US2562207A - Continuous method of washing soap - Google Patents

Continuous method of washing soap Download PDF

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US2562207A
US2562207A US722793A US72279347A US2562207A US 2562207 A US2562207 A US 2562207A US 722793 A US722793 A US 722793A US 72279347 A US72279347 A US 72279347A US 2562207 A US2562207 A US 2562207A
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soap
lye
vessel
glycerine
layer
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Owen Ronald Vincent
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Lever Brothers Co
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Lever Brothers Co
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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C11—ANIMAL OR VEGETABLE OILS, FATS, FATTY SUBSTANCES OR WAXES; FATTY ACIDS THEREFROM; DETERGENTS; CANDLES
    • C11D—DETERGENT COMPOSITIONS; USE OF SINGLE SUBSTANCES AS DETERGENTS; SOAP OR SOAP-MAKING; RESIN SOAPS; RECOVERY OF GLYCEROL
    • C11D13/00—Making of soap or soap solutions in general; Apparatus therefor
    • C11D13/02—Boiling soap; Refining
    • C11D13/04—Continuous methods therefor

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  • the present invention relates to the manufac ture of soap and particularly to the extraction of glycerine from soap produced by the saponification of fats and oils.
  • soap In the manufacture of soap, the fats which are to be converted into soap are boiled, usually by means of live steam, with caustic soda in vessels generally known as soap kettles.
  • the products of this saponification reaction are soap, glycerine and an aqueous liquor and usually appear in the form of a homogeneous mixture.
  • a.s1y.e The boiling is then stopped to allow the soap curd graduallyto rise to the top, and the lye to settle to the bottom of the soap kettle.
  • the lye containing part of the glycerine, salt and impurities, is withdrawn from the bottom of the kettle to be specially treated for the recovery of its glycerine.
  • the soap curd remaining in the kettle is subjected to treatments for the removal of further portions of the glycerine, salt and impurities retained within it.
  • the soap curd is boiled, by means of live steam, with a quantity of water to form a thick homogeneous liquid-an operation called closing the soap-and the soap is then brought into the open condition again by the addition of brine or salt.
  • the soap curd is again allowed to rise to the top, and the lye to settle to the bottom, of the kettle; whereupon the lye is again withdrawn from the kettle.
  • glycerine in the soap curd is lower than that in the lye.
  • the proportion of glycerine removed from the kettle depends upon the proportion of the lyes to separate from it to a substantial extent. Thus the overall time required to com plete successive washing treatments may amount to several days.
  • zone is intended to mean a part 2 or the whole of the space within a vessel designed or adapted for the respective functions of agitation or settling, Such zones may be located in-' dividually, i. e., one in each of a succession of connected vessels or they may occupy contiguous spaces of a single vessel so that two or more may be contained in such a vessel.
  • the present invention provides for a con: tinuous stream of soap to be intimately mixed and agitated with a continuous stream of lye in a vessel or part of a vessel so that the lye will extract glycerine from, and thereby wash, the soap.
  • the mixture of lye and soap then passes from this zone of agitation to a quiescent zone, which may be in the same vessel as the zone of agitation, or in a different vessel, and here the soap and lye are allowed to separate .by the settling action of gravity into an upper layer'of washed or partially washed soap and .a lower layer of lye.
  • the washed soap and the settled lye are continuously removed from this zone.
  • ing soap which comprises arranging within the capacity of a single vessel or two separate vessels a pair of zones, namely a first zone suitably equipped to mix and agitate soap and lye, and a second zone of substantially quiescent flow to permit gravity settling of the soap and lye, passing continuous streams of soap and lye successive 1y into and through said first and second zones.
  • the lye may extract glycerine and subsequently be settled out from the soap, continuousg 1y withdrawing the washed and settled soap from the second zone, and continuously withdrawing lye containing glycerine washed out from the soap.
  • the invention is preferably carried out by using several pairs of such zones in series through which the soap flows successively, the soap being washed and settled once in each pair of zones.
  • the lye may travel generally in an opposite direction to the flow of soap, that is, it may flow from one pair of zones to the next pair in general countercurrent to the flow of soap from pair to pair of zones, although in any one pair it will flow with the soap.
