AN IMPROVED CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS INTENDED FOR PURIFYING, WASHING, DRYING, MOULDING, OR EXTRACTING FROM LIQUIDS SUBSTANCES OR MATERIALS OF VARIOUS KINDS WHICH ARE DEPOSITED OR POURED FOR THIS PURPOSE IN MOVEABLE BASKETS OR BOXES FITTED IN THE SAID APPARATUS
Year: 1861

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Gabriel Auguste Condroy, of the Town of
Douai, in the Empire of France, Machine Builder, for the Invention of
"AN IMPROVED CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS INTENDED FOR PURIFYING, WASHING,
DRYING, MOULDING, OR EXTRACTING FROM LIQUIDS SUBSTANCES OR MATERIALS
OF VARIOUS KINDS WHICH ARE DEPOSITED OR POURED FOR THIS PURPOSE IN
MOVEABLE BASKETS OR BOXES FITTED IN THE SAID APPARATUS"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Gabriel Auguste
Condroy at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his
Petition, on the 19th September 1861.
I, LOUIS GABRIEL AUGUSTE CONDROY, of the Town of Douai, in the Empire
of France, Machine Builder, do hereby declare the nature of the said Inven-
tion for "AN IMPROVED CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS INTENDED FOR PURIFYING,
WASHING, DRYING, MOULDING, OR EXTRACTING FROM LIQUIDS SUBSTANCES OR
MATERIALS OF VARIOUS KINDS WHICH ARE DEPOSITED OR POURED FOR THIS PURPOSE
IN MOVEABLE BASKETS OR BOXES PITTED IN THE SAID APPARATUS," to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists in fitting any even number of horizontal arms on a
vertical shaft, the said arms being placed in a same plane, each one of them

page_text: being provided at its outer end with a hinged hanger suitably disposed and
shaped to receive either perforated boxes or baskets, which may be lined inside
with either cotton, woollen, or metallic cloth. The materials or substances to
be either purified, washed, dried, or moulded, or extracted from liquids are
previously placed in the said boxes or baskets, or poured in a running stream
if liquids, a quick rotating motion being given to the centrifugal apparatus.
When the operation is finished the apparatus is stopped a short time to allow
the taking out of the boxes or baskets in which the substances have been
operated, and fill their place by fresh boxes or baskets prepared beforehand to
be submitted to the same process. Whatever may be the number of horizontal
arms of the apparatus any smaller number of baskets may be placed on, pro-
vided they are in even number and placed on opposito arms so as to balance
the weight
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Louis Gabriel Auguste Condroy in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 15th March 1862.
TO, ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LOUIS
GABRIEL AUGUSTE CONDROY, of the Town of Douni, in the Empire of France,
Machine Builder, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Nineteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one, in the twenty-fifth year of Iler
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said Louis Gabriel Anguste Condroy, Her special licence that 1, the
said Louis Gabriel Auguste Condroy, my executors, administrators, and
assigns, or such others as I, the said Louis Gabriel Auguste Condroy, my
executors, 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 "AN IMPROVED CENTRIFUGAL APPARATUS, INTENDED
FOR PURIFYING, WASHING, DRYING, MOULDING, OR EXTRACTING FROM LIQUIDS
SUBSTANCES OR MATERIALS OF VARIOUS KINDS, WHICH ARE DEPOSITED OR POURED FOR
THIS PURPOSE IN MOVEABLE BASKETS OR BOXES PITTED IN THE SAID APPARATUS,"
upon
tho condition (amongst others) that I, the said Louis Gabriel Auguste

