Evaporator or cooking apparatus

Claim 2

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device for causing said product to pass from said lower zone through said compartment is an impeller.

Claim 3

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device for causing said product to pass from said lower zone through said compartment is an archimedes screw operative to urge the product downwardly.

Claim 4

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said compartment is located at the center of said vessel and said lower zone at the periphery.

Claim 5

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, comprising sprinkling means connected to said product inlet and located above said nest.

Claim 6

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, comprising a stirrer located in said lower zone.

Claim 7

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, comprising a heating device located in said lower zone.

Claim 8

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said nest comprises a main nest and an auxiliary nest which are independent from each other and have their own respective compartments.

Claim 9

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said outlet is offset relative to the axis of said vessel so as to leave a free space in the base of the vessel in which free space of the base is disposed a shaft driving a product driving means.

Claim 10

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said compartment extends completely aCross the cross-section of said vessel and defines a chamber in an upper part of the vessel, said means putting said overflow means in communication with said lower zone comprising a pipe which extends outside said vessel and has a valve, said nest being annular and defining a center free space communicating with said lower part of said compartment, means being provided for preventing upward flow of the product in said center free space.

Claim 11

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said nest is located at the periphery of said compartment and includes product overflow means, said nest communicating with the center of said compartment by way of said product overflow means of said nest, said evaporator further comprising a circulator for accelerating the recycling of said product from the lower part of the compartment through the nest.

Claim 12

An evaporator as claimed in claim 12, wherein said overflow means of said nest comprises a wall along which said product overflows, said wall including an insulating material.

Claim 13

An evaporator as claimed in claim 12, wherein said overflow means of said nest comprises a wall along which said product overflows, said wall including a jacket.

Claim 14

An evaporator as claimed in claim 1, wherein said device for causing the product to pass from said lower zone through said compartment is a circulator. 16. An evaporator as claimed in claim 15, wherein said nest has peripheral product overflow means and is located at the center of said compartment and defines an annular space with said compartment, said nest communicating with the periphery of said compartment by way of said product overflow means of said nest, said compartment defining an annular gap with said vessel which gap constitutes said first passage means and said compartment having product overflow means on the periphery of said compartment.

Claim 15

An evaporator as claimed in claim 16, wherein said overflow means of said nest comprises a wall along which said product overflows, said wall including an insulating material.

Claim 16

An evaporator as claimed in claim 16, wherein said overflow means of said nest comprises a wall along which said product overflows, said wall including a jacket.

Claim 17

An evaporator for a product, in particular for sugar making and refineries, said evaporator comprising a vessel having a base, a product inlet and a product outlet communicating with the interior of said vessel, a compartment within said vessel and having a lower part, an inner heating nest within said compartment, said compartment being vertically spaced from said base of said vessel, a lower zone defined between said compartment and said vessel, said compartment having product overflow means and communicating with said product inlet and communicating with said lower zone by way of said overflow means, means for putting the lower part of said compartment in communication with said lower zone, a device for causing said product to pass from said lower zone through said compartment, said nest being located at the periphery of said compartment and including product overflow means, said nest communicating with the center of said compartment by way of said product overflow means of said nest, and a circulator for accelerating the recycling of said product from the lower part of said compartment through said nest, said device for causing said product to pass from said lower zone through said compartment and said circulator being mounted on a common drive shaft.

Claim 18

An evaporator as claimed in claim 19, wherein said shaft extends into said vessel through the base of said vessel.

Claim 19

An evaporator for a product, in particular for sugar making and refineries, said evaporator comprising a vessel having a base, a product inlet and a product outlet communicating with the interior of said vessel, a compartment within said vessel and having a lower part, an inner heating nest within said compartment, said compartment being vertically spaced from said base of said vessel, a lower zone defineD between said compartment and said vessel, said compartment having product overflow means and communicating with said product inlet and communicating with said lower zone by way of said overflow means, means for putting the lower part of said compartment in communication with said lower zone, a device for causing said product to pass from said lower zone through said compartment, said nest being located at the periphery of said compartment and including product overflow means, said nest communicating with the center of said compartment by way of said product overflow means of said nest, and a circulator for accelerating the recycling of said product from the lower part of said compartment through said nest, said device for causing said product to pass from said lower zone through said compartment and said circulator being mounted on two coaxial shafts which are respectively driven by two motors.

