US3672959A - Portable distillery - Google Patents

Abstract

A distillery for production of fresh water, including a sealed reservoir and a heated boiler chamber with a conduit communicating between the bottom of the reservoir and a low point on the boiler chamber to deliver water thereto. A second conduit delivers vapor from the top of the boiler chamber to a large surface area detachable plastic bag for condensing the vapor.

Description

June 27, 1972 H. c. SWEET PORTABLE DISTILLERY Filed Dec. 12,1969

FIG-l INVENTOR HAROLD c. SWEET United States Patent 01 flee 3,672,959 Patented June 27, 1972 3,672,959 PORTABLE DISTILLERY Harold C. Sweet, Fenton, Mich., assignor of a fractional part interest to Merton E. Williams, Grand Rapids,

Ohio

Filed Dec. 12, 1969, Ser. No. 884,516 Int. Cl. B01d 3/ 42 US. Cl. 202-181 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (I) Field of the invention The present invention relates generally to distilleries and more particularly to a portable distillery utilizing a flexible bag as the condenser.

'(H) Description of the prior art A portable distillery of which many versions are known in the prior art are usually used for the distillation of water and include a liquid reservoir for supplying the liquid to be distilled to a heated boiler unit. Vapor from the boiler passes into a condensing unit where it is condensed back into the liquid state and then removed. A typical prior art condensing unit comprises a coiled tube, which may be cooled either by water or air, receiving the vapor to be condensed from the boiler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention is preferably applicable to a portable distillery having a sealed liquid reservoir and a conduit delivering liquid from the bottom of the reservoir to a low point on the boiler. The liquid delivered to the boiler is heated and the vapor therefrom is delivered through a second conduit to a condenser, where it is condensed and drawn olf as distilled liquid.

The reservoir is preferably a quart, one gallon or five gallon container threaded onto a base plate in an inverted position. The base plate has an outlet connected into a conduit for delivering liquid from the reservoir to a heated boiler. The outlet end of the conduit is connected to a low point on the sidewall of the boiler. The container is first filled with the liquid to be distilled and threaded onto the base plate. When the container and base plate are inverted, liquid flows from the container, through the conduit and into the boiler chamber. Liquid continues to flow from the container into the boiler as long as air or vapor from the boiler is allowed to flow back from the boiler through the conduit and into the container. When the liquid level in the boiler rises above the inlet opening, air or vapor return to the reservoir is blocked, and thus the fiow of liquid from the reservoir to the boiler ceases because the air or vapor pressure in the reservoir is less than that in the boiler. When the liquid level in the boiler drops below the inlet opening as the liquid is vaporized, vapor can flow from the boiler to the reservoir, permitting further liquid to flow into the boiler, thereby replenishing the supply in the boiler. Thus the reservoir automatically maintains a reasonably constant fluid level in the boiler, but a relatively low level which is readily boiled oif.

As the boiler is heated, vapor passes through a secondary conduit, which is connected to the top of the boiler, and into a condenser. The condenser is preferably a large surface area flexible plastic bag tied onto the outlet end of the second conduit. When it is desired to empty the distilled liquid from the plastic bag, it is untied from the second conduit and emptied out, after which it may be connected back to the second conduit for further distillation. Alternatively, the bag may be provided with a spigot. 4

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING The description refers to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of the reservoir showing a second preferred embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, the liquid distillery generally indicated at 10 includes a reservoir 12 for supplying liquid to be distilled through a conduit 14 to a boiler 16, which may be heated by any convenient means, such as, for example, by a stove or other heater (not shown). Vapor from the boiler 16 passes through a second conduit 18 to a vapor condenser 20, which preferably consists of a flexible plastic bag tied around the outlet end of the conduit 18 and having a large cooling surface area.

In the portable size distilling units, the reservoir 12 is preferably an inverted quart, one gallon, or five gallon container 22, preferably in the form of a glass or transparent plastic jar or bottle. By providing a transparent reservoir, the user can quickly tell how much liquid remains in the reservoir. The mouth of the container 22 is preferably threaded onto a container cap 24 as indicated. The cap 24 is secured to one end of an elbow pipe 26 by any convenient means such as, for example, bonding or welding. The conduit 14 is provided with a nut 28 rotatably mounted thereon for threadably connecting the inlet of the conduit 14 to the outlet opening of the elbow 2.6 in a conventional manner. Thus, the container 22 may be filled with water or other fluid to be distilled and the cap 24 threaded thereon while the container 22 is in an upright position. The elbow pipe 26 is then threaded onto the conduit 14 by means of the nut 28. The container 22 is then inverted so that liquid from the container 22 may flow through the elbow pipe 26 and into the conduit 14.

