US3853616A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Separation of suspended solids from liquids
Assignee: Tate and Lyle PLC
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Filing: 1972-06-19
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Granted: 1974-12-10
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Expires: 1992-06-19
Abstract
Abstract A process for separating suspended solids from an aqueous sugarcontaining liquor, such as sugar liquors, sugar syrups and sugar juices, comprises forming a primary floc in the liquor containing suspended solids by phosphatation, preferably after treatment with a cationic surfactant; aerating the liquor containing the primary floc, with agitation; distributing an organic polymeric flocculant uniformly throughout the liquid phase of the aerated liquor, to initiate the formation of a secondary floc therein; retaining the resultant mixture in a flocculator vessel with nonturbulent agitation preventing the segregation of the secondary floc from the liquor and allowing the secondary floc to grow; transferring the liquor, with minimal agitation, from the flocculator vessel to a separator vessel; allowing the secondary floc to segregate by flotation from the liquor in the separator vessel; and separately removing clarified liquor and flocculated solids from the separator vessel.
Inventors
- 👤 J Rundell
- 👤 P Pottage
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-26 19:54
CPC Classifications
C; C13; C13B; C13B20/00; C13B20/12; C13B20/126; B; B01; B01D; B01D21/00; B01D21/0018; B01D21/02; B01D21/08; B01D21/24; B01D21/2433; B03; B03D; B03D1/00; B03D1/001; B03D1/004; B03D1/016; B03D1/02; B03D3/00; B03D3/06; C02; C02F; C02F1/00; C02F1/52; B03D2201/00; B03D2201/002
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 19
Claim 1
Independent Claim
144 words
A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING SUSPENDED SOLIDS FROM AN AQUEOUS LIQUOR SELECTED FROM SUGAR SYRUPS, SUGAR LIQUORS AND SUGAR JUICES WHICH COMPRISES: FORMING A PRIMARY FLOC IN THE LIQUOR CONTAINING SUSPENDED SOLIDS; AERATING THE LIQUOR CONTAINING THE PRIMARY FLOC, WITH AGITATION; DISTRIBUTING AN ORGANIC POLYMERIC FLOCCULANT UNIFORMLY THROUGHOUT THE LIQUID PHASE OF THE AERATED LIQUOR, TO INITIATE THE FORMATION OF A SECONDARY FLOC THEREIN; RETAINING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE IN A FLOCCULATOR VESSEL WITH NON-TURBULENT AGITATION PREVENTING THE SEGREGATION OF THE SECONDARY FLOC FROM THE LIQUOR AND ALLOWING THE SECONDARY FLOC TO GROW FOR A PERIOD OF FROM 15 SECONDS TO 5 MINUTES; TRANSFERRING THE LIQUOR, WITH MINIMAL AGITATION AND SHEAR FROM THE FLOCCULATOR VESSEL TO A SEPARATOR VESSEL; ALLOWING THE SECONDARY FLOC TO SEGREGATE BY FLOTATION FROM THE LIQUOR IN THE SEPARATOR VESSEL; AND SEPARATELY REMOVING CLARIFIED LIQUOR AND FLOCCULATED SOLIDS FROM THE SEPARATOR VESSEL.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
144 words
A PROCESS FOR SEPARATING SUSPENDED SOLIDS FROM AN AQUEOUS LIQUOR SELECTED FROM SUGAR SYRUPS, SUGAR LIQUORS AND SUGAR JUICES WHICH COMPRISES: FORMING A PRIMARY FLOC IN THE LIQUOR CONTAINING SUSPENDED SOLIDS; AERATING THE LIQUOR CONTAINING THE PRIMARY FLOC, WITH AGITATION; DISTRIBUTING AN ORGANIC POLYMERIC FLOCCULANT UNIFORMLY THROUGHOUT THE LIQUID PHASE OF THE AERATED LIQUOR, TO INITIATE THE FORMATION OF A SECONDARY FLOC THEREIN; RETAINING THE RESULTANT MIXTURE IN A FLOCCULATOR VESSEL WITH NON-TURBULENT AGITATION PREVENTING THE SEGREGATION OF THE SECONDARY FLOC FROM THE LIQUOR AND ALLOWING THE SECONDARY FLOC TO GROW FOR A PERIOD OF FROM 15 SECONDS TO 5 MINUTES; TRANSFERRING THE LIQUOR, WITH MINIMAL AGITATION AND SHEAR FROM THE FLOCCULATOR VESSEL TO A SEPARATOR VESSEL; ALLOWING THE SECONDARY FLOC TO SEGREGATE BY FLOTATION FROM THE LIQUOR IN THE SEPARATOR VESSEL; AND SEPARATELY REMOVING CLARIFIED LIQUOR AND FLOCCULATED SOLIDS FROM THE SEPARATOR VESSEL.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein said primary floc is formed by phosphatation.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein a cationic surfactant is added to the aqueous liquor prior to formation of the primary floc.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
16 words
A process according to claim 3 wherein said surfactant is a long chain quaternary ammonium compound.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
16 words
