US1898930A - Apparatus for sweating or treating paraffin wax or the like - Google Patents

Description

Feb; 1933. A. D. ARMSTRONG ET AL APPARATUS FOR SWEATING OR TREATING PARAFFIN WAX OR THE LIKE 3 Sheets-Sheet l u 1 Q fizz e/226225 239 m Wag Feb. 21, 1933.

A. D. ARMSTRONG ET AL APFARATUS FOR SWEATING OR TREATING PARAFFIN WAX OR THE LIKE Filed July 6, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1933. A. D. ARMSTRONG ET AL 8,930

APPARATUS 'FOR SWEATINYG OR TREATING PARAFFIN WAX OR THE LIKE Filed July 6, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Feb. 21, 1933 ALBERT DOUGLAS ARMSTRONG AND GAVIN CHAPMAN GORDON BOBBIE, OF RANGOON,

INDIA, ASSIGNORS TO THE INDO-BU'RMA PETROLEUM COMPANY LIMITED, F

RANGOON, BURMA APPARATUS FOR SWEATING OR TREATING PARAFIEIN WAX OR THE LIKE Application filed July 6, 1928, Serial No.- 290,785, and in Great Britain July 8, 1927.

This invention relates to the manufacture of parafiin wax and has for its ObJGCt to provide an improved apparatus for sweating the wax ina cake of such thickness that a wax of a high degree of purity is obtained in one operation.

'Hitherto it has been customary to sweat paraflin scale in cakes seldom exceeding SIX inches in thickness, with the result that the sweated cake of wax always contained a small percentage of oil to remove which it was necessary to resweat the cake. By the apparatus formerly employed oil could not be properly drained from a greater thickness T than six inches of scale if the latter was comparatively rich in wax.

By the present invention the body of the wax mixture is prevented, by means of multiple layers of small bore piping arranged in a series of closely spaced vertical coils, from forming a compact mass,'the pipes so breaking up and supporting the cake as to permit of rapid drainage of oil from the A mass, thus making it possible to treat a body of wax of a much greater thickness than six inches.

The piping must lie horizontally in the mass otherwise a proper support of the cake does not occur. Vertical pipes do notrealize the result aimed at.

A body of scale of greater thickness than six inches requires a long period in which to cool, for which reason mass breaking agents as any convenient cooling medium may be pumped through the pipes to bring about rapid crystallization of the wax.

The vat or container has a suitably sloped bottom for draining purposes, a perforated false bottom or wire cloth horizontal screen is supported above said bottom, and a space for the wax to be treated is provided above said bottom or screen. By reason of a support such as that referredto above a greater depth ofwax may be treated than could be treated in the absence of said support. v

In this apparatus the horizontal elements may be in the shape of a multiplicity of tubes,

preferably forming continuous coils, which may be caused to cool or to heat the wax by circulating fluid therethrough at desired temperatures.

The apparatus may comprise atank or vat having a bottom inclined to one or more draining points provided with cocks, or valves, a horizontal shelf ofwire cloth suitably supported above said bottom, multiple layers of horizontal piping placed above the wire cloth and braced or supported so as to be capable of assisting in sustaining the whole or part of the weight of the wax, means whereby fluid, either cooled or heated, may be circulated through said piping, and a steam pipe through whichsteam may be passed into the tank when desired.

The whole apparatus may be assembled in a room or chamber, for clally constructed chamber, into which the co ls'or pipes may be introduced through a suitable end door. The room or chamber will be adapted to be suitably heated or cooled when necessary to assist the process.

