Improvements in Apparatus for Concentrating Distilling and or Elevating Liquids.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Concentrating Distilling and or
Elevating Liquids.
I, PAUL KESTNER, of No. 22, Boulevard Vauban, Lille, France, Engineer, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My said invention relates to apparatus for the concentration distillation and or
elevation of liquids by the application of the principle of emulsifying the liquid
by its own vapour produced by heating.
According to my said invention I dispense with the need for a vacuum such as
heretofore has been used in connection with such apparatus.
As applied to the elevation of liquids my apparatus consists of an open tank,
containing the liquid to be raised, from the bottom of which a pipe leads
through a suitable heating arrangement called the evaporator to a second tank
at the required height.
By the action of heat small bubbles of vapour are generated in the liquid and
form therewith a mixture or emulsion which is lighter than the cooler liquid
descending into the evaporator. In consequence the emulsion continuously rises
up the delivery pipe into the higher tank. The liquid may be heated in the
evaporator by means of steam hot gases from a furnace or otherwise in a hori-
zontal coil or in the vertical pipe or assemblage of pipes leading to the higher
tank which latter are especially applicable to the treatment of muddy or scale
depositing liquids.
I provide suitable means for allowing the heating pipes to expand and to allow
them to be easily cleaned. The height to which the liquid may be raised and the
rate at which it is elevated depends on the proportion of vapour to liquid in the
ascending tube. Suitable cocks or taps are provided to regulate the rate of flow
and thus the proportionate amount of liquid evaporated may be regulated. When
two tanks are used the higher the lower or supply tank is above the evaporator and
the nearer the tanks are together the greater will be the circulation.
An apparatus constructed in this manner serves to concentrate as well as elevate
the liquid. Where concentration only is needed without elevation the tanks may
be on the same level, or one tank only may be used, the liquid passing in at
the top and out at the bottom.
Before the emulsion of vapour and liquid enters the tank it may be caused to
pass through a centrifugal separator of any kind but preferably of tangential form
for the purpose of separating the vapour from the liquid. The liquid may com-
plete the circuit several times until it is sufficiently concentrated. If it is re-
quired to distil the liquid the top of the separator is connected with a suitable
condenser for condensing the vapour which escapes from the liquid.
When muddy liquids are to be operated upon a mud drum of suitable shape is
provided at the lowest part of the circuit.
If it is desired that the vapour should be delivered under pressure the tank or
eceiver and separator must be closed from the atmosphere. If only a slight

page_text: pressure is desired the vapour may be allowed to escape under a suitable head of
water by conducting it to the mud drum and allowing it to escape to the tank
under a head of water produced by the difference in level between the tank and
mud drum.
I may introduce various modifications in the details and methods of connect-
ing the tanks the evaporator the separator the condenser the mud drum and the
valves to suit particular applications of my said invention to suit local circum-
stances or the requirements of the particular liquids which it may be desired to
treat.
.
1000
☐ Improvements in Apparatus for Concentrating Distilling and or
Elevating Liquids.
I, PAUL KESTNER, of No. 22, Boulevard Vauban, Lille, France, 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: -
My said invention relates to apparatus for the concentration distillation and or
elevation of liquids by the application of the principle of emulsifying the liquid
by its own vapour produced by heating.
The utilisation of the lower specific gravity of an emulsion or mixture of a
liquid and a vapour or gas as compared with the liquid itself for the purpose of
producing a circulation or change of level is not new and it has been used for
example to raise water by means of the commonly known "Air Life Pump" the
action of which depends on the emulsification of the water to be lifted with air
introduced under compression and I wish it to be understood that I make no
broad claim to the use of emulsification generally for the purposes to which my
said invention is applicable.
In order that my said invention may be more clearly understood I will describe
it with reference to the accompanying drawings in which
Fig. 1 shows the apparatus in a simple form. The liquor to be treated is con-
tained in a tank R¹ whence it flows through a horizontal pipe or assemblage of
pipes forming an evaporator and thence upwards by way of the delivery pipe t
to a higher tank R2. The pipe or pipes f are heated in any convenient manner.
