US3237A - Improvement in sugar-works - Google Patents

Description

UNITED ,STATES PATENT OFFICE.

V. MERRICK AND JOHN H. TOVNE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SUGAR-WORKS.

Sp'ecilcation forming part ot` Letters Patent No. 3,237, dated August. 25, 1343.

.To all, whom, t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, NORBERT RILLIEUX, of New Orleans, in the parish orn Orleans and State of Louisiana, have invented certain improvements inthe method of evaporating and concentrating saecharine juices and sirups in the manutaeture ot' sugar, and which is applicable to the,evaporation ot' other tluids; and I do hereby declare that the following` is a full, clear, and exact description ot` said improvements.

My invention consists ot' four leading improvements ou the methods known, viz:

'Ihe tirst improvement is in the manner ot connecting a steam-engine with the evaporat ing `pan or pans in such manner that the en` gine shall be operated by the steam in its passage to the evaporating pan or pulls, and t-he tlow of steam be so regulated by a weighted or other valve as to reach the said pan or pans at the temperature required t'or the processthat is to say, where the saceharine juice boiled-the steam at the same time having access to the pan or evaporator without passing through the engine by the said valve, which is weighted or otherwise regulated to insure the supply ot' steam tothe said pan or evaporat or aty the required pressure.

The .second improvement is t'or the combination ot' the i'acuumfpan or evaporator,tknowu 'as the I toward accharine -lvaporat.or,) in

which the si rups are evaporated fzwacuo, with a pan or evaporator or boiler in whichthe saecharine juices are prepared to be transferred to the vacuum-pan or evaporator, and which at the same time generates the vapor from the saccharine juices to supply the vacuum pan or pans with the required quantity of steam or vapor under sutlieient pressure and of a temperature sutiieientlyhigh to produce ebullition iu the vacuum-pau or evaporator.

The third iniprovement relates to an amelioration ot' that kind of evaporator known as the Champenoise column,77 and consists of an outer envelope to this column, by which I am enabled to adapt it to the condition ot' my seeond improvement.

The l'ourth improvemtmtis a :nelhod of regulati ng t he concentration ot' the Sirup by means ot` a dit't'wential thermometer, which indicates the degree ot' concentration of the sirnp without being ati'ected by any change in the pressure under which the Sirup is evaporated or concentrated, and also for an arrangement ot such thermometer by which its range ot' aetion up to a given point does not act on the regulator which governs the supply of theeoncenti-ated or non-concentrated saccharine juice, either ot' which will regulate the degree ot' concentration ot` the sirup.

Having described the nature ot my improvements, I shall proceed to describe the construction ot' the apparatus and the operation thereof by reference to the accompanying drawings, which make a part ot' this specilication, and in which the letters ot reference indicate the same parts in allthe seetionsot the first improvement.

