US1621658A

US1621658A - Retting tank

Info

Publication number: US1621658A
Application number: US747248A
Authority: US
Inventors: Lape David Earl De
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1924-11-01
Filing date: 1924-11-01
Publication date: 1927-03-22
Anticipated expiration: 1944-03-22

Description

1,621, 5 March 22, D.. E DE LAPE l 6 8 RETTNG TANK Filed Nov. l, 1924Y 2 Sheeizs-Sheel 1 abtouws March 22,1927. 1,621,658

I D. E. DE LAPE KETTING TANK Filed Nov. l, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 CULD i Hor sfi f/ if Q Z4 l n In. y 9,-', f 4

Patented Mar. 2.2, 1927.

UNHTED STATES DAVID EARL :DE LAPE, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

RETTING TANK.

Application led November 1, 1924. Serial No. 747,248.

This invention relates to retting tanks and has for its object the provision of a device for retting fibrous plants, either by treating the plants with heated liquors or by a prolonged maceration in cool or cold liquors with the bacteria process, the device being capable of not only retting fibrous plants but for dyeing loose fibers or cloth in small sections or bolts or for drying the fibers and cloths.

A. further object of the invention is the provision of a device which may not only be used for retting, degumming or scouring fibers according to whether the fibers are '"vegetable, animal or artificial but'may be used in the preparation of all kinds of pulps and for the manufacture of absorbent cotton or absorbent materials from China grass, or ramie, or the same may be employed in all forms of cooking, rinsing, and draining all forms of material or for softening, or animalizing, or water-proofing various fibrous cloths and felts as well as for starching, or the device may be used in all processes on fibers and fabrics where the circulation of liquors are essential and where steam is employed to agitate the hot liquors or compressed air is used for agitating cold liquors.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device in which fibers are adapted to be treated and in which liquors, are circulated, the liquors being boiled and agitated at the surface whereby the fibers are not unduly macerated and thus destroyed.

This invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, in view of the accompanying drawing forming a part of the specification; nevertheless it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the disclosure, being susceptible of such changes and modifications which shall define no material departure from the salient features of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

ln the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of a retting tank constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section of the device.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section at one end of the rotting tank.

Figure et is a longitudinal section taken along the line 4.-4 of Figure 3. Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates a concrete floor of a building which has an elevation as shown at 2 and sloping` sides 3 and gutters 4 so that the water drained from the retting tank will flow in opposite directions and follow the gutters l which are in communication with the usual sewerage pipes of the municipality` or the gutters 4 may direct the liquors from the tanks to other tanks where they are recovered when desired and for the sake of economy.

The floor 5 of the double tank is elevated above the slope of the sides 3 by blocks 6. Secured to the floor and adjacent the longitudinal edges of the floor are side walls 7 and 8. Running centrally of the tank is a partition 9 which separates the tank into two compartments.

'I he tank or compartments are closed at their ends by walls 12 and 13. Cleats 14 are disposed longitudinally of each compartment and on the floor of said compartment and adapted to support a screen 15.

The ends of each compartment are provided witli metallic partition plates 16 which have a flanged portion 17 bent at right angles to the plate and secured to the side Walls of the tank. The lower ends of the plate 16 rest upon the cleats 14. The plates 16 are cut 0E at an angle and are higher at their inner ends adjacent the partition 9 than at their outer ends where connected to the side walls.

A sheet metal lining or partition 1S eX- tends longitudinally of eachV chamber of the tank and spaced from the opposite faces of the partition 9. The lower end of the lining is bent at right angles as shown at 19 and secured to the bottom of the fioor by a cleat 111. The lining is secured to the inner ends of the plate 16 and has a projecting portion 2O adjacent its top and bent inwardly to form the closure for the ends of the heating chambers 21 adjacent the partition 9. As shown in Figures 2 and 3,*the end members terminate at a point adjacent the steam pipe 22 of the heating chambers. The upper edges of the metal linings 18 terminate at the same level with the inner upper ends of the metal plates 16.

Located above the heating chambers 21 hot water are a pair of oppositely disposed baes 23 for causing the hot water which is boiling in the chamber 21 to be moved in opposite directions away from the partition 9 and over the liquor and materials in the chambers 10 and 11. The steam pipes 22 may be of any approved form and have al vertical inlet pipe 24 controlled by a valve 25 for admitting steam to the pipe which passes out through the outlet pipe 26 at one end of the tank. Y

The opening in the end member 13 where the outlet pipe 26 passes is provided with a gland or some form of sealing member 27 to prevent the loss of Huid at this point. The bottom 5 of the chambers adjacent the end and in thecells 28 and 29 which are located between the partition plate 16 and the end walls 12 and 13, respectively, are provided with openings 30 closed by a plug 31 which has a long handle 32 so that the same may be operated above the elevation of the liquors which is shown at 33.

