Granular Substances or Substances in a State of Magma.
Year: 1888

page_text: Granular Substances or Substances in a State of Magma.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL, of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent (a communication
to me from abroad by Messrs. Langen & Hundhausen of Grevenbroich Rhein Province
in the Empire of Germany, Manufacturers) 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 :—
This invention has for its object to effect in a systematic manner the removal of
mother liquors from crystalline masses, or the washing of crystals on which the mother
liquor has dried, or generally the lixiviation or treatment with liquids of any granular
substances or substances in a state of magma, the mingling of the displacing or
washing liquid with the liquid which is to be removed therefrom being avoided as
much as possible.
The method of operating for this purpose consists mainly in introducing the washing
liquid into the uppermost of a series of superposed vessels having perforated or
permeable bottoms and charged with the granular material or magma to be treated, so
that the washing liquid, in descending by gravity through the various receptacles,
carries down with it the mother liquor or other impurities to be removed, so that
eventually the uppermost vessel is completely cleared of such liquor, and is charged
only with the washing liquid. Air is then forced in through the closed top of the
uppermost vessel so as to force the liquid contained in it down into the next vessel,
and while at the same time a corresponding quantity of liquid is discharged from the
bottom vessel, after which the top vessel is removed and a freshly charged vessel is
introduced at the bottom of the column. The second vessel, which is now uppermost,
is then supplied with liquid until it, in its turn, is perfectly freed from mother liquor,
after which it also is removed and another freshly charged vessel is introduced at
bottom, so that a continuous washing operation can be carried out in this manner.
The apparatus for carrying out this method of operation can be variously arranged;
on the accompanying drawing is shewn the construction which it is preferred to employ

page_text: for this purpose.
It consists firstly of a series of vessels A open at top and having
perforated bottoms B which may be advantageously formed of corrugated metal, and
are so arranged as to be fixed airtight one on top of the other; each vessel has also a
testing cock C. The apparatus consists secondly of a drip-pan E, and thirdly of a
cover with feed hopper G and air pipe H.
When using washing liquids that have different degrees of saturation at different
temperatures, the vessels should all be provided with a covering of a bad conductor
of heat.
The vessels A charged with the material to be treated, as also the pan E and
cover F are provided with flanges whereby they may be secured airtight one upon
the other.
The washing liquid may consist either of a pure saturated solution of the material
under treatment or a liquid that will not dissolve such material, but that acts as a
solvent upon the substances to be removed. This liquid is charged into the hopper G
from which it is admitted into the vessel A through a stoppered opening S. Here it
penetrates through the whole mass of crystals or other granular material or magma
with which the vessel is charged, and in descending through the same it removes the
mother liquor or other impurities adhering thereto and carries it down into the vessels
below, so that as the whole column of vessels gradually becomes charged with the
liquid, each successive vessel will have its contents in a different stage of purification,
the number of vessels in the column being by preference so arranged, that by the time
the whole column has become charged with the liquid, the contents of the top vessel
will have become completely washed or lixiviated.
This having been done, the liquid with which the top vessel is charged can be forced
down into the lower one by introducing air, steam, or other gases under pressure
through the pipe H on the cover F, a corresponding quantity of liquid being at the
same time forced from the lowest vessel into the pan E. The pipe connection of the
cover is then loosened and the top vessel A is removed from the column. At the same
time the connection of the lowest vessel with the pan E having been loosened, the
whole column is raised by any suitable means, and a vessel freshly charged with
material to be treated is introduced between what was before the lowest vessel and the
pan E, the whole being then again secured together in an airtight manner.
The
pipe H having been secured in position, washing liquid is then again introduced
into the uppermost vessel, and the above described operation is repeated, so that the
washing or lixiviating process is carried out continuously by the consecutive removal
of the top vessel with simultaneous introduction of a freshly charged vessel at
bottom, whenever by the introduction of liquid into the top vessel this has become
perfectly washed. By withdrawing a sample of the liquid by means of the testing
cocks C, the condition of the contents of each vessel can be ascertained.
The liquid accumulating in the pan E is discharged from time to time into a conduit
below by means of a pipe J.
By means of the above described method of operating, the washing or treating of
granular or crystalline materials can be carried out with a comparatively small
expenditure of washing liquid.
It will be evident that the column of vessels A might also be arranged in an inclined
or horizontal position, in which latter case the washing liquid would have to be supplied
to the front vessel under sufficient pressure to cause it to penetrate through all the
vessels of the column.
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
claim is:-
1. In treating granular or crystalline substances or substances in a state of magma
with liquid for the purpose of washing, lixiviating or otherwise treating the same, the
method of introducing the washing or other liquid into the one end of a column of
vessels charged with the materials to be treated, and discharging it at the other end,
the vessels being periodically removed at the charging end when their contents have

page_text: been sufficiently treated, while at the same time a vessel containing a fresh charge
of material is introduced at the discharging end of the column, substantially as
herein described.
2. The use for carrying out the method of operating referred to in the preceding
claim, of apparatus consisting of a column of vessels A with perforated or permeable
bottoms B and testing cocks C, the column being closed at the one end by a drip pan. E
and at the other end by a cover F with feed hopper G and air pipe H, arranged and
operating substantially as herein described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.