US1955041A - Simultaneous treatment of crude petroleums or the like and bituminous coals or the like - Google Patents

Description

Apnl 17, 1934. F. s. wolDlcH 1,955,041

SIMULTANEOUS TREATMENT 0F CRUDE PETROLEUMS 0R THE LIKE ANDl BITUMINOUS GOALS OR THE LIKE Filed March 3. 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l 2 n 4 1li 1111ima 4E Wlmnmnmummwwwmnmmmmwm .l WJ F 0 M w1 Sl.- |l a i MMU 1 1 mst Z KV mmiui 1 I welll Sure F. s. wolDlcH 1,955,041

Filed March 5. 1932 -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 SIMULT/ANEOUS TREATMENT OF CRUDE PETROLEUMSOR THE LIKE AND BITUMINOUS GOALS OR THE LIKE April 17, 1934.

Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITED y STATES SIMULTANEOUS TREATMENT F C R U D E PETROLEUMS 0R THE LIKE AND BIT'UMI- NOUS COALS OR. THE LIKE Francis S. Woidich, Tulsa, Okla.

Application March. 3,

1932, Serial'No. 596,608

In Germany J anuary 4, 1932 7 Claims.

This invention relates to a process and apparatus for obtaining anti-knock motor fuel and oils of high caloriflc value with a high percentage of finely divided carbon, from liquid fuels such as mineral oil, tar oil, gas oil, heating oil, shale oil and the like, and also from solid fuels with a high percentage of volatile bitumen hydrocarbon constituents, such as gas coal, gas iiame coal, cannel coal, lignite and the like.

The process is carried out by introducing the finely ground coal into the liquid fuel and making an emulsion of coal and oil, with optional heating of the mixture, in stirring mechanisms, which for this purpose may be provided with a heating jacket. The emulsion accruing from the stirring mechanisms is now further heated, under a pressure varying according to the operating conditions, to a predetermined temperature, and then passed into a separator, in which 2u at the same time its pressure is partially reduced.

The more volatile constituents of the liquid and solid fuel is now distilled off, and then passed into a rectifying and` fractionating plant, in which they are worked upto different fractions. The constituents not distilled off in the separator are passed firstover a distillation and re-action column R. T. into a convertenin which ina hydrogenous atmosphere and under definite conditions of pressure and temperature, a selective building up and disintegrating process proceeds, so that further constituents of higher boiling points are converted into more volatile constituents, while a residual oil remains, having a high percentage -of very finely divided carbon, which can beburnt in furnaces of any kind as a high grade fuel of high caloriiic value.

As compared with the low temperature distillation of bituminous coals, the process according to this invention has the advantage that the bituminous hydrocarbons, in the course of the heating under pressure, go into solution in the suspending oil, so that they are protected against pyrogenic decomposition, which, in-the usual low temperature distillation processes results in a reduction of the yield of light motor fuel, with corresponding increase of the proportion of permanent gases, phenols, and homologues, as well as of pitch.

The efliciency of the process is also increased because the emulsion is a good conductor of heat, in proportion to the solid coal, so that the process can be carried out `at lower temperatures and more rapidly than is the case with the. usual 10W temperature distillation processes..

In addition to this, the temperatures atwhich the bituminous hydrocarbons of the'coal evaporate are lower than in the ordinary low temperature-distillation process, in consequence of the high solution pressure of the'bituminouslhyy drocarbons, as compared With the suspending and solvent oil, and of the increased vaporization pressure of the hydrocarbons of the solvent oil.

Simultaneously with the decomposition and the dissolving of the carbon bitumen in the suspending oil, there also occurs an extensive comminution of the fine particles of coal, so that as a result hereof they distribute themselves in the residual oil in colloidal form, Whereby a new homogeneous and stable fuel-oil product is obtained, which may be designated Carbonol.

This product contains about percent. of residual oil of low viscosity and 50 percent. of colloidally distributed carbon, and may be regarded as a refined product of the oil and coal.

