IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MOULding, Draining, AND DRYING of Sugar, and IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH
Year: 1871

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Edward Gedge, of No. 11, Wellington
Street, Strand, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the
Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MOULding, Draining, AND DRYING
of Sugar, and IN APPARATUS CONNECTED THEREWITH."-A communication
from abroad by August Friedrich Wilhelm Partz, of San Francisco,
Sealed the 2nd June 1871, and dated the 30th March 1871.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William Edward Gedge
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and
Declaration, on the 30th March 1871, pursuant to the 9th Section
of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
EDWARD GEDGE, of No. 11, Wellington Street, Strand, in the County
of Middlesex, Patent Agent, send grecting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
THE MOULDING, DRAINING, AND DRYing of Sugar, anD IN APPARATUS CONNECTED
THEREWITH," and have made solemn Declaration that it is a com

page_text: munication to me from abroad by August Friedrich Wilhelm Partz, of
San Francisco, California, in the United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said William Edward Gedge, do hereby
declare that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and
scal, fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed :—
This Invention relates to those operations in the manufacture of
refined sugar which succeed the concentration of its solution in the
vacuum pan, and it has for its object the casting and expeditious draining
and drying of the sugar in large compact masses. This is accomplished
by the employment of capacious stationary moulds surrounded by vessels
wherein water can be heated and held at certain requisite temperatures,
and by the successive application of atmospheric pressure for the
drainage of the adhering syrup, and of compressed heated air for
the expulsion of the remaining moisture. Special provision is also
made for the removal of the sugar from the molds upon the completion
of the process, and for the proper control of the latter during its
progress.
The following is a description of the apparatus employed in this
Invention, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, of which
Figure 1 represents a vertical longitudinal section, Figure 2 is a vertical
transverse section, and Figure 3 half of a top view of such parts of the
said apparatus as require illustration. The same letters denote the same
parts.
A, C. and B, C, are two vessels, one inside of the other, the bottoms of
both of which are formed of the iron casting C, which by means of a flange
rests upon and is bolted to the beams H and K. The sides A and B of
both vessels are made of stout sheet iron and riveted with their lower
edges tightly to the casting C, while their upper edges are jointly riveted
to the cast-iron flange a. D is an iron casting secured by a flange to
the casting C, and to it is bolted the bottom plate E. c, c, c, c, are
conical iron plugs provided with handles, by means of which they are
screwed into four equidistant holes in the bottom of the vessel A, C.
Directly below these holes are four other holes in the bottom plate E,
large enough to admit of the plugs c being drawn through them, and
which after the removal of the said plugs may be closed up by four
other plugs like that represented by being screwed into them.

page_text: "
Attached to the casting D and opening into the chamber C, D, E, is
a pipe which forks into the pipes 6 and p, both the latter being near
their junction provided with stop-cocks. The pipe b connects with one
end of a 66 worm " which is enclosed in an iron vessel F, while the other
end (n) of the " Worm communicates with a pump adapted to the
production of a continuous current of compressed air, which pump is
omitted in the Drawings; d is a pipe through which the vessel F
is supplied with water, which on attaining its proper height is discharged
through the pipe g; q is a pipe through which steam may be passed
into the vessel F, and y a pipe for the escape of the steam; x is a
thermometer to indicate the temperature of air passing through the
pipe p. Attached to the bottom plate E and opening like into the
chamber C, D, E, is a pipe to which connects with a cylindrical iron
vessel R, and may be closed by a stop-cock. Connected with the same
vessel is another pipe m which communicates with a pump or some
other contrivance suited for the exhaustion of air; vis a valve which
can be so adjusted that it admits air into the vessel R as soon as a
certain degree of exhaustion of the air therein is exceeded; t is a glass
tube to indicate the height of a liquid contained in the vessel R; f is a
stop-cock or faucet; is a pipe through which the space A, B, C, can
be filled with water, into which steam can be let through the pipe /,
V, B, is a vessel, the interior of which communicates. by means of two
small apertures in the side B with the space A, B, C; so that the water,
let into the latter also enters the said vessel, in which, therefore, its
height may be observed and likewise its temperature be measured by
the introduction of a thermometer. c, e, are pieces wrought of band
iron so as to fit crosswise into the vessel A, C, lying close against its
sides and bottom. i, i, are bolts welded to the middle of the pieces e,
and at their lower ends provided with screw threads. Passing through
the casting C and the bottom plate E they may be drawn down by the
screw caps u, u, thus holding the picces e firmly to the bottom of the
vessel A, C. P, P, are pieces of wrought iron, the ends of which fit
into oblong holes near the ends of the pieces e, and through the middle
of which pass a pair of strong screws 8, s. These may be turned by
means of a short iron bar struck through the rings r, r, which rings are
also to serve another purpose, as will be described hereafter. T is a
light sheet-iron cover intended to rest during a part of the operation
upon the ends of the pieces e, so that a small space is left between it and

