USRE4515E - Improvement in stills for hydrocarbons - Google Patents

Description

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

("HAl'tLES LOUKHART AND JOHN G .tACIE,. OF PITTSBUPG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IMPROVEMENT IN STILLS- FOR HYDFIOCARBOINS.4

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 80,294, dated July 28, 1868;- reissue No. 4,515, dated August l5, 1871.

To all whom it may concern: p

Be it known that we, CHARLES LOOKHART and JonN GRAciE, of Pittsburg, in theeounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania., have inventedla new and useful Improvement in Stills for the Distillation bons and we do hereby declare the following' to be a full, clear, and .exact description thereof, net-l erence bein g had to the accompanying drawing forming part'of this specification, which is in twov sheets, marked, respectively, Ata-nd B.

Our invention relates to stills used for distillin petroleum and'otlier hydrocarbons by means of fire-heat; and consists: First, in an improved arrzuigenient of the lire-chambers relatively to the still. Second, in the application to the still of a double-acting valve to obvi'ate the ditlicultics arising frolns'udden change of pressure withiu the still. Third, in lan improved arrangement ot' scraping device for continuous clearingof the still bottom. Fourth, in an improved device for regulating the height at which the vapors o f distillation are carried off from the still..

To enable others skilled in the art to construct' and use our improvement, We will proceed to eX- plain the same by reference to the drawing,in which- Fi giues 1 and-2 are sideclevations of stillsconstructed with our improvements, viewed from' different points. Figr'is a vertical section'through lthe center of the still in the vertical plane of Fi g. 1. Fig. 4 is a horizontal section at the line y4ot' Fig..3. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section at the line g5, Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is avertical section of theapparatus for regulating the height at which the vapors escapeto the condenser,.and Fig. 7 is a'.

vertical section of the safety-valve.

In the several f1 gure's like letters denote similarparts.

The still C, made o f iron or other suitable inaterial, and preferably of cylindrical shape, having lits axis vertical, is placedover a suitablyshaped furnace, A. Thel furnace A consists of a series of any convenient number of lire-chambers (four are shown in the drawing, sheet B, Fig. 5) furnished with fire-grates and bridge-wills at the back, which bridge-walls surround or form a central sniolre-chzuuber, m', under the center of the still, the fire-chambers mx, Ste., composing the furnace being separated by walls or partitions w, and each having anbpenn'g in' front of Petroleum and other llydrocan' lopened when the still is to be -furnished with Aa door in the usual manner for the supply of fuel. The central smoke-chamber m. .connects .in any convenient way with thechnnney or iiue l) for carrying off the products of combustion fronrthe lire-chambers a' m, over' the bridge-walls l, into the central smoke-chamber in', as shown by the arrows 8 in Fig-3. The chimney'or smoke-liuc I) enters the bottonrof the vstill C at its center, and may pass vertically through the center of thc still, shown 'in the drawing, Fi 73, or may be l'ed oil through the still in any other direction, as may be preferred, the vertical position of` the 'chimney above the central snmkc-tlue not being` a necessary part of our in'iprovcnient. A damper, a, in the chimney, may serve to regulate the draught through the lire-chambers sv .r so vas to adapt the heat of the furnace to the cxigencies of the operation of distilling.

rlhe 'object of arranging a series of fires around the still, converging toa central iiue, is to equalize the application of heat to the contents of the still, and this desirable object may be further 'advanced by surrounding the still with a sheetiron casi n g or jacket, B, forming a hot-air space, H, all aroiind it, as shown in Fig. 3, the casing B being furnished with doors h, which are to be cooled oil'. The still is furnished also with the usual man-holes for gaining access to its interior and for cooling off after the still 'has been used. y

Fig. 7, sheet B, represents the double-acting saicty-w'falve, .which is so constructed as to open outward for relieving any iuidue pressure within the still and .to op'en inward in the event of "any suddenl condensation causin g a partial vacuuin, and may be lattached tol any convenient part of the still, or to a pipe or goose-neck connecting directlyltherewth, as may be preferred.l

The valve consists of'fa perforated plate, o, which maybe ot' the shape o fan inverted cup, as shown in Athe drawing, the lcirrnunference of which is seated on the valve-opening, as-shown in Fig. 7 Und er the perforated plate o is a circular disk, e 1, which tsup against th'c perforated plate 0 so as to close all the openings or perforations and prevent air vpassing down through them intol the valve-opening, but which is of smaller diameter than the Ivalve-seat, so that when it is depressed and does not cover the perfor-'ations in the plate o the external air may pass down through the.