rIhe mechanism and apparatus under this head are represented in the accoinpanying d rawiugs, in which Figure No. 4, Ilate l, is au elevation ot` the steam boiler or boilers, steamengine, the evaporating-lians, and the connection ot' the three; and Fig. l, Ilate 4, is a section' ot' the engine with the steam-pipes which t'orm the connection between the boiler, the engine, and the 4evaporating-pans. The main steam-pipe B from the boilers A cxtends to the pan or evaporator A, and introduces the steam in the false bottom d, and at a there is a branch pipe conducting to the cyllinder C ot' the steam-engine, and another at c, which connects with the eduetiou-valve ot' the engine, and between these two branch pipes, which are the induction and eduction pipes, the main steam-pipe l is provided with a loaded throttle or other valve, as at I), Fig. l, Ilate 4, and r, Fig. .4, Ilate l. By this arrangement it will be evident that the engine can only be worked by the pressure ot' the steam over and above that required for the pau or evaporator A, and as the steam cannot pass the weighted or throttle or other regulating valve, except it be ot' a higher pressure than is required to move the steam-engine, it passes through the pipe c to the engine, and trom thence through the eductiol'l-pipe cto the false bottom dot'thepainaud allthe additional steam that is required beyond that which passes throughv the engine goes directly through the eduction-pipe c and regulating-valves to the evaporatingpan. The diterence between the pressure in the boilers A' and the false bottom d will be the etiective pressure exerted on the piston of the engine. Thus all the steam generated in the boilers A',except the small quantity condensed, will be conducted and give out its heat to the pan or evaporator A. It is of course to be remembered that the pressure of the steam inthe false bottom d, or rather its temperature, is to be regulated in the usual way. Should it be desired at any time to conduct the steam directly to the pan or evaporator A without working the engine, the valve b' is closed, and the steam passes along the main pipe B', its pressure or temperature being regulated in any of the well -known methods. This arrangement is applicable to all kinds ot' boilers and evaporators. The throttle-valve in this arrangement can be connected with the governor ot' the steam-engine in manner wellknown to every engineer, and need not there-v fore to be described; but for this arrangement, or something substantially the same, the press ure of stealn would be the same on both sides of the piston, which would prevent the operation ot' the engine of the secondimprovement. This improvement is represented by Plate l, in which Fig. l is an elevation of the pans or evaporators, with their connecting-pipes, die. Fig. 2 is a plan, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section, of the same; and Fig. 4, an eleva tion of the the whole apparatus connected with the steamvboilers, engine, and condenser. 'lhe pan A or evaporator is constructed with a double bottom, or by tubular boilers or any other form of vacuum sugar-pan, leaving a space, d, int-o which steam of the required pressure is introduced from a steam-genen ator through the steam-pipe B', there being a stop-cock or other valve, o', to regulate or eut oil' the steam when required. rlhe peculiar construction of this pan need netto be described, as it is only necessary to state that it should have two chambers one for the saccharine juice and the other below it for the steamthe two pans or sets of pans, which may be similarly constructed. rlhe sacchaiine juice is introduced into the pan or evaporatorAby the pipe F, provided with a stop-cock, f, and there boiled by the heat of the steam introduced in the double bottom d or other form, as before described, and the steam arising from the evaporation of the saccharine juice in this the first pan is employed to boil the concentrated juice or sirup in the second pan, B, by passing oft` from the pan A through the pipe D to the double bottom d. rlhc concentrated saccharine juice or sirup in the second pan, B, is boiled or evaporated in vacuo, after the manner of the well-known Howard process, by connect-ing the upper part ot' the pan with a condenser and air-pump, E being the connection-pipe, G the condenser, and H the air-pump operated by the steam-engine or other power, and as these parts ot' the apparatns are well known to every engineer, it is not necessary to describe them. The connection between the first and the second pans,

A B, is by a pipe, G', which passes through the double bottom of the former, where it is provided with avalve, I, opening inward and with the top of the latter, it being provided with a stop-cock, g, near its junction with the pan B, to -regulate the supply .of the concentrated saccharine juice to the second or vacuum pan. The operation of this part of the operation is very obvious. The pan B being exhausted by its connection with the condenser and. air-pump, and lthe stop cock g being opened, `the saccharine juice, which has been concentrated in the pan A by the steam in the false bottom cl, is forced up the pipe G' into the pan B by the elastic force ofthe steam generated from the saccharine juice, and after the sirup has been sufiiciently reduced in the second or vacuum pan, B, it is drawn off through a pipe, H', which is provided with a weighted valve, I, opening inward, and having a lever and weight, a, the stem of the valve passing down through a pipe, which connects the double'bottom. These pans are provided with man-holes, a glass gage or indicatingtube, K, to indicate the level of the juice, blow-cocks J J to expel the air from the double bottom, thermometer and cbullition-gage O L, and pipes m a, to discharge t-he water produced by the condensation of the steam in double bottoms or steam-chambes d d.

Another method of applying this my sccond improvement is represented in t-he same plate, in which Fifr. 5 is an elevation, and Fig. (i a plan. In this modification the saccharine juice, instead ot' being concentrated by steam of a pressure equal to or greater than the atmosphere, which at the same time generates the steam from the saccharinc juice to boil the sirup inl the vacuum-pan, is concentrated in a boiler heated by fuel in the usual manner of a steam-boiler. By reference to the drawings` it will be seen that all the connections in` this modification are substantially similar to the first, except in form and the application or substitution of a common steamboiler for the first pan, A, in the first-dedescribed modifieation. rlhe boiler A and vacuum-pan B, under this modification, are represented as cylindrical; but under either of the modifications any form can be adopted in the judgment or fancy of the constructer. The supply pipe F is provided with a float and valve, '11 i, to regulate the supply of saccharine juice. rlhe float i rests on the surface ot' the saccharine juice, and is attached to the lever of the valve i, which governs the aperture of' the feed-pipe, so that when the saccharine juice rises too high the oat is elevated and closes the aperture, which stops the supply, and when it sinks too low the float, following it, opens the valve, and thus regulates the supply.

rlhe degree of concentration of thesirup in the pan B may be regulated yby an apfaratus attached to the pipe G, that conveys the concentrated saccharine juice from the boiler or pan A to the pan B, which apparatus acts by .and prepared for casting into form.

the specific gravit-y of the sirup in the following` manner, viz: The reduced Sirup is regularly discharged from the panI by :1 pipe, II, which leads and discharges into a vessel, l, prov'idedwithwhatis well known as a level tube, through which the sirup is discharged into adouble-bottomed pan, K, after it reaches a certain height in 'the vessel. This doublebottomed pan K is heated by vapor from the boiler A, and in it the Sirup is furtherreduced The ves` sel I is hung by journals to a. bent lever, k, and by rods or chains to the lever of a valve, l, in the com'lucting-pipe G', that suppliesthe pan B with the concentrated sac-charine juice.