page_text: Around
the mange a. IN IS a ti sheet of metal suspended m the vessel A, U,
by means of the hooked rods o, o. The pipes and b' communicate with
a steam boiler k and d with a reservoir or other water source.
the bolts i under the pieces c, and also between the screw caps and the
bottom plate E, discs of vulcanized india-rubber are inserted to guard
against leakage. For the same purpose the rims of the screw plugs =
are provided with flat rings of the same material.
The operation with the above-described apparatus is as follows:—'
5:—The
space A, B, C, is to within a couple of inches of the rim of the vessel V, B,
filled with water which is heated by steam passed into it to about one
hundred and sixty (160°) degrees of "Fahrenheit." The plugs c having
been inserted, the pieces e secured in their places by means of the bolts i,
and the screw caps 2, and the sheet N suspended in the vessel A, C, the
latter is filled with boiled sugar as it comes from the vacuum pan,
the cover T is put on (as indicated by dotted lines) and the sugar is
left to crystallize (to "set"). As the temperature of the water filling
the space A, B, C, is nearly the same as that with which the sugar
enters the mould A, C, and as, morcover, the cover T shields against a
speedy cooling from above, there is no cause for a sudden solidification
of the sugar at its sides and surface and for an ununiform crystallization.
If, therefore, the operation proceeds in a normal way the mass need not be
stirred before it becomes set, though this may be advisable in exceptional
cases. In about twenty-four (24) hours the crystallization is completed,
and during this time the temperature of the water surrounding the
mould A, C, is allowed to go down with that of the sugar until it has
reached about one hundred and twenty (120°) degrees Fahrenheit,"
where it is kept. The plugs c are now taken out, and the crust which
has formed at the bottom of the sugar is "pricked or broken through
by a pointed iron rod until syrup begins to issue freely from the four
holes from which the plugs e were withdrawn. The plugs are then
at once screwed into the bottom plate E, so that the syrup draining
from the sugar flows through the pipe to into the vessel R, from which
it is discharged through the faucet f. When the syrup has begun to
flow sparingly the cover T is removed, the glutinous substance, termed
"smear," which has collected upon the solidified sugar is taken off,
the surface of the sugar is "brushed" and levelled, and the cover T is
replaced. Thereupon the faucet is closed, and by means of the
"3
66

page_text: exhaust pump connected with the pipe m air is drawn from the vessel R
until the atmospheric pressure amounts to from two (2) to six (6)
pounds upon a square inch, according to the quality of the sugar and
the manner in which it was boiled, the weight of the lever of the
valve having previously been placed conformably. As at this stage
of the operation the sugar in the lower part of the mould may yet be
too mushy to withstand more than a certain pressure, some of it might
be forced out with the syrup if the flow of the latter were accelerated by
the exhaustion of air beyond a certain point, which is easily determined
by observation. After the lapse of several hours a concentrated solution
of white sugar, termed "liquor," is poured upon the moulded sugar
allowing for each one thousand (1000) pounds of the latter from three (3)
to four (4) gallons of " liquor," and by drawing more air from the vessel R
the atmospheric pressure is gradually increased a few pounds per square
inch. When most of the "liquor” has passed through into the vessel R
carrying with it part of the brown syrup yet remaining in the crystallized
sugar an equal quantity of "liquor" as before is poured on and some
more air is drawn from the vessel R. According to the higher or lower
grade of the sugar under treatment this operation is yet repeated once,
twice, or thrice, namely, so often until the syrup runs off colorless.
Before, however, the last "liquor" is poured on the temperature of the
water surrounding the vessel A, C, is raised to from one hundred and
fifty (150°) to one hundred and sixty (160°) degrees Fahrenheit,"
where it is kept to the end of the process. While the last "liquor" is
passing through the sugar the exhaust pump is kept at work, and not
until a couple of hours after air has begun to be drawn through the
sugar into the vessel R should the pump be stopped, which then ends
the draining operation. The sugar now remains to be dried. To this
end the stop-cock in the pipe w is closed, and that in the pipe p opened,
the cover T is taken off, the cross pieces P are put in their places, and
the screws s are firmly screwed down upon the sugar. The vessel F
having been filled with water the compression pump which connects
with the upper end (11') of the worm n is then set in motion, forcing a
current of air by way of the pipe p and the chamber C, D, E, into and
through the moulded sugar, while at the same time steam is let into the
vessel F until the thermometer x indicates that the air passing through
the pipe p has a temperature of from one hundred and fifty (150) to
one hundred and sixty (160) degrees Fahrenheit." This temperature

