US1843697A - Spraying device for centrifugals - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 2, 1932. E. ROBERTs 1,843,697

SPRAYING DEVICE FOR CENTR'IFUGALS Filed July 25, 1929 Inventor Patented Feb. 2, 1932 Uairso STATES PATENT; or fice EUGENE ROBERTS, OF HASTINGS, NEVT YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 THE'WESTERN STATES MA- CHINE COMPANY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, A CORPORATION OF UTAH S IERAYING' DEVICE FOR- CENTRIFUGALS Application filed July 26,

This invention relates to the washing of sugar or similar solids in centrifugal machines after the material has been purged by centrifugalseparation of the syrup or grains or crystals which must be removed by a the application of a liquid spray, usually of, Water, which acts to dissolve and carry off such adherent coating. The underlying problem in the washing of the sugar is to remove the adhesive coating while avoidingasmuch as possible the dissolving of the sugar grains themselves. a I

. The prevailing practice in centrifugal purification has beenjto use an oscillating spraynozzl'e in order to distribute the spray evenly over the mass of sugar walled up on the inside of the basket and avoid continuously directing each fine stream of liquid at the same point or line on the sugar wall, which was a difficulty in the old-time fixed nozzle.

While the oscillation of the nozzle avoided concentration of the various fine streams of liquid against the same points on the sugar wall, neverthelesseven the oscillating spray nozzle. dissolves altogether too much of the sugar crystals besides complicating thematter of exactly controlling and placing the delivery and distribution of spray over the sugar wall.

The present improvement overcomes these difliculties by providing a fixed spraying de vice comprising plural nozzles, each of which 1 delivers a sprayso finely divided that there .isno stream to eat into the sugar ,wallas in 1 controlled.

the case of the old fixed sprayers, while the a be made for any actuating mechanism on the curb and all that is necessary is a simple holding bracket or support and a line of pipe 1929. 'Serial No. 381,172.

or hose led from the controlled supply of liquid, which may be located overhead and well out of the way of the operator attending the machine. a

These and other features of the. invention will be described in the following specification and will be defined in the claims hereto annexed.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated a simple and convenient construction embodying the principles of this invention, in which a f Fig. 1 shows in front elevation the sprayer device operatively mounted in a centrifugal basket, which latter with its casing is shownin central vertical section. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the sprayer.

Fig. 3 is a detail showing the sprayer device in elevation at right angles to the plane of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section on plane ir-4 of Fig. 2.

. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on plane 55 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section of a spray nozzle. I

Fig. 7 is a plan view showing the spray deflector. i

In the practice of the invention as illustrated in the drawings the centrifugal basket- 1, having perforated side. wall with re enforced rings and with a bottom plate 3 and a top ring 4, is of usual construction found in the case of flat bottom sugar centrifugals. The basket is securely fastened to the enlarged lower end of the rotary basket shaft 5 by means of the radial spider 6 set in the central discharge opening of the basket bottom. Surrounding the basket is the usual curb or casing 8 having the'overhang'ing topring 9 and the liquid-collecting and soliddischarging ring 10 accordingto v the usual practice. v

The sprayer in this case comprises a vertical pipe 11 connected with supply pipe or hose 12 with a suitable liquid controlling apparatus of any suitable type not herein shown,

but which of course involves a cut-off valve .the sugar wall.

pipe 11 are individual spray nozzles 18, which 1 are specially constructed to deliver a very finely ClLYIClGCl spray or mist. Each spray nozzle compr1ses a small hollow head tori-lied with an interior whirlingchamber 13 of rel,-

atively large diameter compared with the inlet and with the outlet openings thereof.

From this cylindrical chamber 13 there leads a tapered or frusto-conic'a-l passage 13 to the small outlet or delivery orifice 18. Each spray'n'ozzle 13 is provided with an inlet nipple 1 1 which is tapped into the side wall of the spraynozzle' pipe 11 so as to allowthe liquid to flowthroughthe narrow or constricted opening through the nipple into the circular or cylindrical chamber 13 in a line offset from, or approximately tangential to, the central axis of said chamber. This produces a whirling action (it the liquid and in connection with the tapered deliverypassage'and the constricte'dnozzle outlet throws a very finely divided spray from the nozzle against the "opposite wall of sugar. ill-plurality of these nozzles are employed and are preferably mounted on opposite sides of the pipe 11 in st'aggered'relation. Each individual nozzle is rotatably' adjustable about its horizontal supporting axis or nipple 1 1 so that it may be directed toward "a very definite area of The uppermost nozzle delivers its fine spray about asubstantially horizontal line, while the nozzles below it are turned at varying angles so as to coverthe entire vertical surface of the sugar wall from top to bottom." Thebottom of the nozzle pipe 11 is closed by a sealing plug 11 removable'to permit cleansing of the pipe when desired.

For properly supporting'the sprayer 1 provide'a horizontal br'acket12O that is bolted to the'top ring '9 of the curb 8, so as to project inwardly a short distance'toward the middle portion of the basket. This plate carries a clamping member 21 provided with 'a horizontal cylindrical bore adapted to receive an outward extension or. shank rod of .the pipe engaging clamp member 2 1. This hori- .zontal shank or extension 25 isclamped. in I place by a transverse bolt 22 passing through a right angle bore in the clamping member 21 and having a notch at 22 for receiving and engaging'the cylindrical shank 25 of the nozzle pipeclamp. At one end the clamping bolt 22 carries a cotter pin 23 while its "other end has threaded engagement with a clamping nut 22.

