GB810134A - Improved method and means for washing wool - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0810134/IV (c)/1> <PICT:0810134/IV (c)/2> Apparatus for purifying wool, particularly raw wool, comprises a processing bath 1 containing mineral oil, a vessel 3 therein which has a perforated bottom 4 and is vibrated by a rotatable eccentric weight 8, and an apparatus 9 which supplies wool in an oil suspension to the bed 4, the wool being caused by the vibrations to move along the bed 4 and pass beneath oil spray pipes 10, 11, 12, the oil being re-circulated to the sprays so that purer oil is supplied to the spray 12 than to the others. In a complete plant the bath 1 is divided into compartments 1a and 1b by a partition 20. From the compartment 1a an outlet 21 conveys oil via a pump 22 and conduit 23 to the wool feed apparatus 9. Oil is also drawn off from a branch conduit 24, and is then passed through a straining, centrifugally separating and collecting system 24-37 to a conduit 39 and spray series 41. Oil is also passed via a second conduit 40 to another centrifugal separator 42, collecting vessel 44, and distillation column 48 to a tank 50 which supplies an even finer purified oil to a tank 57 and a spray series 60. From the part 1b of the bath 1 sprays 53 are supplied via conduit 52 with lower purity oil. The wool discharged from the bed 4 is passed by a conveyer 54 to pressing rollers 55, and to a conveyer 65 which drops it into a centrifuge 66 where surplus oil is removed and pumped back to tank 57 which also receives oil pressed out by the rollers 55. Level regulators 61 and 63 in the tanks 1 and 57 respectively regulate the oil levels in these tanks and the flow of oil through the sprays 60, and the level in tank 57 is maintained by a supply conduit 62, the system being topped up with pure oil through a conduit 64 via the tank 50. In a modification, Fig. 3 (not shown), the conduit 23 leads to a mixing vessel into which wool is also fed down, the suspension being fed by a pump to the bath 1. Two pairs of pressing rollers 55 are also provided, between which pairs pure oil is supplied from the conduit 62. If desired a series of baths 1 may be employed, or the bed may be constituted by a perforated belt conveyer which is subjected to vibrations at right angles to the belt surface. Specification 668,467, [Group III], is referred to.