One form of apparatus suitable for the practlce of this invention is shown, merely by way of illustration, in the accompanying drawings where I Figure l is a side elevation of the sweating pan;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation showing the p'pe coils with inlet and outlet header pipes in position; I

Figure 3 is a planof the sweating pan with a convenient number of pipe coils at suitable pitches;

Figure 4L is a plan showing the header pipe with branches to which the pipe coils are connected;

Figure 5 is a part sectional elevation showing the relative and melting pipe;

Figure 6 is a plan of the frames to which are attached the expanded metal and wire cloth;

Figure 7 is an end sectional elevation of the sweating pan; Figure 8 shows one shaped side plate;

Figure 9 shows the other shapedside plate, 1

example into a spe' the room showing the tank or vat and room heating coils in position;

Figure 11 is a sectional end elevation of the room showin the tank or vat and the room heating coi s in position;

Figure 12 is a sectional plan showing arrangement of room heating coil.

Referring to the illustrations the construction of the apparatus is thus described.

A steel pan or tank 1 (Figure 1) is supported in an elevated position; for this purpose Vertical posts 2 and horizontalbeams 3 of channel or other suitable section may be used as the supporting structure.

The side lates 4 and 5 of the pan may be she "as shown inFigures 8 and 9 andbe of unequal depth; the bottom plates 6 are conveniently welded or otherwise fixed to theahaped ed e of the side plates, thus affording suitab e inclines to permit of eflicient from the pan. Facility in draining is an important point to consider in the construction of the apparatus. An end plate 7 may bebolted or otherwise secured in position. This arrangement facilitates the assembling of the apparatus and allows of the whole bein placed in a room or house, 21, of correct vo ume without having to provide for constructional head room.

Frames of suitable rolled steel sections, such asan le iron 9, fitted with wire cloth 10 supported expanded metal 11 (see Figure 6) are fitted as shown in Figure 7 over the whole area of the pan.

Pipe coils 12 are placed in the pan, being suspended from beams 13 by suitable hangers or otherwise supported; the beams 13 rest on the upper edges of the side plates 4 and 5. Connecting al coils 12 is one inlet pipe header 14: deliver to the lower ends of the coils and one out at pipe header 15 taking of! the heating or cooling fluid from the upper ends of the coils; the coils 12 and headers 14: and 15 should preferably be made of copper, but ordinary steel or other tubing will serve.

Melting out pipes 16, with controlv valves 17, are placed in the draining channels (see Fi res 1, .2 and 7). Draining or run oil cooqi s or valves 18 with suitable tail pipes 19 are fixed at the low ends of the draining chan- 11618. A suitably sized gutter 20 is placed to conduct the sweated cuts to" the receiver The mode of operation of the apparatus is as follows :Water is run into the .tanktill it reaches the level of the wire cloth 10. The wax mixture is then run in till the tank is full. Water or other cooling medium at a suitable temperature is simultaneously or subsequently passed through the pipes 12, till the mass of the wax mixture has cooled to a suitable temperature and has more or less solidified or or stallized. Cock'or valve 18 is then open thus permitting the water charged inthe first operation to run ofi and sweating to commence. As drainage of the oildiminishes in volume the temperature of the room 21 is gradually raised to the required degree by means of the heating coils 22. This operation of raising the cake of wax mixture to the required temperature may be assisted b passing water or other medium at a suitab e temperature through the coils 12, and as the temperature of this water is slightly higher at the lower or inlet ends of the coils than at their upper or outlet ends,

a temperature gradient is established which facilitates the sweating operation, and moreover-a substantially uniform temperature is maintained on any given horizontal plane of thewaxmass. Y

When'the wax cake has reached the desired degree of purity it is melted out by opening steam valve 17 and passing steam into the tank through pipes 16. .7 V

Theimproved apparatus permits a cake of any desired thickness to be rapidly and efiiciently sweated. i

The apparatus yields a quality of wax superior to and of higher percentage of white paraflin wax than that yielded by any other known sweating apparatus. a

The improved apparatus is particularly adapted to-the ra id. cooling and sweating of large volumes 0 wax mixture with a minimum amount of labor.

By the utilization of the apparatus herein described the chilling and the heating and breaking up of the cake of wax may be performed in a much more efiicient manner than has usually been done.

