US855071A - Process of combining oils and fats with heavier fluids. - Google Patents

Description

No. 855,071. PATENTED MAX 2.8, 190?. T. E. SMITH. PROCESS OF COMBINING OILS AND FATS WITH HEAJIER FLUIDS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.12,1906.

THEODORE E. SMITH. OF 'WEEHAWKEN, NEW JERSEY.

PROCESS OF COMBINING OILS AND FATS WITH HEAVIER FLUIDS.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28,1907.

Application filed November 12, 1906. .Serial No. 343,078.

T wit/mt it may concern:

Be it known that I, THEODORE E. SMITH, a citlzen of the United States, residing at Weehawken, in the county of Hudson and State 5, of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Combining Oils and Fats with Heavier Fluids, of which the following is a specifica- 1011'. in My invention relates to improvements in the process of combining oils, fats and like fluids of a relatively li ht specific gravity with heavier fluids, suc as water, by mechanically producing a minute division and r intermingling thereof, whereby a mechan-- ical combination of such elements of different specific gravities will be produced which shall be substantially permanent, and to,provide a method for producing this result which may 29 be practiced commercially in the production of large quantities of suchcompounds.

While my resent invention is adaptable for usein ro ucing substantially permanent emulsions etween elements of diverse specific '25 .glaYities, which are normally fluid at ordinarytemperatures, it is particularly useful 1n producing such mechanical combinations between elements, ,one of which is solid or semi-solid at ordinary temperatures, while 3?. susceptible of being brought to a fluid or semi-fluid condition at workable temperatures. facture of butter substitutes, such as oleomargarin, butterin and the like, it is de- 3-5' sirable that'the fats andbils used shall'be "combined with milk which, being composed mostly of water, is of a much greater specific ravity than the olein, margarin and other ats and oils used in the manufacture of such compounds, and which, thenefore, tends to J separate therefrom and to reluctantly mix therewith. Fiu'thermore, in the production of such butter substitutes, which shall be of attractive appearance and of'palatable flavor 4 5 and also of good keeping quality, it is absolut-ely essential that the watery elements shall be combined with the fats and oils in such minute. articles as to be ordinarily indistinguishab e, such minute division and intermingling of the elements having different specific gravities being essentia to the production of a homogeneous compound, While with present processes there is a tendency 'for the watery elements to collect in Thus, for example, in the manurelatively large particles, so as to be readily 'a'suitablereceptacle, and 'in a fiuidor semi-or fluid condition. and in then mechanically creating a rising current, whereby the heavier elements ,are carried upward and through the lighter elements, while at the same time the masses of the different ingredients are i inely divided and intermingled until there is quickly produced an intimate molecular interminglin of the divers elements, which are thus so ely divided and so intimately intermingled that they are reluctant to sepa- 7g rate in spite of their diverse specific gravit-ies. When the fats and oils are of such character as to become solid or semi-solid at ordinary temperatures, this combination becomes permanent for all practical pur oses as soon as 7 5 the fats cool to such norma condition, but even where there is no such tendency of the elements, or of any of them,'to solidify at ordinary temperatures, my process produces r such a close mechanical combination between the molecules of the various ingredients that such combination will remain substantially permanent for a long time. So, also, my process is useful in the pro er salting of butter substitutes, which can e most effectively 8 c done by the use of brine, which. however, bein of much heavier specific gravity than unsa ted water, is much more diflicult to combine with the fatty elements, either uni- .formly or permanently, but, w h my process,

any desired proportion of brin may be used, with the assurance that there will be an abso lutely uniform distribution thereof through the entire mass of the compound.

At present butter substitutes are salted by 9 5 kneading in salt after the compound has been cooled and solidified. This is done in large, slowly-revolving, kneading machines, i nvolving much time and labor. Then the product must be packed by hand. With my process 10 the fats and salt water, when thoroughly emulsified and homogeneously combined, may be umped through some coolin device, by whic it will be partially solidified, and thence pumped into the package in which it to is to be sold, where it sets or solidifies completely in a homogeneous mass.

In practicing my improved process, I convenient-ly and liciently use, as form of apparatus, that allows in'the accoinpan cing drawing in which Figure l is a vertical sectioi'ial view; and Fig. 2 is a view on the line 2, 2 of i i 1, looking in the direction indicated by he rows.

