US1936523A

US1936523A - Distilling and fractionating apparatus

Info

Publication number: US1936523A
Application number: US514291A
Authority: US
Inventors: Placek Adolph
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1931-02-07
Filing date: 1931-02-07
Publication date: 1933-11-21
Anticipated expiration: 1950-11-21

Description

'Nov. 21, 1933.

A. PLACEK 1,936,523

DISTILLING AND FRACTIONATING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 7, 1931 gmawto AdaU/ Place??? WMM@ Patenten'. Nov., 2l, 1933 UNITED STATES Lhasa PATENT oFFlcE DISTILLING AND FRACTIONATING APPARATUS 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a distilling and fractionating apparatus.

Among the objects of the invention, is the provision of a very eliicient, simple and space- 5 saving apparatus by which the distilling liquid, or material is spread over a large surface in a uniform layer or nlm. whereby rendering the material in a state of exposure best suited by the action of a treating medium.

Another object is the provision of a distilling and fractionating apparatus in which the vapor flow constantly changes, thereby practically eliminating the entrainment of liquid particles with vapors usually encountered in fractionating columns.

With these and other objects in view, the invention resides in the sundry details of cofnstruction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing which illustrates, by way of example, one embodiment of the invention:

Figure l is a vertical section through an apparatus constructed in accordance with the invention and taken substantially on line 1 1 of Figure 2; and

Figure 2 is a similar view taken substantially on line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Referring particularly to the drawing, the apparatus includes a closed stationary casing 10, preferably cylindrical, having stufling boxes on its ends, through which extends a rotatable hollow shaft ll driven from a suitable source of power through a pulley or the like 12. Within the casing 10 and mounted on the shaft 11 to rotate therewith is a spiral drum 13.

The drum 13 includes a long sheet of metal a or any other suitable material extending around the shaft 11 in spaced convolutions, the radii of which increase outwardly from the shaft to form a winding channel b opened at the outer end of 'the winding, as at c, and communicating at its inner end with hollow shaft 11 through opening or openings 14. These openings 14 are of considerable size, and in the completed structure are of greater size than what would be ordinarily considered perforations so as to avoid any obstruction to the counter flow of gases or liquid therethrough.

The sides of the drum are closed by end plates d which close the side of the channel b.

The hollow shaft is connected on one side of casing to a stationary take-oli vapor pipe 16 by means of a gland 17. The shaft 11 is connected on the other side of the casing to a stationary feed or reflux pipe 18 by means of a gland 19, the pipe 18 being connected to a dephlegmator and a condenser, not shown.

The casing 10 has connected thereto, preferably, but not necessarily, at its top portion, a steam or vapor inlet 20 and to its bottom portion an outlet 21 through which the spent liquid or residue may be discharged from the apparatus. The inlets and outlets, respectively, are provided with suitable seal or regulating valves 22 and 23.

The method of the operation is as follows:

The spiral drum 13 is rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 2 and live steam or vapor to be fractionated is introduced into the casing 10 through the inlet 20, it filling the casing and passing through the entire length of the channel of the spiral drum toward the axis thereof. The liquid or material to be distilled or the reflux from the reflux condenser 1s then 75 introduced through feed pipe 18 and passes through the hollow shaft 11, and the openings 14 therein into the central part of the spiral drum and is continuously conveyed through the spiral channel b towards the outer end c thereof. The rotation of the drum is such that the liquid or material entering through the openings 14 will be under the influence of centrifugal force and will be conveyed by and spread over the surface c of the spiral channel b in a uniform layer or film, which by virtue of the relatively large area of the surface e, establishes the most ideal contact with the counter-current stream of steam or vapor.

The gas or vapor from the foregoing process will also pass through the openings 14 and through the take-olf pipe 16. There will be no difficulty in the simultaneous passage of the fluid or material being treated and the vapors or gases in opposite directions through the openg5 ings 14 as these openings are large enough to avoid any obstruction to the counter ilow and to prevent what is sometimes termed bucking and this may be accomplished by having their combined area of these openings much larger than the cross section of the take-01T pipe 16. The material to be treated in most instances will be influenced by gravity in moving into .the spiral channel b while the treating medium or the gases and vapors will be drawn off by suction. The showing in the drawing only illustrates the principle of the invention and the detailed construction of the apparatus is such as to more conveniently and properly meet the mechanical and scientific requirements; also the said pipe 18 may extend through the gland 19 and for a distance into the hollow shaft and provided with several openings therein in order to better distribute the material to be treated along the width of the spiral surface.

If the liquid or material to be treated fed through the pipe 18, and the steam, vapor, gases or treating medium fed through the inlet 20 are properly regulated, the m'ost perfect continuous fractionation is accomplished, with entrainment of liquid particles with the vapors practically eliminated due to the constant change of direction of vapor flow through spiral channel b and, particularly, to the centrifugal force to which the liquid is subjected, during rotation of the drum. In the treatment of certain materials where it is either necessary or desirable not to subject the material to the direct contact of steam or other treating medium, like in the fractionating of benzene-toluene mixtures when it is desirable to have the casing 10 act as a heating vessel or chamber, the casing may be constructed with double side walls thus forming a jacket for the heating medium, or heating coils may be disposed within the casing 10.

The apparatus disclosed in this application is an example of one which may be employed in carrying out the process disclosed in my companion application Serial No. 514,292.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:-

l. A distillngand fractionating apparatus including a casing, a drum rotatably mounted in said casing and having a closed spiral channel therein with convolutions increasing in radius from the center thereof and discharging into said casing at its outer end, means for feeding material to be treated into the channel at a central portion thereof, so as to be distributed and conveyed by the surface of the channel to the outer discharge end thereof, when the drum is rotated, means for admitting a treating medium at the outer end of the channel to traverse said channel in counter-direction to the movement of the treated material, means for taking oi the gases or vapors from said channel.

2. A distilling and fractionating apparatus including a casing, a rotatable drum mounted within said casing and having a closed spiral channel therein extending from inner portion of said drum to the exterior thereof and opened at its outer end, means for feeding material to be treated to the inner end portion of the channel, means for admitting a treating medium to the interior of said casing, whereby it may pass into said spiral channel at its outer end, and means for taking off the distillate from an inner portion of said channel.

3. A distilling and fractionating apparatus including a casing, a drum rotatably mounted in the casing and having a closed spiral channel therein extending from an inner portion of the drum to its periphery, where it discharges into said casing, means for feeding material to be treated into the channel at its inner portion so as to be conveyed and distributed along the surface of the channel to the discharge end thereof, when the drum is rotated, means for admitting a treating medium to said casing to enter said discharge end of the channel and traverse said channel in counter-current to the movement of said material therethrough, means for taking off the gases or vapors at the inner portion of the channel, and means on the casing whereby the residue material discharged from said drum may be taken olf.

4. A distilling and fractionating apparatus including a casing, a hollow rotary shaft extending through the casing, a drum mounted on the shaft to rotate therewith and Within said casing, said drum having a closed spiral channel therein extending from said shaft to its periphery when it discharges into said casing, the passage in said hollow shaft communicating with said channel, means for feeding material to be treated through one end of the shaft into said channel so as to be conveyed and distributed along the surface of the channel to the discharge end thereof, when the drum is rotated, means for admitting a treating medium to said casing to enter the outer end of said channel and traverse said channel in counter-current to the movement of the treated material therethrough, means for taking 01T the gases or vapors at the other end of said shaft, and means on the casing whereby the residue material discharged from said drum may be taken off.

ADOLPH PLACEK.