GEORGE PEARSON RENSHAW, of the Park, Nottingham, Civil Engineer, for Improvements in cutting and shaping. -Sealed June 24, 1852.-(Six months.) JAMES EDWARD M'CONNELL, of Wolverton, in the county of Bucks, Civil Engineer, for Improvements in steamengines, in boilers, and other vessels for containing fluids in railways, and in materials and apparatus employed therein or connected therewith. - Sealed June 24, 1852.(Six months.) JOSEPH HART MORTIMER, of Hill-street, Peckham, in the county of Surrey, for Improvements in lamps.-Sealed June 24, 1852.-(Six months.) SAMUEL LUSTY, of Birmingham, for Improvements in manufacturing wire into woven fabrics and pins. Sealed June 24, 1852.-(Six months.) THOMAS BELL, of Don Alkali Works, South Shields, for Improvements in the manufacture of sulphuric acid.Sealed June 24, 1852.-(Six months.) JOSEPH MORGAN, of Manchester, Patent Candle Machine Manufacturer, and PETER GASKELL, of the same place, Gentleman, for Improvements in the manufacture of candles. -Sealed June 24, 1852.-(Six months.) CHARLES JAMES WALLIS, Of Clarendon Chambers, Handcourt, Holborn, in the county of Middlesex, Civil Engineer and Mechanical Draughtsman, for Improvements in machinery for crushing, pulverizing, and grinding stone quartz and other substances. Sealed June 24, 1852. - (Six months.)-(Communication.) THOMAS BAZLEY, of Manchester, Cotton-spinner, for Improvements in machines for combing cotton, flax, silk, and other fibrous materials. Sealed June 24, 1852.-(Six months.) JOHN M'CONOCHIE, of Liverpool, Engineer, for Improvements in locomotive and other steam-engines, and boilers in railways, railway carriages, and their appurtenances, also in machinery and apparatus for producing part or parts of such improvements. Sealed June 24, 1852.-(Six months.) THOMAS ALLAN, of the City of Edinburgh, Engineer, for Improvements in producing and applying electricity, and in apparatus employed therein. - Sealed June 24, 1852.-(Six months.) THE REPERTORY OF PATENT INVENTIONS. No. 2. VOL. XX. ENLARGED SERIES.-AUGUST, 1852. Specification of the Patent granted to HENRY BESSEMER, of Baxter House, Old Saint Pancras-road, in the county of Middlesex, Engineer, for Improvements in the Manufacture and Refining of Sugar, and in Machinery or Apparatus used in Producing a Vacuum in such Manufacture, and which last Improvements are also otherwise applicable for Exhausting and Forcing Fluids. - Sealed March 20, 1851. WITH AN ENGRAVING. (Continued from p. 22.) Thirdly, with regard to my invention in apparatus for producing a partial vacuum in pans or vessels used in the manufacture and refining of sugar, where the motive power required in the production of such partial vacuum is to be supplied from a fall of water, or other convenient source of motive power, and not from the vapour of saccharine fluid, as hereinbefore described under the second head of my invention, and which apparatus is more particularly applicable in those cases where a small amount of exhaustion is required, as in the "curing" of sugar, hereinafter described, No. 2. VOL. XX. G and which apparatus is otherwise applicable to the exhausting and forcing of fluids. When it is required to produce a partial vacuum in pans or vessels used in the manufacture of sugar in those localities where water power can be readily obtained, it is desirable to avoid the expense of the steam-engine, and apply a cheaper apparatus for exhausting than the one hereinbefore described, for which purpose I construct a centrifugal exhausting apparatus, as represented on Sheet G of the drawings annexed, which apparatus depends for its action in withdrawing æriform fluids on the known principle of currents of water carrying air with them when such æriform fluids are allowed to come in contact with water in rapid motion; in order to carry this principle of fluids into operation for the purpose of obtaining a partial vacuum, I make use of a modification of the centrifugal disc pump, in which the air or vapour to be exhausted is brought in contact at numerous points with the rapid currents of water, flowing through the radial partitions of the disc, which is inclosed in a suitable iron case, and is so arranged as to take its supply of water from the same vessel into which the water is discharged. Fig. 5, Sheet G, is a vertical section taken through the centre of the apparatus. Fig. 6, is an elevation of the centrifugal disc and shaft removed from the casing. Fig. 7, is a horizontal section on the line, A B, of fig. 6; and Fig. 8, is an elevation of the apparatus. a, is a circular iron tank having a cover, b, fitted thereto; the cover has a chamber, b', formed in the centre of it, which chamber is also provided with a cover, b2; in the centre of the tank there is an axis, c, working at foot in a brass bush, and at its upper end passing through a stuffing-box, d, formed in the small cover, b'; the axis, c, has a pulley-wheel, e, keyed upon it, by which motion is communicated thereto by any first mover; the axis, c, has also upon it a centrifugal disc, formed of thin metal; this disc has a large upper chamber, f, which communicates by a short neck with the chamber, b', at its entrance into which there is a stuffing-box