Water is admitted to the tanks 10 and 11 by means of a pipe 34 having a universal connection at 35 whereby the same may be oscillated for supplying either tank with water. A valve 36 controls the flow of wa! er through the pipe 34. A cold Vwater pipe is connected with a common pipe 39 and a ipe 40 is also connected with the pipe, with pipe 40 being controlled by valve 41 and pipe 37 by valve 42 so that either cold or hot water may be admitted to either of the tanks when desired.

Headed lugs or nails 43 are provided at the upper edge of the partition 9 for the purpose of receiving the rings 44 secured to an edge of a wire fabric 45 which is adapted to be placed within the tank and held at its opposite edge by nails or lugs 46 secured in the top of the side walls 6 and 7 of the tank. At points between the rings 44 strands of wire fabric 45 are secured over other nails 43.

A truck 47 is adapted to be run along the side of either of the tanks 1 0 and 11 and is adapted to receive the material 48 which has been retted or cooked or otherwise treated in Vthe compartments 10 and 11.

The operation of my device is as follows:

Liquors are shown in the tank at a certain level and the steam is turned on so that when it passes through the pipes 22 water in the compartments 21 will be boiled and the agitated liquors in the tanks will be forced upwardly and beneath the baliies 23 and out over the surface of the material which treated. The water as it cools passes towards the bottom of the tank through the materials being treated and t-he screen 15 after the materials have been placed in either of the liquors. `When it is desired to remove the material from the tanks it is only necessary to remove the inner edges of the wire fabric 45 and elevate the same, as shown in Figure 2, towards the outer walls with the wire fabricbeing held by the nails at the upper edges of the side walls. lVhen the screen or wire fabric is raised sufiiciently the materials which have been treated will be dropped into the truck 4'?. llhen it is desired to discharge the liquors the handles 32 are raised and cause the liquors to run through the discharge openings 30 in the bottoni of the tanks.

'lhe construction of the valves or Stoppers 31 and the handles 32 is such that the handles, being formed of some materia-l which does not readily absorb heatand projecting above the top of the tank, permits the work men to remove the rubber stopper 31 which is rigidly connected with the handle 32, without any danger of scalding or burns from a heated handle.

ltwill be seen that by mv process the kind and quality of liquors employed depends upon the kind of materials treated in the tanks. llilhen the liquors are heated by the steam coils in the heat chamber the liquor boils over and is projected upon the top of the liquors in the main portion of the tank and upon the material where the liquors still continue to boil. The boiling of the liquors is maintained because of the constant circulation of the liquors since the cooler liquors settle to the bottom of the tank and pass out beneath the lower edges of the partition 16 and into the hambers 28 and 29 whence the'l a way back lo the bottoni of the heating chanilie.' and are again heated and caused to boil and again projected by the baille upon the level of the liquors in the main retting tank.

rlhe pairs of independent tanks which are formed by dividing a large tank with an intermediate wall are placed in batteries along the floor of the luiildingl and with the stea n pipes connected for continuous opera- 'ion of all the tanks, the arrangement being such that 8 hour shifts of workmen are required to operate continuously the series of tanks so that cerfain of the tanks are being discharged while others are being filled and while still others are in various processes of operation.

it will be seen that by my improved tank any kind ot materials may se treated and Ver desired where a circulation is or liquors are required, and brics or materials may be readily e tanks or may be just as readily 1emoved by raisins,Y one end of the wire neti t'or dumping the materals directlyv e The materials. especially vegeable fibers. which are to be retted in the .3, a e maintained in longitudinal alinement since the boiling of the liquors occurs at the surface and does not disturb the libers. Il' the liquors were boiled and forced up through the fibers the saine would be agitated and disturbed and their usefulness greatly destroyed or impaired by their agitation. My improved device prevents any disturbance ot' the libers because of the tact that the ebullition of the liquors is maintained at a point which is liever' less than the height ot' the outer ends ot the plates 16.

It must be borne in mind that an important feature of the invention is the fact that while the surface ol' the liquor in the tank receives the boiling liquor directed by the baille 23 i'rom the restricted heating spaces or chambers 21, the liquor in the tank is never in a. state of agitationso that it would cause a disturbance in the fiber and therefore ruin the same. The boiling liquor directed by the baliles 23 travels in a horizontal plane towards the outer walls of the tank. The liquors descend by gravity through the libers 48 and due to the variation between the temperature oi? the upper and lower sur-laces ot the liquor the fibers are maintained in a floating position between the upper and lower portions oi the liquor and spaced from the top and bottom surfaces. The treatment of the tibers'by this method and apparat-us is such that the fibers will be maintained in substantially the position in which they were placed in the tank so that when they are removed they will not be in a tangled and worthless condition.