  • it may be divided into a number of separate parallel streams, each of which may pass through a pair of zones of agitation and settling in the same direction as the stream of soap and then be withdrawn from the process. In these ways provision may be made for either concurrent or countercurrent washing, or a combination of both these washing methods may be employed.
  • the degree of recovery of glycerine is generally determined by the relative volume rates of flow of soap and lye through the system.
  • the speeds of movement of the soap and lye should be carefully controlled so that, when they are in admixture. the two liquids are present in the optimum proportions as established by experiment and theory. This is preferably done by insuring that the levels of the soap and the lye layers formed as a result of the settling of the lye from the soap remain substantially constant throughout the operation of the process.
  • the level of the soap layer may be controlled by allowing the top of the soap layer to flow over a weir into a collecting pipe whence it is passed on to the next stage of operation.
  • the level of the interface between the soap and the lye layers may be controlled by the provision of any suitable float gauge weighted to float at the interface and connected sothat its position may be indicated to an operator. It is preferable to maintain the volume ratio of the layers of soap and lye approximately the same as the ratio of volume rates of flow of soap and lye through the system.
  • a preferable method of extracting glycerine from soap according to the invention is by means of .countercurrent washing in which lye generally flows in the opposite direction to the soap .so that the fresh lye meets the soap weakest in glycerine and the lye already containing appreciable amounts of glycerine comes into contact with the soap containing the highest concentration of glycerine.
  • a particular application of the present invention is a continuous method of countercurrent washing which comprises supplying a washing vessel with an upper layer of soap curd and a lower layer of lye, injecting soap to be washed into the lower layer of lye and allowing it to rise through the lye to the top, injecting the washing lye into the upper layer of .soap curd and allowing it to fall through the soap curd to the bottom of the vessel, withdrawing the washed soap from the layer of soap curd and withdrawing lye from the layer of lye.
  • each washing vessel has four zones comprising two alternate zones each of agitation and settling. There is a zone of agitation at the bottom and at the top of the vessel with a zone of settling between them through which the soap rises from the former to the latter, and there is a second zone of settling through which the soap flows from the upper zone of agitation to the point at which it is withdrawn from the vessel.
  • Adequate space-time factors must be provided for both these zones of settling by adjusting the rates of flow proportionately to the space available within the vessels.
  • the upward flow undergoes a limited expansion outwards with a reduction in speed, and thus time and facility are given for the lye to settle fro-m the rising soap.
  • the soap travels outwards in a thin surface stratum of diminishing depth from which the lye is again permitted time and facility to settle before the soap reaches the weir.
  • the flows of the soap and of the lye are motivated along their respective directions by gravity and the force of injection.
  • the containing vesselfor the operations of this particular method may be the usual type of square or round soap kettle.
  • the weir provided for the overflow of washed soap may be arranged along some portion of the vessels upper, inside perimeter, but it is preferable that it should extend around the whole of that perimeter.
  • the injection of the soap is suitably effected at the lowest point of the pyramidially or conically shaped bottom of the .kettle, but it may be effected at other points. .It may, for instance, be situated at a remote point along the soap feed pipe.
  • the lye withdrawal is also suitably effected at some point on the bottom of the kettle, remote from the point where the soap is injected.
  • a steam injector For injecting the soap into the bottom of the lye layer, which washes the soap as it rises therethrough, a steam injector is preferably used.
  • Such an injector may be of any well known type in which a jet of steam can be used to mix with and expel a liquid fed thereto.
  • the injector should be designed to suit the several purposes of effecting a desired rate of soap curd injection, of promoting a desired degree of agitation within the vessel, and of insuring that the flow of soap rises to the top of the upper layer of the soap curd substantially within a prescribed comparatively narrow central region for reasons which will be explained hereinafter.
  • the lye is also preferably injected into the layer of soap by means of a steam injector.
  • a steam injector This also may be of any well known type, but having a steam jet of such diameter as to promote particular requirements regarding temperature or rate of lye flow.
  • the actual external nozzles or diffusers of the injector may be of a fish tail pattern or of other design such as slit pipes or sprays.
  • These injectors are preferably so arranged that their outlet nozzles are situated a few inches under the surface of the soap layer and the lye is preferably injected at .a downward angle on to suitably positioned baflle plates which. serve to deflect it upwards.
