An Improved Vacuum Chamber for use in the Concentration or other Treatment of Saccharine or other Liquids.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Nov., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 12th Dec., 1890-Accepted, 28th Feb.,
1891
PROVISIONAL, SPECIFICATION.
[Communicated from abroad by JOHN PATTEN, of No. 70, West 50th Street, New
York, United States of America, Mechanical Engineer.]
An Improved Vacuum Chamber for use in the Concentration or
other Treatment of Saccharine or other Liquids.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent
Agents, 45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to an improved large vacuum chamber suitable for use in
concentrating various liquids such as sugar-syrup, sulphuric acid etc., comprising
a vertical cylinder with a conical roof and interiorly conical at the bottom, built of
brick on a foundation covered with shect lead. The exterior of the brick walls
and roof are made air-tight by many coats of paint and varnish. The interior of
the chamber is lined with sheet metal and the said chamber is provided with a
central bottom outlet. A cast metal exteriorly flanged cylindrical shell is provided
to which sheet load covering and interior metallic lining are tightly secured. A
metallic diaphragm is arranged across the cylindrical shell through which are
inserted the draw off pipe and the eduction pipe of the steam coil contained within
the chamber. The induction pipe of the steam coil is inserted laterally through a
packed joint in the side wall. Glass windows with cast metal frames are inserted
in the conical roof with air-tight joints. The exhaust pipe is at the top and is con-
nected to the cylindrical metallic shell being inserted with an air-tight joint in the
brick roof. The space between the brickwork and the interior lining communicates
at the top with the chamber so that a vacuum is established on both sides of the
lining which are therefore under like pressure. A pipe for supplying liquid to the
chamber is inserted through the roof or through the upper part of the brick wall
with an air-tight joint. The interior sheet metal lining may be of either lead or
copper as desired.
་་་
"
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Vacuum Chamber for use in the Concentration or
other Treatment of Saccharine or other Liquids.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent
Agents, 45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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 relates to the construction of vacuum chambers of large dimensions
for use in connection with the concentration, or other treatment, of sugar or other
liquids in vacuo.
This invention consists of a cylindrical chamber with conoidal or spheroidal ends,
the shell of which chamber is built of brick laid in cement, and has its exterior
surface covered with a sufficient number of coats of paint, glaze or varnish to make
it air-tight as against external atmospheric pressure when a vacuum is established
within the chamber.
Within the brick chamber is an interior vessel or chamber, for containing the

page_text: liquid which is to be operated upon. Said interior vessel or chamber may be made
of wood or of metal according to the nature of the liquid which it is to contain.
The shell of the brick chamber is perforated for the admission of steam or other
pipes, as for example the pipes through which the fluid to be treated is supplied to and
withdrawn from the apparatus; and also for peek holes or windows, and for the
exhaust pipes by means of which a vacuum is established within the structure.
The exhaust passage is connected not only with the space within the lining, but
also with any air space which may exist either in the brick shell or between the
inner surface of the brick shell and the lining of the interior chamber.
It therefore follows that the shell of the interior chamber whether of wood or
metal, is subjected to like pressure both on the outside, and on the inside, and
therefore may be made of very thin material, as for example very thin sheet metal,
without danger of collapsing. Thus, when the apparatus is to be used for concen-
trating sugar liquor, the interior lining may be made of thin sheet copper. In other
cases, as for example when the liquid to be treated consists in whole or in part of
sulphuric acid, thin sheet lead may be employed for the lining.
By this invention it is practicable to construct at a comparatively small expense
vacuum chambers far larger than hitherto made.
In the accompanying drawings:-
--
Figure 1 is a central vertical section of an upright cylinder closed at the top and
bottom, and built of brick laid in cement, having its exterior surface covered with
a coating of paint, glaze or varnish, symbolically represented by heavy black lines,
and having its inner surface provided with a thin lining of sheet metal, such as
copper, or lead symbolically represented in section and of exaggerated thickness.
Figure 2 is a top view of a portion of the conical bottom of the chamber repre-
sented in Figure 1, with the interior metallic lining broken away for the purpose of
symbolically representing the inverted conical brick construction.
Figure 3 is a vertical section taken through the plane indicated by the line a æ on
Figure 2, illustrating the method of connecting the steam eduction and the discharge
pipes and the interior lining, with the central bottom plate of the chamber when
the lining and bottom plate are made of lead.
