US1485851A - Retort - Google Patents

Description

March 4 1924. 1,485,851

E. w. HOPPER Original Filed April 5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a) M if INVENTOR ERNEST Wfi'kOPPER *RTTORNEY E. w HOPPER Mai-ch 4 1924. 1,485,851.

RETORT or. "nal Filed April 3, W22 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \NVENTOR ERN EST W floPPzR @3 Fatented Mar. 4;, 1924.

1,4,851 rs Fries.

ERNEST VJ.

HOPPER, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO HOPPER CANNERY MACHINERY (10., 0F SEATTLE, VIASHINGTON, A GORPQBATION OF WASHINGTON.

RETORT.

Application filed April 3, 1922, Serial No. 549,145. Renewed December 12, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST W. HOPPER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of \Vashington, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Retorts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in steam heated retorts for cooking canned foods and particularly in the apparatus described and claimed in my prior United States Patent No. 1,331,066, and the object of my invention is to provide an improved retort of increased capacity relative to its size and having a largely increased steam space whereby the cooking operations are facilitated and conducted withmore uniformity.

A further object of my invention is the provision of novel and efficient means for introducing the cans into the retort and discharging them therefrom whereby the said operations are rendered practically automatic and functioning of the retort rendered continuous. v

A still further object of my invention is the provision of novel and improved devices for guarding against leakage and loss of steam in the operation of the device.

With the above and other objects in View which will appear as the description proceeds, my invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that within the scope of what is claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of my invention shown, can be made without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of the apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal section of the same, certain parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the header elements of my invention;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the lower end ofthe'apparatus, partly broken away;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the rotary cage element of the invention and guard plate therefor, partly broken. away, shown as removed from the casing; and

Fig. 6 is a View in elevation of the upper end of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings throughout which like reference numerals designate like parts, the numeral 1 indicates the cylindrical body of a retort casing having upper and lower end walls 2 and 3, respectively, constructed in accordance with usual steam boiler practice, said casing being rigidly supported on bosses 5 and 6 in an inclined position. Provision is made for the entrance of the cooking steam within the retort through an opening 7 in said wall 2 for a pipe connection and for the discharge of the steam and any condensations therefrom through an opening 8 for pipe connections in wall 3.; r

A shaft 10 is mounted for rotation in the axis of said casing in bearings 11 and 12 in the respective end walls 2 and 3 and each of said bearings being provided with a steam tight packing gland, such as 13 through which said shaft projects. A retort cage is mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith within said casing and consists in end headers 15 and 16 riveted to hubs 17 and 18, respectively, which are connected to said shaft by keys 20 and 21 indicates individually a plurality of rectangularly shaped tubes in which the cans of food are maintained while undergoing the cooking process, said tubes being open at their ends and brazed or otherwise rigidly secured in openings with corresponding configuration made in said headers. llhe tubes are supported in their mid-length by a plate 22 secured to a shaft 10, while said tubes 21 are rectangular in configuration and will be designed to conform in the shape and size of the cans treated therein.

A rib or beading 28 may be formed on the sides of the tubes to add stiffness and strength to the tubes without substantial increase of weight, said tubes being preferably arranged so that one of their transverse axes is radially disposed with respect to the casfree circulation of'the steam and also for manholes in case of repairs. The numeral 27 indicates a manhole on each of said end walls 2 and 3. V

28 indicates a chute in which one or more rows of cans 30 are delivered and introduced into said tubes and 31 indicates a discharge chute through which the cans are conveyed away from the machine after their cooking treatment. The introduction and discharge of the cans toand from the retort is practically automatic and'the connecting device 32 between said retort tubesand the respective chutes being similar and substantially identical a description of one of such means of connection will suffice for both.

lnthe operation of the machine the emptying of a line of tubes containing cans already cooked takes place simultaneously with the filling of a line of tubes with cans of raw material. The cans are positioned on their round sides and roll downwardly in the chutes which are inclined at substantially the same pitch as the tubes of the retort. The ends of the respective chutes 28 and 31 adjacent the retort are positioned at different elevations corresponding to the distance between two of the evenly spaced radial lines of the tubes in the retort.

Devices to be hereinafter described actuate the retort cage intermittently in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 4L and 6 for a distance equivalent to the distances between the radial center lines of said tubes whereby each said line of tubes is presented in turn first to the lower discharge chute 31 for the emptying the cans whose cooking has been completed and then to the upper filling chute for the introduction of a fresh charge of cans containing the raw material.

As has been stated the ends of the tubes are open at each end and the ends of the respective chutes are open and make communicative connection with said tubes through devices 32 also open at all times so that with the filling chute containing cans and the tubes in the same condition the filling and discharging of cans from the tubes takes place immediately the open ings in the respective tubes are moved oppositely and in register with said devices 32 and the chutes 28 and 31.

The connecting devices 32 each consist of a relatively short conduit 33 having passages 35 therein corresponding to the corresponding openings in said tubes and chutes, said conduits being supported in the respective end walls 2 and 3 by means of a member 36 with which a packing gland 37 is operatively connected and between which packing material 38 may bepositioned to prevent the leakage of steam thereby. The inner end of said conduit is formed with a flange 40 extendingabout the inner end of the passage 35 therein to provide a relatively large bearing surface which is preferably ground true as is also the opposing surface 41 of the headers 15 and 16 that a steam tight joint is made thereat through a relatively light frictional colit-act. If desired said steam tight connection may be made through a packing joint of any suitable sort as the pressures are not great and various packing devices may be used.