  • the lye is thus mixed into the upper soap layer flowing over the baffles: and the mixture passes outwards towards the weir.
  • the injectors are positioned at such a distance from the weir that substantially all thelye drops out of the upper soap layer before the soap flows over the weir. They are disposedin sufficient numbers to encompass the entire flow of outgoing soap and around the periphery of the area within which rises the soap from the lower injector, so that the soap as it is displaced from the surface by the uprising current, flows over the baflie plates and becomes intimately mixed and washed by the injected lye. The lye which settles out of the upper soap layer subsequently passes down into the lower lye layer.
  • the steam supplied by the soap and lye injectors keeps the soap at the desired temperature and renders unnecessary the heating of the two layers by means of live steam as in the usual soap boiling practice, which would be very undesirable for the present process as it would excessively disturb the layers and the flow of liquids through them. It is essential that the agitation of the soap and the lyes, caused by the steam within the vessel, be so localized that time and space are allowed for the lyes to settle substantially from the soap before either component reaches its succeeding stage of the process.
  • This feature is of especial importance in the application of the process to countercurrent washing in which the flow of soap is given a washing treatment at the bottom of the vessel, substantially drained of lye during its passage upwards to the surface, again washed at the top of the vessel, and again substantially drained of lye before passing over the weir.
  • Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the flow of soap and lye through one type of apparatus using conventional soap kettles;
  • Figure 2 is a diagrammatic view showing the flow of soap and lye through a modified form and arrangement of apparatus
  • Figure 3 is a diagrammatic view showing the flow of soap and lye through still another form and arrangement of apparatus.
  • Figure 4 is an alternative form of part of the arrangement of Figure 3.
  • These diffusers comprise perforated pipes arranged around the central area of the kettle and parallel to the edges of weirs 3
  • the lye containing the extracted glycerine is withdrawn from layer B1 of kettle II by discharge pipe 35.
  • the soap to be washed is supplied along line 36 to injector I5.
  • Line 31 is used to pass soap from kettle I I to injector I6 at the bottom of kettle I2.
  • Line 38 serves to remove washed soap from kettle I2.
  • the levels of they soap in layers A1 and A2 are kept constant by means of weirs 3I and 32
  • These weirs may suitably be parts of gutters 39 and 40, which may run partly or wholly around the perimeter of the kettles. The soap flows over the top edge, acting as a weir, into the gutter, the bottom of which slopes downward to the point at which discharge lines 3'! or 38 are connected.
  • the method of operation is as follows. To start the process, unwashed saponified soap is charged to kettle I I, where it is given a single washing treatment; but the lyes are not removed. Similarly, unwashed soap is charged to kettle I2 where it is given two or more like washing-treatments, the first lyes being removed but that from the last washing treatment being left. This is merely one method of starting the continuous countercurrent process. Other methods will be obvious. When the lye in each case has been allowed to settle, fully saponified but unwashed soap is supplied along line 36 and injected into lye layer B1 through steam injector I5 at the bottom of kettle II.
  • a portion of the glycerine is transferred from the soap to the lye in layer B1 during its passage through the zone of agitation agitated by the steam from the injector.
  • the soap passes into soap layer A1 to enter a settling or quiescent zone remote from the source of agitation and becomes substantially disentangled from the lye, which falls down again into layer B1.
  • the soap rises upwardly from the bottom in the center of the kettle through a zone of quiescence and approaches the surface 21 to form a thin, quiescent surface stratum within the area circumscribed by diffusers 29 and then flows horizontally over bafiie plate 33 and diffusers 29, thus passing through an annular zone of agitation with lye, which removes a further portion of the glycerine.
  • the mixture then passes outwardly along surface 21 into an annular zone of quiescence where the lye settles out of the soap before the latter flows over weir 3
  • is regulated by the rates of feed of soap through line 36, and of lye from layer B2 through injector I9, and the rate of withdrawal of lye from layer B1 by way of line 35.
  • a cycle of operations takes place in kettle I2 similar to that in kettle I I.
  • fresh weak brine of the appropriate concentration and temperature is obtained by mixing water and saturated brine from lines 23 and 24 with steam in injector 22.
  • Lyes of low glycerine concentration from other soap boiling operations may be employed at this stage.