Figure 4 is a front elevation, and
Figure 5 is a vertical section, taken through the plane indicated by the line y, y
on Figure 4, of the portion of the wall of the brick chamber through which the
steam induction pipe passes, showing the gland packing for the pipe and the con-
centrically-corrugated lead plate applied to the exterior of the wall around the
aperture through which the pipe passes, for the purpose of keeping that part of the
wall air-tight in case the paint glaze or varnish in the immediate vicinity of the pipe
should be melted from the heat therefrom.
Figure 6 is a vertical section of the lower portion of the chamber represented
in Figure 1, showing the manner of attaching the pipes when the lining and
bottom plate are made of copper.
Figure 7 is a central vertical section of a brick chamber without the interior
metallic lining, and having a flat bottom to afford a horizontal bearing for a large
wooden tub represented as resting thercon, and as containing a liquid to be operated
upon in vacuo.
The vacuum chamber represented in Figure 1 is erected upon a substantially
hollow base, A of brick, interiorly arched as shown, to enable it to support the
supercumbent weight. A flanged conical thimble A' of cast iron serves as the
equivalent of a key stone for the arch A². The base A. is covered with a horizontal
sheet of lead B, provided in the centre with a perforation smaller in diameter
than the diameter of the upper end of the thimble A'. Another conical thimble
of cast iron C is provided at its flaring lower end with a horizontal flange C¹
which bears upon the portion of the sheet lead B, immediately surrounding the
aperture therein.
A clamping ring C³, secured by the vertical bolts C³, serves to clamp the lead
sheet closely against the under side of the flange C¹.

page_text: At its upper end the thimble C is cylindrical, and is provided with the flaring
flange C. The lower part of the cylindrical portion of the thimble C is provided
with the internal horizontal flange C to the top of which the metallic plate D is
secured by the bolts d, d.
The vacuum chamber E is a cylinder of brick, the walls of which are of greater
or less thickness according to the size of the structure. At the bottom the
bricks of which the cylinder is composed are laid in the form of an inverted
truncated cone E' built into the column of brick erected upon the top of the lead
plate B, as symbolically represented in the drawing, the thimble C being the
equivalent of the key stone of the inverted cone E¹.
At the top of the vertical wall of the vacuum chamber E is an annular casting
or frame F of metal, V-shaped in cross-section, and having its horizontal web f,
bearing upon top of the vertical wall of the vacuum chamber, and secured thereto
by the vertical bolts f, built into the upper portion of the wall, as illustrated in
the drawings. The inclined web /, of the frame F, serves as the foundation for the
lower part of the conical top G, of the vacuum chamber, which at its upper
extremity affords support for the brick flue G. The top of the flue G', is covered
by the metallic plate H, which is secured in position by the vertical bolts El',
built into the wall of the flue, as shown, and which is centrally perforated to
receive the end of the exhaust pipe 1.
Window or peek-hole frames J, J, are built into the conoidal top of the vacuum
chamber, and are provided with panes of glass j, j', which admit light and allow
observation of the interior of the chamber.
A lining K of thin sheet metal is applied to the interior of the chamber E, and
to the interior of the flue. This lining may be of sheet copper, lead or any other
suitable material. If made of lead it will be desirable to provide it with the
outwardly projecting horizontal flanges or folds k, built into the brick wall of the
structure, as symbolically represented in the drawing, for the purpose of more
securely supporting the lining in position.
At the bottom the lining K is brazed or burned to the surface of the plate D.
The plate H bears upon the top of the brick wall at a sufficient distance outside
the upper end of the lining to permit the exhaustion of any air which may be
present between the lining K, and the inner surface of the brick wall or within the
pores of the brick work.
The fluid to be treated is admitted into the vacuum chamber through the supply
pipe L which is inserted through the flanged tube i built into the conical top of the
chamber.
The exterior surface of the brick structure is covered with a coating P composed
of a sufficient number of coats of paint, glaze or varnish to make it air tight.
The fluid contents of the vacuum chamber are removed through the discharge
pipe M the upper end of which is inserted through, and is brazed or burned to,
the plate D, as symbolically shown in Figure 3 when lead is employed as the lining
for the plate D. When copper is so employed, the discharge pipe M may be
provided with a flange m and be secured to the plate D by the bolts m² m² as
illustrated in Figure 6.
