revolving drum after
a similar manner; the pipe for this purpose is indicated at r. It will be
seen that the upper and lower cast-iron casings C and F, along with other
parts of the machine, are suspended by the rods Z, the lower ends of the rods
being attached by nuts to the cast-iron outer casing. The upper ends of the
same rods are fixed to the cross head above B, to which cross head the
eye-
bolt N is attached, by which the whole is suspended. The connection between
the eye-bolt N and the point of suspension may be effected by means of ball-
and-socket joint, hook, chain, flexible material, or other suitable means, any

page_text: tendency in the machines to turn round while hanging would be counteracted
by stops suitably adjusted. In adapting the suspension principle just
explained, we use flexible pipes.
Figure 6 represents the improved drum referred to as the third part of our
Invention; it is formed with a false bottom a², connected by rods b to the
inwardly projecting ring c³. At the top radiating arms d' serve to strengthen
and brace ring, and are likewise supported by the spindle q at the centre.
The false bottom a² is made with a long boss p, fitting upon the spindle q.
To the boss p the means should be attached for raising the false bottom a²,
and along with it the charge of matter, either by a cord and pulley, or by
more powerful means of screw or otherwise, should such be necessary, on
account of the tenacity of the matter operated upon. The ordinary method
of feeding with a pail or hand-tub might be employed when using a machine
arranged after this manner, or the apparatus indicated in Figures 1, 2, 3,
and 4, and already explained, might be used separate from or in conjunction
with that part of our Invention yet to be described.
Figure 7 illustrates the fourth part of our Invention. s is a lever adapted
so as to raise the break ring t into contact with the drum or or rotating
vessel h, by pressure upon the end projecting outwards.
Although we have in the above description spoken of sugar as the matter
operated on, it will be evident that ground wood or other matters containing
fluid may be operated on in like manner to that above described in respect to
sugar, and thus may coloring and other matters be separated with the fluid,
or the fluid only, depending on the matter treated.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner in
which the same is to be performed, we would have it understood that we do
not confine ourselves to the details as herein described, as variations may be
made so long as the peculiar character of any part of our Invention be
retained. But what we claim is,---
First, the constructing of centrifugal apparatus for extracting fluid from
other matters, in such manner that a supply of matter to be operated on, and
a discharge of the matter operated on, may be effected during the rotation
and by the working of the apparatus.
Second, we claim the suspending centrifugal apparatus, as explaired.
Third, we claim the arrangement of apparatus for discharging the drum or
rotating vessel of its contents, after operating by centrifugal action, as described
in respect to Figure 6.
Fourth, we claim the retarding and stopping centrifugal apparatus used for