. inayj'all. suiliciently to allow the passage ci" air through the perforations in the plate o into the interior of the still. A spiral spring, ln., is placed around that part of the stem t" which proiccts above the perforated plate o, and presses upward against a button on top of the stein s and downward on top of the perforated plate o. Thus constructed the valve 0 is always closed, .unless the pressure from Within the Ystill should overcome the 'force oi" thespiral spring n, in which. case the plate o would rise and allow the escape of vapor, and, if a sudden condensation of the vaporous contents of the still should occur, causing. apartial vacuum, the atmosljiheric pressure i'roin without, acting through the perfor-ations of the plate 0 on the disk g/l, Would depressi-it and allow the air to enter the body of thc still. Thus, by inca-ns of this double selfactin g valve, We provide .a gain st the danger caused by-undue pressure, either eX; ternal or internal, in stills used for distillin g hydrocarbons.

Our improvement in mode of connecting the scraping device to the still is shown in Figs. 3

and 4. Around the -central smoke-nue l), near' the bottom of the still, We place an annular plate, marked 7, which' enters a groove in theouter surface of the nue I), Within the interior of the still 0and ts therein 'sufficiently loosely to permit of 'itsrevolving around the flue D. as its axis. To thisannular plate? are attached. the arms l P, extending radially toward the circumference of the still, which arms are furnished with scrapers f f f, Aset at such an angle as to traverse the' f surface of the bottom of the still and scrape the tarry sediment. or residuum into the pipe 1t, which pipe conducts it into a receiver, m., placed in some convenient position below the still, lthe pipe R being furnished with a cock, 5, to regulate or shutl o'the discharge oftheresiduu'm at pleasure. The operation of such Scrapers and receiver being described in our reissued patent, No. 3,002, of 23d June, 186.8, it is unnecessary to enlarge upon itl further than'to say that in the still constructed as hereinbefore described they are caused to rotate 'by means of a gear-Wheel, marked 4, attached to thesh aft j'l'and gearing into cog-teeth On'the Wheel 7 The shaft fl passes out ofthe still through av stuiingbox, and is driven by suitable gearing, as shown by the pulley and gear-Wheelsin l, 2, an d'3,inFig. 3. Thev advantageof the 'arrangement-,just described is, that the iiue D, serving 'as ajournal for the scraper-Wheel to revolve upon, gives the .requisite firmness and resistance to enable the Scrapers. to operate efficiently; y.

The device for regulating the height at Which the vapors of distillation are taken from the still is shown in Fig. 6, Sheet B, and consists of a vertival pipe, e, which enters the` head of' the still at il' preferred, is connected their-.with by perforations lo. Vi-ithin the 'wrt-ical pipe e is a smaller pipe, y, open at both. extremities, the lower 0nd extending down into the `still below the lower end ol' the larger pipe c. 'the coin'lenser passes"through thc outer vertical pipe c and opens into the smaller pipe g. A valve, .frzgis sented in tin-.slower end oi' the smaller pipe g, the stein s oi' which valve passes up through a stuifingbox in the cap ci' the larger pipe l-.y means o1" the stem s the valve :r2 is operated to open or close the lower end of the pipe g.

The operation and use oi.' this device are as i'ollows: W hen the still is first charged with crude petroleum the valve :r2 is kept closed, as shown in vRig: 6, in which. position the lighter vapors ot distillation, having no other exit, pass up the pipe c, around the pipe g, and thence into the top olf the pine g, and out through the pipe f3 t9 the condenser, the vapor being thus carried oii' from a point higher than the lower end of the pipe g. The vapors which pass oft rst are those of naphtha andy benzine. As soon as the iloiv of the lighter products from the condenser begins to diminish sensibly the valve x2 may be opened,

condenser.

The desired change of the height. in the still opening or closing the valve x2.

What we cl.i1n as our invention, and desire to secure 4by Letters Patent in stills ior distilling hydrocarbons, is y 4 l. In combination With an upright still, a series of fire-chambers radially arranged around an d under the still, such chambers converging to a centra-l-slnokelch amber connectingwith a hue or chimney, substantiallylas described.

2. ,The combination of a series of fire-chambers arranged radiallyaround and under the still with a central'ilue or chimney passingup the center of the still, `substantially as hereinbefore de scribed. y .l Y 3. Thearrangement of the scraper-Wheel 7 with the central 'sinoke-ue of the still, so that the latter may form the journal or bearing of the former, substantially as hereinbefore described.

poses described. l l NIn Witness whereofwe,the said CHARLES LOCK,- HART and J oHN GRACE, havehereunto set our l Witnesses: l

. THosSnviPsoN, I. WnrrnsnLL.

an;VY desired point and opens "lirectly into it; o1',-

'.l`he pipej' lending to 'when the heavier vapors will rise through the pipe g and thence pass into the pipe )3 to the 1 from which lthe vapors of distillation are carried ofi' to the condenser is readily eiecte'd by merely 4. The arrangementjof the pipe`e openinginto -the still, the Y pipe g extending below the pipe en, intorthe stillrand-furnisled with a valve, .1.2, and an exit-pipe, f3, substantially as and for the pur-

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