and gland, g; the lower part of the disc is divided into a number of small compartments, h, all of which are open to the upper chamber, f; between the compartments, h, are formed radial passages, i, for the outflow of the water which is taken into the disc by the conical mouth, j; in the sides of the compartments, h, there are small vertical openings leading into the water passages, i, the flanged pipe, k, having been connected with the vessel intended to be exhausted, and water having been put into the tank, a, as high as the line, a', and a rapid rotatory motion being given to the disc, the water will immediately rise in the cone, j, and be thrown out with great velocity through the passages, i, and be received in the tank, a, to be pumped over again and again; the rapid flow of water through the passages, i, will cause the air to leave the compartments, h, and be forced out along with it; this constant displacement of air from the compartments, h, will induce more to rush into the chamber, f, and thus a continuous exhausting operation will be kept up, the air or other vapours alone or mixed with water will thus be passed rapidly through the disc, and will become separated in the tank, the air finding its way out of the pipe, l. On Sheet G, I have also shown another apparatus for effecting the same object, but in which the vis inertia of matter is made use of to effect the object, instead of centrifugal force. Fig. 9, is a vertical section of this apparatus taken through the centre of it. Fig. 10, is an elevation. Fig. 11, a horizontal cross section on the line A B of fig. 9; and Fig. 12, is an elevation of the whole of the moveable parts of this apparatus. m, is a cylindrical iron vessel, having a cover, n, fitted to it; on the under side of the cover there is formed a hollow chamber, o, which has an enlarged part on one side, o*; in order that it may have a free communication with the pipe, p, this chamber is formed into a sort of neck, o"; in this neck is fitted a short cylindrical piece of metal, q, which rests upon a flange formed about the mouth of the revolving dise or drum, r, and is for the purpose of preventing too great an amount of leakage of water to the interior of the drum; whatever does pass through will immediately be discharged at its periphery; the drum, r, consists of two plates of thin metal placed a few inches apart, and connected at their periphery by a band of metal, which is divided at six different parts, which overlap each other, and thus form a narrow vertical outlet at each of the places where the overlapping takes place; when such an apparatus is to be employed to exhaust a vessel, it must be connected therewith by the pipe, p, and water or other suitable fluid must be put into the vessel, m, as high as the line, m', to check as much as possible the tendency of the water to follow the rotary motion of the drum; the radial projections, m3, are cast on the inside of the case, as represented in fig. 11; t, is a stuffing-box and gland, for the purpose of keeping the shaft, u, air-tight; the upper end of this shaft has keyed upon it a drum, w, by which motion is transmitted from any first mover; the lower end of the shaft, u, works in a gun-metal step, v; when this apparatus is in a state of rest, the water or other fluid will occupy the interior of the drum, but as soon as a rapid rotary motion is given to it, the water will leave the drum; and as the projection caused by the overlap of the periphery recedes, it will be found that the water, by reason of its vis inertia, will not instantly follow this receding projection, and a partial vacuum will there be formed, which will be supplied by air or any æriform fluid that can get access to the interior of the drum; by the rapid motion of the drum, these portions of air will be swept away, and rising through the fluid will accumulate above its surface, and be discharged by the pipe, z, into the atmosphere. In both the forms of apparatus for exhausting pans or vessels used in the manufacture of sugar, and herein lastly described, there is one feature peculiar to them of much importance, which is that in all cases where the quantity of æriform fluid is apt to vary, a powerful machine may be used, so as to ensure the proper amount of exhaustion when the maximum quantities of æriform fluids are evolved; but as the quantity diminishes, no greater amount of exhaustion will be produced, even if the evolution of the æriform or gaseous matter were to cease altogether, no greatly increased amount of exhaustion would be produced, as the power of these machines depends upon the velocity at which they are driven, and not on the quantity of matter to be extracted, which is directly opposite to the action of a common exhausting pump, which admits of such an accumulation of air or vapour to take place, if produced in larger quantities than usual, as to entirely destroy the partial vacuum intended to be kept up, and by a decrease of the supply the rarefaction may be carried in a few minutes to a most injurious extent, in those cases where it is necessary that only a limited amount of exhaustion be maintained, as required in the process of filtration hereinafter described. |