Improvements in Separating the Oil from Condensed Steam and other Oily Waters.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Separating the Oil from Condensed Steam and other
Oily Waters.
I, THOMAS EWAN, of Aluminium Company's Works, Oldbury, Ph.D., do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The water obtained by condensing the exhaust steam from a steam engine for
example, is mixed with oil, a large part of which is in a very finely divided
condition.
The presence of this oil is objectionable for many purposes, especially when
the water is to be re-evaporated in steam boilers; the object of the present in-
vention is to secure the removal of such oil. Owing to the above mentioned fine
state of division of the oil its removal by filtration is very difficult. According
to this invention it is proposed to remove the oil by causing a precipitate to
which the particles of oil will adhere to be formed in the water and then to
remove the precipitate and oil. It is judged that good results will be obtained
when the precipitated substance is in a gelatinous condition; the precipitate
obtained by the simultaneous addition of suitable quantities of a salt of aluminium
(alumino ferric or alum, for example,) and sodium carbonate (or caustic soda) to
the water, is peculiarly suitable for the purpose since it settles down very readily,
carrying the oil with it and leaving the water quite clear.
८
In order to obtain the best results it is believed that the substances used in
producing the precipitate must be added in chemically equivalent quantities,
and in proportion to the amount of water to be treated. By experiment it is
judged for example that 2 lbs. of alumino ferrie (containing about 15% of AL, O₂)
and 095 lbs. commercial dry sodie carbonate (soda ash) (or 07 lbs. of caustic
soda (NaOH) added in the form of solutions to each 1000 gallons of water to be
treated will give satisfactory results.
In order to secure the simultaneous addition of equivalent quantities of the
two chemicals and at the same time proportion the quantities added to the quantity
of water to be treated, the oily water or a portion of it may flow over a small
water wheel with a hollow spindle. To the ends of this spindle, hollow arms are
attached at right angles to it, which may carry cups at their extremities.
The water wheel rotates in the central section of a tank which is divided by
partitions into three compartments. The two outside compartments are filled
with the solutions of the alumino ferric and soda ash, for example. When the
water wheel is set in rotation by the oily water flowing over it into the central
compartment, the cups take up at each revolution definite volumes of the solutions
and deliver them through the hollow spindle into the central compartment of the
tank where they would mix with the oily water, producing the desired precipitate.
Owing to the shape of the cups, the volume of solution taken up at each revolution

page_text: is not affected by the level of the solutions in the outer tanks; the rate at which
the wheel revolves should be also sufficiently nearly proportional to the quantity
of oily water delivered to insure the formation of a suitable amount of the pre-
cipitate in it. The rate at which the water wheel revolves can be readily regulated
by diverting part of the oily water from it, and by causing it to dip more or less
into the water contained in the central compartment. After the treatment described,
the water flows into suitable settling tanks in which the precipitate together with
the oil quickly subsides, leaving the clear water which may be used as desired.
Dated this 9th day of September 1899.
2
Improvements in Separating the Oil from Condensed Steam and other
Oily Waters.
I, THOMAS EWAN, of Aluminium Company's Works, Oldbury, Ph.D., do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The water obtained by condensing the exhaust steam from a steam engine for
example, is mixed with oil, a large part of which is in a very finely divided
condition.
The presence of this oil is objectionable for many purposes, especially when the
water is to be re-evaporated in steam boilers; the object of the present invention
is to secure the removal of such oil. Owing to the above mentioned fine. state of
division of the oil its removal by filtration is very difficult. According to this
invention it is proposed to remove the oil by causing a precipitate to which the
particles of oil will adhere to be formed in the water and then to remove the
precipitate and oil. Good results will be obtained when the precipitated sub-
stance is in a gelatinous condition; the precipitate obtained by the simultaneous
addition of suitable quantities of a salt of aluminium (alumino ferric or alum, for
example,) and sodium carbonate (or caustic soda) to the water, is peculiarly
suitable for the purpose since it settles down very readily, carrying the oil with
it and leaving the water quite clear.
In order to obtain the best results the substances used in producing the preci-
pitate must be added in chemically equivalent quantities, and in proportion to the
amount of water to be treated. By experiment it is judged for example that 2 lbs.
of alumino ferric (containing about 15% of Al,03) and 095 lbs. commercial dry
sodic carbonate (soda ash) or 07 lbs. of caustic soda (NaOH) added in the form
of solutions to each 1,000 gallons of water to be treated will give satisfactory
results.
In order to secure the simultaneous addition of equivalent quantities of the two
chemicals and at the same time proportion the quantities added to the quantity of
water to be treated, the oily water, or a portion of it may flow over a small water
wheel with a hollow spindle. To the ends of this spindle, hollow arms are
attached at right angles to it, which may carry cups at their extremities.
The water wheel rotates in the central section of a tank which is divided by
partitions into three compartments. The two outside compartments are filled
with the solutions of the alumino ferric and soda ash, for example. When the