A process according to claim 4 wherein said surfactant is a dialkyl dimethyl quaternary ammonium surfactant.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
19 words
A process according to claim 3 wherein said surfactant is dioctadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride or dihexadecyl dimethyl ammonium chloride.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
20 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein said organic polymeric flocculant is a high molecular weight anionic polyacrylamide flocculating agent.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein the organic polymeric flocculant is added to the aqueous liquor in an amount of from 1 to 40 ppm by weight of flocculant based on the volume of the aqueous liquor.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
38 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein the aqueous liquor is a sugar juice and the polymeric organic flocculant is added thereto in an amount of from 1 to 10 ppm by weight based on the juice volume.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
41 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein the aqueous liquor is a sugar remelt and the organic polymeric flocculant is added thereto in an amount of from 1 to 20 ppm by weight based on the solids content of the liquor.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
35 words
A process according to claim 10 wherein the polymeric organic flocculant is added to the liquor in an amount of from 5 to 15 ppm by weight based on the solid contents of the liquor.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
37 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein the polymeric organic flocculant is added to the aqueous liquor in the form of an aqueous suspension or solution containing from 0.025 to 0.25 grams of flocculant per hundred millilitres.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
41 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein the flocculant is mixed with the aqueous liquor under such conditions that the turbulence of mixing corresponds to a Reynolds number of from 3, 000 to 20,000 for a period of about 1 second.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein the organic polymeric flocculant is mixed with the aqueous liquor in admixture with a small fraction of the clarified liquor obtained by the process.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
33 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein the non-turbulent agitation of the mixture of aqueous liquor and organic polymeric flocculant in the flocculator vessel is achieved by means of a slowly rotating stirrer.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
32 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein the mixture of aqueous liquor and organic polymeric flocculant is retained within the flocculator vessel for a period of from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
34 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein the floccUlation and separation are carried out in an apparatus in which the flocculator and separator vessels comprise two separate chambers within the body of a clarifier.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
106 words
A process according to claim 1 wherein flocculation and separation are carried out in apparatus comprising: a separator chamber; a flocculator chamber centrally located within the separator chamber; a trough surrounding the top of the separator chamber; liquid inlet means located at the bottom of the flocculator chamber; liquid agitating means located within the flocculator chamber; means allowing floc-containing liquid to flow with minimal agitation and shear from the top of the flocculator chamber into the separator chamber; means for transferring the floating flocculated solids from the top of the separator chamber to the trough; and solids outlet means located at the bottom of the trough.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US3166442A
Cited
US3698951A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1977-12-09 | 1978-06-10 | 1978-12-10 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1981-12-09 | 1982-06-10 | 1982-12-10 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1985-12-09 | 1986-06-10 | 1986-12-10 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |