US826407A

US826407A - Wood distilling and preserving apparatus.

Info

Publication number: US826407A
Application number: US28404005A
Authority: US
Inventors: Fred Smith Davis
Original assignee: JAMES CLARENCE RICHARDSON
Current assignee: JAMES CLARENCE RICHARDSON
Priority date: 1905-10-23
Filing date: 1905-10-23
Publication date: 1906-07-17
Anticipated expiration: 1923-07-17

Description

N9. 826,407J PATEN-TED JULY 17 P. s. DAVIS. WOOD DISTILLING AND PRESBRVING APPARA TUS.

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q/Vi Weoaea PATENTED JULY 1 F. S. DAVIS. 'WOOD DISTILLING AND PRESERVING APPAR ATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 23,1905.

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WOOD DISTILLING AND PRESERVING APPARATUS.

1 APPLICATION FILED 0011.23, 1905.

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PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

No. 826,407. PATENTED JULY 17, 1906.

P. S. DAVIS. WOOD DISTILLING AND PRESERVING APPAR ATUS.

APPLICATION FILED OGI.Z3. 1905. Q

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

@vwa wkoz $15. IG/ Q 614107416135 v UNITED STATES P TENT OFFICE.

FRED SMITH DAVIS; OF MULLIGAN, SOUTH CAROLINA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES OLARENOE'RIOHARDSON, OF ROBERTSVILLE,

SOUTH CAROLINA.

-WOO,D DISTILLING AND PRESERVING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 17, 1906.

Application filed October 23, 1905. Serial No. 284,040.

To all who???) it may concern:

. citizen of the United States, residing at Mulligan, in the county of Hampton and State of South Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wood Distilling .and'Preserving Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as wvill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an apparatus for use in the partial distillation of wood by aprocess which does not destroy the material acted upon, but preserves it from injury and leaves it after the turpentine and other light oils have beenrecovered in condition for use in other relations, this application being an improvement upon my former patent, No. 774,649,.dated November 8, 1904.

Further objects of my invention are to pro vide an apparatus having novel and advantageous heat-distributing means and an arrangement of retorts and other parts of the apparatus conducive to economy of fuel and heat, as well as time and labor.

With these objects in view my invention consists of the construction and combination of parts, as hereinafter described andclaimed;

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 shows a plan view, partly in section, showing the-a paratus and sections of track leading into t e retorts; and Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, one of the retorts being removed. F 3 is a cross-section through the retorts, showing the furnace in full lines. Fig. 4 is a bottom planview, on an enlarged scale, of the centrifugal pump-runner and Fig. 5 is 'a cross-section, on an enlarged scale, of the tank, showing the'centrifugal pump in position therein.

Briefly, the apparatus includes an arrangement of retorts which are first charged with the wood to be treated and then filled with a heated fluid, which fluid extracts the turpentine and other light volatile oils without injuring in the slightest degree the texture of the wood itself, the heat being kept entirely too low to permit of any destructive distillation. In order to maintain the heat in any one of the retorts at the required degree, provision is made for forcibly circulating the preserving fluid through a reheater and back again through the retort, this method being preferable in my opinion to the application of heat directly to the retort itself. These re torts are preferablyarranged in pairs and provided with connections so arranged that one retort may be cleaned and recharged while the other is being operated, thus effecting a great saving in time and obviating the need of repumping to and from the main source of supply of the distilling and preserving fluid for 'each charge. 'In connection with the retorts there are used a furnace and tank for initially reducing the preserving and distilling fluid to a liquid form and a-pump for delivering said fluid from said tank to either or both of a pair of retorts, although. it is obvious that more than two retorts could be used, if desired. A pump' of any approved design, but preferably a rotar; pump, and a reheater are also used, said pump, reheater, and pair of retorts being connected by pipe lines suitably valved, so that the distilling and preserving fluid may be circulated through the pump, heater, and either retort, as desired. From each retort leading back into the tank is a valved discharge-pipe, so.

