GB486819A - Improvements in soap products and in the manufacture thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<PICT:0486819/III/1> <PICT:0486819/III/2> Soap powder is obtained from kettle soap (water content about 30 per cent) or from filled soap (water content about 40 per cent) by reducing the water content to a predetermined degree, e.g. to 5-25 per cent, converting the partially dried soap into a plastic or semi-fluid mass and then into discrete particles, and solidifying the particles. During the plasticizing stage there may be introduced: perfumes, colourings, and sodium perborate or other filler affected by water and heat; air or other gas whereby uniformly aerated particles are produced; and water to correct over-drying. Suitably, a mixture of 85,3 lb. of anhydrous soap, 11,7 lb. of sodium silicate, 3,0 lb. of sodium carbonate, and 36,5 lb. of water flows from a crutcher 5 to chilling rolls 7; the ribbons pass through a hot air drier 8 and a pipe 9 to a hopper 10 of the jacketed plasticizer 11 in which the soap is worked at 165-212 DEG F. and about 25-30 lb. pressure along with air admitted with the soap, and if desired with air, other gas, perfumes, and alkali or other fillers introduced by a pipe 30; the worked mass is forced through a jacketed discharge-head 19, a pipe 28 and a valve 27, and sprayed by a nozzle 34 into a chamber 29 by compressed air or steam from a pipe 35; air from a blower 39 is simultaneously blown into the chamber 29 by a pipe 38, this air being cold if no further dehydration but only surface cooling of the particles is required, moistened if hydration of the particles is desired, and relatively hot, e.g. 360 DEG F. if further drying is to be effected; the vapours pass through a separator 46 to a pipe 47; the soap powder falls through an outlet 48. The drying of the soap particles in the chamber 29 may be increased by forcing in air by a pipe 41 and a nozzle 42 to give the soap particles a helical path and consequently a longer time in the chamber. The nozzle 34 may be replaced by: (1) a flattened nozzle 38, Fig. 2, within a wedge-shaped casing 36 having air- or steam-inlet pipes 42 and staggered notches 39, 40 at the discharge end; or (2) a flattened nozzle delivering on to a roller turning slowly relatively to a wire brush rotating rapidly thereover with a slight clearance. The plasticizer 11, as described in U.S.A. Specification 2,048,286, comprises two parallel intermeshing screws driven in the same direction at the same rate, and a jacketed casing which encloses the screws snugly except at the intermeshing zone, so that the soap cannot pass directly from the hopper 10 to the head 19 but must pass from the convolutions of one screw to the convolutions of the other through the narrow passageway at the intermeshing zone.