A much greater thickness and volume of wax may be treated at one time and the drains ing end sweating with this greater depth is found to be better so that a is practically free from 0i may be. produced in a single treatment. The parafiin wax indeed maybe treated according to this process to' porduce a practically tasteless, odorless wax of stable colour in a single operation. The percentage of yield of white paraffin wax by this process is very high. The plant may, moreover, be worked with the minimum amount of labor for handling'li'ke volumes, and the minimum expenditure in fuel. The apparatus in fact produces in a given time a much greater amount of white wax than has been produced by any other apparatus known to the applicants.

It will of course be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the apparatus illustrated, but that considerable modification of the same and of its details and lay-out may be carried out'without departing from the scope of the invention.

Apparatus. for the heat treatment of wax is known comprising a closed vesel'or wax container sealed by fillingthe vessel or conminer with wax or wax mixture to the excln sion of air and having means for efiecting araifin wax which uniform heating or cooling of the Wax throughout the vessel or container. In such apparatus it is known to have a closed outer shell and a plurality of superposed and 5 spaced substantially horizontal heating cells therein, these cells being of a flat shape, hollow inside, so as to divide the vessel into compartments into which the Wax is filled. The said compartments are relatively small and are provided with gauze bottoms and with vertical gauze partitions or sides to engage the wax. The wax whilst being treated is supported by the gauze bottoms, these in turn being placed on iron rods, which again are supported on cross bars. The wax in the various small compartments are supported practically wholly by the gauze. Hot or cold liquid may be circulated through the cells.

Now according to the present invention the interior of the apparatus is not divided up into a multiplicity of small compartments with the necessary attendant complications in construction and up-keep, in which compartments the wax is supported mainly by the gauze bottoms, but is, on the other hand, treated in a much simpler and robust plant in which the wax is in a large vessel and is more or less completely supported and broken up by a multiplicity of horizontal elements, which, being closely spaced, entangle and break up the wax and by the frictional resistance to movement therebetween owing to their passing through and being embedded in the body of the wax they hold the wax, relieving the pressure on the gauze bottom below. A greater depth of wax can thus be dealt with in a single vessel or compartment.

It will be noted also that the said supporting or entangling elements are, according to the present invention, in the shape of tubes, which are robust members and not likely to be damaged or to get out of order, whereas in the known apparatus referred to above the wax is supported mainly by wire gauze which largely fills the vessel making repairs or inspection very difficult.

It will further be observed that the said entangling and supporting elements being tubes, the heating or cooling fluid may be passed therethrough in intimate contact with the whole body of the wax whereas in the known apparatus referred to the cells are, relatively speaking, large and only the ex terior of each compartment into which the vessel is divided by said cells is heated or cooled.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is 1. An apparatus for sweating or purifying paraffin wax mixture, scale or the like, comprising a sweating pan or Vat, a horizontal foraminous shelf in said pan or vat, a

multiplicity of layers or horizontal pipes constituted by a series of vertical coils each consisting of a serpentinous pipe within the pan above said shelf, said layers of horizontal pipes serving to support a cake of wax or the like and to prevent it from forming a compact mass, means for introducing heating and cooling fluids into the said pipes, means for introducing wax mixture or the like into the pan, and means for withdrawing oil from said pan.

2. An apparatus for sweating or purifying paraflin wax mixture, scale or the like, comprising a sweating pan or vat having a bottom inclined to a plurality of draining points, drain cocks connected to said draining points, a horizontal f'oraminous shelf supported above said bottom, multiple layers of horizontal piping situated above the said shelf and constituted by a series of vertical coils each consisting of a serpentinous pipe, said coils serving to support thecake of wax and to prevent it from forming a compact mass, means for admitting heating and cooling fluids to said piping for circulation therethrough, means for introducing wax mixture or the like into the pan, and means for admitting steam to said pan.

3. An apparatus according t9 claim 1 wherein the coils are spaced more closely horizontally than the vertical spacing of the convolutions of each coil.

In testimony whereof we hereto aflix our signatures this fourth day of June 1928.

ALBERT DOUGLAS ARMSTRONG.

GAVIN CHAPMAN GORDON BOBBIE.

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