US2503395A - Concentrating apparatus and method - Google Patents

Description

April 11, 1950 J. LEBOEUF CONCENTRATING APPARATUS AND METHOD Filed May 6, 1948 Patented Apr. 11, 1950 OFFlCE CONCENTBATING APPARATUS-AND I METIIOD Jos p bn Jonq Que ec, Canada 1 Application May 6, 1948, Serial No. 25,436

3 Claims.

The present invention pertains to a novel apparatus for and method of concentrating liquor such as maple sap, for example.

Ordinarily such a liquor is concentrated by a series of evaporations. These are expensive, time-consuming and difiicult to perform. The principal object of the invention is to provide an apparatus and method to simplify this operation.

I have found that water can be frozen out of the liquor, leaving a concentrated syrup. The apparatus of the invention includes a drum for receiving the liquor and means for advancing the contents to a separator while being refrigerated. The separator receives the ice that was formed in the drum, as well as the remaining concentrate. The separator is in the form of a rotating reticulated drum through which the concentrate flows to a suitable outlet, and means is provided for passing the ice to a discharge chute.

Another object of the invention is to provide a relatively simple, inexpensive and durable apparatus of the character set forth. The refrigerating drum is surrounded by a refrigerating coil, and the compressor of the apparatus is driven by a motor which also drives both'dr ums and a feed screw in the refrigerating drum.

The invention is fully disclosed by way of example in the following description and in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the device;

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Figure 1.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

In Figure 1 is shown a housing I having a vertical partition 2 and a horizontal partition 3. On the inner surface of one of the vertical walls is mounted a circular bracket 4 receiving one end of a cylindrical drum 5. The other end of the drum is reduced at B and supported in the partition 2.

In the chamber 1 formed between the partition 2 and the nearer end wall of the housing is mounted a cylindrical screen drum 8 having one end 9 reduced and supported in a series of rollers I mounted on the partition 2. The other end of the drum 8 is also reduced at I I and supported in a similar set of rollers I2 on the opposite wall of the housing.

The drum is enclosed in a coil of refrigerating pipe I3 charged with a suitable refrigerant from a compressor I4 through piping I5 in the custom- 2 ary manner. The compressor is driven from a motor I6 through a belt ll. Maple sap or other liquid to be concentrated is fed into the drum 5 through an inlet l8 as shown in Figure 2. The drum 5 is also fitted with a drain cock I9.

The motor l6 also drives a pair of connected pulleys 20, 2| through belts 22. The pulley 2| drives a vertical shaft 23 through bevel pinions 24. A longitudinal shaft 25 beneath the partition 3 is driven from the shaft 23 by bevel pinions 26.

A feed screw 21 is mounted lengthwise in the drum 5 and has an axial shaft 31 driven from the shaft 25 through reduction gearing 28. The reduced end 9 of the screen drum 8 carries a gear 29 meshing with a pinion 30 on the shaft 25.

The drum 8 is enclosed in a fixed casing 3| having a funnel bottom 32 with an outlet valve 33. A spout 34 leads from the end I I through the adjacent end wall of the housing I for a purpose that will presently be described. In the same wall is fixed one end of an axial tube 35 having its other end mounted on an extension 36 of the axial shaft 31 of the feed screw 21. Oil cups 38 are provided for the bearing-s 39 of the several shafts.

In the operation of the device, the liquor in the drum 5 is chilled to the freezing point of water. The concentrate or syrup, having a lower freezing point, remains fluid, while chunks of water ice are formed and moved to the reticulated drum 8 by the screw 21. The concentrate is similarly transferred and flows through the drum 8 into the hopper 32 from which it is discharged through the valve 33. The ice in the rotating drum 8 comes into contact with fingers 40 on the fixed tube 35 whereby the ice is moved to and is discharged through the spout 34, by the relative motion of thevdrum '8 and fingers 40.

The separation of the water by freezing has been found much more economical than the usual evaporation process. The syrup may thereafter be further concentrated by the usual methods for crystallization, or separation of maple sugar in the case of maple sap.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various alterations in the details of construction may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

l. A concentrator comprising an imperforate drum, a reticulated drum communicating therewith, means for refrigerating the contents of the first drum, means for feeding material from the first drum to the second drum, means for rotating the second drum, a spout leading from an end of the second drum, and a liquid receiver enclosing the second drum.

2. A concentrator comprising an imperforate drum, a reticulated drum communicating therewith, means for refrigerating the contents of the first drum, means for feeding material from the first drum to the second drum, means for rotating the second drum, fixed fingers in the second drum, a spout leadingfrom an end of the second drum, and a liquid receiver enclosing the second drum.

3. A concentrator comprising an imperforat drum, a reticulated drum communicating therewith, means for refrigerating the contents of the first drum, 9, feed screw in thenrst drum, means Number for rotating said screw, means for rotating the second drum, fixed fingers in the second drum, a spout leading from an end of the second drum, and a liquid receiver enclosing the second drum.

JOSEPH LE'BOEUF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 1,738,275 Baker Dec. 3, 1929 1,999,712 Zorm Apr. 30, 1935 2,418,746 Bartlet Apr. 8, 1947

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