that the preserving fluid may be allowed to run back into the tank when the material in the retort has been fully treated or when for any reason it is desired to shut downas at the end of the week, for example. Each retort is provided with one or more condensinghoods, two being preferably used for each retort for receiving the gases given off, and suitable pipes lead from said hoods to a condenser of approved type, whichhas avacuumpump arranged at its outlet, so that air may be pumped through the a paratus and the condensation thereby aided I have found by experiment that excellent results have been obtained by using. melted rosin as the distilling and preserving fluid, and in the following description such fluid will be referred to as rosin but the process is not limited to this especial plreservative, as tar, pitch, creosote, or any ot known preservatives for wood may also be advantageously used, and the apparatus is efiually well adapted to the use of any of t em.

er of the well- IOO Referring to the drawings, 1 and 2 represent a pair of retorts which are preferably of structed of any desired material, and I have found in practice that a construction lined with sheet-iron gives very good results. The air-space between the walls of the retort is preferably connected with the outer airby means .of the small holes 4,- through which sand is cured for the purpose of sealing up any crac {S that may occur in the retort-walls. These air-holes and spaces are shown at in Fig. 3, 46 representing the sand.

Conveniently located with relation to the retorts and preferably with its top below the level of the floor of the retorts 1s a tank 6, used as a melting-tank for the rosin to-be pumped into the appai atus. The tank is mounted "belowthe level of the retorts, so that the melted rosin will flow back by gravity into the tank when the apparatus is shut down. The tank is suitably mounted within a furnace 7 of any desired construction ro-- vided with a stack 8. The tank 6 shoul be of such a sizecthat it will hold enough rosin to entirely submerge a loaded truck in one of the retorts. V

Within the tank 6 is mounted a centrifugal pump 9, which may be driven by means of a pulley 10, mounted on a shaft 11, projecting down'through the top of the furnace. This pump delivers into a pipe 12, which has branches 13 and 14 delivering into the retorts 1 and 2, said branches being provided with valves 15 and16.

In Fig. 5 is shown the tank and centrifugal pump on an enlarged scale, and in Fig. 4 is shown the bottom of the preferred form of pump-runner. The shaft 11 is supported by a step 46, bolted or otherwise secured to the bottom of the tank. A pump-casing 47 is secured, by means of braces 48, to the walls of the tank. The referred form of centrifugal pump which use consists of a disk 49, with a recess in its edge fitting. a correspondin rib in the casing 47, said disk being provide on the under side with curved wings 51 and on the upper side with curved wings 52, arranged, however, in the o posite direction. The disk 49 is perforate as shown at g 53, for thepassage of the melted rosin up therethrough. It is obvious that when the shaft 11 is revolved the win s 51 will force the melted rosin up throug the holes 53 and that the wings 52 Willforce it out through the pump-casing-into the ipe 12.

From the construction s own it is obvious I i that a constant circulation and stirring action takes place at or near the bottom of the tank, thus preventing sedimentary deposits and keeping the entire mess of liquid in the tank thoroughly stirred up. This pump therefore has a double functionnamely, it forces the melted material into the retorts and it keeps the material in the tank thoroughly stirred up. Another advantage of this form of pump located within the tank itself and tank 6, said pipes being provided with valves 19 and these pipes being used when it is desired to shut down the apparatus.

Located between the retorts is a pum 20 of any suitable design which is connecte by means of pipes 21 and 22, with the retorts 2 and 1, these pipes being provided with valves 43 and 44, respectively. The pump 20 may be of any suitable design; but I found a rotary pump to be satisfactory in use. Connected to the pump 20 is a pipe 23, which asses into a reheater 24, located withina furnace 25. The reheater 24 is provided with a discharge-pipe 26, which is connected with branch pipes 27 and 28 with the retorts 1 and 2, these plpes being provided with

valves

29 and 30. Provision is made for the reception of thermometers 31 in the pipes 21, 22, 27

The purpose of these connections is that the rosin may be pumped through one or both of the retorts passing on its way and 28.

cated in a tank of water or other cooling material 37. The condenser coil delivers its products into any suitable receptacle,.such as a barrel 38, on which is mounted a vacuumpump 39, driven by a pulley 40 from any suitable source of power. The collectingre ceptacle 38 is rovided with an outlet 42, which in turn 1s provided with a seal, as is customary. The pump 39 should not be of sufiicient power to lift the condensed'products or to draw the gases through the condensing-coil before they are condensed.

