Apparatus for Separating Oleaginous Matter from a Solvent.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 3rd Dec., 1895-Accepted, 22nd Feb., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Apparatus for Separating Oleaginous Matter from a Solvent.
We, JAMES FRANKLIN LESTER, of 7 Whitehall Street, Atlanta, Fulton
County, State of Georgia, one of the United States of America, Bookdealer, and
ALEXANDER RICCIO, of 87 Luckie Street, Atlanta, aforesaid, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
Our apparatus for separating oleaginous matter from a solvent is represented
mostly in vertical section.
This invention relates to that class of apparatus by means of which oils and fats
are separated from the hydrocarbon or other solvent used in extracting the oil,
such for example, as vegetable oil from cotton seed or as fatty oil from oleaginous
animal matter, and its object is to provide apparatus for separating the hydrocarbon
from the oil or fatty matter without the aid of fire, and in a manner to render the
naphtha or other hydrocarbon almost pure for future use.
To this end our invention consists in the construction and combination of parts
forming "apparatus for separating oleaginous substances from a solvent," herein-
after more fully described and claimed reference being had to the accompanying
drawing in which-
1 represents a tank which may be of any usual form but we prefer to make it
cylindrical with a flat bottom and a convex conical top or cover 6. This cover is to
be made removable for the purpose of thoroughly cleaning the interior whenever
that may be necessary, and the edges of the cover should be provided with an air-
tight seat upon the tank which may be secured by means of a flange 2, bolts 3, and
an interposed packing 4.
5 represents the "inlet pipe" through which the mixed oil or grease and solvent
are to be admitted from a digester which is properly located overhead but is not
herein shown as its peculiarities form no part of our invention.
7 is a stop-cock to the inlet pipe. 8 is the cylinder of a vacuum pump which may
be either a rotary or reciprocating piston pump of any style suitable for this
purpose. We have not thought it necessary to show any piston or means for
working the pump as they form no part of this invention.
9 is a jacket surrounding the pump at a distance therefrom sufficient to leave a
considerable annular space 10 between the two.
11 is a pipe communicating between the interior of the vacuum pump and the
upper portion of the tank 1.
12 is the delivery pipe from the pump. This pipe passes up outside and is coiled
around the tank and finally leads away to a naphtha storage tank.
13 represents a water tank surrounding the separating tank 1, and enough larger
than the latter tank to leave considerable space above, below, and around it so that
the tank 1 may be entirely submerged in water contained in tank 13. The top of
the tank 13 is made in separable parts which may be removed to render the inner
tank accessible.
15 is a pipe always open, communicating between the bottom of the tank 13 and
the lower part of the water space 10 around the pump 8.
16 is a pipe always open and communicating between the upper portion of the
water space 10 and the upper portion of the tank 13. 17 is a discharge pipe

page_text: leading from the bottom of tank 1 to an oil storage tank, not shown, and 18 is a
stop-cock for closing and opening the said pipe. The tank 1 may be supported
within the tank 13 in any usual manner, such as by legs 19.
The operation is as follows: Let us suppose naphtha to be the hydrocarbon used
in digesting or separating the oil or fat which is to be treated. First open the
stop-cock 7 until sufficient mixed oil or grease and naphtha have run through
pipe 5 into the tank 1 to fill the same nearly to the top, and close the stop-
cock 7 and start the vacuum pump 8. This causes suction through the pipe 11
whereby air is withdrawn from the top of the tank 1, and the pressure being removed
from the oil therein the naphtha begins to evaporate and its vapor is drawn
over with the air into the pump. This operation extracts heat from the mixture
and renders the heat latent in the naphtha vapor, and when the vapor enters
the pump the pressure required to expel it partially condenses it rendering the
latent heat sensible heat which is imparted to the water in the surrounding
jacket 10. The naphtha from the pump is discharged into the delivery-pipe 12 in
a partly liquid and partly gaseous form, and being pumped up into the coil of the
pipe 12 which is submerged in the water that surrounds the tank 1 the naphtha
is fully condensed and is discharged into the naphtha storage tank.