Since however this mixture Carbonol is heavier thanwater, and is neither soluble in, or miscible with water, it can be stored underwater for the purpose of obviating any risk of fire.

, Under these circumstances the formation of explosive gaseous mixtures in storage is preeluded.

`For heating purposes it admits of being atomized just as well as the fuel oil at present used.

Its combustion is effected entirely Without noise, as contrasted with the combustion of fuel oil. This yields a short and luminous flame, whereby the transmission is promoted of heat 'by radiation, which in modern operationsis being more and more'sought after.

Y The good combustion properties of the carbonol also yield the possibility of burning with a lower excess of air, whereby the eiiciency of the furnace plant is raised.

Finally in addition to this, under the samey conditions, the quantity of steam or energy required for atomization is lower than when ordinary heating oil is employed.

Besides this high grade heating-oil'v product, there is obtained, on the other hand, a'highly knock-proof motor fuel from the combination of the highly knock-proof :bituminoushydrocarbons of the coal with the less knock-proof hydrocarbons of the direct distillation ofthe suspending oil` and the knock-proof hydrocarbons of the suspending oil cracking processwhich is a selective, building up and breaking down process that occurs under special conditions.

Thishighly knock-proof motor oil. and is sub- Lil-0 divided according to its constitution and the purpose for which it is to be used into the various fractions Bituminol I, Bituminol II, Bituminol III and so forth.

Of these fractions, the light one may be employed in aircraft motors, the medium one in ordinary motors, and the heavy one in Diesel motors.

These Bituminols are high grade refinement products of the bituminous coal and the mineral oils, which, in the same range of boiling point, exhibit a greater storage stability, as regards losses and resiniiication, and enable motors to be easily started and easily accelerated.

Since the products themselves are very knockproof, they can, by mixing them with fuels that are not knock-proof, convert'the latter into antiknock fuels with a sufficiently high anti-.knock coefficient.

According to the process of manufacture these Aproducts consist of distillation derivatives of the volatile constituents of the carrier-oil, of less volatile distillation derivates of the carbon bitumen, which possess the greatest solution pressure as compared with the suspending oil, and of the products of the cracking of the heavy constituents of the suspending oil and also of the heavy bitumen hydrocarbons dissolved in the suspending oil, and as well as of the products of the cracking of the carbon bitumen which is insoluble in the suspending oil, which originate directly from the coal or are the result of the exchange action between the molecularly unstable gaseousphase and theheating oil residue-phase in the converter. l According to what is required of the heating oil products, the nature of the raw materials and the carrying out of the process may be regulated, so thatr it is possible to obtain, in particular cases, the nished products which have the properties desired for the Various cases. Y

One example of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows in elevation and partial section a diagram of the entire plant for carrying out the process according to the invention.

Figure 2 shows a section on the line XX-YY of Figure 1, and

Figure 3 shows a vertical elevation and partial section of a modied constructional form of heater.

As will be seen from Figure 1, the mixture of i coal, of a iineness corresponding to a 50 to 150 mesh sieve, and oil preferably prepared in a heated stirring mechanism, and stored in a receiver not shown, passes through a pipe c into a pump CP and from there through a pipe c1 into a heat exchanger HE, where it comes into contact with the outside of the tubes. For starting and shutting off the heat exchanger HE valves 21, 22 and 23 are provided. Y

From the heat exchanger HE the mixture then passes through pipescz and cs; into the chamber I of the heater CH, through which it flows at such a high speed as to be in the neighbourhood of turbulence.

The heater consists of three concentric heating tubes, of which the inner tube 1 serves as a gas flue, through which the exhaust gases flow in the direction of the arrow r2, to leave the plant through the passage SF and the chimney ST. The tube 2 is welded at its lower end to a plate s1, while at its upper end it is open. With the tube 1, the tube 3 forms at its upper end a chamber a, while at its lower end it is welded to the plate sa.

