US124197A - Improvement in the manufacture xf hard sugar - Google Patents

Description

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J. 0.. DONNER &IS.

Improvement in the Manufacture-'of Hard Sugar.

Patented March 5, 1872.

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JOHN o. DONNER, or WILLIAMsBUne, AND sAiuoEL s. r-iErwoa'rH, or

YoNKEns, NEW roam IMPROVEMENT lN THE MANUFACTURE GF SUGAR.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No1-.5124,197, dated March 5, 1872.

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To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN O. DONNER, of Williamsburg, in the county of Kings and State ot New York, and SAMUEL S. Hue WORTH, of Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State ot' New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in the .Art ot' Making Hard Sugar; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and

exact description ofthe same, whereby a person skilled in thc art can make and use the saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon. y

Likc'lettcrs in the figures indicate the same parts. L

Qur invention consists in certain methods,

means, and appliances for making hard sugar IFahrenheit, into suitable molds, in which crystallization is perfected. 'lhis crystallization takes place by cooling down such magma77 or mixture of crystals and sirup. v As it gradually cools smaller crystals are tormed, binding the larger ones-those formed in the vacuumpan-togetheix At a certain stage A Ot 'the process the uncrystallizcd sirup is drawn ott' hy means ot' a hole in the bottom oi" the molds. After this has been donc a colorless saturated solution ol` sugar is run through the molds, at a low temperature rendering the sugar white.

and formingminutc crystals which harden the.

i/vhole mass. The molds are allowed todi-ain clearly or quite dry, when the loail oi' hard sugar is knocked out of the mold and placed in a kiln to expel any remaining moisture.

A/llhe washing-liquor in this process is used at a low temperature, for the reason that it' poured onto the sugar hot the cool 'sugar would so lower its temperature as to precipitate a sutlicientlnulnber of small crystals to choke' the mold and prevent the liquor run ning through. Soft sugar is sometimes hardencd by being pressed under a great pressure and then dried; but this sugar is never quite hard for want of the minute crystals which are formed in the vforegoing process.

In our improved method ot' makinghard sugar we are obliged touse, a centrifugal machine of special construction, or make essential modifications ot1v such machines as are now used, in order to be able to remove the hard sugar from the machine after it is made. This we will proceed to describe.

Figure l is a cross-section through the .shalt and basket Ot' our improved machine. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through the basket, showing the compartments. Fig. 3 shows one section or box, such yas would be placed in an'` ordinary centrifugal machine to adapt 1t to our improved process. Fig. 4 shows the same divided into smaller compartments.

The revolving basket c b, the spindle c', `the outside trough d for receiving the liquor thrown oil", the fra-mef f, and the pulley e for driving the machine are constructed in the manner usual in centrifugal machines, except that the top flange ot' the basket is leftoft'V and a band ot' angle-iron placed around the top of the basket outside ot' the cylindrical portion. Tnside ol' the basket is a removable part consistin g oi' a bottom plate, g, which is made of cast metal, of a similar shape to' the bottom plate of the basket, and has a circular aperture in the middle to lit the sha-ft or spindle, the vertical division-plates 7L h, which lie in radial lines and touch the cylindrical portion ot' the basket, and a top ring ortlange, t', the upperface otl which is flush with the top ot' the revolving basket. rlhis ilange may be made of copper, b ass, or any other suitable metal. The vertical division-platcs may be placed at any desired distance apart, or may have horizontal plates between them, as shown in Fig. 4. That part of the revolving basket usually made cylindrical may be made slightly conical, if desired, for facility in removing the internal part last described. A cover, j, is made to tit tightly down upon' the top ot' our improved machine, and to be held firmly by being secured to the central spindle or to the outside edge of the basket.. The upper part. of' the spindle is made hollow, and has small apertures u leading into the interior of the basket, as shown in the drawing. These are for the purpose ot' admitting` liquor, air, or steam, as hereinafter described.

Our method ot' operating to produce hard sugar with the above-described machine is as follows: We prepare a magma Aoi' sugar consistin g ofa saturated solution, at a high temperature, mixed wi th crystals of sugar ofa lower temperature, an d place a sut'ticient quantity in the machine to iill all the cells above described. After it is put in through the opening in the top of the removable partI above described the top plate is placed over it and firmly secured in its place. The machine is then rapidly revolved in thc usual manner. The centrifugal force causes the sirup to pass through the sugar and be thrown out through the perforated plate Z). The reduction ot' the temperature ot' the saturated solution, by passing through the cooler crystals ot' sugar, causes a great number ot small crystals to form, which binds together the whole mass and renders it hard; or the machine may be iilled with a nuiglna ol' a unil'orm temlwrature, such as is ordinarily worked in centrifugal machines, and at'ter the sirup has been expelled by rapid revolution a saturated solution oi"` sugar, at a high temperature, can be introduced through the central opening', which cools as it passes through the sugar already 'i'ormed and deposits the small crystals to render it hard.

ltwill beobserved that ourimproved process depends upon the reduction oi' the temperature oi" the sirup contained in the magma while rcvolving in the centrifugal machine. lfVarm air or steam can also be introduced through the central apertures to dry the sugar in thc machine, and a moderately hard sugar may be l'ormed by passing hot air or steam through sugar i'ormcd in the ordinary way in our improved machine. After the hard sugar is .2 1eme? formed the cover and interior part are removed and thc blocks of sugar knocked out from the cells and further dried in kilns, or treated in the ordinary manner oi' preparing hard sugar for sale. y

We do not confine our invention to the partieular machine above described, nor to the shape or construction ofthe cells in which the hard sugar is formed, as various devices may be easily contrived answering the same pur pose. Our invention can be easily adapted to machines of other construction, or to those that are now in use, by inserting` within them sectional cells or frames, such as are shown in Figs. 3 and 4, which are placed around the circle inside of the perforated cylindrical sides of the machine, and, when filled with hard sugar by our improved process, can be removed from the machine to take out the sugar. lhcse cells can be made ot' various sizes and depths, according to the size and shape ol' the blocks of sugar desired.

Claims.

Vhat we claim as our invention is- 1. The preparation ot' hard sugar in a ccntrit'ugal machine by the use ot a magma consisting of a saturated solution of sugar, at a higher temperature, mixed with crystals ot' sugar ot' alower temperature, substantially in the manner herein specified.

2. The preparation of hard sugar in a centrit'ngal machine by passing' a saturated solution ot' sugar, ata highertemperature, through soi't sugar already formed in the machine at a lower temlierature, substantially in thc manner herein described.

3. The interior removable frame g h 'i in combination with. the basket ot' acent'rii'ngal machine, snbstantially as herein specilied.A

J. 0. DONNER.

S. S. lllllWOR'lH.

\\"itnesse z J. G. JENKINS, N. Wroitorr.

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