US1386484A - Distilling apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Patented Aug. 2 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEETI.-

"0. G. ADVSIT.' `DISTILLINGIAPPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. I4 1,920.

M 0 f m e V I xS//lm o ooaoo M oooooooo.o If P 6 WJ\ c Ff W HF W W wl I l I C. G. ADSIT.

DISTILLING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED S'EPT. I4, i920.` i n Patented Aug. y 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

/ @mum/do@ escape;

retort batteries,

the overflow from UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES G. Ansrr, or ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

T o all whom it may concern:

Be' it known that I, CHARLES G. Ansrr,a citizen of the United States of America, residin at Atlanta,

and tateof Georgia, have invented certainI new and useful Improvements in Distilling Apparatus, specification. I

y present invention relates to distilling apparatus, and particularly to apparatus for cracking and distill'ing crude petroleum or other oils or liquids in a continuous process. Among the objects of my invention may be especially mentionedl l. The provision of electric means for heating the distilling tube or retort; A

2. The construction of the retort proper to constitute the secondary of an electric vWindg ing, so that current introduced therein genera-tes the heat required for the distilling process; p 3. The provision of means for supplying of which the following is a a'cOntinuous flow of liquid to the retortand overflow discharge therefrom associated'with the vapor chamber, from which the distilled vapors are Withdrawn or permitted'toV 4;. Means for maintaining-the vapor cham.` ber under pressure;

5. The provision of a series of retorts, or at different temperatures, one being connected to the intake of the next in' series; 6. Means for maintaining the inner surface of the .retorts free from'deposits or other accumulations thereon;

eans for withdrawing sediment from the .bottom ofthe retort;

8. Regulating and control devices forV maintaining the 'chamber of each retort, or

retort battery, at desired temperature, and

for insuring the desired flow, of Iliquid throu h the apparatus;v 1

9. lgndicating means for disclosing .the temperature and pressure conditions in the retort;

10. Various features of construction and operation hereinafter described or indicated in theaccompanying drawings, in which,

' F igurel is a schematic vertical Section through a distilling apparatus in which my invention is embodied in one form;

Fig. 2 is a similar View of a modified construction;

Fig 3 is a similar view of a further modification; f

Specification of Letters Patent. Application mea sep'tmber 14,1920. serial No.

in the 'county of Fulton illustrated at A,

vretort a clean-out pipe DISTYILLING APPARATUS.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

Fig. 4 is a similar view cation; and

F ig.-v 5 is a. side elevation of the latter.

In the form shown in Fig. 1, the oil or other liquid to be distilled or cracked, is supplied to the apparatus from any suitable source, suchV as the tank diagrammatically through a pipe B, and a force Apump C. The liquid, Which for brevity I will hereinafter refer toas oil, iioWs through the pDipe B to the lower portion of the chamber of the retort. E formed from an iron or steel tube. the latter is/closed by acap F, while its upper end opens to the distillate dome G.

ires H, from any suitable source of current supply, preferably alternating current, lead to the retort and are coiled around the same, but insulated therefrom in any suitable manner, as 'by an insulated casing I on the retort. A switch S is provided to control the circuit. A jacket I surrounding the coil prevents radiation and consequent loss of heat from the' retort. As will Ibe noted, the retort tube or ipe E is carried up into the dome G a suflilbient distance to form a sump J, which receives the overflow from the top of the retort. A scraper K, (Fig. 2) may be arranged Within the retort to keep its Walls free from accumulations or The lower end of of another' modii deposits thereon. This scraper is journaled 1n a. spider K at the top of the retort, and passes out through a stuffing box K2 at the bottom. to any'suitable driving mea-ns (not shown). At the, top of the dome Gis an escape pipe L for the distilled vapors, the pipe having arranged therein a sprin pressed va-lve'which may'be `regulated to maintain the pressure in the dome as high discharge pipe M opens from the bottom of the sump J and drains the undistilled overflow liquidtherefrom through A pyrometer P with exposed -dial is arranged in the upper portion of the retort to indicate the temperature of the oil at that point. A pressure gage R op'ens to the top ofthe dome G, and its indication governs the adjustment of the escape valve N for the distilled vapors. A liquid gage V discloses the level of the overflow in the sump J. At the bottom of the Y, provided with a suitable control valve opens through the cap F, so that-any sediment in the retort may be discharged at will.