The result of this is that the mixture of coal and oil, after leaving the chamber I, first ascends in the annular space between the tubes 1 and 2, in counter-current to the combustion-gases flowing in the direction of the arrow r2, is deflected in the upper chamber u, and then falls through the annular space between the tubes 2 and 3, in counter-current to the gases flowing helically and with turbulent motion in the direction of the arrow r1, into the lower chamber o.

The cylindrical jacket s, the bottom plate s2 and the top plate sa, support the brickwork CS, through which the heating element passes. In conjunction with the plate s1 they form the admission chamber I and the discharge chamber O for the mixture of coal and oil, which are provided for cleaning purposes with manholes M1 and M2.

The heating chamber DO provided with an oil burner FB is arranged tangentially to the heater CH. The result of this is that the gases in the annular space between the tubes 3 and 4 ascend turbulently and helically, thereby yielding a high utilization of the heat.

The utilization of heat and the uniform heating are also promoted by the fact that the mixture of coal and oil is introduced tangentially by the pipe c3 into the chamber I. If in addition to this, welded-on spirals are provided in the annular spaces between the tubes 1 and 2 and ..3

the tubes 2 and 3, as shown in Figure 3, the mixture of coal and oil also flows through the heating element spirally in an upward direction and in a downwardv direction.

By these measures an uneven heating, which v might lead to decompositions, is prevented; deposits of coke are therefore also made impossible, and it has even been found that the particles of coal produce a scouring effect, so that by them Athe surfaces are polished as a mirror.

, A separation of the gas-vap0ur mlase in the heating elementis not possible under these circumstances. Accordingly any overheating thereof is also precluded, and a transmission of heat is obtained which is much greater than that obtained with the usual heaters.

The heater CH` may be constructed and arranged as shownin Figure 1, or as shown in Figure 3, as a separate and independently red heater. In the latter case there is slipped over the i heating element CH a hood Clii, which, like the element CH, consists of three casings 1, 2 and 3. By means ofl intermediate plates two chambers are formed, exactly as in the case of the heating element CI-I, namely an admission 3 chamber I and a discharge chamber O. The operation carried on in this preheater is eifected byr passing the mixture of coal and oil first into the lower chamber I, and from this, through the heating element CH in the manner described, 1,5 into the discharge chamber O, from which the mixture then passes through a connecting pipe into the admission chamber I', and from here into the heating element CH', which it leaves again by way of the discharge chamber O.

In this case the heating element CH of Figas'will be readily understood, if it were heated f instability, before its enq before fixed gases were available. It would therefore have to work until that moment as a steam superheater. The combustion chamber DO, already mentioned, serves for the production of the heating gases by which the temperature of the mixture oi' coal and oil preheated in the preheater HE is brought to a temperature of from 315 to 375 C., in the heating element CH, according to the nature of the mixture and the products to be obtained.

As will be gathered from Figures l and 2, the preheater HE is charged with hot residual oil from the converter, which iiows from the residue pan 6 at the bottom of the converter, through the pipe 12 into the separator Sp and from here through the pipe 13 into the pump RP, from which it is forced through the tubes of the preheater, which it then leaves by the pipe 14. For the purpose of regulating the admission to this preheater, valves 15, 16, 17 and 2() are provided.

The combustion chamber DO is equipped with a grating Ch, by which complete combustion is to be attained. By the reproof material CS, on the one hand, and the ireproof covering 26, 27 on the other hand, a double jacket is formed with an annular space 25, through which the air entering at CA iows, for the purpose of cooling the ireproof material, whereupon it then enters, in a preheated condition, through slots provided in the end wall of the combustion chamber.