  • the steam injector forces the weak brine through diffusers 30 to eifect the last washing of the soap in layer A2.
  • the appropriate quantity of washed soap flows over weir 32 into gutter 40 to the discharge line 38.
  • a quantity of caustic soda or half spent lyes, that is. lyes containing caustic soda may be passed into kettle I2 through injector 22 in order to provide a strong change should this be so desired.
  • a by-pass line 4I provided with any suitable device, such as a valve or orifice, to control the rate of flow therein, and feeding into gutter 39, may be. provided to return a portion of the lye flow from layer B2 to kettle l2 along with the soap from layer A1.
  • This by-pass line 4! may serve several purposes, e. g., of regulating the rate of transfer of lyes from kettle l2 to kettle ll, of lubricating the passage of the soap curd down line 5. 1,, and of providing a further period of contact between the soap from layer A1 and lyes from layer B2.
  • the number of units can also be only one or more than two. Some latitude in the degree or" washing can be obtained for a given number of units, merely by appropriately altering the relative input rates of soapand fresh weak brine into the system.
  • One way of controlling the speeds of flow of the soap and lye is by varying the steam pressure applied to the jets. Preferably, however, steam at constant pressure is used, and by initial trial the orifices through which the liquids floware adjusted to give the desired rates of flow for that steam pressure.
  • the dimensions and other particular features of the inter-connecting pipes and injectors between the vessels must be of such design that they are abl to pass rather more than the maximum flows of soap and fresh weak brine which it may be desired to charge into the system.
  • Movement of soap and lye can be effected or aided by means of pumps instead of steam injectors or by a combination of pumps and injectors.
  • other means of introducing heat into the system may be adopted without materially altering the above described treatments within the washing vessels. It will be seen from the above description that the arrangements are such that two washing treatments, together with the requisite and subsequent settling of the lyes, occur simultaneously in the dilferent parts of each of the washing vessels. These arrangements result in a reduction of the time required to extract the desired quantity of glycerine from th soap with a proportionate reduction in the heat lost by radiation. These factors make for a corresponding reduction in the costs of soap manufacture.
  • the steam is used in a much more efiicient manner in the present process because it is employed for the several purposes of mixing and boiling the injected liquids, transferring liquids from one stage to another, and. locally agitating the contents of. the kettles.
  • the steam is so used. that substantially all its dynamic energy is absorbed in a useful manner and substantially all its total heat is required only to neutralize the radiation losses of the process which, as has been shown above, are reduced in comparison with those of the prior art processes.
  • a further economy, particularly in steam consumption may be effected by the present process in that a process only.
  • concentration of glycerine may be obtained in the lyes produced as compared with that obtained by the usual methods. This increase may amount to as much as two or three times the concentration of glycerine in the lye for a given yield of glycerine from the soap.
  • the lyes may be higher than are indicated in the given example.
  • the usual discontinuous washing process would have resulted in a lye containing approximately one half the concentration of glycerine for the same yield of extracted glycerine from the soap. It can also be deduced from the data given in the example that the output of fully washed soap per twenty-four hours may amount to 240 tons. This, as will be obvious to those acquainted with standard procedure, is a very much larger output than could be obtainedfrom the same soap kettle capacity and employ-- ing the most efficient arrangement of the usual washing process yielding the same total of glycerine extracted.
  • the method of the invention is also efiicient in removing dirt and impurities generally present in the original mixture obtained by saponification or other soap making process.
  • any suitable means other than that described may be used for injecting lye into the upper layers A1 and. A2 of soap.
  • the lye may be introduced directly into the lower lye layers B1 and B2 thus eliminating the surface washing treatment of the previously described arrangement. In such a case each vessel would have two zones only, one of agitation and one of settling.
  • the saponification process preceding the washing of the soap in accordance with the invention may be carried out in any suitable manner. It may with great advantage be used with a continuous saponification method, for example that described in my co-pending application No. 7 22,7 94 filed January 18, 1947.
  • two kettles maybe provided in which saponiflcation effected in the usual way, the saponifying operations being carried out in the kettles in succession, so that while the soap from one kettle is being injected into the lyes of the first washin kettle, a fresh charge of soap is being saponified ready to be washed when the first saponification kettle has been emptied.