Thewcight on the bent lever is so regulated with reference to the specific gravit-.y of the quantity of sirup which -the vessel I can con- -tain and to its connection with the feed-valve in the pipe G' as to open the valve l when the specific gravity of the sirop becomes too great andto close it when its specific gravity is not sutlieient. ln this way it is evident that the degree ot' concentration of the sirup can be regulated with the most perfect accuracy. This method of regulating the supp'ly o f concentrated sacclmrine juice and of insuring the discharge et' the sirup at the point of concentration required I intend to secure by a separa-te patent, as I shall claim under this patenti another method'of effecting this object. v

Ot' the. third improvement.: This improvemont is represented in Plate 2 of the accom# pan'ying drawings, in which Fig. l is a longitudinal elevation; Fig. 2, a plan; Fig. 3, a4

transverse elevation, representing the condenser i n section; Fig. 4, a longitudinal section of the .'acuuni-evaporator; Fig. 5, the

same of the pressure-cvaporator, and Figs. 6, 7, S, t), and 10 separate parts in section. As the two eva-porators are similarly construct-ed, it will only be necessary to describe the con- 4struct-ion of one. of them andthe manner ot' connecting the two.

The apparat-us known as the Ghampenoisecolumn, ou which my said third improvement is based, consists-of a vertical metallic column, A', the upper end of whichis don1eshaped or semi-spherical. "Within this eol- Vumn there is a steam-pipe, D', extending from 4the base ot' the column towithin a short distance ot' the. top, through which steam is admit-ted to the inside of the column-to heatit to the required tempemture. The saccharinc jiiice or si rup is discharged on the semispheri. cal top oidome ot' this column, and in pass ing' down is evaporated; but by this arrange! ment it is evident that the evaporation must take place under'the pressure ot' the atmosphere, and that thus constructed it is not applicable to the Howard process ot' eva-poration in vacuo, which is highly important in the concentration'of sirups.- I have therc'ore sorimproved this :'iiparatus as to bring it within `the conditions et' the Howard process; and my second recited improvement-viz., the employment of an evaporator which ivorks ator above the prrssuie of the atmosphere,n combina-tion with ast-cond, which evaporates in racuo, ,the steam for heating the second being;

supplied from the tirstby the evalmration of the saccharine juice, and hence I have to cmploy two such columns. The column is rep` resented at A', Fig. 5, and the inner steampipe which it keuvelops Fig. 4.

My improvement consists simply in enveloping this column .with an outer easing, as at A I. The two evaporatois being thus constructed and enveloped by an' out-creasing, it remains simply to describe the manner ol counecting them with each other and with the boiler and condenser, and also the manner et' suppl ying the saccharine juice to the first and the conceutrat ed Y juice to the second. The main steam-pipe C communicates with t-he ver...

' tical steam-pipe D' within the first; column, A,

through aA passage, It, in the base; and the saccharine juice is introduced and disehargedonto the top or dome of this column A by the pipc F, .which is connected with a bifnrcated pipe,

a, that turns in a collar or stelling-box in the upper end of -the outer casing, and is made to rotate, to insure the` regu-lar discharge of the juice, Aby'miterlvvhefels -on the shaft of the bil'urcated pipe, andI a horizontal shaft, e, that receives mot-ion from the steam-engineer other first mover, the shaft and pipe being provided with stuingboxes to 'prevent the escape of steam. The saccharine juice, being thus equall y distributed on the dome of the column, runs down to the bottom, and, in passing over 'the surface heated by steam, as before described, is sufticieutl y evaporated or concentrated to he transferred to the .other column, Where it isA further evaporated in vacuo. It is then forced out by the pressureof the steam generated from the juice in concentrating it through the passage 4w in'the base of the column, (see Fig. 8,) which communicatesmith the top of the vacuum-evaporator B by means of the connectingpipe G; and it is there discharged on the' top or dome ofthe column B iii thesame manner and by the same means as the saccharine juice is delivered on the kfirst column, except thatin the latter the unter-wheels, 85e., te rotate the discharge-pipe are outside of the surrounding case at p. The steam or vapor from the saccharine juice in the evaporator A passes oft' through the pi pe D,`enters the base of column B' at R, up the pipe D, and is discharged at the required temperature near the upper part of the column. The upper part of the evaporater B'coimnunicates by the pipe E with the condenser' Q. otgany construction; but the one' represented in ,the drawings is made after the manner ofthe well-known Hale condcnser,-and

therefore needs not .to be described. It is of course understood that the condenscr'is provided with an exhausting or air pump. The evaporators Aland B may he provided with. a