The mixture oi" coal and oil, heated under pressure in the Vpreheaters HE and CH up to the required dissolving temperature, passes, aiter leaving the heating element CH, into the pipe c4, and, after partial expansion in a reducing valve, not shown, passes tangentially into the separator D, which is interposed on the way between a lower distillation and re-action column RT and an upper rectiiication column R1 Ti with a dephlegmator D1. Now in the separator D the mixture is partially expanded, and the vapour phase separated from the liquid oil and coal phase by impact and centrifugal action. The former 'then ascends in the towers R1 T1 and D1, in which the constituents of higher boiling point are separated out, while the fractions of lower boiling point pass through the pipe V2 into the rectifying and fractionating plant MRTi Dz-to be here fractionated into three iinished products.

The mixture of coal and oil separated in the separator D from the vapour-phase, ows, however, with the fractions iiowing down and out of the towers R1 Ti and Di, in a iinely divided form, over the conical drip rims m to mi, in countercurrent to the hot gases and vapours ascending from the converter TST which enter at the bottorn of the reaction tower RT through the pipe V1. The volatile bitumen hydrocarbons contained in the suspending oil and dissolved therein are hereby vaporized and distilled off, so that a vapour-phase composed of different kinds of hydrocarbons passes into the dephlegmator D1, in which the heavier and unwanted hydrocarbons are condensed and flow back in a liquid condition by way of the towers R1 T1 and RT, the separator RS, the pipe '51 and the distributor d, into the converter TST.

In the converter the liquid mixture flows over the individual trays Z1 to 12o, which are welded to the conical central heating casing 4, which is flanged at its lower end to the outer steel casing 7, which in its turn carries at its upper end a cover 8, with the distributor d, likewise iianged. These trays are iilled with metals of continuously increasing melting point, upon which, as already ing the downward flow of the liquid over the inclined side walls of the trays.

By this process, which proceeds in a hydrogenous atmosphere and under adjustable pressure conditions, at a temperature which increases from tray to tray in a downward direction, the

heavy hydrocarbons of the suspending oil and ofthe absorbed and dissolved heavy hydrocarbons of the carbon bitumen, are converted into the volatile hydrocarbons of low molecular weight of the motor fuel, which are distinguished by high anti-knock properties, and the anti-knock properties of the hydrocarbons of the carbon bitumen, which are already high on account of the high carbon hydrogen ratio, are still further improved by this selective building up and breaking down process of the oil complex as a whole.

From the converter TST, the temperature of which is regulated by a thermostat T1 controlling the burner FB, the gases and vapours ascend and iiow in counter-current to the descending liquid through the towers RT, RiTi and D1, and flow into the, rectifying and iractionating column MRT with the dephlegmator D2, which is equipped with a thermostat regulating the water cooling so iar as said gases and vapors are volatile at the temperaturev prevailing in the dephlegmator Di, which may vary in diiierent cases, and is accurately regulated by a thermostat controlling the water circulation in the dephlegmator D1.

Here in the column MRT they are separated into three fractions, for example, a light fraction, a medium fraction diiiering in volatility and a heavy fraction.

The light fraction, which is particularly suitable ior operating aircraft motors, leaves the dephlegmator D2 inthe forni of vapour and then passes through the pipe V3 into the coolers FC in which it is lqueed, while the permanent gases produced during the cracking process are separated in the gas separator GS and leave the plant by way of the regulating valve rv, which is adjusted according to the working pressure desired in the plant. Leaving the cooler FC, the light fraction then passes through the pipe mi provided with a valve e1 into the collecting tank A1, which is equipped with a gage glass g1 and a pressure gage pi, and from here through a valve oi, in which it is expanded to atmospheric pressure, and through the pipe r1 into the main reservoir.

The medium fraction, intended for ordinary motors, passes through the extraction plate E of the rectifying and ractionating column MRT, into the proportional stream divider SD, from there by way of the pipe m2 provided with the valves b2, c2, h2 and hi, into the sub-cooler DC, and from there into the collecting tank A2, with gage glass c2 and pressure gage p2, out of which it then flows by way of the fioat valve O2, and in an expanded condition, through the pipe r2, into the main reservoir.

