US1474357A

US1474357A - Distillation of bituminous material

Info

Publication number: US1474357A
Application number: US463382A
Authority: US
Inventors: Gercke Maximilian
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1921-04-21
Filing date: 1921-04-21
Publication date: 1923-11-20
Anticipated expiration: 1940-11-20

Description

I Nov. 20, 1923.

M. GERCKE DISTILLATION OF BITUMINOUS MATERIAL Filed April 21. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nov. 20, 1923.

M. GERCKE DISTILLATION OF BITUMINOUS MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 21. 1921 6 Ger.nan

Patented Nov. 20, 1923. a

PATENT ornca.

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I DWI-ION OI nn'umous 'ILTE'BIAL aa uumuna April :1,

Toaawhoms'tmayconcem: Be it known that I, Msxnmaax Gnnoxe, a citizen of the State of Prussia, Germany, residing at Pasing, near Munich, Bavaria have invented certain new an use provements in the Distillation of Bituminous Material, of which the followin is a specification.

is invention relates to the distillation 10 of bituminous material and more especiallyv bituminous coal, bituminous brown coal or bituminous schist or shale. Fuels that are rich in bitumen and ammonia are distilled by the action of heat, in retorts, retort-generators and similar contrivances, in order to recover tar, oils and ammonia. The lower the temperature andthe higher the pressure applied, the more fluid products obtained; and the higher the temperature and the lower the pressure used, the more gases given ofi' in the operation. The distillates obtained at the lowest temperatures and the highest pressures are of special value. In Mond gas generators, in order to recover the greatest possible amount of ammonia compounds and tar that come over at low heat, the temperature of gasification is kept at the lowest possible point by blowing in large quantities of steam at atmospheric pressure. In other systems the same end is attained by means of generators, and when the gasification is effected in retorts theresult is got by drawing oil the products of gasification at the point Where they arise, in such manner that these products are kept from contact with hot parts of the gasifying plant.

According to another well known process steam is introduced into vertical retorts used for the distillation of brown coal, through a distributing pipe fitted on the wall of the retort which is heated externally. e steam enters into the path of the fuel which sinks down before it and becomes superheated to a greater and greater degree through heat taken up from the glowing walls of the retort, due to the increasing temperature as the bottom is approached. In these well known processes of dist g coal and shale in open slow combustion furnaces, heated by the external action of direct fire, it is impossible to regulate exactly the temperature and pressure of um. sum 80. team.

the steam admitted, and the s d at which the fuel asses through the p at.

e su ject of my invention is a process by which the most valuable by-products resultlng from the gasification of the fuel treate (bituminous coal, bituminous shale, or bituminous brown coal) are extracted in a continuous operation, by the action upon the fuel of a current of superheated steam of adjustable temperature and ressure, in such a manner that the fuel andt eby-products separated from it are not exposed to any higher temperature than that of the superheated steam used.

lgs. 1 and 2 of the drawings are diagrammatic representations of two forms of apparatus for carrying out the new process. Figs. 3 and 4 are cross-sections through the distilling chamber.

In Fig. 1 A indicates the distilling chamber, constructed as a tubular boiler. B are charging sections and C discharging sections. D are double walled tubes disposed within the chamber and provided on the upper side with a large number of perforations to admit superheated ,steam. The tubes are centred against the chamber shell and suitably supported. Endless conveyor chains E are arranged to pass through the tubes D. The links or members of the chain are formed as steam pistons F, F F F, etc., which are rendered fluid tight against the cylindrical walls of the charging and discharging sections B and C by labyrinth packings. As the piston members of the chain are all of the same diameter and are rigidly connected one with another they are all subjected to the same pressure irrespective of position. The tractive effort on the pistons is transmitted throu h the chain.

The fuel to be distilled is fi rst comminuted and prepared for use. It is then fed into a hopper G from which it is delivered at H into the spaces between the pistons of the conveyor chain. Thence it is carried into the charging sections B, where it is preheated to the temperature of the saturated steam used in distilling. The sections B are surrounded by a steam jacket I), the steam entering at c and leaving at d. Thereafter the fuel passes through the tubes D, in which superheated steam plays around it on all sides. The steam passes into the chamber'A through a chamber A through connection J and flows out again througha pipe. J after it has given 11 its superheat to thefuel and has separated t e by-products contained in the latter-.-. The liquid by-products and the water of condensationflow off from the tubes D, as the drawing shows, at the lower end of the chamber A into a, collecting vessel K in which'the gas-liquor is collected, whilst the vapors and gaseous portions flow ofi' with the steam.

The fuel from which the by-products have thus been separated leaves the distilling the discharge connections C and is removed fromfthe conveyor by the upper chain wheel L and deposited into a bunker M,

The by-products which are separated in the well-known manner from the gas-liquor and the steam, are subjected to further subject treatment as required.

In the form of apparatus shown in Fig. 1 the steam used in distilling is kept in continuous circulation .throu'gh' the distilling chamber'A, the gas-liquor collector K,. and a steam superheater P, by means of a steam blower, the object being to increase the quantity of by-products in the distilling steam and the gas-liquor.

N is the steam boiler for working the steam jet blower O, and P is the steam superheater. ,Q, is the combustion space of the steam boiler and R is a feed water heater, utilizing the waste heat from. the steam boiler.

The regulation of the steam temperature required for extracting and distilling the fuel and theregulation of the pressure are effected by well-known means common to steam boilers.

Another form of the process forming the hygroscopic water contained in the fuel to be treated for the recovery ofprimary tar is evaporated in the first place by the direct action of an oil bath, consisting of heavy hydrocarbons with a high boiling;

point, and in which the fuel, or rather the aemaining dry mass is afterwards distilled nZr already described, to obtain primary tar or coal oil.

