Improvements in Vacuum Distilling and Evaporating Apparatus
Year: 1889

page_text: vate of Application, 2nd May, 1889
Complete Specification Left. 3rd Mar, 1990-Accepted, 26th Apr., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Vacuum Distilling and Evaporating Apparatus.
I, JAMES FOSTER, of The Grove, Sunderland, in the County of Durham, Engineer,
do bereby 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 apparatus for the vacuum distillation
and evaporation of sugar and other liquors, in two, three, or more vessels of the
character of "Triple Effets" preferably of the horizontal construction, erected over
each other, but they might be erected side by side in a horizontal plane, or vertically
on end; having a new or improved arrangement of the tubes, and circulation of the
liquor to be treated through these in said vessels, all as hereinafter described, and
which improvements will be more convenient, and give greater heating surface, and a
higher effeciency of evaporation, or distillation than has been the case with vacuum
evaporating or distilling apparatus as heretofore constructed.
Under one ai rangement the improvements consist as follows -In constructing and
erecting the outer steam heating or evaporating vessels, preferably horizontally over
each other and of a long cylindrical construction made of iron or steel plates with
flanged ends, having liquor tubes passing through tube plates at the ends of these
long vessels, and rectangular cast iron steam and liquor separating chambers
Jointed to these and to each other at the one end, and entering or it might be return
smaller vessels at the other end The ends of the tubes through which the liquor
passes to be heated by the steam within the said cylindrical vessels, would be fitted or
expanded into one end plate, and be left with motion through the other, tightened by
angled or other rubber washers, with stuffing pressure grooves and gland plates or
caps secured by separate screws to tighten six or other number of end tubes, and in
which the contracting nozzles when desired might be driven and secured fluid tight
And the entering ends of all the tubes would be fitted with short tight double vena
contracta or double trumpet conoidal nozzles of small bore, so that but a small
current of liquid would enter the tubes, and pass through in a diffused or slow
current through the large long part of the tubes to the discharge end chamber, where
the vapour would be separated from the liquid, the former rising upwards and be led
into the cylindrical chamber to heat the tubes of the next evaporating and heating
vessels; while the liquor would gravitate down to the entering end vessel and tubes
of this next vessel, and so on throughout the whole series. Or the connections, pipes
and valves may be made that anyone of the vessels may be disconnected in the series
By one arrangement the front rectangular cast iron vessels of each evaporator may
have a horizontal central division through it to make a short upper inlet liquor
The
chamber, and a long lower vapour separating and liquor discharge chamber
ends of the tubes in this case may be secured or expanded into the ends of these
vessels as tube plates, thus causing the liquor to be treated to flow through the upper
half of the tubes, to the separate return chamber at the other end of the heating
vessel, and down to and through the lower half of the tubes to the vapour and liquor
separating vessel at the under part of the front end of the evaporitor, where battle
plates or vapour separators would be formed in front of the tubes, and cause the
vapour to rise over these and pass down through pockets into the next lower heiting
vessel behind the tube plate of the inlet liquor chamber, into which the liquor would
flow from the lower part of the upper separating vessel, through a connecting branch
and regulating cock or valve. This arrangement takes place through the whole
series of evaporating on distilling vessels, the last separating vessels being connected
above to the air pump of the engine, which would be erected preferably horizontally
close alongside of this vertical stach or set of vacuum evaporators, and would work

