US275589A - Process of distilling petroleum - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ROLLIN C. OLARK AND WILLIAM F. BEEGHER, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

PROCESS OF DISTILLING PETROLEUM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of 'Letters Patent No. 275,589, dated April 10, 1883.

- Application filed October 9, 1880. (No model.)

and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use it,

reference being had to the acconpanying drawings, which form a part ot' this specification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in apparatus for distilling petroleum, the object being to' produce an apparatus of this character which shall be adapted to the production of fine grades of distillates and residua, and with the expenditure of the minimum amount ot' heat.

With this object in view our invention consists essentially in an apparatus in which the still is completely submerged in a bath of uniformly-heated air. 4

Heretofore it has been customary to construct stills-immediately overa fire-box, leavin gsome times'a large part of the upper portion 'of the sides of the still exposed to the air; at other times incasing them as far as the top of the still, but leaving the top exposed; and still another mode of Construction is that of incasing them to the top ot' the still and then throwing dirt or other nonconductor over the top of the still; but in every ease it is neeessaryto heat the bottom ot' the still to a very high temperature in order to sufficiently heat the top of the still to volatilze the .material contained in the still. In ourimproved apparatus the entire surface of the still is uniformly heated, and hence a lesser degree of heatsuffices' to carry on the distillation. Another advantage resulting from the use ot' our apparatus is that the amount of coke remaining in the still after the distillation is comparatively small. Again, our apparatns is especially adapted to the production of fine grades of residua. suitable for medicinal and lubricating purposes, while on the other hand the-residuum remaining in stills of the old types is often burned or scorched and discolored;

The apparatus herein shown and described is one illustration of an apparatus embodying our invention; but we would have it understood that we do not confine ourselves to this particular construction.

In the drawings, Fignre 1- is a vertical sectional viewof a furnaee construeted according to our iuvention, showing the still in elevation. Fig. 2 is a transverse seetioual view ot' Fig. 1 through the line m w. Fig.3 is a transverse sectional view ot' Fig. 1 through the line ?I lu the said drawings, A represents the furnace or heating apparatus, which may consist of any desired type or pattern.

B represents the still, which is Situated pref- 6 erably immediately over the furnace. This still B is provided with outlet-pipesband b', the former for the escape of the volatilized products of petroleum, while the pipe b' is adapted to draw off the residuum which may settle at the bottom of the still. This still should be provided with theordinary man-bole upon its top, which ot' course during the process ot' distillation is closed.

The furnaceAis placed in a room, as before stated, immediately beneath the still. This room is connected with that containing the still by an aperture or opening, A'. Thisi'urnace-room we prefer to construct with double w-alls, in order to make the same a better non`- oonductor, as shown in Fig. 1.

Communicating with the room B', in which the still is placed, are fiues C. The object of these flues or passages is to return the airfron the room B', after it has performed its ofice and become somewhat cool, to the furnace-room below. As shown in the drawings, these tlues are Situated in the corners of the chambers A and B'.

The apertures D (shown in Fig. 1) are simgo ply passages to the air-chanber between the inner and outer walls of the room B'.

E E and F are doors in the chamber B the two forner placed preferably upon 'the lower sides of the room and the latter immediately over the still.

Heretofore when it has been desired to remove the residuum from a still it has taken a 'considerable length of time for the still, surrounded, as it has been, by brick walls, to be- Ioo come suffici'ently cool. In this Construction the doors E E and F may be opened, the ap erture A' closed, when there will be a complete circulation of air about the still B,whic11 will eool it very rapidly.

Having thus described the construetion of our apparatus, its operation is as follows: The still B being' supplied with the petroleunrdesired to he distilled the doors E E and F of the chanber B' are closed tightly, the eovering of the aperture A' removed, and the fires in the furnaee A started. The heated air from the fu'naee A will pass through the aperture A' and soon fill the ehanher 3'. As it becomes eool it will return through the fiues G G to the ehamher A where it is again heated and again passes to the chaniherl', as before. By these means the temperature of the room B' may he raised to any degree desired. After the petroleum in the still has been heated to the desired degree and distilled as closely as required the aperture A' nay be covered and the doors E E and F opened, when the still B will rapidly cool and the residuum may he removed or the still cleaned thoroughly through the man-hole before referred to.

\Ve are aware that it is not new to apply heated air to the cxposed surfaees of retorts mounted in henehes. e are also aware that it; is not new to apply heated air to the hottoms and sides of stills, and to provide means for regulating the temperature of the air so applied. We do not therefore h'oadly claim the application of heated air to ietorts and stills to et'i'ect distillation, our invention consisting` in completely innersing the still in a hath of air heated to a nnifortn temperature, wherehy we ohtain superior distillates and residuals and facilitate all Operations of distilla tion.

Having thus described the Construction and operation of our device for carrying out our process, what we claim is 1. The combination, With a still located in a closed chamber and completely surrounded by air, of means to heat the air of said clanber, suhstantially as set forth.

2. The conbination, with a still supported in a closed ehanber so as to be entirely surrounded by air, and means to sustain the air in the chamher at auniforn temperature of desired degree, of a furnace arranged to heat the air of the said chamber,the calorie-current being entirely excluded thcret'rom, suhstantially as set forth.

3. The eonibination, with a structure embodying an upper and a lower chamher, communicating with each other through flues or passages, which Convey leated air to the npper and return it cooled to the lower ehanher, of a still located in the upper chanher and supported therein so as to be entirely surrounded by air, and a furnace located in the lower chamber, and means for excluding the calorie-current thereof from the upper chamber, substantially as set forth.

ln testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specifieation in the presence ot' two subscrihing witnesses.

ROLLIN C. CLARK. WILLIAM F. BEEOHER. Wi tnesses JNO. GROWELL, Jr., ALBERT E. LYNCH.

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