  • the washed soap produced by the invention may be collected in vessels, such as soap kettles, in order to be fitted, settled and cleaned according to the customary batch procedure as usually practised.
  • the invention may be usefully employed to provide a continuous supply of washed soap curd, at a constant rate, to any continuous method for the fitting or other operation necessary to complete the manufacture of the soap.
  • the smaller vessels 53 and 54 may be termed agitation tubes and they need consist only of suitable lengths of enlarged pipes provided with barangs. They may, of' course, take any other appropriate form. They. are fitted with the inlet lines 63' and 64 through which the mixture of the soap and lye is injected by steam injectors 65 and 66, respectively.
  • the turbulent passage of the mixture through the bafiied tubes causes the lye to extract glycerine from'the soap before the mixture passes out into lines 51 and 58 for settling in the lower portion of larger vessels' 58 and 5
  • the soap which overflows into troughs 55 and 56 is withdrawn to the next succeeding stage of the process along lines 61 and 68.
  • Steam injectors 69and I8 serve to pass lye to the v.next preceding stage of the process via lines II and 12, respectively.
  • Fresh soap to be washed is introduced to the system from line 13 into small sump tank I5.
  • the fresh lye for washing is injected into vessel 5
  • supplies injectors 65 and 69 by way of lines 82 and 83, respectively, and steam from source 84 supplies injectors 66 and I8 byway of lines 85 and 86, respectively.
  • I2 conveys a subsidiary flow of lye from the layer B4 into trough whence it passes, in admixture with the overflowing soap, down line 61 to steam injector 66 to be injected through line 64 into agitation tube 54.
  • agitation tube 54 glycerine is again extracted from the soap and the mixture is ejected along line 58 into the settling zone in the lower portion of vessel 5
  • The procedure within vessel 5
  • into trough 56 is withdrawn from the process along line 68.
  • the lye from layer B3 is withdrawn through line 68 for glycerineextraction.
  • the arrangement of Figure 2 is substantially similar to that shown in Figure 1, with the difference that one series of zones of agitation is accommodated in separate small vessels 53 and 54, leaving two zones of settling and one zone of agitation accommodated in each of the larger vessels 58 and 5
  • a further difference between the two arrangements is that in the arrangement of Figure 2, the larger vessels are so designed as to give the contiguous zones within them dimensional shapes approximately more suited to their particular functions and Without the superfluous volumes usually unavoidable when, as shown in Figure 1, ordinary types of soap kettles are adapted for the process.
  • the overall effect of these differences is to reduce the stock of 'material in process with a consequent saving in radiated heat losses and an increase of output calculated on a time-capacity basis.
  • FIG. 3 there is shown a series of baffled tubes I88, NH and I82 designed for the sole purpose of agitating mixtures of soap curd and lye bottomed settling trays i It, H and Ht, fitted with centrally placed funnels H7, H3 and H9 which are connected with lines IIll, III and H2, respectively, so that the agitated mixture of soap and lye may be introduced centrally into the trays for the purpose of settling. Flowing from the-mouths of the funnels H7, H3 and H9, these mixtures gradually separate into the respective upper-layers A5, A andAf'z, of soap and lower layers Be, Be and B of lye.
  • any suitable gauges to indicate the approximate level of the interface between the two layers may be provided for trays H4, I I5! and II'G.
  • the trays are fitted around tlieir'inside perimeters with troughs I23, I21! 5113122, into which the soap flows over weirs 23,124 and 'l25 tobe carried away by withdrawal lines I26, I27 I28 respectively, to the next succeeding stage of the process.
  • Lines E29, I35 and ISI serve to withdraw lyes from the respective layers B5, B6 and 1331
  • the lye from the layer B5 is withdrawn from the process to be worked up for the recovery of glycerine, but the lyes from layers B6 and B7 are fed to steam injectors I33 and I3 3, respectively, which are supplied from a source of steam I35 by steam lines I35 and I3? in order that they may be injected upwards into the next preceding stage of the process.
  • the soap to be washed is introduced into the process through line I lii and a small sump tank I4I.
  • the fully washedsoap is finally withdrawn along line i28.
  • the fresh brine or lye used for the washing is introduced by steam jet Hi2 fed by the brine, steam and water lines I43, I44 and 545, respectively.
  • each tray has its'res pective upper layer of soap and its lower layer of lye already established.
