US 4,378,253 AGranted

Maceration system for milling sugar cane

OwnerJean Bouvetinventor

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Abstract

Disclosed is a maceration system of the type generally used in the grinding and juice extraction of sugar cane. The last mill has a roll and feed and discharge bottom rolls with elongated trash plate spanning the space between the bottom rolls. Separate troughs extend below each of the bottom rolls to catch and separate juice therefrom. The top roll has longitudinal flow passageways around it opening into ports in the roll surface and water is introduced through these passgeways to flow into the pulp moving over the trashplate to the discharge roll, and the juice from below the discharge roll is directed to the pulp moving to the feed roll. In the case of multiple mills in tandem, the juice recovered from the feed roll is directed to the top roll passageways of the previous mill and the juice from the discharge roll of that mill is directed to the feed roll thereof.

Claims6

Dependent claims

In a juice extracting maceration system comprising:

a mill having:
a top mill roll, said top mill roll having a plurality of longitudinal rows of perforations around the cylindrical surface thereof and a plurality of longitudinal passageways through and around said roll below the surface thereof said passageways being in flow communication with said rows of perforations so that juice squeezed from pulp will flow first radially into said perforations and then laterally through said longitudinal passageways;
feed and discharge bottom mill rolls, each disposed cooperatively with said top mill roll to mill pulp between it and said top mill roll;
a trash plate substantially spanning the space between said feed and discharge bottom rolls over which crushed pulp is transported;
a first trough underlying said discharge mill roll to catch juice squeezed from pulp between it and said top mill roll;
and
a second trough underlying said feed mill roll to catch juice squeezed from pulp between it and said top mill roll;
a wash system comprising:
a stationary header in slidable sealing engagement with one end of said top mill roll;
a liquid distributing compartment defined in said header;
peripheral walls defined in said header, located around said liquid distributing compartment and embracing at all times the entrance to at least one of said longitudinal passageways;
a stationary blocking member engaging the other end of said top mill roll in alignment with said stationary header to prevent flow of liquid from said at least one longitudinal passageway;
and
means for introducing a liquid to said liquid distributing compartment with the system being arranged such that the introduced liquid flows first laterally through said at least one flow passageway and then radially out through the row of perforations connected thereto and onto crushed pulp on said trash plate.

11 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.