A is the tank, having n oun ed therein a shaft B carrying a propeller C. "lhe shalt B entends tlirou gh a hollow shaft D, which c arries a propeller E at its lower end and is provided at its upper end with a go vvheel F, While the shaft B is provided With a gearwheel G. These geanwheels are rotated in opposite directions by a gear-wheel H which meshes with the gear-Wheels l and G, the gear-Wheel ll being secured-to the shait'I, which is driven in any suitable manner. '1 he propellers (I and E are arranged so that their blades are oppositely pitched and are arranged in relation to each other in the manner which I shall hereinafter describe.

The action of a propeller rotated at the bottom of a tank and in a fluid body and in adirection to cause an upward circulation of the fluid is such, as I have demons ated by experiments, as to cause the fluid to low 1p Wardly and outwardly, the lateral flow de pending upon the pitch of the propeller-blades, but Whatever the pitch may be, so long as there is any pitch to cause an u pward tloiv of the fluid, such pitch Will cause a lateral flow, with the result that there is always a-vcry limited upward circulation of the fluid. lion sequently, unless the tank is very shallow, the operation of the propeller will be merely su; h as to cause the fluid to rise slightly and then I to flow in a curve toward the side of the tank and then downwardly. Consoq uently a large propeller be rapidly rotated in a tank ithout causing any appreciable vertical circulation or intermingling of the divers elements constituting the contents of the tank. W hile the initial rotation of a single propeller in. a tank of fluid may result insoine :ln itvertical agitation, the lateral woven nt caused by the rotation of the propeller will shortly so dominate the vertical move nent that the entire contents of the tank Will take on rotary movement With no flfiipfcildlil i. or useful vertical circulation. If, however, a second propeller be arranged above the first propeller with its blades having an opposite pitch, the two propellers being rotated i opposite directions so as to cause an upward movement of the mutants of the tank, the second propeller will catc -nt rish the ing' from thelirst propeller as it begins to diverge toward the side of tl e tank and will tend to cause such diverging cu ,nts to diverge in the opposite direction Vfhen advantage is taken of this fact, the resultant of the'opposingaction of these two propellers Will be a substantially vertical current of sufiicientjforce to carry the lluid from the propellers to the-surface,along which will through the ov and rapid oi' the lower part of the dy forced to -lihe, c surface 111g lighter elen rntsthereby quickly I and ih'icly dividing and comi'ningliug the elements of dii'l'erent gravities into a homogeneous and permanent mixture. The relations of the propellers to each other will vary according "to the die-meter of the ,oropelle \v ieel aml'aecording to the pitch of the propeller-blades. With 18 inch propellers, used in a tank 12 feet in diameter and somewhat over feet deep, I find that valu-' able results can be obtained by locating the the heavy conic tank will propellers so that the blades clear each other by about lif -inches.

here, for example, salted Water or milk and the oils and. fats used in butter substitutes are placedin the same tank, the brine and the milk Will settle to the bottom of the tank. As soon as I start the apparatus in operation, the lower propeller Will start an initial current of the brine and milk, at the bottom. of the tank, to rise upwardly and 1 one of propellers 34 inches in diameter Will create such a strong rising current in a tank over 10- fluid contents of the tank when the tank is full. its the rising current reaches the surlace, it diverges to the, side of the tank and an induced return current is created, shown. At the. same time these forcibly driven currents of heavier fluids, rising through the lighter fluids, diverging and then descending, serve to thoroughly break up and interniingle the heavier and the lighter "iuids, whereby an intimate, molecuintrrrningrling of the various fluids is rapidly at, Lined. As illustrating the certainty ity of the action of this apparatus, l note that two pounds of fluid coloring mat er may be incorpmated in sixty thousand )ounds of Fluid in less than live minutes so eliiciently as to produce a uniform color throughout theentire sixty thousand pounds contained in the tank. So in a relatively short time my process of interiningling oils and fats with heavier fluids by projecting a mechanically created current of the heavier fluid upward through the overlying lighter fluids and pcrinitting an induced return cur:

currents until the fluids of rent will so effectively and minutely combine these various fluids as to produce an emulsion of great stability, even where all the elements remain fluid, while, when the princi pal elements are such as to be fluid only under heat and to be solid or semi-solid at ordinary temperatures, the emulsion Willremain permanent until the compound shall be cooled and set, whereupon the combination will be permanent for all purposes, and in this manner I can combine, for example, as much as 25% of milk with the fatty elements usedin a butter com ound and in such a manner that there will be no visible watery spots or particles in the butter compound,

and I can also of brine throug substitutes so as to produce an absolute uni-' formity of seasoning throughout the entire mass.

project any desired quantity While I have, forpurposes of concrete.

illustration, shown the use of my process in the manufacture of butter compounds and butter substitutes and in the seasoning thereof,. the process is not limited to such specific gravity, and my process isof high" commercial value in the manufacture of the uniform roduct which results therefrom, because 0 the much larger proportion of the heavier fluid which can be successfully incorporated in the compound, because of the rapidity with which t produced, and because of the inexpensive cost of installation and the cheapness of operation.

I claim:

1. The process of mechanically combining fluids of different specifldgravities which comprises mechanically pro ecting acurrent of heavier fluid upwardly through and in continuous contact with an overlying body of lighterfluid.

2." The process of mechanically combining fluids of different densities which comprises projecting an unconfined and undivided current of.a heavier fluid upwardly through an overlyin body of a lighter fluid.

3. Theprocess oi mechanically combining fluids of different densities which comprises projecting an unconfined and undivided current of a heavier fluid upwardly through and in continuous contact with an overlying fluid body of less density.

4. The process of mechanically combining fluids of different densities which comprises projecting a current of the denser fluid vertically through and in free and continuous contact with a body of lighter fluid and also causing induced descendin return different densities butter compound or butter e compound may be 'are brought into homogeneous intimate molecular combination with each other.

5. The process of mechanically combining water with fats and oils which comprises projecting a mechanically created current of water vertically through and in free and colntinuous contact with a body of fats and 01 s.

.6. The process of combining water with fats and oils which comprises sufficiently heating the fats and oils to hold the same in a sufliciently fluid condition and then projecting a mechanically created current of water through and in continuous contact with the ,body of fats and oils until said elements are brought into such intimate molecular'contact wlth each other as to form a homogeneous mass. i

7. The process of producing a homogeneous compound containing water and fats or oils, which are solid or semi-solid at 'ordinary atmospheric temperatures, which comprises bringing the fats or oils to a sufficiently fluid condition, projecting a mecham ically created current ofv water thnsugh andin continuous contact with an overlying body containing the fats or oils ,nd produc ing induced return currents,- while the fats or oils are maintained in a sufficiently fluid condition, until said elements are brought into thorough intimate molecular combination with each other, and'then cooling the homogeneous mass to solid or semi-solid condition. v

8. The process ofcombiningfiuids reluc tant to mix which comprises projecting an unconfined and undivided current of one fluid, having a substantially uniform diameter, through and in continuous contact with-a body of the other fluid until a mechanical combination of said fluids is produced.-

9. The process of combining fluids reluctant to mix which comprises bringin the fluids together in a vessel and mechamcally generating through the fluid body in the vessel an undivided and unconfined rising current having a substantially straight path, said current being in continuous contact with the surroundin body of fluid.

10. The process 0 combining fluids reluctant to mix which comprises bringing the fluids together in a vessel and creating opposing currents riear the bottom of the vessel whereby a resultin single vertical current is produced whic is projected vertically through the entire fluid body and in continuous contact therewith.

11. The. process of combining fluids reluctant to mix which comprises bringing the fluids together in avessel, creating an' initial rising and diverging current near the bottom of the vessel and simultaneously creating a second rising and diverging current in such a inannerthat a single, vertical current is created as the resultant of said two initial currentsand is projected vertically through and in continuous contact with the body of fluids in said vessel.

12. The process oi" combining materials which are reluctant to mix, at least one oi" which is solid or semi-solid at ordinarvatinospheric temperatures which comprises associating said materials together in a fluid condition, projecting through the body cooling medium whereby they are sufii-- ciently cooled. to make the combination thereof permanent, the primary body of said iiuids being continuously intermingled as above set forth, vwhile such combined fluids are being conveyed to such cooling influence, whereby the mechanical combination of said elements is continuously maintained until said elements are cooled into a solid or semi-solid mass.

13. The process oi combining fluids reluctant to mix, which comprises projecting through and in 'or'iti'nuous contact with a body of said fluids a vertical current having a substantially uniform diameter which is relatively small. in comparison wvith the diameter of the entire iiuid body through which it is projected.

14. The process of combining fluids reluctant to mix which comprises projecting a fluid current through and in continuous contact with the bodv oi said fluids and maintainin said fluid body inert and without agitation except for said projected current and the return and entrained currents resulting therefrom.v

THEODORE E. SM] TH. Witnesses:

J. F. Dorrie, JOSEPH A. KREUZER.

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