The outlet end 30 of the conduit 14 is connected to the lower portion of a sidewall 32 of the boiler 16 as by means of threaded connection 34. When the container 22 is filled and inverted, liquid flows from the container 22, through the elbow pipe 26 and into the conduit 14, where it is delivered through the threaded connection 34 into the :boiler 16. While liquid is flowing into the boiler 16, air or vapor from the boiler 16 is flowing back through the conduit 14 into the container 22. Since the container 22 is sealed, liquid flows from the container 22 to the boiler 16 only as long as air or vapor can flow from the boiler 16, through the conduit 14 to the container 22. When the liquid level in the boiler 16 is raised above the inlet from the conduit 14, air or vapor cannot pass from the boiler 16 to the container 22 and thus when sufficient water has flowed from the container 12 to the boiler 16 to produce pressure equalization, the flow of water from the container 22 to the boiler 16 will stop. Whenthe liquid level in the boiler 16 goes below the level of the inlet from the conduit 14, air or vapor can again pass from the boiler 14 to the container 22, permitting more liquid to flow from the container 22 to the boiler 16. Thus, the reservoir 12 automatically replenishes the liquid supply in the boiler 16, maintaining it at a reasonably constant but relatively low level.

It is to be noted that with automatic flow of fluid to the boiler 16, the boiling process is substantially continuous as long as heat is supplied to the boiler 16, providing satisfactorily efficient operation. Furthermore, only a small amount of liquid will be in the boiler 16 at any one time, providing for a minimum boiling start-up time. Finally, the liquid supply from the reservoir 12 will be preheated by the air and vapor that passes back through the conduit 14 to the reservoir 12, although this heat is insufficient to effect any boiling in the reservoir 12.

The boiler 16 is preferably provided with a lid 34 having a handle 35. The lid 34 is removably secured to the top of the boiler 16 by means of latches 36 or the like. The lid 34 may thus be removed to clean out the inside of the boiler 16. The lid 34 is preferably formed with a short conduit 37 extending upwards therefrom to communicate vapor from the boiler 16 to the condenser 20.

A flexible hose 38 has one end secured to the outlet of the conduit 37 by means of a clamp 40 or other suitable connector. A short conduit 42 having threads formed on its free end is secured in the outlet end of the conduit 38 by means of a clamp 44 or the like. A second flexible conduit 46 having a threaded coupling 48 disposed on one end is screwed onto the threaded outlet end of the conduit 42. The condenser 20, which is preferably a plastic bag but may be formed from canvas, rubberized cloth or the like, is tied or otherwise secured onto the outlet end of the conduit 46 by means of string 50 or the like. Thus, vapor from the heated boiler 16 passes through the conduits 38 and 46 and into the condenser 20, where it is condensed. When it is desired to remove the distilled liquid from the condenser 20, the bag is disconnected from the conduit 46 and the liquid is poured out the opening 52 formed in the plastic bag. Alternatively, the coupling 48 may be unscrewed from the conduit 42 and the distilled liquid poured out the conduit 46. It will be noted that the coupling 48 and the conduit 42 may be replaced with a quick disconnect coupling to aid in removing the distilled water.

The condenser bag 20, which may be positioned to rest on the top of the reservoir 12, as indicated in FIG. 1, has a surface area large enough such that its cooling capacity is greater than the vapor production of the boiler, so that vapor pressure, although it may expand the bag to its full volume, will not be suflicient to rupture the bag.

As illustrated in FIG. 1 the distillery unit may be readily disassembled for transporting. The reservoir 12 may be unscrewed from the cap 24 and the elbow pipe 26 may be unscrewed from the conduit '14 by means of the nut 28. The conduit 14 may be unscrewed from the boiler '16 by means of the nut 34. The boiler 16 may be disconnected from the condenser 20 by means of the coupling 48. The condenser bag 20 may be folded or rolled up for easy transportation. Alternatively, the lid 34 may be removed from the boiler 16 and the condenser 20 folded up while still attached to the lid 34. The container 22 may be unscrewed from the cap 24 and packed separately. The lower portion of the boiler 16 and the cap, 24 may remain attached to the conduit 14.

An outlet spigot 54 having a valve and a valve control 56 may alternatively be provided in the condenser 20 for draining or drawing the distilled liquid therefrom. As is obvious, with the provision of the spigot 54 it would be unnecessary to untie the plastic bag from the conduit 46 or to unscrew the coupling 48 from the conduit 42 to empty the condenser 20.

