IMPROVE- MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND REFINING OF SUGAR.
Year: 1852

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to George Dixon, of Birmingham, in the
County of Warwick, Merchant, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND REFINING OF SUGAR.".
A com-
munication.
-
Sealed the 29th January 1863, and dated the 11th December 1852.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said George Dixon
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 11th December 1852.
I, GEORGE DIXON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick,
Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE AND REFINING OF SUGAR" to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists of an upright box or chamber, having
within it numerous tubes, fixed in a plate or partition at the upper
part of the box or chamber, and also into another plate at the lower
part of the chamber, between which partitions steam is admitted to
heat and evaporate the saccharine liquid, which is caused to de-
scend within the tubes in a divided stream by means of a rose head
to each tube. At the lower part of the box or chamber the liquid is

page_text: received into a chamber through which, and through the tube,
streams of air are forced by a fan or other blower, and the condensed
steam is drawn off from the other chamber.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters
Patent, filed by the said George Dixon in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 10th June 1853.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I,
GEORGE DIXON, of Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Mer-
chant, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-two, in
the sixteenth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said George Dixon, Her special
licence that I, the said George Dixon, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, or such others as I, the said George Dixon, my execu
tors, 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 MANUFACTURE AND REFINING OF SUGAR" (commu-
nicated to me from abroad), upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said George Dixon, by an instrument in writing under
my hand and seal, 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 George Dixon, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement thereof (that is to say):

page_text: This Invention consists of an upright box or chamber, having
within it numerous tubes fixed in a plate or partition at the upper
part of the box or chamber, and also into another plate at the lower
part of the chamber, between which partition steam is admitted to
heat and evaporate the saccharine liquid, which is caused to
descend within the tubes in a divided stream, by means of a rose
head to each tube. At the lower end of the box or chamber, the
liquid is received into a chamber, through which and through the
tube, streams of air are forced by a fan or other blower, and the
condensed steam is drawn off from the other chamber. And in
order that the Invention may be most fully understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the means pursued
by me.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING.
Figure 1, is a vertical section through the line (c, d,) in Figure 2;
Figure 2, is a plan of the upper part of the apparatus; Figure 3,
is a section through the line (a, b,) Figure 1. A, A, is a cast iron
casing, closed at top and bottom by wrought plates B, B, in which
are bored a number of holes to receive an equal number of brass or
copper tubes E, E, which are fitted in firmly, so as to be air tight
and vertical; C, C, is a cast iron tank, fixed at top of A, A, and is
intended to receive the cane juice, and deliver it into the tubes;
D, D, a wooden chimney to carry off the vapours, and to aid the fan
or blower.
The casing A, A, rests upon a cast iron chamber G, G, which
communicates by means of a pipe H, H, with the fun or blower.
The chamber G, receives the cane juice as it fall from the tubes,
and delivers it through the pipe K, to a pump; L, is the inlet
pipe for the steam; M, the outlet pipe for the condensed steam or
water.
The cane juice enters the tank, and descends into the tubes in the
form of rain in any convenient manner, and meets in its fall a
current of air driven by the fan or blower. This current of air
passing through the tubes, and coming in contact with the falling
cane juice, absorbs a great deal of water, producing thereby a rapid

page_text: condensation, and a still more rapid evaporation. On its arrival in
the chest G, the cane juice passes away by means of a pipe K, and
is raised to the tank C, by means of a pump to full again into the
tubes E, E. The cane juice thus becomes sufficiently concentrated
to go into the striking pan, and is drawn off gradually for that
purpose from the box or chamber G,. fresh cane juice entering
gradually to supply its place.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the
manner of performing the same, I would have it understood that I
do not confine myself to the details herein.described, as the same
may be varied without departing from my Invention. But what I
claim is, The evaporating saccharine fluids,' by causing them to de-
scend in a divided state through vertical tubes, around which.steam
circulates in a close vessel, and up which tubes streams of air (caused
by a fan or blower) pass at the same time.
In witness whereof, I, the said George Dixon, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of June, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-
three.
Witness,
.
THOS DIXON,
Birmingham.
GEORGE DIXON. (L.S.)