page_text: from a curved pipe and vertical pipes ³ in each evaporator A and led down through
screw glands in the tube plate c² between the tubes B with slits in it at * to draw off
the ammonia and other noncondensible gases, as indicated by the arrows, through the
pipes
h to the air pump.
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
claum is
First. The general construction of apparatus for the vacuum distillation and
evaporation of sugar juice and other liquids, in two three or more vessels of the
tubular, triple or multiple effet class arranged vertically over each other or parallel
side by side in a horizontal plane, or of the vertical tubular class ranged vertically side
by side, substantially as herein describe in reference to and shown in Figures 1 to 3
and 4 to 8, and 9, 10 respectively of the accompanying Drawings
Second In apparatus for the vacuum distillation and evaporation of sugar juice and
other liquids, of the horizontal tubular triple or multiple effet class ranged vertically
over each other, the construction of inlet and return sets of juice or liquor heating
tubes in combination with a front duplex chest, and a return bick end chest in each
evaporator, having all the inlet upper set of tubes supplied from the upper chamber of
the front chest and the lower retuin set of tubes from the back chest, such last named
tube delivering to the lower separating juice and vapour chamber of the front chest,
from which the liquid and the vapour are respectively carried to the corresponding
chest and heater of the next evaporator, substantially as and in the manner herein
described in reference to and shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying
Drawings
Thud. In apparatus for the vacuum distillation and evaporation of sugar juice and
other liquids of the horizontal tubular triple or multiple effet class ranged vertically
over each other, the forming of duplex or double chambered chests with side pockets
over and jointed to each other at the front end of each heating vessel and tubes, with
inlet juice or liquid chamber at top and delivery separating chamber at bottom for the
purpose heren set forth and substantially as herein described in reference to and
shown in Figures 1 to 3 of the accompanying Drawings
Fourth In apparatus for the vacuum distillation and evaporation of sugar juice and
other liquids of the horizontal tubular triple or multiple effet class ranged horizontally
side by side, the fitting of a hollow inlet juice or quid box at the back end of all the
tubes of the first e.aporator, to lead the juice forward through all the tubes to a
common separating juice and vapour box common to all such tubes at the other or
front end, and pipes for conveying the juice or liquid from the lower part of this
vessel to the upper part of the back inlet chamber of the next evaporator and conveying
the vapour from the upper part of the front separating chamber to a double branch
pipe having its openings at or near the two ends of the next heating vessel in
succession and either with or without rena contracta nozzles at the inlet ends of the
tubes, and cleaning pins and shutting off disc, all substantially as herein described in
reference to and shown in Figures 4 to 8. of the accompanying Drawings
Fifth. In apparatus for the vacuum distillation and evaporation of sugar juice and
other liquids of the horizontal tubular tiple or multiple effet class in which the liquoi
passes through the tubes, the fitting and use of baffle plates in the form of louvre
boards in the delivery chambers for separating the vapour from the juice or liquor,
substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in the accompanying
Drawings
Sixth. In apparatus for the evaporation of sugar juice and other liquids, of the
vertical tubular triple or multiple effet class, the arranging of the evaporators in line
and supplying the juice or liquid by one common central pipe to any one or all of the
evaporators through one mlet branch and chamber and half of the tubes, and down
through the other half, to a receiving juice chamber and return branch to the same
range of pipes, so that the juice may be treated through the whole set in succession

page_text: o circulated continuously through any one vessel in a return manner through the
said two sets of tubes of each evaporator, and having the vapour led off from the top
of the first evaporating vessel down through a pipe on opposite sides, each distributing
the vapour in through two branches on opposite sides at right angles to each other one
set to the upper and lower parts of the next heating vessel in succession of the whole
set, all substantially as herein described in reference to and shown in Figures 9 and 10
and 9 A and 10 A of the accompanying Drawings
Seventh. In tubular apparatus for the vacuum distillation and evaporation of sugar
Juice and other liquids of the triple or multiple effet class in which the liquor passes
through the tubes, the fitting and use of a vena contracta nozzle in the supply let end
of each tube of the whole set, and in the supply and inlet return ends of any division
or group of the tubes when they are made to undulate in sections, or in the supply
inlet end only of each single coil when they undulate in single coils from inlet to
discharge, either with or without expansion corrugations at the nozzle ends of the
tubes substantially as and for the purposes and advantages berein described in reference
to and shown in the accompanying drawings
Eighth In apparatus for the vacuum distillation and evaporation of sugar juce and
other liquids of the triple or multiple effet class in which the liquor passes through
the tubes the fitting of spiral or screw blades in the tubes, in combination with
vena contracta nozzles at the inlet ends, substantially as and for the purposes herein
described in reference to and shown in the accompanying drawings.
Ninth In apparatus for the vacuum distillation and evaporation of sugar juice and
other liquids, of the horizontal tubular, triple or multiple effet class in which the liquor
passes through the tubes the fitting and use of cleaning pins and closing plate
actuated by hand screw or equivalent gear from the outside substantially as herein
described in reference to and shown in Figure 8 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this Third day of March 1898.
W. K. M. THOMSON & CO,
96, Buchanan Street, Glasgow, Agents.