In the passage of naphtha from liquid to vapor in tank I heat from the mass of
liquid in that tank is rendered latent in the vapor and the mass of liquid in turn
absorbs heat from the water in the surrounding tank 13, thus lowering the
temperature of the water and the cool water naturally gravitating passes through
the pipe 15 to the jacket 10 around the vacuum pump where it serves, as described,
to withdraw a portion of the heat which has been rendered sensible by the con-
densation of naphtha in the pump, and by this means the water is again heated
and caused to rise in the pipe 16 whence it discharges into the upper portion of the
tank 13. Thus it may be seen that the water will continue circulating and the
separation of the naphtha will continue to take place as long as the pump continues
operation or until there is no more naphtha to be evaporated from the oil. Then
the separation being completed, the oil may be withdrawn from tank 1 by opening
the stop-cock 18 and permitting the pipe 17 to discharge the oil into the oil storage
tank. Thus it may be seen that the heat generated by the evaporation of naphtha
consequent to the working of the vacuum pump is utilized in so warming up the
mass of oil as to keep it in a fluid condition, rendering the evaporation of the
naphtha more rapid and complete and that the pump action, by means of the circu-
lation described, first heats and then cools the water so that the same water may
be used over and over again, and no fire whatever is required to produce the
necessary heat for conducting this process.
It is evident that different locations of the two tanks and the vacuum pump may
be arranged and the pipes be located accordingly, or that the pipes may be
otherwise located on the principle herein described to carry out our invention.
Other hydrocarbons besides naphtha may be used as solvents in the previous
process of digesting and separating oils and fats from the substance which produced
them but so long as that solvent is of the light volatile character of naphtha this
apparatus is adapted to the separating described.
not.
Some advantage would be obtained from this apparatus if the separating tank
were submerged whether surrounded by the naphtha discharge coil or
Whether the tank be wholly or partially submerged is only a question of degree,
better results following complete than partial submersion, one advantage being the
water sealing of the cover joints.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In apparatus for separating oleaginous substances from a solvent, a water
tank, a tank submerged therein for containing the mixed oleaginous substance
and solvent, a pipe communicating between the lowest part of the outer tank and a

page_text: heating device, and another pipe communicating between the heating device and
the upper part of the said outer tank, substantially as described.
2. In apparatus for separating oleaginous substance from a solvent, a water tank,
a mixed oil and solvent tank located therein; a pump; a pipe communication
between the suction side of the pump and the upper portion of the oil and solvent
tank, and a discharge pipe from the pump, a portion of which discharge pipe is
located in a coil between the said tanks, substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for separating oleaginous substance from a solvent, a water
tank; a tank submerged within the water tank; a pump; a pipe communicating
between the suction side of the pump and the upper portion of the submerged
tank a discharge pipe for the pump coiled between the outer and inner tanks;
a jacket around the pump; a pipe communicating between the lower portion of
the outer tank and the jacket space around the pump and another pipe com-
municating between the said jacketed space and the upper portion of the outer
tank, substantially as described.
4. In apparatus for separating oleaginous substance from a solvent, a tank for
the mixed oleaginous substance and solvent; means for submerging the tank ;
means for drawing air, gases and fluids from the top of the tank and means for
heating and circulating the water or other liquid in which the tank is submerged,
substantially as described.
5. In apparatus for separating oleaginous substances from a solvent, a tank for
the mixed oleaginous substance and solvent; means for submerging the tank; a
jacketed vacuum pump and pipe connections substantially as described whereby
suction from the tank is obtained and whereby the water of submersion is circulated
and repeatedly heated and cooled.
6. In apparatus for separating oleaginous substances from a solvent, a tank
for the mixed oleaginous substance and solvent, solvent vaporising apparatus
connected with the top of the tank, a circulating medium for heat and means
substantially as described for circulating the said medium whereby the heat
rendered latent in vaporising the solvent is drawn from the said medium, and
whereby the said latent heat is again made sensible and is returned to the
circulating medium to maintain the latter in a fluid condition.
Dated this 2nd day of December 1895.
WHEATLEY & MACKENZIE,
40 Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Agents.