The apparatus and the process may be applied 'for bleaching and carbonizing ot tibers or cloths or for cooking any and all materials whether in containers or in bulk and where it is necessary to do such cooking or boiling without disturbing or disarranging the substances. rlfhe device may be employed for sterilizing milk in containers Whether taken singly or in the aggregate; for laundering or cleaning cloths or loose cotton, jute, hemp, silk, wool, flax or any and all materials that are commonly laundered, degummed or pulped; and also for sterilizing instrument-s, tools or other objects in small quantities or in bulk. The device also may be used ior degumming cotton or other *aste or linters and for stripping, that is removing dyes, from colore( waste, rags or shoddy.

Then the plugs or valves 31 are removed the liquors in chambers 28 and 29 will im mediately discharge therefrom and will iall more rapidly in said chambers than in the tanks per se or in other words in the portions of the tanks delined by the end walls 16, partitions 18 and the side walls T or 8.

`What I claim is:

l. A retting tank having a bottom, end mid side walls, partitions spaced .trom the end walls, a partition spaced from one side wall and terminating` short ot the upper end of said side wall, abal'lle located above the last mentioned partition, and heating coils located between the last mentioned partition and the adjacent side wall for heating liquor in the tank for causing the same to boil over and be discharged over the edge of said partition and into the main body ot the tank, and means connecting said partition at the ends thereof to an adjacent side wall, said means terminating short of the bottom of the tank Jor placing the heating chamber in communication with the tank.

j 2. ik retting tank having bottom, end and side walls, partitions spaced from the end walls, a partition spaced from one side wall and terminating short of the upper end of said side wall, a baille located above the last mentioned partition, heating coils located between the last mentioned partition and the adjacent side wall for heating liquor in the tank for causing the saine to boil over and be discharged over the edge of said partition and into the main body of the tank, and bars on` the bottom of the tank adapted to maintain the tiret mentioned partitions elevated above said bottom, and means connecting said partition at the ends thereof to an adjacent side wall, said mea-ns terminating short ol the bottom of the tank for plac-` ing the lieating chamber in communication with the tank.

3. A ret-ting` tank having a bottom, end and side walls, partitions spaced lrom the end walls, a partition spaced from one side wall and terminating short olf the upper end oi said side wall, a baille located above the last mentioned partition, heating coils located between the last mentioned partition and the adjacent side Wall for heating liquor in the tank for causing the same to boil over and be discharged over the edge of said partition and into the main body of the tank, the firstmentioned partition plates adjacent the ends of the tank having` one of their ends secured to the side wall while the other end is connected with the last mentioned partition.

4. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side Walls, partitions spaced from the end walls, a partition spaced. :trom one side wall and terminating short of the upper end ot said side wall, a baille located above the last mentioned partition, heating coils loated between the last mentioned partition and the adjacent side wall iter heating liquor in the tank for causing the same to boil over and be discharged over the edge oi" said partition and into the main body of the tank, the lirst mentioned partition plates adjacent the ends ot the tank having one of their ends secured to the side wall while the other end connected with the last mentioned partition, the last mentioned partition being secured to the bottom ot the tank.

5. A, retting tank having a bottom, end

and side Walls, heating chamber in said tank said tank adapted to be partially filled with liquor with the heating chamber' open atits bottom to the liquors in the tank, a heating means in the heating chamber for causing ebullition of the liquors in the heating chamber, and means connected with the heating chamber for causing the boiling` liquors to be projected upon the surface of' the liquors Ithe tank whereby ebullition of the liquors is maintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, and means connecting said partition at the ends thereof to an adjacent side wal-, said means terminating short of thev bottom of the tank for placing the heating chamcer in communication with the tank.

G. retting tanlr having a bottoni, end

and side n'alls, a heating chamber in said tank, said tank adapted to be partially filled with liquor with the ting chamber' o ien at its bottom to the piors in the tank, a heating means in the heating chamber for causing ebuhition of the liquors in the heating chamber, and ineens connected with the heating chamber for causing the boiling liquors to be Yprojected upon the surface of the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquors il; maintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, and a screen located abore the bottom of the tank, and means connecting said partition at the ends thereof to an adjacent side Wall, said means terminating short of the bottom of the tank for placing the heating chamber in coinmnnication with the tank. Y 7. Il. retting` tank having a bottom, end and side Walls, a heat-ingchamber in said tank, said tank adapted to be partially filled with liquor with the heating chamber open at its bottoni to the liquors in the tank, a heating' means in the heating chamber for causing` ebullition of the liquors in the heating chamber', and means connected with the heating chamber for. causing the boiling liquors to be projected upon the surface of the liquors in the tank W iereby ebullition of the liquors is maintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, a screen located above the bottom of the tank, a. flexible. carrier adapted to be removably connected with the opposite side Wall of the tank whereby When one side edge of the flexible member is elevated the materims in the. tank Will be raised and disc iargcd from said tank.

