US2375640A

US2375640A - Means for distilling liquids

Info

Publication number: US2375640A
Application number: US506097A
Authority: US
Inventors: Ford Reginald Clarence
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1942-07-09
Filing date: 1943-10-13
Publication date: 1945-05-08
Anticipated expiration: 1962-05-08

Description

vMay 8, 1945. R. c. FORD 2,375,640

MEANS FOR DISTILLING LIQUIDS Filed oct. 13, 1943 4 sheets-sheet 1 @www May 8, 1945. R, C, FQRD v 2,375,640

` MEANS FOR DISTILLING -LIQUIDS' Filed Oct. 13, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 8, l945- R. c. FORD MEANS FOR DISTILLING LIQUIDS Filed oct. 13, 194s 4 sheets-sheet 5 Fllllll FII lill( 1|.. IIHU .Al l.. -La .rlll lllllllln May 8, 1945 R. c. FORD l MEANS FOR DISTILLING LIQUIDS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Oct. 15, 1945 c. SLNL Thisinvention` relates the'` separationof a l' lliquid from nonfvolatilejfimpurities byidistillation and hasfor its imme'diateobjectto provide` izontal stationary plate-V21 which is'upwardly an improved method lof lobtaining pure drinking water from sea water andiot'her liquids not suitable for human orw animal consumption.

A further objectof the invention is toprovide apparatus for this purpose of a simple, compact and portable naturein which the use of fuel for heating purposes is entirely dispensedl with.

The improved methodv of distilling liquids'.l is

4distinguished from` 'existing methods in that the heat required for evaporation is derived from compression ofa mixtureof air and steam or vapour drawn from an enclosed container forthe liquid, said mixture being forced under the compression pressure through lone or more narrow conduits arranged in close proximity to one or more thin lms of the said liquid, and thence to f a condenser.

The invention involves the use of acompressor which is of the multi-stage type and either mechanically or hydraulically.

In the accompanying drawings, y

Figunre 1 is a sectional view of one form of apparatus embodying the present invention.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same with top cover removed.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view on a larger l scale of one of the high pressure cylinders.

`driven 'fMEANSFOeDISTHmG l j *Reginald oiapeiicerora,Auesley,hearvehfy, jf l England 4 y. -l j i Application october 13,1943, serialNo. 506,091 l* `In GreatBrltain July 9', 1942 f fzciaims'p-i-(cl-2o2p-163) The high pressure eylinders, of whichthere may be any vdesired number, are carried bya'ho `flanged to form a container 28 for the liquiditaz 1 be distilled.' The plungers 29 for the high. pres-- sure cylinders are carried by and 'move with the' i low pressure cylinder l1 and are fitted with fnonf return valves 3Ilat their inner ends. y n c Each of thehigh pressure cylinders is made in two parts, aninner part 3l which is secured to the plate 21 by means of a nut 3 la', and an outer part 32 screwing onto the upper end of the `inner part. `The said outer part, which forms'the head vof thecylinder, is fdrmed with a passage 33l controlled by a non-return va1v`e`34, one e'nd of said passage being openvto the interior of the cylin; der 26 and the other end communicating with a narrow spiral passage 35 in the cylinder wall. Y

This spiral passage, see Figure 4, may be conveniently formed by taking oil the crests of the thread between the innerv and outer parts 3|, 32 and communicatesA at it`s lower end with a duct 36 in the plate. 21, whence it is continued by i means of a pipe 31 opening at its-lower end into'` i acondenser 39. n i

The outer part 32 of each high pressure cylinder is tted with a removable sleeve 4I) which Figure A4 is a detail view in vertical section and on a larger scale of part of one of the high pressure cylinders. l

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1 in which f theA two'stage compressor is, driven by hydraulic 'l .operated by means of a rotatable member I9 aris a sliding t on shallow longitudinal ribs 4I, see 1 v Figure 3, formed on said outer.part.1V The narrow annular `space thus formed between the sleeve and the outer part of thecylinder is open at each end, the lower Yend. dipping below the V 'level of the vliquid in the container. 'Ihe said i container 28 is closed in a fluidf-tight manner by ranger concentrically therewith and provided l y manually. The said cylinder maybe prevented from rotation by means of rollers 24 on the frplunger engaging grooves ,25'V in the cylinder.

means of a removabl'ercover 42 having double walls with laggingv between them, said cover being secured in position on a rubber seating 43 carried by a shouldered part/of the plate 21, by means of springs 44 secured` to an annular member 45 of angle section, and adapted to engage projections 46 on the cover.` Communication be` tween the closed container and the low pressure cylinder l1 is established by ,means of a pipe 41,

controlled by a non-return valve 48 in the head of the plunger.

The rotatable memberl I9 actuating the low pressure cylinder is mounted on ball bearings be'- tween` the plate v21 aforesaid and a flange 49 at the lowei part of the stationary plunger IB.,

The whole of the apparatus is enclosed .in an outer casing 50 the upper .part 5l of `which is secured to the plate 21 by releasable catches 52V and is removable to give access'to the cover 42,

whilst the lower part houses the'vcondenser 39 which may be'of the tubular or any'other suit- K wheel.

able type and provided with a run-off tap 53 for the distilled water and an'outlet 54 for dry air.

The highpressure plungers 2,9 are automatically lubricated at each compression stroke of the low pressure cylinder I1. from a trough 55 in the ilanged lowerend of the low pressure plunger I8,`the oil being forced through a non-return valve 56 and conveyed by pipes 51 to each high pressure cylinder. The excess oil iii draining back to the trough serves to lubricate the bearings for the rotatable driving member I9 and the outer surface of the low pressure cylinder- I1.