page_text: Condroy, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
or their, or one of their hands and seals, 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 Louis Gabriel Auguste Condroy,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in
and by the following statement :-
The centrifugal apparatuses used heretofore for drying yarns or fabrics,
purifying sugar, washing grains or other substances, of which the liquid
particles must be separated from the solid ones, are generally composed of a
horizontal or vertical cylinder revolving on its shaft, and in which are placed
the substances which are to be purified, washed, or dried, which substances fly
against the periphery by the effect of the quick rotating motion. The said
substances must then be gathered from the periphery of the apparatus at
intervals, with greater or less labour, time, and difficulty, according to their
nature.
In the combination which I am about to describe the substances to be sub-
mitted to the action of the centrifugal force are operated upon in mere baskets
or perforated boxes, lined inside, if necessary, with a woollen or common coarse
cloth, or else with a wire cloth. The substances to be treated can be placed
previously in the baskets or boxes, so that they can be partly drained before
putting them in the apparatus, and after the operation or drying process is
over, they are taken off and carried to the storehouses or gathering halls, whilst
fresh baskets or boxes, previously prepared, are submitted to the same
process, and so on as fast as the first baskets are emptied and filled up anew.
The annexed Sheet of Drawing is an illustration of my Invention.
Figure 1 is a vertical section; Figure 2, a plan of the apparatus, which is
composed of a large wooden or metal tub, cistern, or reservoir A, of suitable
diameter, over which stands a frame B. A socket bearing K is fitted in the
middle of the bottom of the tub, traversed by a vertical shaft C, carrying at the
upper part a friction cone J, a horizontal shaft k' carrying the loose and
driving pullies L and L', and another cone M, actuating by its friction the
cone J, fixed on the vertical shaft C. An iron plate fixed by any suitable means
to a swelling or collar V, keyed on the shaft, carries hinged arms E of any even
When the shaft does not run, the moveable part of the arms E
number.

page_text: hangs down in a vertical direction, and the lower end of the said arms is
revitted to suitable frames, made either of angle iron bars II, or of sheet iron
slightly concave, with a hole cut in the centre of the bottom. In the said
frames thus hanging on the arms E, the baskets or boxes I, previously filled
up with the substance to be submitted to the centrifugal action, are placed.
When a rotating motion is given to the vertical shaft, the frames and baskets
are carried along, and the centre of gravity of each bulk banging freely to the
hinged arms, will soon move up by the action of centrifugal force, and reach
the level of the plate carrying the arms E; in short, the axis of the baskets,
which, when motionless, was vertical, will soon be in the horizontal line, and
the baskets or boxes reached the position N, as shown in red lines, Figure 1,
and will remain thus as long as a quick rotating motion is imparted to the
shaft C; this motion is to last, of course, as long as required, according to the
nature of the substance to be treated and the quantum of liquid particles to be
expelled. Among the substances which will be named hereafter as capable of
being treated to some advantage in this basket turbin, some of them, after the
expulsion of the liquids inherent in their nature or used for their first prepa-
ration, require to be thoroughly washed with other pure liquids. For this
purpose I place over the horizontal plate a conical shaped vessel T, to the
bottom of which radical tubes t, corresponding to the baskets; the liquid is
then poured in the said baskets through the numerous perforations of rose
plates 2 (pommes d'arrosons). The length and direction of the tubes t must
be so disposed that the pouring rose plate corresponds to the middle of the
baskets when the latter have been driven to the horizontal position by the
centrifugal action, as shewn at N, Figure 1. The liquid to be injected on the
substances or objects contained in the baskets being in an upper chamber is
conveyed by a pipe provided with a stopple cock into the vessel T, whence the
centrefugal force drives it powerfully in all the radial tubes t, which pour it
without any loss over the surface of substances or objects to be washed off or
purified. It will be easily found out by experiment which is the size to be
given to the spouting rose and its perforations, as well as the distance to be
left between the spouting rose and baskets.
.
The foregoing description is sufficient to understand that the announced
results are obtained in a more general manner and by a plain process, which
by the same arrangement of the apparatus, represented on the annexed Sheet
of Drawing, is more economical, both in respect of labor and of the time
required, than with other centrifugal apparatuses hitherto used.
In order to bave my Invention better understood and appreciated, I will