8. A retting tank having a bottoni, end and side Walls, a heating chamber in said tank, said tank adapted to be partially hlled with liquor with the heating chamber open at its bottom to the liquors in the tank, a heating means in the heating chamber for causing ebullition of the liquors in the heating chamber, and means connected with the heating chamber for causing the boiling liquors to be projected upon the surface of the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquors is maintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, and partitions spaced from the end Walls and forming discharge chambers at the ends of the tank.

9. A retting tank having abottom, end and sidewalls, a heating chamber in said tank, said tank adapted t0 be partially filled Wit-h liquor with the heating chamber open at its bottom to the liquors in the tank, a heating means in the heating chamber for causing ebullition of the liquors in the heating chamber, and means connected with the heating chamber for causing the boiling liquors to be projected upon the surface of the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquors is maintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, partitions spaced from the end Walls and forming discharge chambers at the ends of the tank, the top edges of said partitions being inclined at an angle to the horizontal so that foreign mat-- ter floating upon the liquors will beV discharged across the louer ends of the partitions into the discharge chamber.

10. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side Walls, a heating chamber in said tank, said tank adapted to be partially filled with liquor with the heat-ino' chamber open at its bottom to the liquors in the tank, a heating means in the heating chamber for causing ebullition of the liquors in the heating chamber, and means connected with the heating chamber for causing` the boiling liquors to be projected upon the surface of the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquors is maintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, partitions spaced from the end Walls and forming discharge chambers at the ends of the tank, the top edges of said partitions being inclined at an angle to the horizontal so that foreign matter Heating upon the liquors will be discharged across the lower ends of the partitions into the discharge chamber, the highest portion of the partition being located adjacent the heating chamber so that the foreign matter is discharged adjacent a side Wall which is remote from the heating chamber.

11. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side Walls, a heating` chamber in said tank, said tank adapted to be partially filled with liquor with the heating chamber open at its bottom to the liquors in the tank, a heating means in the heatingl chamber for causing ebullition of the liquors in the heating chamber, and means connected With the heating cha nber for causing` the boiling liquors to be projected upon the surface of the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquors is maintained at the surface of the liquors in the tank, said heating chamber being located adjacent one side Wall, and partitions connected with the outer Wall of the heating chamber extending to the opposite side wall of the tank and rigidly connected therewith, the top edges of the partitions decreasing in height from the heating chamber to the remotely located side walls.

l2. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side walls, a heating chamber in said tank, said tank adapted to be partially filled with liquor with the heating chamber open at its bottom to the liquors in the tank, av heating means in the heating chamber for causing ebullition o't the liquors in the heating chamber, and means connected with the heating chamber for causing the boiling liquors to be projected upon the surface of the liquors in the tank whereby ebullition of the liquors is maintained at the surface Ot the liquors in the tank, said heating chamber being` located adjacent one side wall, and partitions connected with the outer wall of the heating chamber extending to the opposite side wall ot the tank and rigidly connected therewith, the top edges of the par titions decreasing in height from the heating chamber to the remotely located side walls, a screen located above the bottom of the tank and extending between the heating chamber and the remotely located side wall and the partitions at the ends of the tank.

13. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side walls, partitions spaced from the end walls to form discharge chambers, a partition spaced from one side Wall and connected with said wall to form an enclosing heating chamber with the end walls having an opening for placing the heating chamber in communication with the tank, a bae located above the heating chamber for causing liquor which is heated in the chamber to be discharged upon the surface of the liquor in the tank, the bottom of the discharge chambers being provided with openings for discharging the spent liquors, and plugs for closing said openings provided with handles projecting above the top of the tanks.

14. A retting tank having a bottom, end and side walls, an intermediate wall for dividing the tank in two independent tanks, partitions connected with opposite sides of the intermediate wall to form heating chambers which are open at the top and at the bottom ot the end walls, partitions spaced from the end walls of each independent tank and connected with the outer wall of each heating chamber and having its other end connected with the side walls of the tank to term discharge chambers at each end of the independent tank, means cooperatively connected for heating the liquors in each of the heating chambers, said partitions adjacent the ends of the tanks being spaced from the bottoms of said tanks, and screens spaced from the bottom of the tanks and in horizontal alinement with the lower edges of said partitions.

DAVID EARL DE LAPE.