' glass v'afgc, S, to indicate the level of the saccharine juice and sirup, and with a thermometer and steanrgagc. he water or condensed va.

is represented am',

t *pasar por is dischargedfrom the base ofcolnmnwA through an aperture, r,.(represented by dotted .l inesin Fig. 8,')and from the column B' through the apertures, Figs. 6, 7, and 9, .each of which communicates with itsappropriate pipe, in and n. The sirup passes out from the evaporator l'15,through the aperture tc, intothe -vessel H,

that contains a dierential thermometer to l regulate the bake or concentration ofthe sirup, j

and from the vessel it is discharged' into the doublebottom pan K, ,already'described by a vrotating cock, X, known as the t rotatingfeeding-cock. This cockhasaehamberor cham' bers in it, which, as Iit rotates, is alternately presented to the pipe leading from thevessel H and the pipe discharging into the pa'n K; and' in this manner, foreach chamber in the cock, at each rot-ation, a measure of sii-up 'is discharged. Motion is given to this cockby the vertical arbor Y, which is geared with the horizontalfshaft p, -that'communicates motion to the dischargepipe u in the evaporator B. A pipe, L, extends from the main steam-pipe C to eacltof the evapolators A and B,^for the purpose of admit-ting steam to cleanse the -surfaceof the columns A' and B. y 4 Of the fourthimpro-vement: The manner of constructing .the differential thermometer.

- to goveruthe bake' or concentrationof the -sirupiuu'der the head of my fourth improvc` ment is represented under its various moditications in.1late3, and the manner of applying itto the apparatus is represented in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and'G-of Plate 2, referred to in` the description of mythirdimprovement; but

it is to be understood that this manner of ap- 1 plying'it is only givenas anexemplification, for it can be variously applied without changing the character of this invention-las, for instance, 1 t 1s lmmaterial Whether' lthe application of i t be madeto govern the supply of the saccharine juice 'to the first evaporator, A, orl

to the second, B, from' the first, as the object is to regulate the concentration ,of the sirup in thel lastev'aporator B, and it is immaterial whether this'is effected by one or the other.4

When applied to govern the supply of juice to the fust evaporator, then the sirup should be regularly discharged from thelast, for when the regulator indicates the concentration to be too great. thevalve4 is opened,which'admits-a vgreater supply of saccharine juice tothe first., which is forced by the pressure of the steam -into the second the moment it lhas reached the bottom of the column, and when applied to regulate the discharge 'from the `frst'to the last the discharge from the last should be regular, and thesupply of the saccharine juice to the first should be regulated by a self-feeding apparatus or by hand, so as to makel the' supply correspond with the transfer from the first to vthe second. The object to be obtained is to 'increase the supply from the first to the last 'evaporator when the thermometer indicates the conconl ration .to be too great, and toreduce it when it indicates 'insulicient' concentration. lu .the vessel H, Plate 2, through which the'sirup passes' after it has been discharged froni the. second evaporator, B, nis placed a differential thermometer, constructed in the manner represented by Figs. 5, 6, 7, and 8, Plate 3. A A stem, A?, projects from the bottom of this vessel H, to which is attachmlv a metallic volute thermometer, B, composed of two plates v,of metal of different dilatation, soldered Vor otherwise firmly fastened togetheralong their Whole length. To the outer end lof this volute is attached a bar of metal, H1, and to this .baris also attached lthe-outer end of another and similar metallic.thermometer,

theinner end of which is attached to a vcrtical spindle, 1*. The lower end of this spindle rests on 'the standard A, and its upper end is provided with an index-plate, K, vwithholes in its upper surface, and it is there connected.

with the spindle of the regulating or throttle valve Y in the supply-pipe F, the lower end of the valve-spindle having a lever, and pin L2 to take into the holesortheplate K, and thus establish the connection between the thermometer and regulatingvalve; which can, by thel index-holes and pin, Abe adjusted to 'any range of temperature requiredfor the eohccntration of the sirup. The lower half, B, of this thermometer. is always immersed inthe sirup as it 'is discharged from the evaporator B, and the upper. half, E, is acted upon only by the vapor arising from the said sirup.V