The heavy fraction, which is suitable for Dieselengines, flows, on the contrary, from the bottoni of the iractionating column MRT through the pipe equipped with the valves bi, h1, h3 and c3 into the sub-cooler DC, and from here into the collecting tank A3, with gage glass g3 and pressure gage p3, out of which it passes by way of the float valve o3 in an expanded condition, into the pipe r3 and and from there into the main reservoir.

The permanent gas, accruing in the nal cooler FC, iiows through the gas separator 'GS and the pipe rg into the compressor RC. From 'there the 'excess gas is forced through the regulating valve rc into a collecting tank, not shown, from which it can be supplied, after being previously purified by being passed over activated 'carbon -or Vthe like, to a gasometer or to vthe place where it is vto be used. The other part of the gas is forced through the pipe wz from the compressor RC into a `superheater RH, in which itis heated up to a temperature of molecular instability until it may lpartially decompose. It then passes out of the superheater through the pipe Tg3 and the distributor 10 into the residue pan 6, and from there into the converter TST. Since the gas inlet nozzle 'is weldedon tangentially to the pan, the gas entering the liquid residue sets the latter in vortex motion, until the gas itself escapes, eddying, into the annular chamberof the converter, which it traverses spirally in an upward direction, a synthetic building-up process being effected in conjunction with the molecularly unstable carbon oil phases. Since the pressure in the converter must vary according to the nature of the raw materials and the desired constitution 'of the ultimate products, the gas enters the converter at different pressures in different cases, these pressures being regulated by the regulating valve rv.

As already mentioned, the superheater CH, which renders continuous operation possible, may be employed as a gas heater, at least so far as a heating of the gas to a temperature of molecular instability comes into question.

It on the contrary, a rise of temperature right into the region of extensive moleculark decomposition with separation of hydrogen and carbon is aimed at, the directly heated superheater RH is to be provided, two superheaters then being employed, of which one is in operation while the other is heating up. These superheaters may be equipped with a grating of rebricks, according to the air heating system known in blast furnace operation. By means `of heating gases which are produced by burning gas or oil and which escape through the chimney st after leaving the superheater, the superheater is first heated to a red heat, whereupon it is hermetically sealed, and the gases are forced in by the compressor RC. When the temperature of the iireproof material is no longer high enough, a change is made to the second superheater, so that the heating period begins, whereupon this series of operations is repeated afresh. The heated gas then passes, as already described, into the residue pan and into the converter, in which case a further stabilizing colloidal distribution of the coal carbon in the residual oil is effected, a further cracking can be brought about, land the synthetic building up re-actions proceed.

The residual oil remaining in the residue pan 6, which contains about 50 per cent. by weight of colloidally distributed carbon, then flows as the nished product Carbonol through the pipe 12 into the separator Sp, and from there through the pipe 13 to the pump RP, which forces it through the valves 20 and 15 into the preheater HE, in which the crude mixture is preheated. From there it nally ows to a collecting tank, not shown, through the valve 16 and the pipe 14.

If, however, the residual oil owing to the pump RP does not comply kin its constitution with the requirements necessary in the finished product, it is returned through the pipe 18, the valve 19, the pipe ci and the re-action tower RT into the converter TST, and the pan 6, to be then led away, as a :finished product complying with the requirements, through the pipe 14, and this, vby suitably adjusting the valves 20 and 19, can be effected either continuously or interruptedly.

It need hardly be emphasized that the process according to the invention -is in no sense limited to the treatment of the aforementioned 'raw materials. The apparatus lfor carrying it out Iis also not limited to the plant hereinbe'fore described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In particular, the ash content of the fuels, which yunder some circumstances may be high, does not stand in the way of carrying out the process. On the contrary it has been found that the ash may under special conditions act as a Vcatalyst accelerating the conversion. Should the presence of ash not be desired, however, it can easily be separated out at any time. If the con` centrated oil and ash mixture separated 4out is then mixed with water, the ash becomes suspended in the water, so that it can be removed along with the water, while the separated oil remains behind and can be returned to the plant. At the same time there is produced an oil carbon residual product poor in ash, Carbonol, which can be obtained by this rening process from a coal containing a high percentage of ash.