The operation of my device is as follows: A truck loaded with wood is pushed into one of the retortssay the retort 1and the door 41 thereof closed and sealed, a fire having been previously started in the furnace'Z. Melted rosin is then pumped through the

pipes

12 and 13 into the retort 1 until the charge of wood has been completely sub merged, the valve -'19 in the pipe 17 having first been closed. After the full charge of rosin has been pumped into the retort 1- the 3 A 'tort 1 into retort 2, and after the full charge 1 valves 44, and 30 are'closedpthe valves. 43 and 29 openedflgtnd the pump 2Q set in operation, the reheater 24' havingfirst fbeen the retort. into the'lpump and-through the reheater 24' back into'the r'etort 1, thus, maintaining the-[char e' .of rosin at the desired temperature wit out directly heating the retort 1, the chargejofrosin being kept at the pro er temperature by the manipulation of thee in the furnace 25,the tem'perature being observed; by means of the thermom- --eters 31. The hot rosin drives'ofi the gases from the wood, which) gases rise into the

cones

32 and 33 and then pass, into the. con- I densing-coil, the fvolatile products being collected in the" receptacle 38. The tem erature is regulated carefully, so that-the. ber of the wood is not injured, being kept below the point; where destructive distillation be I All the lightiproductsfincluding the turpentine, rosin, an I other light oils, are eX-. tracted from the wood, leaving it unharmed.

While this operation is going on in'retort 1, retort 2.' has been charged with wood. As soon as the operation is finished in retort 1 the valve 29 is-iclosed and the' valve. opened; The pump 20 being keptin operation, the charge .OfIO'SiD. is pumped from rehas been pumped overfthe valve 43 is shut and the valve'44 opened, the circulation of the hot rosin throughthe pump 20 and reheater 24 being the same as already de scribed. lhe rosin is never run back into the tank 6 exceptfor the purpose of a shutdown, and the operation is therefore practi cally continuous. I

While I have thus described my invention,

I wish it to be distinctly understood that I do not limit myselfto the exact details'shown and described; but I What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,,is v

1: Inan apparatus ofthe" character described, the combination. of a retort for the "reception of the material to be treated, afu'r-' nace and tank for melting the material used as a distilling fluid, a centrifugal pump located at or near the bottom of said tank, said pump serving to discharge the melted fluid into the retort and also to keep the fluid 'in f the tank thoroughly agitated, a valved pipe connecting said pump with said retort, and a valved discharge pipe connecti'n said retort with said tank, substantiall as described.

2.. In an apparatus of t e character described, the combination'of a retort for the reception of the material to be treated, a furnace and tank for melting down the material used as'a distillin fluid, a centrifugal pump. located nearthe ottomof said tank, said pump serving not only to discharge the melted fluid from said tank to said retort, but also to keep the material in said tankthoroughl agitated, supply and return connections etween said pump and said retort and said retort and said tank, and means for maintaining the charge of distilling fluid in said retort at an even temperature, said means including a pump, a reheater, and

-. pipe connections between said retort, pump and reheater, substantially as described.

3. In "an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a battery of re torts, 'a suitable furnace and tank for melting down the material used as a distilling fluid, a

centrifugal pump in said tank located at or a valved pipe connected with said fgmp'and rovided with branches, one of sai ranches eading'to' one of said retorts respectively, a valved return-pipe leading from each of said retorts respectively to said tank, and means for maintaining the charge of melted fluid in either of said retorts at a constant temperature, consisting of a pump and reheater,

branched pipe leading from saidand valved pipes connecting said retorts with said pump and said reheater respectively,

substantially as described.-

' In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

- FRED SMITH DAVIS.

Witnesses: I W J. O. RrcHZARDsoN, R. W. -DAVIS.