Volatile Liquid Hydro Carbons.
Year: 1886

page_text: Volatile Liquid Hydro Carbons.
We JOHN LUCAS BALFOUR of Millfield House Tamworth in the County of
Warwick Manufacturer and JOSIAH LANE of Kingsbury near Tamworth aforesaid
Manufacturing Chemist do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
" IMPROVEMENTS IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILLUMINATING GAS AND VOLATILE
LIQUID HYDRO-CARBONS to be as follows:-
"
In the provisional specification of an invention of "Improvements in the
manufacture of illuminating gas and volatile liquid hydro carbons" for which
provisional protection was granted to us on the 23rd day of October 1885
No. 12721 we described the manufacture of illuminating gas and volatile liquid
hydro carbons by the destructive distillation of coal and coal tar pitch and in the
said provisional specification we described the advantages of our invention namely
improvement in the quantity and quality of the gas produced and increased
production and superior quality of the tar obtained.
The pitch employed by us in conducting the process described in the said pro-
visional specification is commercial coal tar pitch containing as stated in the said
provisional specification a considerable quantity of volatile liquid hydro carbons.
The said commercial coal tar pitch is obtained by the distillation of coal tar the
pitch remaining in the still after the completing of the distillatory processes being
sometimes treated while still hot with a quantity of creosote oil which oil is
injected into the still and impregnating the pitch gives to it such a soft consistency
as permits it when cold to be readily broken up. We prefer to use the latter kind
of pitch.
According to our present invention we employ coal tar pitch prepared in the
manner hereinafter described in place of or in admixture with coal tar pitch of the
kind hereinbefore referred to in conducting the manufacture of illuminating gas
and volatile liquid bydrocarbons.
In preparing coal tar pitch according to our present invention we employ for
the purpose of softening the pitch in the still a quantity of raw coal tar or a
mixture of raw coal tar and tar oils either in place of or in addition to creosote
oil. The said raw coal tar or coal tar and tar oils are injected into the still at the
conclusion of the distillatory process and while the pitch is still hot in the same
way as creosote oil is ordinarily injected.

page_text: The proportions of pitch and raw coal tar or a mixture of raw coal tar and tar
oils which we employ differ according to the quality of the coal operated upon and
we do not limit ourselves to any particular proportions. But we find in practice
that when coal of average quality is employed the addition of one part by weight
of raw coal tar or of a mixture of raw coal tar and tar oils to two parts by weight
of coal tar pitch yields satisfactory results. When creosote oil is employed the
quantity of the raw coal tar or mixed raw coal tar and tar oils should be modified
to the extent necessary to give the pitch about the consistency of commercial
soft pitch.
By the employment of pitch prepared in the way described as our present
invention mixed with coal for the manufacture of illuminating gas and volatile
liquid hydro carbons all the advantages are obtained which result from the pro-
cesses of manufacture described in the provisional specification referred to and
under some circumstances with greater economy and convenience.

page_text: Volatile Liquid Hydro Carbons.
We JOHN LUCAS BALFOUR of Millfield House Tamworth in the County of
Warwick Manufacturer and JOSIAH LANE of Kingsbury near Tamworth aforesaid
Manufacturing Chemist do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
In the provisional specification of an invention of "Improvements in the
manufacture of illuminating gas and volatile liquid hydro-carbons" for which
provisional protection was granted to us on the 23rd day of October 1885
No. 12721 we described the manufacture of illuminating gas and volatile liquid
hydro-carbons by the destructive distillation of coal and coal tar pitch and in the
said provisional specification we described the advantages of our invention, namely,
improvements in the quantity and quality of the gas produced and increased
production and superior quality of the tar obtained.
The said invention is more fully described in the complete specification of the
application before referred to.
The pitch employed by us in conducting the process described in the said pro-
visional and complete specifications is commercial coal tar pitch containing, as
stated, in the said provisional and complete specifications a considerable quantity
of volatile liquid hydro-carbons. The said commercial coal tar pitch is obtained
by the distillation of coal tar the pitch remaining in the still after the completing
of the distillatory processes being sometimes treated while still bot with a quantity'
of crosote oil, which oil is injected into the still and impregnating the pitch gives
to it such a soft consistency as permits it when cold to be readily broken up. We
prefer to use the latter kind of pitch.
According to our present invention we employ coal tar pitch prepared in the
manner hereinafter described in place of or in admixture with coal tar pitch of the
kind herein before referred to in conducting the manufacture of illuminating gas
and volatile liquid hydro carbons.
In preparing coal tar pitch according to our present invention we employ for the
purpose of softening the pitch in the still a quantity of raw coal tar or a mixture
of raw coal tar and tar oils either in place of or in addition to creosote oil. The
Baid raw coal tar or coal tar and tar oils are injected into the still at the conclusion
of the distillatory process and while the pitch is still hot in the same way as
creosote oil is ordinarily injected.
The proportions of pitch and raw coal tar or a mixture of raw coal tar and tar
oils which we employ differ according to the quality of the coal operated upon
and we do not limit ourselves to any particular proportions. But we find in
practice that when in the manufacture of illuminating gas and volatile liquid hydro-
carbons coal of average quality is employed, the addition of one part by weight of
raw coal tar to two parts by weight of pitch yields satisfactory results. As tar

page_text: oils are of about double the efficiency of raw coal tar when we use a mixture of
raw coal tar and the said oils we replace any quantity of raw coal tar by half its
weight of tar oils.
By the employment of pitch prepared in the way described as our present
invention mixed with coal for the manufacture of illuminating gas and volatile
liquid hydro carbons, all the advantages are obtained which result from the pro-
cesses of manufacture described in the provisional and complete specifications
referred to and under some circumstances with greater economy and convenience.
In injecting into the coal tar pitch the raw coal tar or tar oils or mixture of
these with creosote we avail ourselves of the perforated steam pipe which is a
common appendage to a still for distilling coal tar. We prefer to heat the raw
coal tar or tar oils to a temperature of about one hundred and twenty degrees of
Fahrenheit's thermometer before injecting them into the pitch. We inject the raw
coal tar or tar oils with or without creosote by means of a force pump through the
said perforated steam pipe into the coal tar pitch in the still. After the distillation
has been finished the contents of the still are allowed partially to cool. In a still
of the sizes known as from ten to fifteen ton stills we allow the contents to cool
about three hours before injecting the raw coal tar or tar oils or mixtures of these
with creosote. After the injection of the said liquids the contents of the still are
allowed to cool for another three hours. The pitch thus treated and cooled is run
while still liquid into a pitch house or cooler when it is allowed still further to cool
for about two hours. It is then run into a pitch bay where it finally cools and sets
and is ready for getting by picks and shovels.
We have described the method of procedure in carrying our invention into effect
on a large scale. We do not however limit ourselves to the particular method
described of introducing into the coal tar pitch the raw coal tar or tar oils or
mixtures of these with creosote; neither do we limit ourselves to the particular
method described of cooling the pitch after treatment.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and the manner in which the same is to be performed we declare that we claim as
the said invention of "Improvements in the manufacture of illuminating gas and
volatile liquid hydro carbons"
Manufacturing illuminating gas and volatile liquid hydro carbons by mixing
with the coal from which the said gas and hydrocarbons are obtained, coal tar
pitch with which has been mixed raw coal tar or tar oils or mixtures of these with
creosote substantially as described.
Dated this Ciniannih
1000