Numeral 12 designates a guard plate'at each end of the retort cage secured by brackets 43 from the respective end walls 2 and 3 and designed to prevent the cans within the tubes from rolling out or projecting therefrom, each of said plates 4-2 being spaced from the respective header to prevent actual contact and extends in circular directions entirely around the outer portion of said headers to cover said tube openings except where the flanges 40 of the conduit 33 intervene.

A thrust bearing 45 is provided for the lower end of the shaft 10 mounted ina bracket 46. shaft are devices for actuating the retort cage in an intermittent manner and consists in a ratchet wheel 48 keyed to the shaft 10 and formed with ratchet teeth 50 on its periphery designed for engagement with an actuating pawl 51, said teeth 50 being spaced apart to make each advance of the wheel in its step by step progression equal to the distance between the radial center of said tubes.

Pawl 51 is mounted on a crank 52 of a power shaft'53 which is rotated at a uniform rate of speed by an electric motor or other source of power, not shown, 55 indicates a check pawl engageable with the teeth 50 to secure the wheel against retrograde movement when said pawl 51 is receding.

In operation of the retort steam is maintained within the casing to fill the interior thereof under suflicient heat and pressure to efficiently maintain cooking conditions about the cans contained in the tubes 21 and 21.

The steam penetrates within the tubes well as inzthe spaces surrounding them with the exception that no steam will enter the tubes that are in the position of discharging or filling.

The rotary movement of the power shaft 53 is continuous and uniform and the actuatingpawl 51 advances and recedes for a maximum distance equivalent to the distance between the tube cen'ters,'the advance of the pawl .51 in its engagement with a tooth 50 of the ratchet wheel 48 advancing theretort'cage a distance sufiicient to bring the tubes in alignment successively-with the conduit passages 35 and on the rearward At the opposite end "of the travel of the pawl sufficient time will elapse for the emptying and filling of the tubes that are presented to said passages 35.

The tubes are first brought into alignment with the lowermost discharging conduit at the lower end or the casing whereupon all the cans in the tube roll down the inclined tube through the conduit and into the chute 31 and from there are conveyed away to a cooling room or where desired. Simultaneously the tubes that were emptied just previously and have been advanced into alignment with the conduit at the upper end of the machine are filled by cans rolling thereinto from the chute 28, the lower end of the tube being filled being stopped by the guard plate 42 against which the cans in all the tubes bear.

After being loaded into the tubes the cans are maintained in the tubes at a cooking temperature while the rotary retort cage makes the entire revolution to the discharging position in its step by step movements.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the operation of the machine may be continued with a very small amount of attention or labor and that it will continue to function in practically an automatic manner.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. A retort of the class described, con- *isting of a steam tight cylindrical casing,

a cage rotatably mounted in said casing consisting in a pair of spaced headers, and a plurality of can receiving tubes secured at their ends to openings on said headers, a conduit extending through each of the opposite ends of said casing and arranged to register in alignment with the openings in said headers and tubes, said conduits having steam tight engagement with said headcrs.

2. A retort of the class described, consisting of a cylindrical casing having an inclined axis, a cage within said casing keyed to a shaft supported for rotation 011 the end walls of said casing, said cage comprising a plurality of can receiving tubes arranged in equally spaced relation about the axis of rotation of the cage, a conduit extending through each end wall of the casing registering in alignment with said tubes and making a steam tight connection with said cage, a filling chute and discharge chute in alignment with said conduits, respectively, and means to rotate said cage intermittently.

3. A retort of the class described, consisting of a casing rigidly supported in an inclined position, a rotatable cage in said casing comprising a plurality of tubes arranged in regular spaced intervals parallel to the axis of rotation, a conduit extending through each of the end walls of the casing and formed with a passageway adapted to register in alignment with said tubes, and means to make a steam tight joint between each of said conduit and said cage.

a. A retort of the class described, consisting in a steam tight cylindrical casing having its axis inclined with respect to the horizontal, a cage rotatably mounted in said casing, consisting in a pair of spaced headers, and a plurality of can receiving tubes secured in said headers, a conduit extending through each of the opposite ends of said casing and arranged to register with said tubes, said conduits having their inner ends flanged and arranged to bear upon said headers, and guard plates secured in spaced relation from each of said headers opposite the ends of said tubes.

5. A retort of the class described, consisting in a cylindrical casing, a cage within said casing keyed to a shaft supported for rotation in the end walls of the casing, said shaft and cage being inclined in relation to the horizontal, a plurality of can receiving tubes in said cage having open ends, an openin in each of the opposite end walls of the casing spaced to register with adjoining tubes of the cage wherethrough cans may be simultaneously filled and emptied, respectively, means for making said openings in the end walls of the casing tight against leakage of steam, and means to ro tate said cage intermittently, consisting of a rotative wheel keyed on said shaft, a pawl engageable with said wheel, and power means to cause said pawl to reciprocate with a predetermined rate of speed.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 22nd day of March A. D. 1922.

ERNEST W. HOPPER.

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