Through the extraction valves c1, 'e2 and es the Bituminols can be re-circulated into the system in a wholly or partially continuous manner for the purpose of regulating the equilibrium, or interruptedly for re-conditioning purposes, by the return siphons t2, t3 and t4, through RS and t1, particularly when they do not comply exactly with the requirements, in the same manner as the Carbonol can be re-circulated by the pump RP.

Without limiting the process to any set of indications and operating data, the following specifications are given as an illustration forthe operation of the process.

Approximate analysis of a typical average bi- The solvent-carrier-oil may be a topped crudeoil of asphaltic base, designated as a navy-fueloil of a specic gravity: 0.875 or 30 B. gravity with a viscosity of 125 Saybolt seconds at 25 C. of the following fractional composition:

Denning temperature lltlllgg l Percent 130 t0 225 C- 1. 2 225 to 250 C 5. 0 25() to 275 C- 14. 5 275 to 300 C. 20.0 300 to 325 C. 22. 0 325 t0350 C. 30. 0 Residue 5. 3 Loss 2, 0

At normal temperature this coal may be ground at equal ratio of coal and oil by weight in a wetmill, which may also be heatable for the eventual reduction of the viscosity of the oil to obtain 'lil the best results and milling-eiciency, to a iineness of from 100 to 200 mesh, or the coal may be ground dry to said neness and be agitated into a preheated oil, or the agitator may also be heatable for proper mechanical suspension of the oil.

Since the oil has a greater wetting capacity to the coal than to the ash, a continuous operation will then produce a concentrated oil-ash-phase which can be extracted selectively from the mixture, and through treatment with hot water, this concentrated oil-ash-phase may be separated into an Aash-water-phase for discard and into an oilphase which returns to the process-cycle.

Those constituents of the ash which have potential catalytic properties however, like ferrieoxide, chrome-oxide, aluminum-chloride, etc., may be selectively separated from the oil-ashphase and returned with the recovered oil to the process cycle as described, though it has been found, that these catalyzing constituents of the ash pass mostly over with the coal-oil-mixture.

The coal-oil-mixture is then taken from a storage-tank, which may be insulated against heat-loss, and which may have proper means to `keep the ccal-oil-mixture in uniform stabilization, while in intermediary storage, by the process-cycle pump and discharged under turbulent now through the preheating heat-exchanging devices of the process, by cooling thereby the extracted products, like Barbonol as shown in the drawings, and is then heated in thin-layer double-heated, turbulent, counter-current flow to the heating medium, which may also be indirectly heated, to a digesting temperature of 300 to 350 C. under a self-generated pump-pressure in the system of from 7 kg. to l5 kg. or 125 to 225 lbs. per square inch.

After having reached said temperature under rapid turbulent flow, the mixture should be kept under said predigesting temperatures of from 15 to minutes, by allowing the mixture, after leaving the rapid turbulent heater to flow through socalled digesting or soaking tubes, in which the turbulent iiow is kept up, which tubes are to be protected against heat-loss by ,"either placing them into a flue through which pass waste-gases of a Vtemperature from 260 to 371 C., or by proper heat-insulations which are not shown in the drawings for simplicitys sake.

The thus pre-digested coal-oil-mixture is now discharged under concomitant pressure drop of from to 100 lbs. (3.35 kg. to 6.7 kg. into a centrifugal impact separator midways the fractionation or rectification tower and the down-filming reaction-tower, for the separation of the vaporphase from the liquid coal-oil-phase, produced through the pre-digesting heating and the pressure-drop, causing rapid vaporization and distillation as described in the application.