page_text: water wheel is set in rotation by the oily water flowing over it into the central
compartment, the cups take up at each revolution definite volumes' of the solu
tions and deliver them through the hollow spindle into the central coinpartment
of the tank where they mix with the oily, water, producing the desired precipi
tate. Owing to the shape of the cups, the volume of solution taken up at each
revolution is not affected by the level of the solutions in the water tanks; the rate
at which the wheel revolves should be also sufficiently nearly proportional to the
quantity of oily water delivered to insure the formation of a suitable amount of
the precipitate in it. The rate at which the water wheel revolves can be readily
regulated by diverting part of the oily water from it, and by causing it to dip
more or less into the water contained in the central compartment. After the
treatment described, the water flows into suitable settling tanks in which the
precipitate together with the oil quickly subsides, leaving the clear water which
may be used as desired.
To clearly explain how the invention may be carried out reference is made to
the accompanying drawings in which Fig. I is an elevation of the apparatus,
Fig. 2 is a plan view of same, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line X X,
Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale.
In said drawings the oily water from the condenser is brought up by pipe
and discharges by a narrow slot at A on to a water wheel B. The water wheel B
is supported on centres C C so as to revolve easily.
The shaft carrying the wheel is hollow for part of its length and has two hollow
crank arms D D fitted with special ends D as shewn in enlarged section in Fig. 3.
The ends of the crank arms dip into the chemical liquids in each tank F
taking up a fixed quantity which passes down the arm I and through the hollow
portion of the shaft, passing out by side holes at E into the centre tank F¹ mixing
with the oily water therein.
A
The tank F contains one chemical, and the tank F the other chemical.
valve G is fixed on the inlet pipe so that the flow of oily water from the condenser
can be regulated either on to paddle wheel B, or into the separate chamber Ft,
and a sliding door or gate H governs the passage of water from F into F4, as
may be desired. By so manipulating the valve G and gate H, the speed of
rotation of the paddle wheel can be governed and the quantity of chemicals
regulated at will, according to quantity of water passing.
The water from F and F after having the chemicals mixed with it runs out
by pipe J into trough K having three branches controlled by gates at K K and K³,
one of which is always open.
These troughs lead the water into separate settling tanks not shewn, one of
which may be filling as from gate K³, one settling and one emptying, and the
direction of flow is altered by taking gate out of say K, and putting it in K³;
the water then goes through K² and so on in turn.
In lieu of settling tanks it will be evident that filtration may be employed to
separate the gelatinous precipitate from the water.
Fig. shews the end D¹ of crank arm D. This is made with a short hollow
5 cylinder L at right angles to the arm D with rings 12 screwed into each end for
adjusting the distance between them and consequently their liquid carrying
capacity.
It will be seen that the space D³ will be filled with liquid through the centre of
rings 12 each time the end dips in the chemical, and the quantity can be altered
by moving the rings; the liquid is passed down the arm at it rises and the quantity
of liquid taken up is the same no matter to what depth the arm is immersed at
each revolution.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is :---
1. The improvement in separating the oil from condensed steam and other oils

page_text: waters consisting in causing such waters to flow over a motor wheel into a tank,
the motion of the wheel causing chemically equivalent quantities of chemicals to
be taken from separate tanks and delivered to the oily water tank in such propor-
tions as to form a gelatinous precipitate therein, and finally separating such
precipitate with its adhering oil from the water substantially as described and as
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus of the class described for separating oil from condensed steam
and other oily waters the construction of the cups for regulating the amount of
chemical solutions supplied to the oily water substantially as described.
3. The improved apparatus for separating the oil from condensed steam and
other oily waters substantially as described and as illustrated in the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 11th dox of Tuna 1000
PHILIP M. JUSTICE,
55 & 56, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agent.
For the Applicant.