  • the soap to be washed enters sump tank I4I through line I55 and there mixes with lye withdrawn through line I35! from layer 1360f tray H5 and injected upwards by steam injector I33 along line'l iii.
  • the mixture of soap and lye then passes through line It? into steam injector Ills which injectsit along line I513 into agitation tube 169' and thence out through line II nowadays into funnel II!
  • the lye again settles out and is withdrawn through line I36 to be injected upwards as mentioned above.
  • the soap flowing over weir I24 into trough I2I is mixed with fresh lye introduced through line I50 from the injector arrangement at I 12.
  • the mixture of soap and lye in trough I2I is withdrawn through line I2? and injected into agitation tube I02 through line I05 by steam injector I08. From there it is transferred to settling tray I I6 through line H2 and funnel H9.
  • the lye settles out, this time into the layer B1 from which 12 it is withdrawn through line I3I to be injected upwards as mentioned above.
  • the spacetime factor provided in the settling zones is similar to those provided ior the upper settling zones of the two previously described arrangements, the soap travelling outwards in a thin surface stratum of diminishing depth from which the lye is permitted time facility to settle before the soap reaches theweir.
  • the rates of flow are proportionate to the mean depth of the surface layer and to the diameter, or length, of the settling trays.
  • Any other suitable designs of agitation chambers and settling trays may be employed.
  • the pump chambers themselves may serve as the agitation chambers, care being talgen that the liquid remains agitated for a suificient length of time for a satisfactory extraction of glycerine to be obtained.
  • the system may be operated in one or any number of stages.
  • the various vessels and trays of the apparatus maybe disposed in any vertical, lateral or other arrangement which may be found suitable or desirable, and may be combined. in complete units to suit convenience of manufacture or installation.
  • This particular arrangement of the process also provides a means whereby a quality, or run of soap can be completely withdrawn from the equipment and yet the respective lyes may be left behind in readiness to treat another quality, or run of soap.
  • FOl bhlS purpose the troughs in the settling trays are fitted on their inner sides with small sluice gates l5I, I52 and I 53, the function of which will be explained below.
  • Sluice gate I53 is then opened to complete the draining of this soap layer A7 and a further small quantity of fresh lye is injected to complete this draining. When this operation is complete, all sluice gates are closed and steam is shut oif completely. It must be noted that the draining of an upper layer of soap must be conducted gradually so that the consequent dis placement of the next lower soap layer does not become too rapid for the respective flow of lye by which it is to be washed.
  • the lyes whichhave been left behind by a preceding quality of soap need not necessarily possess a concentration of electrolyte which is suitable for a succeeding quality. Hence an adjustment of this electrolyte concentration may be required before recommencing the process.
  • the requisite quantity of either strong brine from line I43 or water from line I45 is injected by steam injector I 32 by way of line I56 into line I6! from which it is conveyed through lines I29, I36 and I3I, into lye layers B5, B6 and B7 respectively.
  • valves I66, I62, I63, and I64 are open, valves I54, I65, I55 and I57 are closed, and the direction of flow in lines I29, I36 and I31 is opposite to that indicated by the arrows.
  • the zone of settling should present a fairly high degree of symmetry, particularly in those cases where the settled soap flows over a weir, that is to say in the cases of the upper settling zones in vessels II and I2 of Figure 1 and 50 and 5
  • the arrangement should be such that the time taken for the soap t flow from the point of injection into the settling zone to the point of leaving the zone at the weir should be the same for all paths along which a given small mass of soap may fiow. This ensures that the degree ofsettling' is uniform for all parts of the soap mass leaving the zone.
  • the soap flowing over the weir may have different physical characteristics at different points along the length of the latter, giving rise to'an unhomogeneous product leaving the zone.
  • stagnant pockets or areas of soap may form, causing a reduction in effective settling space and loss of operative efficiency.
  • the lye injected into the soap layer in the arrangements of Figures 1 and 2 should'be directed to flow towards the whole length of the weirs 3
  • a single injector may spread a disc-shaped layer of lye into the soap.
  • the vessels are rectangular in shape with the weir arranged round all four sides, a correspondingly rectangular bank of injectors placed in the central area of the pan is provided. Similar cons'iderations apply to the position of the weirs and the manner of introducing the mixture of soap and lye into settling trays II4, IE5 and H6 of Figure 3.