The residual coal-oil-phase plus the rei-luxphase from the dephlegmator of the fractionating column now passes downward by filming gravity ilow over the reaction-tower to the solvent-distilling-cracking converter of the process, where the temperature is progressively and stepwise increased to between 400 C. and 450 C.

The coal-oil-mixture undergoing subsequently and alternatively solvent, distilling and cracking steps with disintegrating and integrating conver- 'sion steps produced'by the reactive interaction of the re-cycled hydrogenous gas-phase which has been heated on its return cycle to the process to a temperature of molecular instability and partial decomposition, reaching temperatures of from The sulphur-phase of the coal will only partly pass over with the gas-vapor-phase, where it may be eliminated by scrubbing the residual gases with caustic soda or the like, whereas the greatest part of the sulphur will stay with the dispersed coal in the CarbonoL If the coal allows a total recovery of 30% of the total 35% bitumen-content, according to the analysis of the coal, then the carrier-solvent-oil-phase may be converted into bituminols to the extent of: 30 plus 5% moisture, plus 3% ash, plus 0.4% sulphur=38.4% or approximately 39 to40%, by weight, equal to approximately 50%, by volume, of the original carrier-oil, if the residual coal-oil-phase, as Carbonol is to be composed of approximately 50%, by weight, of colloidal carbon and of 50%, by weight, of oil.

The coal-oil-ratid by weight, of the original mixture to be converted may therefore change between considerable limits up and down, as illustrated on this particular specific coal-oil-mixture, according to the specic composition of the primary material, forming the charging-stock, for which consideration, only the analysis of the coal and the oil used are the deciding factors in which proportion they can be mixed, depending in addition upon the chemical nature of the relative cornponente.

Due to the complexity of the materials for the charging stock, the temperature, pressures, pressure-drop, ratios of coal and oil-mixtures are subject to wide variations, and can only be determined by laboratory tests and operating experience, based on averaging conditions and under the influence of the mass-reaction factors, which are only disclosed in industrial application.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim istl. A process for simultaneous distillation of liquid and solid hydrocarbons of the type of mineral oil and coal, which consists in forming an emulsion of coal-dust and oil, preheating the emulsion under agitation, then gradually heating the emulsion under pressure to a temperature sufficient to volatilize the most volatile constituents when the pressure is reduced, then separating under reduced pressure the more volatile constituents from the liquid mixture, further heating the residual constituents of said mixture at gradually increasing temperatures to convert said constituents into lower boiling constituents, separating the vapors and finally rectifying and liquefying said vapors, thereby producing liquid fuel of different grades.

2. A process as in claim 1 in which the gradual heating of the emulsion is conducted in thin, concentric, annular Zones and is passed in thin lms in said zones countercurrently to a heating medium.

3. A process as in claim 1 in which the preheated emulsion is introduced tangentially into the zone of admission. Y

4. A process as in claim 1 in which combustion gas for heating said zones is led in a helical path around the zones.

5. A process as in claim 1 in which the residual constituents of the emulsion are re-circulated in the process after the separation of the more volatile vapors, and brought in contact with metals of different and gradually increasing temperatures.

6. An apparatus for production of motor fuel from a mixture of liquid and solid hydrocarbons, comprising a preheater for said mixture adapted to make an emulsion thereof, a secondary heater consisting of concentric cylinders form-ing between them thin, annular zones connected in se ities', means for delivering said emulsion into the inner zone, helicalr elements.. in said zones adapted te create a helical flow of the emulsion throughA said Zones, and means for introducing heating gas;

lar; zones. connected in seriesmeans for delivering said mixture in. the form of an emulsion to the rst of said zones., means for introducing heatingy gas for indirect heat exchange with said emulsion in the zones, superimposed trays exterior to saidy tubular members within the heater, said trays containing metals of different melting points, and means for recrculating the residual constituents of the emulsion after separation of the more volatile vapors, thereby causing said residual constituents to contact with said metals in their order from the lower to the higher melting points.

FRANCIS S. WOIDICI-Il lOO;

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