page_text: is to be maintained for a couple of hours, and as heat is constantly set
free by the compression of the air some cold water is from time to time
to be let into the vessel T, or it must be so arranged that a little water
continually flows into it. During the next two or three hours the
temperature of the water in the vessel F is allowed gradually to rise
to boiling point, where it is then kept to the end of the process.
The heated air in being forced through the moulded sugar converts into
vapour and carries with it the moisture retained in the crystalline mass,
and if the compression pump is of sufficient capacity having a piston of
from six (6) to eight (S) inches in diameter and is briskly worked the
drying of the sugar may in this manner be effected in eight (8) or ten
(10) hours. When no more vapor is observed to rise from the sugar
the screw caps are taken off, and as the sugar always, more or less,
adheres to the mould, the pump is kept at work until it is noticed that
with cach piston stroke the sugar is slightly raised by the pressure of
the air (which generally occurs immediately after the unscrewing of the
screw caps ) when the pump is stopped. A pair of chains or wire
ropes suspended from, a hoisting gear which is attached to a truck
moveable upon rails are then fastened by means of hooks to the rings r,
and the mass of sugar (which according to the scale adopted in the
accompanying Drawings will weigh about five thousand (5000) pounds
is lifted from its mould and transferred to a platform. Here the screws 8
are loosened and the pieces Pande taken off, and as, by the plate N,
the sugar is already to within a few inches of its surface lengthwise
divided it is easily split in two by some wedges inserted. in the plane
of the said plate, whereupon the two halves may be sawed or crushed
into smaller pieces.
To facilitate the cleaning of the chamber C, D, E, and the mould A, C,
of adhering sugar, steam may be let into them from the pipe b.
Although the apparatus as represented in the accompanying Drawings
and as herein described is especially well adapted to the purpose in view,
still the shape and arrangement of its parts may in some measure be
varied without materially affecting the intended result..
In the refining of some kinds of sugar it may also be found advisable
to deviate to some extent from the above described mode of conducting
the process, which particularly applies to cane sugar of good quality
and to beet sugar. Such modifications will ready suggest themselves

page_text: to the practical refiner, yet there are some changes of construction which
it may not be amiss here to designate.
Instead of enclosing cach mould in a separate vessel for the purpose
of maintaining the temperature of the moulded sugar, two or as many
moulds as can at nearly the same time be filled (according to the number
and capacity of the vacuum pans employed) may in a suitable manner
be arranged side by side and be enclosed in a common casing, having
then also a common chamber underneath.
It is not necessary that each mould or set of moulds be supplied with
separate apparatus for the extraction and reception of the syrup and for
the heating and cooling of the compressed air, as one for each of these
purposes will suffice for quite a number of moulds, because it is always
but a few moulds that can be filled on the same day, and consequently
the contents of but a few moulds is on the same day to be subjected to
the same operation.
The exhaustion as well as the compression of air may be performed
by the same pump if suitably constructed and connected. Both effects
may also be produced by other well-known contrivances.
If it is desired to have the sugar in moulding divided into smaller
picces, two or three sheets of metal like the sheet N may at proper
intervals be suspended in the mould prior to the casting of the sugar.
The process herein specified insures a large saving of labor, fuel, and
time in the manufacture of refined sugar. First it does away with
much manipulation necessitated by the employment of numerous small
moulds; second, it does away with the heating of large apartments to
high temperatures, which is indispensable for the draining and the drying
of sugar loaves made in the usual way; and third, it accomplishes in a
few days what requires a couple of wecks by the method now generally
practised. Besides these principal advantages it may be mentioned
that from sugar in moulds containing several thousand pounds the
removal of the brown syrup is effected with comparatively much less
"white liquor" than from sugar cast in the ordinary small moulds
called "titlers," and it is evident that by this new process the various
operations pertaining to the production of solid white sugar may be
far more thoroughly controlled than is possible by the old system.
Having now described and ascertained the nature of the said Invention
communicated to me as aforesaid, and in what manner the same is or

page_text: may be performed, I would have it understood that I do not claim
broadly the mode of extracting syrup from sugar by means of atmo-
spheric pressure, nor that of drying sugar by means of air forced or
drawn through it, but what I claim is,―
First. The process substantially as herein described of moulding,
draining, and drying sugar in large masses.
Second. The apparatus hercin specified for executing the said process
without, however, confining myself to the special shape and arrange-
ment of its various parts, so far as by their alteration the intended
result is not materially affected.
Third. The encasing of sugar moulds of whatever form and size by
vessels wherein water can be heated for the purpose of keeping the
moulded sugar at certain requisite temperatures.
And, fourth. The dividing of large masses of sugar by means of plates
suspended in the moulds.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Edward Gedge, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of March, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
onc.