  • FIG. 4 is shown an alternative arrangement of a settling tray I I4 in which the soap/lye mixture from the agitation vessel I00 is passed through pipe I I0 into a slotted distribution pipe I I9 lying across the width of the tray at thebottom of an end trough eamed It .sebmereedeb ffle p a e 1 Ha. he
  • the flow of lye may follow paths other than those shown in the above described arrangements of the process.
  • fresh brine from the pipe I53 may be fed to each of the troughs I20 and I2! and to sump iii and the lye withdrawn from the trays H 3 and H5 may join that from tray I Hi and leave the process.
  • fresh brine is used t wash the soap at each stage.
  • four settling trays with four agitation tubes may be provided.
  • the soap passes through all four in succession, and fresh brine is fed to the second and fourth washing stages, and is returned to the first and third washing stages respectively. Which of these various ways of moving the lye through the washing stages is preferable will depend upon the efficiency of glycerine extraction, and the concentration of glycerine in the recovered lye which it is desired to attain.
  • a continuous method of washing soap for extracting glycerine therefrom in the absence of centrifuging which comprises continuously mixing, in a zone of agitation, a continuous stream of glycerine-containing soap with a continuous stream of lye, thereby continuously washing the soap in said soap stream with the lye in said stream of lye to transfer the glycerine' fromthe soap to the lye and forming a combined stream of washed soap and glycerine-enriched lye; continuously passing said combined stream from said zone of agitation into a settling zone within a vessel filled with soap and lye separated into an upper layer of soap and a lower layer of lye, said combined stream of washed soap and glycerineenriched lye being introduced into said settling zone below the surface of the layer of soap in the vessel, the lye in said settling zone descending by the action of gravity to the layer of lye in the lower portion of the vessel and the washed soap ascending to the upper layer of soap to form
  • a continuous method of washing soap. for extracting glycerine therefrom in th absence of centrifuging which comprises filling a vessel having an overflow initially with soap and lye to form, by gravity settling, an upper layer of soap and a lower layer of lye; continuously introducing a stream of glycerine-containing soap into the lower portion of the vessel; continuously introducing a stream of lye into the upper portion of the vessel below the surface of the layer of soap; said continuous introductions of soap and lye forming a lower Zone of agitation localized in the lower portion of the Vessel wherein the continuously introduced stream of soap is washed with the lye in said lower layer to transfer glycerine from said stream of soap to the lye, an upper zone of agitation localized in the upper portion of the vessel and not extending to the overflow wherein the soap in the upper layer is washed by the continuously introduced stream of lye to transfer glycerine from said soap to said lye, a first settling zone intermediate the
  • a continuous method of washing soap for extracting glycerine therefrom in the absence of centrifuging which comprises filling a vessel having an overflow initially with soap and lye to form, by gravity settling, an upper layer of soap and a lower layer of lye; continuously mixing, in a zone of agitation outside the vessel, a continuous stream of glycerine-conta-ining soap with a continuous stream of lye, thereby continuously washing the soap in said soap stream with the continuously introducing a stream of lye into the upper portion of the vessel below the surface of the layer of soap; said continuous introductions of washed soap and lye forming a zone of agitation localized in the upper portion of the vessel and not extending to the overflow wherein the soap in the upper layer is washed by the continuously introduced stream of lye to transfer glycerine from said soap to said lye, a first settlin zone in th lower portion of the vessel wherein the glycerine-enriched lye from the
  • a continuous method of washing soap for extracting glycerine therefrom in the absence of centrifuging which comprises filling a vessel initially with soap and lye to form, by gravity settling, an upper layer of soap and a lower layer of lye; continuously introducing a stream of glycerine-containing soap and a stream of lye into the lower portion of the vessel; said continuous introductions of soap and lye forming a zone of agitation localized in the lower portion of the vessel wherein the continuously introduced stream of soap is washed with the lye in said lower layer to transfer glycerine from said stream of soap to the lye and the lye in said lower layer is continuously replenished by the continuously introduced stream of lye, and a settling zone above the zone of agitation wherein the washed soap from the zone of agitation ascends to form a thin, quiescent surface stratum of washed soap and wherein any lye in said washed soap descends by the action of ravity to the zone of