4 A conventional two-way valve unit 58, as shown in FIG. 2, may be provided in the conduit 14 for filling the reservoir 12, especially with larger non-portable units such as with a fifty gallon reservoir. The valve unit 58 includes a housing 60 having a chamber 62 formed therein with an inlet 64 and an outlet 66. A portion of the conduit 14 is connected between the elbow pipe 26 and the fluid inlet 64, with a second portion of the conduit 14 connected between the fluid outlet '66 and the boiler 16. Thus, fluid from the reservoir :12 flows from the elbow pipe 26, through a portion of the conduit 14 and into the chamber 62. From the chamber 62 the fluid flows through a second portion of the conduit 14 and into the boiler 16.

The valve unit 58 includes a filler conduit 68 that may be secured in a cylindrical opening 70 formed in the housing 60. A filler spout 72 is connected to the upper end of the conduit 68 and has a cap 74 threaded thereon. A two-way valve member 76 secured to a pin 78 which is rotatably mounted on the housing 60 is disposed within the chamber 62 for simultaneously shutting off the flow of fluid to the boiler 16 and opening the conduit 68 into the chamber 62 upon clockwise rotation thereof. During normal distillation the liquid from the reservoir 12 flows in the inlet 64 and through an opening 80 formed in the valve member 76 into the chamber 62. From the chamber 62 the liquid flows out through an opening 82 formed in the valve member 76 to the boiler 16.

When it is desired to fill the reservoir 12, a venting 'valve 84 provided in the top of the reservoir container 22 is opened to allow liquid to be pumped into the reservoir. The cap 74 is unscrewed from the spout 74 and a filler hose (not shown) is screwed thereon. The valve member 76 is then rotated clockwise by means of a handle 85 that is secured to one end of the shaft 78. The clockwise rotation of the valve member 76 rotates a member 86 that forms a part of the valve member 76 in front of the outlet 66, preventing the flow of liquid to the boiler 16. Simultaneously, member 88 that forms a part of the valve member 76 is rotated away from the outlet end of the conduit 68, allowing liquid from the conduit 68 to flow through the opening 82 into the chamber 62. The liquid in the chamber 62 then flows through opening 80 to the reservoir 12.

When the reservoir 12 has been filled, the valve member 76 is rotated counterclockwise opening the outlet 66 and closing 01f the conduit 68, allowing liquid to flow from the reservoir 12 to the boiler 16. The hose is then unscrewed from the spout 72 and the cap 74 screwed thereon.

Alternatively, when it is desired to distill only a small quantity of liquid, the boiler 16 may be filled directly with the quantity of liquid desired. The valve member 76 may be rotated clockwise to prevent the flow of fluid from the boiler 16 to the chamber 62. The lid 34 may then be removed and the liquid poured into the boiler. The lid 34 may then be replaced and the liquid distilled as usual.

Referring to FIG. 3, a fluid shut-01f valve 90 of conventional design may be provided in the conduit 14. A Ifiller conduit 92 having a shut-off valve 94 of conventional design may then be provided in the top of the reservoir 12. The conduit 92 includes a filling spout 96 and cap 98 for reasons previously described. A venting valve 100 would also be provided. The operation is as previously described.

I claim:

1. A distillery comprising:

a boiler and a liquid reservoir for supplying liquid to be distilled to said boiler,

a first conduit means connecting said reservoir to said boiler, said first conduit means including an outlet in the bottom of said reservoir and an inlet spaced inwardly from the bottom of said boiler and below said inlet whereby liquid will flow by gravity from said reservoir,

said reservoir being closed except for said outlet,

a condenser and a second conduit means connecting said boiler and said condenser, said second conduit means including an outlet in said boiler and spaced upwardly from said inlet and an inlet in said condenser, said condenser comprising a thin-walled plastic bag resting on said reservoir,

said boiler being closed except for said inlet and said outlet and said condenser being closed except for said inlet and being connected with said reservoir only through said boiler whereby said reservoir, said boiler, said condenser and said conduit means define a closed system and liquid will flow from said reservoir only While said boiler contains liquid below said inlet,

valve means disposed in said first conduit means and a filler tube connected with said first conduit means,

said valve means being selectively movable from a 20 first position opening said filler tube to said reservoir and closing communication between said boiler and said reservoir and a second position opening communication between said reservoir and said boiler and closing communication between said filler tube and said reservoir.

-2. The distillery as defined in claim 1 and in which said second conduit means further comprises a disconnectable coupling disposed between said boiler and said condenser.

5 References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 565,686 8/1896 McCabe 202-181 X 1,231,857 7/1917 Crispell 202-181 X 10 2,455,835 12/ 1948 Ushavkotf 202-234 3,507,753 4/1970 Jacuzzi 203-10 X 1,419,008 6/ 1922 Baum 202-234 X 3,367,843 2/1968 Clive et a1 203-10 X 15 FOREIGN PATENTS 968,477 9/ 1964 Great Britain 202-234 1,143,569 10/1957 France 202-234 NORMAN YUDKOFF, Primary Examiner D. EDWARDS, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

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