Claim 20

An evaporator as claimed in claim 21, wherein said shafts extend into said vessel through the base of said vessel.

Claim 21

An evaporator for a product, in particular for sugar making and refineries, said evaporator comprising a vessel having a base, a product inlet and a product outlet communicating with the interior of said vessel, a compartment within said vessel and having a lower part, an inner heating nest within said compartment, said compartment being vertically spaced from said base of said vessel, a lower zone defined between said compartment and said vessel, said compartment having product overflow means and communicating with said product inlet and communicating with said lower zone by way of said overflow means, means for putting the lower part of said compartment in communication with said lower zone, a device for causing said product to pass from said lower zone through said compartment, said nest being located at the periphery of said compartment and including product overflow means, said nest communicating with the center of said compartment by way of said product overflow means of said nest, and a circulator and a shaft connected to the circulator for rotating the circulator so as to accelerate the recycling of said product from the lower part of said compartment through said nest, said shaft of said device for causing said product to pass from said lower zone through said compartment having product stirring means and a shaft which is connected to the stirring means for rotating said stirring means and extends into said vessel through the base of said vessel and said shaft connected to said circulator extending into said vessel trough the top of said vessel.

Claim 22

An evaporating installation for a product, in particular for sugar making and refineries, comprising a plurality of evaporators; each evaporator comprising a vessel having a base, a product inlet communicating with the interior of said vessel, a compartment within said vessel and having a lower wall, an inner heating nest within said compartment, said nest having tubes for receiving an upward flow of the product, said tubes having lower inlets in spaced relation to said lower wall to allow the product access to said tube inlets, said compartment being vertically spaced from said base of said vessel, a lower zone defined between said lower wall of said compartment and said vessel, said lower zone having a lower part, a product outlet communicating with the interior of said vessel in said lower part of said lower zone, said compartment having product overflow means in an upper part of said vessel and communicating with said product inlet, first passage means putting said overflow means in communication with said lower zone, second passage means for putting a lower part of said compartment adjacent said lower wall of said compartment in communication with said lower part of said lower zone, and a device for causing said product to flow from said lower part of said lower zone upwardly through said second passage means, said lower part of said compartment and thence through said tubes and past said overfLow means; said evaporators being operatively connected in series relation, the product outlet of one evaporator being connected to the product inlet of a following evaporator.

Claim 23

An evaporator for a product, in particular for sugar making and refineries, said evaporator comprising a vessel having a base, product inlet means communicating with the interior of said vessel, a compartment within said vessel and having a lower wall, an inner heating nest of tubes within the interior of said compartment, said tubes having lower product inlets in spaced relation to said lower wall to allow the product access to said tube inlets, said compartment having product overflow means located in an upper half of the inside of the vessel and communicating with said product inlet means, said lower wall of said compartment defining with said base of said vessel a lower zone of the interior of the vessel which has a volume of 40 - 60 percent of the total volume of the interior of said vessel for receiving the product, first passage means putting said overflow means in communication with said lower zone for allowing the product from said overflow means to reach said lower zone, said lower zone having a lower part, product outlet means in said vessel in said lower part of said lower zone, second passage means depending from said lower wall of said compartment and extending to said lower part of said lower zone whereby a lower part of the interior of said compartment adjacent said lower wall communicates with said lower part of said lower zone, and mechanical means within said second passage means for causing the product to flow from said lower part of said lower zone upwardly through said second passage means, through said tubes and beyond said overflow means.