-he operation of the` apparatus is as follows: Coldoil is pumped from the source into the retort E below the portion of the l' latter. surrounded by the coil and heating jacket'I, and slowly passed up through the lone surrounded by the heating jacket@ If 1" the switch S is closed, the How of alternatl' .-ing current through the Wire II. (preferably" Within the iron or steel pipeJ forming ther reoopper) coiled around the reto-rt, induces 1n the latter a' secondary currentA proportional' tolthe ampere turns in the coil. Thus, our# rent of high density is jcaused to'circulate tort and heats the latter through its in herent electrical resistance. Any tempera@ ture desired -Within the limits of operation ofthe distilling processmay be obtained in ployed, there is no' danger ofproducing-in the retort the fhot spots vcommonly incidental to iame or re heated retorts. Even should the internal structure ofthe metal tube be non-uniform, so that one portion` thereof presents more or less resistance than -another to the flow of current, and there- `fore tends to become hotter, or vice versa, the tendencyto-local over-heating is automatically compensated. The velectric resistance in the hotter: portion. will rise and automatically pass less current,- thereby removing vto some extent the excess heat at that point.- The flow of the current in the primary coil may be controlled by'electrical devices of any suitable sort, such as induction regulators or separately controlled elecf tric generators, or by rheostats, so that any desired temperature Within the still may be obtained and lthis temperature held practically constant Within very close limits throughout the distillation process.

As the cold oiliowing upward through the ,retort does not come in contact with the heated portion of the'oil under, distillation,

or the distilled vapor, there is no retardation yI have arranged theretort vertically. .In-110 Figs.I 4 and 5, I have shovvn the retort in'- v` clfined.v Moreover, I have shown a battery of the process caused by the continuous feed of the cold oil, and none of the .vaporrising from the top of the retort is condensed.

While it is possible to permit the distilled vapor. to pass off at atmospheric pressure, or below, (i. e. under Vacuum,) I prefer to maintain Vthe dome under pressure. By use of the regulating valve 'N not only is pressure maintained Within -the'dome, but it is kept practically constant during the distillation process, regardless of the flow through the valve. y A spring pressed 'valve' of this type-also serves asa safety, since it automaticallyrelieves excess pressure.' The distilled vapors or gases after leaving the dome through the pipe L, are carried to a condensing apparatus of any sort, (not shown) While the overflow from the top of A the retort may be delivered tc a collection 'incarica tank, or as indicated in Fig. 3, it may be led at vto a second still arranged in series with the I first, but having the coll or current so .diii'erentiated from that of the first still as to induce in the Wall of the second retort a curso as to o er a greater resistancetc the flow ofthe current, or, alternatively, the diameter of thesecond still may be diminishedto afford a smaller volume of oil passing therethrough,.or the speed of the feed4 maybe varied in a still of the same diameter, soas to insure a higher temperature in successive stills of the series. In 'this Way distillates of vdifferent boiling points are successively removed from the crude oil. It will be noted that in spite of the relatively rapid feed to the apparatuathe effect of 'slow distillation is secured since the oil passes from the relativel cool bottom of the retort slowly up- War through the heated zone and reaches the desired distillation temperature gradu-gro ally. This is a; veryvaluable feature in distillation processes, yespecially for crack` ing oils.

Tar or through the still and are carried out through thepipe M With the residue. Sand or 'anyv other substance too heavy to be carried in suspension so that it sinks to the lower portion of the still, may be cleaned out periodipurpose of cleaning the inner face ofthe fixed carbonaceous products of'the distillation process follow thel flow of' oil 95 'rent of greater density, and-thus to raise thel 70 I' retort, and of agitating th. oil in' the latter 105 so that the interior and exterior temperatures of the oil are maintained as possible at all points.Y

In the stills shown in Figs. 1' to inclusive,

of ret'orts arranged in parallel and taking uniform as ering to a top domeA G-commonto the battery. From the domeG the residue passes by pipes M to acollection chamber or second battery, as in Fig. 3. In `thisconstruction I have shown the feed drum Xprovided at X retort tubes E to permit the introduction of a cleaning tool .therethrough upon the removal `of the coverpl'ates X2. t would of course be possible to provide Scrapers, as in with a series of portsaxially'alined with the 120 the construction shown in Fig. 2, if this were preferred. Another feature of construction which may be pointed out is the fact that each retort tube E constitutes a self-contained element which may be inserted, or removed from position fianges E2 from the corresponding flanges of the port holes opening to theupper and lower drums G and Another feature common to a1l` of the types of construction illustrated, and of particular value in the'process,I resides in the fact that the distilled vapors or gases which collect in the dome above do not come in contact with the heated retort tubes.l Destructive distillation is thus prevented.

claimy 1. Distillation apparatus comprising a metallic retort, a primary coil surrounding the same but insulated therefrom, means for supplying liquid to the retort, and means or recovering the vapors distilled there-l from upon the heating of the retort by induced currentfollowing the flow of alternating current through the primary coil.

