US1827658A - Method and apparatus for determining the result of treatment of material - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 13, 1931. B, JOHNSEN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE RESULT OF TREATMENT OF MATERIAL Filed Aug. 7. 1929 INVENTOR flue/v: Jam/am BY dwmfl i ATTORNEY E A E PATENT- OFFICE l i 1 v I I BJABNE JOHHIEN, OF ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASBIGNOB TO HAIHERKILL PAPER (301-- OI ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA IETEOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING THE RESULT OI TREATMENT OF MATERIAL Application fled Augiut '2, 1929., Serial no. $34,109.

The present invention has for an object to make improved provision for observing the efiect of treatment of cellulose fibers. In the production of. cellulose fibers to be '5 used in the manufacture of paper, fiber board,

rayon or other cellulose products there are in commercial use three principal processes -the bisul hite. process, the soda process and the sul ate process. There are also mod- '10 ifications of these processes as well as other processes which have not as yet gained the same comm rcial importance. The object of all'these ocesses is to dissolve from wood and other vegetable materials, the lignins 1 and resins and other incrusting matter yielding a pulp which consists of more or less pure cellulose fibers. These processes are usually carried out at elevated temperature and pressure and in very large closed vessels.

The economy is largely dependent upon the yields and quality obtained from the various'vegetable raw materials which vary with the different materials and with the same materials grown in different localities.

* It is comparatively easy to determine'the quality of the cellulose fibers obtained but it is extremely difiicult to determine the yield b weight, that is, the yield of bone dry pulp o tained from a certain weight of bone dry vegetable raw material. The principal reason for the difliculty is that the digesting vessels are so large (reaching in some instances a capacity of twenty-five tons of pulp or more) that it is i-mpractical if not impossible to determine with accuracy the weight of the raw material as well as the weight of the resulting cellulose fiber.

According to the present invention the yield. and quality of pulp obtained in such large cooking vessels can be accurately determined by attaching to'the large vessel a vessel of small size in which a small quantity of the vegetable material is subjected to exactlythe same conditions as obtain in the large vessel.

The nature and objects of the invention will be better understood from a description of a particular embodiment thereof for the purpose of which description reference satisfactory results may be obtained if theadshould be'had tothe accompanying drawings forming a part hereof and in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic view showing an arrangement of a number of auxiliary chambers which can be opened at different times.

The illustrative apparatus shown comrises a main digester '5 of usual type for use ln'treating the cellulose fibers and suitably connected to this digester a small auxiliary chamber 6 which may be for example of two or three gallon capacity and in which a small measured quantity of cellulose fibers may be treated. A removable basket 7 for holding the vegetable material is preferably provided'to facilitate removal of the material for examination. The cover 8 of the auxiliary vessel is removably secured as by suitable bolts 9.

Provision is made for maintaining a circulation of cooking liquor from the main digester through the auxiliary chamber in order that the measured weight of fiber therein may be subjected to the same treatment as that within the main digester. To this end the pipe 10 leads the liquor from the digester through valve .14 to the auxiliary chamber and a secondpipe 12 discharges the liquor from the top of the auxiliary chamber through valve 15 which can be regulated so as to secure the desired uniform flow through the auxiliary chamber. The flow of liquor may also be regulated by means of an orifice placed after valve 15. The quantity of liquor thus discharged from the digester is not 7 sufiiciently large to be of detrimental influence upon the cooking process. Ordinarily justment is such that the liquor will be changed completely in the auxiliary chamher in about fifteen minutes. Should it however be considered desirable to return the liquor to the digester this can be effected by a pump 13 placed between valve 15and the digester in pipe 12. The auxiliary chamber and the connections thereto together with the removable basket must be made of or lined 100 tests may be made upon the material to be iary chamber when the digester is charged.

At thestart of the cooking process, valve 14 is'opened wide and valve 15. is opened sufliciently to maintain a suitable circulatlon of the cooking liquor through the auxiliary chamber. At the end of the cookin the valves may be closed, the cover'o iliary chamber removed and the weighed quantity of treated fiber removed for examination. -The dry weight ofthe fiber, the yleld as well as the quality can be 'determmed. In-

asmuch as access may be had to the auxiliary chamber without disturbing the digester, material in this chamber at any time during the cooking process to determine the progress-of the cooking, if'desirable. 1

Ordinarily the provision of one auxiliary chamber is sufiicient for testing purposes but it will be understood that if desired a lurality of similar chambers may be provided at different levels. In the drawings there are shown connecting pipes 16 at difierent levels to which similar auxiliary apparatus can be connected if so desired.

If desired a number of similar auxiliary chambers 20, 21, 22, may be arranged in series as'indicated diagrammatically in Fig. 2 in which case the chambers may be opened one at a time and the material removed for inspection without disturbing the other chambers.

The foregoing particular description is illustrativemerely and is not intended as defining the limits of the invention.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for treating material comprising a main digester, chamber adapted to receive a small quantity of the raw material-to be treated, and means for maintaining a circulation of liquor from the main digester through .the auxiliary chamber, substantially as described.

2. An apparatus for treating material com prising a main digester, an auxiliary chamber having a removable cover, a material retaining basket removably positioned in said auxiliary chamber and means for maintaininga circulation from the main digester through the auxiliary chamber, substantially as described.

3. An apparatus for treating material comprising a main digester, an auxiliary chamber associated therewith and means for temporarily maintaining a circulation of liquor from the main digester through the auxiliary chamber to permit treatment of a relatively small measured quantity of material in said auxiliary chamber, substantially as described.

4. The process of determining the yield and qualityobtained from the treatment of e auxiliary chamber,

an auxiliary vegetable material in the digester which compriseshsimultaneously treating a relatively small measured quantity of similar material in an auxiliary chamber separate from the main digester while maintaining a flow of liquid from the main digester through the scribed.

5. An apparatus for treating material comprising a main digester, a series of auxiliary chambers associated therewith, each adapted to receive a smallquantity of the raw material to be treated,.andmeans for maintaining a circulation of liquor from the main digester through the auxiliary chambers.

6. A method of determining the yield and quality obtained from the table material in a digester which comprises maintaining the material in a plurality of auxiliary chambers and maintaining a flow of liquid from the main digester through the auxiliary chambers.

7.. A method of determining the yield and quality obtained from the treatment of vegetable material in a digester which comprises, maintaining small measured quantities of the material in a plurality of auxiliary chambers, maintaining a flow of liquid from the main digester through the auxiliary chambers, and separately removing the contents from said auxiliary chambers after different name to this specification this fifth day of July, 1929.

BJARNE JOHNSEN.

treatment of vege-- small measured quantities of substantially as de-

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