  • a continuous method of washing soap for extracting glycerine therefrom in the absence of centrifuging which comprises continuously mixing, in a zone of agitation, a continuous stream of glycerine-containing soap with a continuous stream of lye, thereby continuously washing the soap in said soap stream with the lye in said stream of lye to transfer the glycerine from the soap to the lye and forming a combined stream of washed soap and glycerine-enriched lye; continuously passing said combined stream from said zone of agitation into the center of a shallow vessel having a sloping bottom to form a settling zone within the vessel wherein the lye in said continuous combined stream descends by the action of gravity to form a layer of glycerine-enriched lye in the lower portion of the vessel and wherein the washed soap ascends to form a thin, quiescent surface layer of washed soap diminishing in depth as it moves toward the edge at the top of the vessel; continuously withdrawing a shallow stream of washe
  • a continuous method of washing soap for extracting glycerine therefrom in the absence of centrifuging which comprises continuously mixing, in a zone of agitation, a continuous stream of glycerine-containing soap with a continuous stream of lye, thereby continuously Washing the soap in said soap stream with the lye in said stream of lye to transfer the glycerine from the soap to the lye and forming a combined stream of washed soap and glycerine-enriched lye; continuously passing said combined stream from said zone of agitation into a shallow, elongated vessel at one end thereof, said vessel having a sloping bottom, to form a settling zone within the vessel wherein the lye in said continuous combined stream descends by the action of gravity to form a layer of glycerine-enriched lye in the lower portion of the vessel and wherein the washed soap ascends to form a thin, quiescent surface layer of washed soap diminishing in depth as it moves toward the other end of the

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US722793A 1946-01-21 1947-01-18 Continuous method of washing soap Expired - Lifetime US2562207A (en)

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US (1) US2562207A (fr)
BE (1) BE470666A (fr)
CH (1) CH271119A (fr)
DE (1) DE884679C (fr)
FR (1) FR941206A (fr)
GB (1) GB612014A (fr)
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Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2507036A (en) * 1948-08-23 1950-05-09 Douglas Aircraft Co Inc Vehicle windshield
US3047600A (en) * 1956-10-19 1962-07-31 Lever Brothers Ltd Soap
US3116912A (en) * 1956-10-19 1964-01-07 Lever Brothers Ltd Soap manufacturing apparatus
US3150158A (en) * 1960-10-01 1964-09-22 Union Internat Company Ltd Process for manufacturing soap
US3190900A (en) * 1961-03-23 1965-06-22 Colgate Palmolive Co Continuous process for soap washing

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2300750A (en) * 1940-05-10 1942-11-03 Sharples Corp Manufacture of soap
US2300749A (en) * 1939-06-29 1942-11-03 Sharples Corp Manufacture of soap
US2411469A (en) * 1943-11-25 1946-11-19 Sharples Corp Manufacture of soap
US2411468A (en) * 1943-11-25 1946-11-19 Sharples Corp Manufacture of soap

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2300749A (en) * 1939-06-29 1942-11-03 Sharples Corp Manufacture of soap
US2300750A (en) * 1940-05-10 1942-11-03 Sharples Corp Manufacture of soap
US2411469A (en) * 1943-11-25 1946-11-19 Sharples Corp Manufacture of soap
US2411468A (en) * 1943-11-25 1946-11-19 Sharples Corp Manufacture of soap

Cited By (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2507036A (en) * 1948-08-23 1950-05-09 Douglas Aircraft Co Inc Vehicle windshield
US3047600A (en) * 1956-10-19 1962-07-31 Lever Brothers Ltd Soap
US3116912A (en) * 1956-10-19 1964-01-07 Lever Brothers Ltd Soap manufacturing apparatus
US3150158A (en) * 1960-10-01 1964-09-22 Union Internat Company Ltd Process for manufacturing soap
US3190900A (en) * 1961-03-23 1965-06-22 Colgate Palmolive Co Continuous process for soap washing

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
BE470666A (fr)
FR941206A (fr) 1949-01-05
LU28291A1 (fr)
NL129873C (fr)
CH271119A (de) 1950-10-15
DE884679C (de) 1953-07-30
GB612014A (en) 1948-11-08

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