Obviously tightening the clamping nut 22 serves to draw .the notched portion of the bolt 22into firm gripping engagement with the shank member 25 so that it is held securely in whatever position of longitudinal or angular adjustment may be desired. The pipe 11 is adjustably secured in a vertical bored passage of a similar clamping member 24 which carries a horizontal notched pipe-engaging bolt 26 with its adutsing nut 27 to engage and firmly grip the vertical pipe 11 in whatever vertical or angular position of adjustment theforeman may deem suited to the particular work at hand.

It will therefore be seen that each individual nozzle member 13 is angularly adjustable in a vertical plane; and that the whole series may be set lower or higher in the basket by vertical adjustment of the nozzle pipe 11 which may be also angularlyadjusted in a horizontal plane to direct the spraysto cover the desired areas of thesugar Wall nearer to or farther' from, the nozzle, according to the angular adjustment of the nozzle pipe. Furthermore, the nozzle pipe itself may bemoved bodily inward or outward to vary the distance through which the spray passes before impinging on the" sugar wall.

lVith the form of nozzle used the spray is so finely divided as not to bore any holes in the sugar wall, while atthe same time the precise areas and angles at which thespray is to impinge on the sugar wall can be accurately and precisely determined to get the maximum washing effect with the minimum dissolving of the sugar; ln'aotual practice it is found that efficient washing of the sirgar can be effected with 'a reduction of one-third of the quantity of water thrown =upon the sugar, while at the sametime most-efficiently cleansing the sugar grai-ns'fromtheir adhesive coating. I

The whirling action which produces th finely divided spray is due to'the fact that each nozzle member has a narrow or small diameter inlet -on its side, preferably slightl v off the line of the diameter, causing the" admitted liquid toswirl aroun'd inside'mhe chamber on its way to the small discharge outlet which is disposedaxi'ally of-the nozzle chamber so that the liquid emerges from "the small discharge outlet in a very finely" divided whirling spray and thus avoids any boring action into the-wall Otsugar such as takes place when fine streams of liquid are directed continuously toward the same spots or 'lines on the sugar wall.

' The angular adjustment of each individual spraying nozzle in relation to the axisot' the nozzle-carrying pipe changes the elevation of the area of impingement of-the spray onthe sugar wall. The entire series of nozzles may 7 be collectively adjusted by rotative and by a swinging or angular movement of the pipe and maybe'collectively adjusted up and down by vertical adjustment of the pipe in its holding clamp. It will therefore be seen that complete flexibility of the device makes possible the finest gradations in the distribution and direction of the individual and collective sprays impinging upon the sugar wall.

As more water is required to properly wash the extreme upper and the extreme lower portions of the sugar wall, the top and the bottom nozzles are provided with larger inlets than any intermediate nozzle. Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 7, a deflector plate is secured to the top ring 9 of the curb or casing so as to overhang the topmost portion of the diverging spray in order to direct the uppermost portion of the spray to the uppermost portion of the sugar wall immediately beneath the cap ring 4: of the basket and also preventing delivcry of the spray over the top ofthe basket where it could perform no useful service.

What I claim is:

1. A spraying device for washing the contents of a centrifugal basket, embracing a nozzle-carrying pipe supported to project downward into the basket and having adjustment about two angularly disposed axes, and a plurality of laterally projecting de livery nozzles secured to said pipe.

2. A spraying device for washing the contents of a centrifugal basket embracing in its construction, a nozzle-carrying pipe supported to project downward into the basket and having rotative adjustment about two angularly disposed axes and also having axial adjustment to raise and lower it in the basket, and a plurality of laterally projecting delivery nozzles secured to said pipe to direct spray toward the peripheral basket wall.

3. A spraying device for washing the contents of a centrifugal basket embracing in its construction, a nozzle-carrying pipe supported to project downward into a basket and adjustable about two angularly disposed axes and having also axial adjustment up and down in its support and bodily adjustment toward and away from the center of the basket, and a series of laterally projecting delivery nozzles secured to said. pipe.

4:. A spraying device for washing the contents of a sugar centrifugal basket embracing, a nozzle carrying pipe supported to extend downward into the basket of a centrifugal, said pipe being adjustable about its vertical axis, a plurality of lateral spraying nozzles secured in staggered arrangement on opposite sides of the pipe and delivering their spray in two approximately parallel vertical planes, said nozzles being arranged to discharge their spray against adjacent areas of the inside wall of the basket.

5. A spraying device for washing sugar in centrifugals embracing a plurality of noz zles arranged at different levels in the basket and having intake connections with a liquid spray pipe, the top and the bottom nozzles having larger intakes than those that are intermediate.

6. A spraying device for a sugar centrifugal embracing an adjustable spray-delivering nozzle and an overhanging deflector located in the top of the centrifugal basket in position to direct the uppermost portion of the spray against the top portion of the sugar wall immediately beneath the top ring of the basket.

'7. In a spraying device for washing the contents of a centrifugal basket, the combination with a supporting bracket mounted to overhang the top of the basket, an inwardly and angularly adjustable pipe-supporting member secured to said bracket, a downwardly projecting nozzle pipe adjustably supported in said pipe-supporting member to permit adjustment of said pipe about its own axis and also in the direction of its axis, and a series of laterally projecting spray delivering nozzles secured to said pipe the nozzles being individually adjustable to different angular relationship to deliver spray over continuous areas of the opposed wall of the basket.

8. In a spraying device for washing the contents of a centrifugal basket, the combination with a nozzle-carrying pipe supported above and projecting into the interior of the basket, a plurality of projecting delivery nozI- zles secured to said pipe, said nozzles being collectively adjustable by the adjustment of said pipe to direct their spray against differentvertical areas of the opposed wall of the basket and being individually adjust able in vertical planes, and a shield supported above the basket and projecting into the top openings of the basket opposite the delivery nozzles to deflect the topmost portion of the spray into the interior of the basket.

In witness whereof I have subscribed the above specification.

EUGENE ROBERTS.

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