The vertical wall of the chamber E is perforated to admit the counterbored and
flanged tube N through which is inserted the service pipe O of the heating_coil O',
the eduction pipe 0% of which is carried through the bottom plate D and either
brazed or burned thereto as illustrated in Figure 3 or inserted through the flanged
sleeve a, a bolted to the plate D as shown in Figure 6.
A tight joint is made between the service pipe O and the flanged tube N by
means of the gland packing NI illustrated in detail in Figures 4 and 5. As the
heat of the steam might melt the varnish in immediate proximity to the service
pipe there is bolted to the flange N the annular concentrically corrugated lead
plate No the periphery N of which is preferably turned inward and built into the
brick, as illustrated in Figure 5.

page_text: The coil O' is supported in position by means of notched supporting strips O'
arranged upon the conical bottom of the vacuum chamber E.
The conoidal construction of the top and bottom of the vacuum chamber is
adopted for the purpose of giving the structure the necessary strength to resist
external atmospheric pressure when a vacuum is established within the chamber E.
In the modification represented in Figure 7 the vacuum chamber Qis a
cylindrical chamber of brick having a hemispheroidal top Q₁ and having at its
bottom an inverted hemispheroidal arch Q built into the cylindrical column of
brick erected upon the top of the horizontal sheet of lead R, covering the
brick foundation R. Peek holes 93 ? are provided for admitting light and allowing
the inspection of the interior of the chamber Q and an aperture q' is provided with
a perforated cap for the reception of the exhaust pipe q built into the cylindrical
column of brick erected upon the top of the horizontal sheet of lead R covering the
brick foundation R¹.
Within the chamber g is a tub S for containing the liquid to be treated in vacuo,
which is supplied through the service pipe inserted through the wall of the
chamber as shown. The tub is emptied through the discharge pipe s'.
The exterior surface of the brick structure shown in Figure 3 is also covered
with a sufficient number of coats of paint, glaze or varnish to render it air tight.
In this case also the. hemispheroidal construction of the top of the chamber and the
inverted hemispheroidal arch built into the lower portion of the brick colunn at
the bottom give the chamber the necessary strength to resist external atmospheric
pressure when a vacuum is established within it.
The object of employing the lead sheet B represented in Figure 1 and the similar
sheet Rrepresented in Figure 3 is to interpose an air-tight shield which will
prevent the possibility of any air making its way upward through the lower portion
of the brick structure into the vacuum chamber.
Lead is preferably employed as the material of which this sheet is composed
because of its cheapness and also because it readily yields to compression and
closely fits any inequalities in the surfaces between which it is interposed. It will
of course be obvious that any other metal might be used instead of lead and it will
therefore be understood that the lead sheet is simply to be regarded as an air-tight
shield which is interposed between the lower portion of the brick vacuum chamber
and the foundation upon which the vacuum chamber is supported.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
First. A vacuum chamber constructed essentially of a hollow cylinder closed
at the top and bottom built of brick laid in suitable cement, and having its walls
exteriorly coated with paint glaze or varnish and perforated for the reception of an
exhaust pipe and for any other required pipes, a foundation therefor and a
continuous air-tight shield interposed between the vacuun chamber and the
foundation as, and for the purpose set forth.
Second. A vacuum chamber consisting of a hollow cylinder closed at the top
and bottom built of brick laid in suitable cement having its walls exteriorly coated
with paint, glaze or varnish and having an interior lining of sheet metal and an
exhaust pipe communicating with the interior of the chamber and with the space
between the said lining and the brick wall to which said lining is applied, as and
for the purposes set forth.
Third. In a vacuum chamber built of brick substantially as set forth, the
combination as heroin shown and described, of the conoidal brick bottom E¹ with
the metallic thimbles A¹ and C and the interiorly arched foundation A.
Fourth. A vacuum chamber having a vertical wall of masonry and a conoidal
wall of masonry forming the top of said vacuum chamber and having interposed
between the vertical wall and the conoidal wall a metallic frame V-shaped in cross

page_text: section and presenting two bearing surfaces for the said walls which are respectively
parallel with the top of the vertical wall and the lower edge of the conoidal
wall.
Fifth. The flanged tube N inserted through the wall of the vacuum chamber,
5 in combination with the corrugated plate N applied to the exterior of a portion of
the wall of the vacuum chamber adjacent to the flange of the tube N, as and for
the purposes set forth.
Dated this 12th day of December 1890.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.