page_text: point out, among many, some substances or objects which may be specially
treated in this machine.
First, in bleaching houses or laundries, by placing in opposite baskets or
some number of similar pieces, or nearly a same weight of different pieces of
cloth, as in the manufacture of tissues, by placing in the said baskets bundles
of equal weights, either of yarns or fabrics, to be dried up rapidly.
Second, in sugar manufactories, by pouring in the baskets equal quantities,
either by weight or bulk, of raw sugar, the fluid syrup or clavice employed to
purify and decolorise it being separated from the crystallised sugar by the
centrifugal motion imparted to the baskets in which the said crystallised sugar
remains, the fluid having escaped through the meshes of the wire cloth, the
crystallised particles remaining within the baskets.
Third, to the treatment of sugar skums, which are poured into the baskets
lined with cloth, and submitted to the rotating motion, the effect of which is to
force the liquid particles through the filtering cloth, over which the solid particles
are deposited. This filtering process can be rendered continuous by pouring on
the sugar scums in the central vessel T of the apparatus, the exit pipes of
which being constantly opposite the horizontal baskets, or brought to the
horizontal position of the rotary motion being on fresh quantities of scums,
which are filtered through both the cloth and first deposit till it becomes
necessary to empty the baskets.
Fourth, for easily extracting the juice of triturated or mashed beet root
and obtaining then the
of the same pulp, by injecting water through
the pipes t in order to wash the said pulp, to carry away all the sugar particles
contained in it, and which would remain after a mere turbinage without pouring
water over them.
Fifth, for drying the turf intended for fuel, which is commonly done by
exposing it out to the air, but could be done in the common cylindrical
centrifugal apparatuses with some difficulty and loss of time to take out the
said materials after the turbining process, whilst (osier) of a conical shape, the
conglomerated materials may be most easily taken out by striking a light blow
without destroying the baskets in the slightest degree
Figure 3 and 4 shews a special disposition of the baskets or light perforated
boxes lined with metallic or other cloths, and divided into compartments, which
could produce at the same time dried and moulded turf ready for fuel. The
conical shape of the compartment facilitates the getting out of the moulded
turf or peat, and besides, the bottom of the said baskets or boxes could be
made to open, and, if necessary, the moulded pieces of turf could be pushed

page_text: out of the baskets. This apparatus could be established in large cellars with
strong timber frames and iron braces, so as to be able to hang at once a great
number of baskets, and such work could be established at the peat boys, a
great saving of time and of expense being thus saved, and no space required
for drying the turf intended for fuel being thus economised.
Sixth, in the revivification of animal charcoal (which, after having been
washed off, retains a great quantity of water) this apparatus can be used to
great advantage for saving the fuel used for vapourising this water and the
cast-iron vessels damaged by it.
Seventh, I will now point out two novel applications of this centrifugal
apparatus, the principle of which I may claim as my exclusive property,
namely, the extraction of cider from mashed or rasped apples or pears, and of
wine from trodden grapes. In both cases the said substances, on being placed
or poured in a set of baskets, a portion of their juice naturally flows out. They
are then submitted to the action of the apparatus, and towards the end of the
process they sprinkled with water to obtain cider or wine of lower qualities,
which are conveyed from the tub to different reservoirs through a special
pipe.
Eighth, in manufacturing common salt, when separated from its mother
water, it must be dried in hot chambers; instead of this the wet salt submitted
to the centrifugal force in the baskets of the apparatus, no trituration being
required, and, if necessary, it can be washed off by pressing over it either pure
or salt water running through the radial pipes to the central reservoir T.
Soda, potash, or other salts can be treated in the same way for drying and
preserving their crystals.
Ninth, to the coals intended to be converted into coke, the coals being
first washed to separate the extrainous substances, can be then dried in the
baskets of the apparatus before transferring them into coke.
Tenth, all liquids requiring to be purified through filtering can be poured in
the central chambers, whence they are conveyed through the horizontal radial
pipes into the baskets suitable, provided with filtering materials; the liquids
are injected to the centre of the baskets during their rotary motion.
Having now described my centrifugal apparatus, and pointed out various
applications thereof, I wish it to be understood that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise shape, arrangement, and disposition of the consituont
juices described or represented in the annexed Drawing as long as the par-
ticular character is retained; but what I claim as my Invention is the
exclusive right of using, selling, or authorising to use centrifugal apparatuses

page_text: intended for purifying, washing, drying, moulding, or extracting from liquids
substances, or materials of various kinds, which are deposited or poured for
this purpose in moveable baskets or perforated boxes lined inside, if necessary,
with metallic or other cloth, and fitted to the end of radial arms in the said
apparatuses; and I particularly claim also the manufacturing of wine and
cider by the centrifugal process as described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Louis Gabriel Auguste Condroy, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Thirteenth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two.
Signed and sealed in the pre-
sence of
L. D'AUBRÉVILLE, C. E.,
Paris.
L. G. A. CONDROY. (L.S.)