2. Distillation apparatus comprising a flowing liquid through the retort, and means for recovering the vapors distilled therefrom upon the heating of the retort by induced current following the iow of alter'- nating current through the primary coil.

3. Distillation apparatus comprising a metallic retort, a primary coil surrounding the same but insulated therefrom, a distillate chambercommunicating with the upper portion of the retort, means for flowing liquid upward through the retort, meansyfor leading off the' undistilled liquid passing i uid upward through the retort, '50

through the retort, from the said 'chamber the distillate resulting from the heating of the retort following the flow of alternating current primary heating coil.

4.' Distillation apparatus comprising a metallic retort, a primary coil surrounding the v`same but insulated therefrom, a distillate chamber communicating with the 'upper portion of the retort, means for flowing-liqmeans for leading oli' the undistilled liquid passing through-the retort,vme ans vfor leading offfrom the said chamber the distillate resulting kfrom the heating of the retort vfollowing the flow of alternating current through the primary heating coil, together with means for maintaining the distillate chamber under pressure.

5. A distillation apparatus comprising atubular metallic retort,.ja primary coil surrounding but insulated therefromfmeans for introducing liquid to the lowerqport-ion of the retort, means for collecting the idistillate at the upper portion ofthe retort, and

means for connecting the primarycoilto a` source of alternating current whereby-,upon

by disconnection at its end series of. retorts of.

metallic retort, va

means for leading ofi".

through the' .a series of -retorts of a series of retorts of the type claim 5, meansfor; controlling the electrical of the series the flow of current through the primary, the

duced therein. I

6. In combination with an apparatus such as specified in claimt), avs'ource of liquid supply, piping cnnecting the same to the lower portion of the retort, and means for feeding the liquid-.continuously from the supply to the retort so as to permit'the-distillation to be carried on as a continuous process.

7. An apparatus such as specified in claim 5, having tort for the discharge at will therefrom of sediment' accumulating in the retort.

-8. In a construction such as specified in claim 5, means for maintaining the collecting chamber of the retort under predetermined pressure. .9. In 'an apparatus'suh as speciliedin claim 5, means for regulating the current supplied to the primary coil to vary lthe temperature of the retort resulting from the induced current therein.

10. A .distillation-apparatus comprisingv a the type specified in claim 5, and means for varyingthe induced current in the several retorts to graduate the temperatures of the different retorts of the series.

11. In a distillati n apparatus, a tubular primary winding surrounding but insulated therefrom, a -chamberat the top of the retort, a discharge for the undistilled liquid passingthrough the retort, andmeans for feeding li uid continuously into the lower portion o the re- 12. A distillation apparatus, comprising the type specified in claim 5, means for controlling the electrical conditions at the several retorts of the series to maintain the same at different temperatures, and means for leading the undistilled liquid from one retort tothe retort next in the series.

13. A distillation apparatus, comprising specified in conditions at the several retorts to maintain the same at different temperatures, and means-for leading the undistilled liquid from one retort to the retort next in the series, the successive retorts in the series being maintained at successively higher temperatures.

'14. A continuous distillation apparatus comprising a series of metallic retorts, an

over-flow discharge connection between successive retorts in the series, meanswvfor colsource of retort is heated by theA secondary current induced therein.

an outlet at the bottom of the recollecting lecting the distillate from each retort, and means for heating the retortsby electric current induced therein, together With means for passing the liquid to be distilled successively through the retorts in the series.

15. A continuous distillation apparatus comprising a series of metallic' retorts', an over-flow discharge connection-between successsive retorts in the series, means for col-I lecting the distillate from each retort, and means for heating the retorts by electric current induced therein, the electric conditions for successive retorts being raised tol maintain successively higher temperatures therein. 5

16. In a continuous distillation apparatus, a metallic retort, n eans for passing liquid continuously theret1rough,lmeans for inducing an electric current therein to heat the saine, and means for cleaning the inner e face of the retort during the operating of the apparatus.

1'( In a continuous distillation apparatus, a metallic retort,"means for passing liquid continuously therethrough, means for induc- A ing 'an electric current therein to heat. the

same, and means for cleaning the inner face of the retortl during the operating of the `nectedto said drums in parallel, ,means Jfor 'continuously introducing liquid intothe feed drum, `means for leading olf the distillate from. the collecting drum, and electrical means for heating the retorts to distilling temperature.

` 20. In a construction such as specified in claim 18, metallic retorts,'and means for inducing electric currents therein to heat the same. v

Intestimony Whereofl have signed my naine to this specification.

CHARLES G AD SIT.

Images