The apparatus is operated by rotating the shaft 23 which may be done either by power or manually, as by means of pedal gear or hand When the apparatus commences to operate air is exhausted through the pipe 41 from the enclosed container 28 on the induction or upward stroke of the low pressure cylinder I1 whence on the subsequent compression or downward stroke the initially compressed air is forced into the high pressure cylinders 28 through the non-return valves 30 iii their plungers 29 by which it is further compressed on the following induction stroke of the low pressure cylinder. From the high pressure cylinders the air is forced past 'the non-return valves 34 into the spiral passage 35 between the screw threaded parts of each high pressure cylinder and thence to the condenser 39. The heat generated by the high pressure produced in this way quickly raises the temperature of the walls of the high pressure cylinders thereby causing evaporation of the thin lms of the liquid occupying the narrow annular spaces between the sleeves 40 aforesaid and the outer parts 32 of the high pressure cylinders. At the same time the exhaustion of air 'and vapour above the liquid reduces the boiling point of the latter. The vapour or steam produced escapes from the open upper ends of the narrow spaces between the sleeves III) and cylinders 25 into the closed container 28 whence it is exhausted and initially compressed by the continued operation of the low pressure cylinder and further compressed in the high pressure cylinders after which it passes by way of the spiral passages 35 and tubes 31 to the condenser. This cycle of operations can be continued so long as their remains any liquid in the container.

Another form of apparatus embodying the same main principle of the invention is shown in Figure 5. In this form the low pressure cylinder' I1 is Operated by iluid pressure. Otherwise the construction and operation of the apparatus is substantially the same as above described with reference to Figures 1 to 4.

For the purposes of operation by fluid pressure the lower end of the low pressure cylinder I1 carries a cross-head 60, the sides of the stationary plunger I8 being slotted at the lower end to accommodate the movement thereof. The upper face of the cross-head carries or is formed with a small centrally arranged cylinder 6I which cooperates with a fixed plunger 62 secured to the underside of the head of the stationary low pressure plunger I8 which is hollow. The lower face of the cross-head is also formed or fitted with a similar cylinder 63 which co-operates with a plunger 64 fixed to the base member 65 supporting the low pressure plunger. are alternately supplied with fluid under pressure to actuate the low pressure cylinder I1, by means of a pair of pumps 68, see Figures 6 and 7, which may be operated in any suitablel manner. Where the apparatus is required for use in a con- These cylinders fined space, as for example, in a crowded life boat, the' said pumps may be arranged for manual operation. In this case each pumpk may be separately operated through gearing by a lever and the gearing of one pump interconnected with that of the other so that the depression of one lever effects the return of the other. For example, in the arrangement shown in Figures 6 and motion in its cylinder 14 by the co-action between its screw thread and the corresponding thread on the stationary-pump body 15. The extension 1I of each plunger is free to slide through its driving pinion 1D axial displacement of which is prevented in any suitable way.

To accommodate a pipe 16 leading from one of the pumps to the upper cylinder 6I on the cross-head and also the pipe 11 leading from the enclosed container 28 to the low pressure cylinder I1, the cross-head 60 is formed with

suitable openings

18, 19 respectively.

In an alternative construction which is otherwise the same as that shown in Figure 5, the low I pressure cylinder is stationary and the plunger thereof adapted for operation by fluid pressure, the upper face of the latter is formed with a central circular recess which functions as a cylinder for a xed plunger on the plate aforesaid. The lower face of the low pressurev plunger` is in this casey provided with a small plunger' working in a cylinder forming part of or attached to the low pressure cylinder. 'I'he low pressure plunger is operated positively in each direction by means of a pair of pumps, one of which delivers liquid under pressure into the bottom ofi the cylindrical recess in the upper face of the low pressure plunger for the induction stroke of the latter, whilst the other pump delivers fluid into the small cylinder in the case of the low pressure cylinder for the return or compression stroke. 'I'he said pumps may be operated in sequence in a mannerl similar to that above described or in any other suitable way. For example, the two pumps may be arranged in axial alignment with each other with a single double-ended plunger co-operating therewith. This plunger may be reciprocated by forming it with right and left-hand screw threads and giving it a movement of rotation or oscillation about its axis, the screw threads co-operating with xedparts suitably screw-threaded internally. Rotary or oscillatory movement may be imparted to the plunger by means of a pinion operated in any suitable manner by hand or pedal, or by power.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for distilling liquids comprising an enclosed4 container for the liquid to be distilled, a condenser, a compressor having a low pressure cylinder and a plurality ofhigh pressure cylinders each of which is in direct nonreturncommunication with said low .pressure cylinder, said low pressure cylinder having a non-return intake communicating with saidvcontainer above the level of the liquid therein and each of said high pressure cylinders having a ing at one end with the delivery side of said high pressure cylinder and at the other end with said condenser, the bore of saidl passage being less than that of the intake to said high pressure cylinder, a sleeve surrounding each high pressure cylinder with clearance so as to leave a narrow annular space open at each end, one end of said space being below and the other above the level of the liquid in said container, and means for operating said compressor.

2. Apparatus for distilling liquids comprising an enclosed container for the liquid to be diS- tilled, a condenser, a compressor having a low pressure cylinder and a plurality of high pressure cylinders protruding into said container through the liquid therein and each having direct non-return communication with said low pressure cylinder, said low pressure cylinder having a nonreturn intake communicating with said container above the level of the liquid therein, said high pressure cylinders each having a szpiral passage in the wall thereof communicating at one end with the delivery side of such cylinder through a non-return valve and at the other end with said condenser, the bore of said passage being less than that of the intake to said high pressure cylinder, means for maintaining a thin lm of said liquid around and in contact with the exterior of each high pressure cylinder, said films being open at their-upper ends to said con-` tainer, and means for operating said compressor.

REGINALD CLARENCE FORD.