In this form of the process a circulating oil bath, having a high boiling point and consisting of heavyanthracene oil, or any fraction of coal oil or brown coal oil having a high boilin point, or any other residual oil of low va ue, -a'cts firstly merely as an external heating agent of the fuel that is forced into it. It drives off the water and the volatile constituents of the fuel that have v a boiling point below its own temperature. In the operation the oil penetrates into the pores of the fuel as the latter'is gradually freed from water and saturates the dry mass. As the fuel rises up out of the oil bath a Of the vapours driven off,

ready for subsequent use. the oil bath lS,.Of,c,Qu1'Se, the portion with of my invention is one in which the' means of superheated steam in the man- K the tubular boiler N and the lower stituents of the fuel and of the oil absorbed "by it that gasifiesat a point below the highest temperature .of the superheated steam used are thusdriven off, and the extracted fuel, also the non-volatile residue of the oil, particularly the pitch, remain-as a sort of half-coke-and are discharged in that state at the conclusion of the process. the-oil usedfor the highest boili iig pointand consequently it is the first to be depositedinthefrac: tional condensation of theextracted matters. It can be returned into the oil bath, unless it is preferred always to use new waste crude oil and to refine it for the recovery of the more valuable fractions, using the process herein described. The residue consisting of pitch and impurities, can be used to saturate the fuel and to increase the caloric value of the dry extracted mass.

As will be understood from the foregoing remarks, the saturation of the fuel with oil from the oil bath takes place first, and thereafter the distillation with. superheated steam is effected resulting in'that portion of the oil. used for saturation which is volatile at the temperature adopted for the distillation bein driven off again. I 1

T e apparatus used in this modified form of the process is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 2 and, as will be seen, in-its essentials it is the same as the apparatus shown in' plied with water, and a part N supplied with oil having a high boiling point. The steam superheater P is arranged between these two. The collecting vessel K for the separation of the impurities, etc., that are carried over, is connected of the boiler and with the distilling chamber A by pipes in such manner that-an oil bath is formed in the lower portion of chamber.

A through which the conveyor chain E passes carrying with it the fuel that is constantly fed forward between the pistons F P, F, etc. By means ofacentrifugal pump S fitted in the pi ing, the oil bath is kept in continuous circ ation through the collector ortion of the distilling chamber A. be boiler N?- is heated by the waste gases from. the combustion space of N and by the steam superheater-P 'The oil bath takes up heat from the hot gases and transfers it to the inch The fuel is thus preheated to the temperature of the oil and with the part N the tubular boiler 7 through a conduit indicated at J any water that may be present is evaporatedin the oil bath. The fuel thus freed from water is conveyed through the oil bath by the conveyor chain and is then distilled for primary tar or coal tar by superheated steam from the boiler N and superheater P in the manner already described in connection with the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. The aqueous vapours separated from the oil bat-h, originating from the water contained in the fuel, mix with the steam used for distilling and with the hydrocarbon vapours that are distilled over and pass away to enter into fresh combinations. The steam used for the distillation as well as the gaseous and vaporlike products of distillation are discharged -Any loss of oil from the oil bath as by leakage past the packings of the pistons F F, F etc. is made good by pumping in oil of a high boiling point. The oil that has taken up impurities while being used is collected in a receiver as shown in the drawing and after purification it can be utilized again.

A special advantage of this particular form of the process. is that brown coal of very little value is not-only distilled for tar but also has its caloric value considerably improved by partial saturation with heavy anthracene oils. so that its value in use increases and the field of its utility is enlarged. Further, the heavy tar oil that is unsuitable for driving Diesel or other oil engines can be used for firing in conjunction with brown coal, thus avoiding the use of special oil firing arrangements which would otherwise be necessary.

I claim:

1. A process for distilling bituminous material which consists in positively and continuously moving the material along and during such movement SllbJBCtlIlg 1t 1n 2.

closed chamber, without the use of external heat, to the action of superheated steam in circulation and controllable as to temperature and pressure.

2. The process as specified in claim 1 which comprises also the step of preheating the bituminous material prior to subjecting it to the action of the superheated steam.

3. The process as specified in claim 1, which comprises the step of passing the material to be treated through a bath of hot circulating oil thereby preheating the material and at the same time saturating it with the oil.

4. A distillation plant comp-rising a distillation chamber, a tubular passage havin perforated Walls extending through said chamber, an endless piston chain conveyor adapted to pass through said tubular passage in an axial direction, and means for generating superheated steam and feeding it through said chamber.

5. A distillation plant comprising a distillation chamber, a tubular passage having perforated Walls extending through said chamber, an endless piston chain conveyor adapted to pass through said tubular passage in an axial direction, means for generating superheated steam and feeding it through said chamber, and a vessel connected with said chamber for collecting gas liquor.

6. A distillation plant comprising a distillation chamber,

a tubular passage having perforated Walls extending through said chamber, an endles piston chain conveyor adapted to pass through said tubular passage in an axial direction, means for generating superheated steam. and feeding it through said chamber, and means for heating oil and causing said hot oil to circulate also through said chamber. 7

7. A distillation plant comprising a distillation chamber, a tubular passage havin perforated Walls extending through said chamber, an endless piston chain conveyor adapted to pass through said tubular passage in an axial direction, means for generating superheated steam and feeding it through said chamber, and means for heating oil with the Waste gases of said steam generator and causing said hot oil to circulate also through said chamber.

8. A distillation plant comprising a distillation chamber, a tubular passage with perforated Walls extending through said chamber, an endless piston chain conveyor adapted to pass through said tubular passage, an oil bath surrounding the lower part of said tubular passage, and means for causing superheated steam to pass through the space above said oil bath.

In testimony whereof I afiix m signature.

I MAXIMILIAN GRCKE