Means for Producing a High Brix Sugar Liquid

This invention pertains, generally, to rotating-basket, massecuite-separating centrifuges, and in particular to means for use with such a centrifuge for producing a high brix sugar liquid from massecuite.

Massecuite-separating centrifuges are well known in the prior art, and exemplary thereof is U.S. Pat. No. 4,052,304, issued Oct. 4, 1977, to Mathieu J. Vertenstein. The same, aforesaid patent is incorporated herein by reference for a general understanding of such centrifuges.

It is an object of this invention to set forth high brix sugar liquid-producing means of novel efficiency in that the same enables the user thereof to produce the liquid without sugar crystal carry-over. The invention is drawn to the reduction of all sugar crystals to liquid form.

Particularly, it is an object of this invention to disclose, for use with a rotating-basket, massecuite-separating centrifuge, which centrifuge has a magma mixing ring, means for producing a high brix sugar liquid, said means comprising first means, for disposition thereof below the mixing ring of the centrifuge, for receiving therein magma from said ring; second means, coupled to said first means, for (a) agitating the magma received from said ring, and (b) melting sugar crystals, in the received magma, to a high brix sugar liquid; third means, coupled to said first means, for receiving therein such high brix sugar liquid from said first means; and means for discharging the sugar liquid from said third means.

Further objects of this invention, as well as the novel features thereof, will become apparent by reference to the following description, taken in conjunction with the acompanying figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is an illustration, partly cross-sectioned, of a rotating-basket, massecuite-separating centrifuge, having a magma mixing ring, in which the novel high brix sugar liquid-producing means has been incorporated via an embodiment thereof;

FIG. 2 is an out-of-scale representation of the eductors arrayed in the magma-receiving first compartment;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, plan view of one of the eductors; and

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the nozzle-bearing lance.

As shown in FIG. 1, a rotating-basket, massecuite-separating centrifuge 10 comprises a housing 12 having an upper cover sheet 14 with a central opening in which a nested pair of massecuite-admitting cones 16 are fixed. The cones 16 open into the accelerator bell 18. Coupled to, and set about the bell 18 is the rotating basket 20. The centrifuge operates in the usual, known manner to separate sugar crystals from molasses; the molasses passes through a screen 22 carried by the basket 20, and the sugar crystals travel up the screen 22 to the top of the basket 20. From there, the sugar crystals pass into the magma ring 24. Lances 26 provide a wash spray to assist in the separation of the molasses from the sugar crystals. All the aforesaid structure is known from the prior art.

At the top of the centrifuge 10, between the basket 20 and the magma ring 24, are arranged mixing liquid nozzles 28. The latter are supplied with hot water, of approximately one hundred and fifty degrees F., by a conduit 30 which exits the top of the centrifuge. This hot water, the mixing liquid, and the sugar crystals pass into the magma ring 24 as magma.

Disposed below the magma ring 24, and external of and circumjacent the rotating basket 20, is an annular compartment 32. It receives the magma from the ring 24 for heating and circulation thereof. Compartment 32 has a plurality of eductors 34 (eight in this embodiment) fixed therein, as shown in the FIG. 2 representation. The compartment 32 has an outermost wall 36 and, as represented, the eductors are directed to expel toward the wall 36. A conduit 38 supplies hot water, at approximately one hundred and ninety degrees F., to an annular manifold 40, and the latter conducts the hot water to each of the eductors 34. The eductors 34, one thereof shown enlarged in FIG. 3, each have a nozzle 42 which is centrally bored to pass the hot water therethrough, and a pair of opposed openings 44 to ingest magma and disperse the same with the throughput hot water out of the centrally-bored body 46 of the eductor (the bore not being shown). The eductors 34 set up circular and centrifugal motion of the magma in the compartment, and the hot water causes the sugar crystals in the magma to melt. The circular and centrifugal motion causes the unmelted crystals to move outwardly, toward the wall 36, while the melted, sugar liquid will overflow an inner wall 48 to enter a second, annular compartment 50. The inner compartment 50 gathers the, now, high brix sugar liquid and conducts it to a sub-compartment 52. The outlet from compartment 50 to the sub-compartment 52 has a weir 54 interposed therebetween. The weir retards the exiting of the sugar liquid from the second compartment 50 against the possibility that there still obtain unmelted sugar crystals therein. The delayed exiting of the liquid permits such crystals to melt before enter the sub-compartment 52. A discharge conduit 55 carries off the sugar liquid.

The sugar crystals at the top of the centrifuge basket 20, commonly, are very dry. In that the mixing liquid nozzles 28 may not sufficiently wet the crystals, to produce an acceptable magma, a pre-wetting, nozzle-bearing lance 56 is provided; the same is shown in FIG. 1, projecting from the top of the centrifuge 10, and in FIG. 4 in greatly enlarged depiction. Lance 56 sprays water onto the centrifuging sugar crystals, at a rate of from approximately one-tenth to two-tenths of a gallon per minute. The nozzle 58 of the lance 56 is so directed as to emit the water substantially perpendicular to the basket 20 and, as shown, in immediate adjacency to the top of the basket.

While I have described my invention in connection with a specific embodiment thereof it is to be clearly understood that this is down only by way of example, and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention as set forth in the objects thereof and in the appended claims.