It is awell known lawthat as the density ,of a -fluid increases so does the difference bechange takes place withoutaifeetit'lg the degree of concentration of t-he sirup,'but does' 'changeits temperature, so that simple ther mometers could not effect the object in view, which is ,to regulate t-he degree of concentration `but .as the difference between the temperature of the Sirup and its vapor is a constant number at'all degrees of concentration, runni'hg through every degree of pressure, itis evident that the range of pressure in the condenser or any vessel in connection therewith will not aiect the differential thermometer, whichindicates only a change in the difference of the temperature between the two, which change in the said differencealso indicates a change in the concentration of the-Sirup. Itis there' fore immaterial in what manner these differential thermometers are constructed or inv what manner they are applied to regulate the` supplyo'f saccharine juice or the dischargeof l the concentratedjuice or sirup. .Figs 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 represent different methods of -constructingdifferential thermometers and dit` I A ferent methods of appl-ying them to this purpose. They may operate either by. the expaufsion of metals or fluids. If fiuids are employed,

a greater range may be given to the follower or piston by constructing the pipes in any of the forms represented in Fig. l1.

As the thermometer is attached to a regulating-valve, it is important so to construct it that all its range up to a certain point should not act on the valve. Forthis purpose I construct them in the manner represented in Figs. 12, 13, and 14. The fluid or semi-fluid of which the thermometers are composed is put in the cylinders C F C F, and to each of these is fitted a piston on which the expanding fluid is to act. In the modification, Fig. 12, the cylinder C F is provided with a vessel, m, into which is fitted a follower, a, pressed down by a spiral or other spring, S', on its stem, land as it requires less force to contract this spring than it does to operate the regulating-valve, all that part of the dilatation which takes place before the valve should be acted upon acts on the follower m, and when that has reached the limit of its range, then of course the valve isv acted upon. In the modification, Fig. 13, instead ofthe additional vessel m, the piston m is attached to the connecting-rod g by a spring, which yields to all the dilatation that takes place before the instrument should act on the va ve.

Fig. 14 represents the manner in which the piston-rods q act upon the cog-wheel r, attached to the differential leverson the spindle a of the arm I, that communicates by the rod X with the regulating-valve.

It is to be remarked that the rods g g are to bc provided with springs to force back the pistons when the fiuid or semi-fluid contracts, and that these springs are to be of such force as not to be acted upon until after the small springs s are entirely contracted.

Having fully describedthe principle or character of my improvements and the manner of constructing the apparatusA and of operating with the same, I shall proceed to point out what I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent.

I am aware that the escape steam from a steam-engine has been variously applied to economize fuel, and therefore it is to be understood that I do not claim this as of my invention under the head of my first improvement.

I am also aware that the vapor arising from a fiuid submitted to the action of heat for evaporation or concentration has been conducted to other vessels to assist in heating them, and therefore it is to be understood that I do not, under the head of my second improvement,

lclaim as my invention the application of a thermometer to regulate the supply of liquids to evaporating-vessels; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire-to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows, viz

claim the employment of a weighted throttle or other regulating valve in the main steampipe leading from the boiler to 'the exv'aporating pan or pans and the steau1e11gine, which valve shall be situated between the 'inductionvalve of the engine and the evaporating pan or pans, for the purpose and in the manner described. l

2. Under the head of' my seco'nd improvement, I claim a vacuum pan'or pans-that is to say, an evaporating pan or pans connected `with a condenser-in combination with an evaporating pan or pans, or boiler, in which the saccharincj uice or other fluid is evaporated under a pressure lower, equal to, or greater than the atmosphere, which last-mentioned pau or pan s, or boiler, prepares the saecharine juice, &c., from the vacuum pan or pans, and at the same time supplies the necessary vapor from the saccharinej uice, &c., to complete the cvap eration or concentration of the Sirup, &c., in the vacuum pan or pans, as fully described above. l

3. Under the head of my third improvement, I claim surrounding the evaporating-eolumn, known as the Champenoise column, with an outer column or jacket, by which I am enabled to adapt it to the condition of my secondrecited improvement, as described.

4. Under the head of my fourth improvement, I claim the employment of' a differential thermometer to regulate the concentration of' the sirup, inthe manner substantially as herein described.

5. The so constructing the differential thermometcr that all the range of its action up to` the point desired shall not act on the regulating-valve, as described.

N. RILLIEUX. [L s.]

Vitnessesz l GEO. GRIseoM, J osEPr-r GREER.

I. Under the head of my first improvement, I

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