In the example shown they are surrounded by a jacket to form a chamber
through which steam is passed A valve v serves to regulate the flow of the
liquid. In the evaporator the liquid on being heated is partly converted into
vapour and forms therewith a mixture or emulsion lighter than that entering
the evaporator. This lighter emulsion therefore rises up the pipe and flows
towards the tank R2. The vapour escapes into the air and the unevaporated liquid
falls into the tank. A partial evaporation or concentration of the liquid is thus
effected simultaneously with its elevation to a higher place. Although in the
drawing I have shown in the pipe t great volumes of liquid separated by small
spaces of vapour this is only to be considered as a diagram and not as illustrat-
ing the actual relative proportions of liquid and vapour which will vary according
to the rate at which the liquid is admitted and the rate of evaporation.
The simple apparatus shown in Fig. 1 may be modified in various ways.

page_text: Where for instance it is not necessary to elevate the concentrated liquid the
tanks RR may be placed on the same level or a single tank may be used so as
to produce a continuous circulation as illustrated in Fig. 2. In this figure R is
the tank containing the liquor to be concentrated f the evaporator c is a cock
for the discharge of the cencentrated liquid. S is a separator to be described
later for preventing the loss of liquor by spurting as it leaves the pipe t. The
steam escapes at m while the concentrated liquid falls back at n into the tank R.
Referring for a moment to Fig. 1 the greater the head of liquid from the supply
tank R¹ and the nearer the tanks R R2 are to the same level the greater will
be the circulation of the liquor so that in some cases it will be found advisable
to place the supply tank such as R of Fig. 2 at a considerable height above the
evaporator. One part of my said invention consists in the combination with the
circulating and evaporating apparatus of a centrifugal separator S preferably of
the tangential type shown in Fig. 3 in sectional elevation and in sectional plan
in Fig. 4. It consists of a cylindrical shell S having outlets m for the vapour
and n for the liquid. The emulsion of vapour and liquid enters at from the
pipe in a direction tangential to the cylindrical shell and is thereby caused to
gyrate in the direction shown by the arrows the water is consequently driven out-
wards by the centrifugal action against the cylindrical shell and runs down the
sides to the outlet n while the vapour freed from the liquor passes out in an
upward direction at m. If the apparatus is used for distilling that is if the vapour
arising is to be condensed the vapour outlet of the separator S is placed in com-
munication with any suitable vapour condenser as indicated in dotted lines at the
upper right hand corner of Fig. 2.
In lieu of an evaporator composed of horizontal pipes the evaporating pipe or
pipes may be vertical and this arrangement is particularly serviceable for the
treatment of muddy liquids or such as produce deposits or scale when heated. The
figures of Sheet II show various arrangements and modifications with vertical
evaporators. Fig. 5 differs from the simple arrangement described with refer-
ence to Fig. 1 only in having the evaporator f vertical instead of horizontal.
The arrangement illustrated in Fig. 6 is specially designed for concentrating
scaly or muddy liquors it differs chiefly from that shown in Fig. 5 in having the
centrifugal separator S already described and a closed hox or mud catcher A of
any convenient or suitable shape interposed between the supply pipe and the
evaporator f. The dirt deposited therein is drawn off or washed out at p. In
case the liquor is not sufficiently concentrated in one passage through the appa-
ratus it is returned through a cock c¹ from the tank R2 to the tank R¹.
In Fig. 7 is shown a modification of the arrangement with a single reservoir
already described with reference to Fig. 2 but using a multitubular vertical
evaporator f and a mud vessel A. In this arrangement the concentration of the
oid is effected by its continuous circulation through the apparatus until when
sufficiently concentrated it is drawn off through a cock or valve 1.
sure.
In cases where it is advantageous to have the vapour escaping under pressure
and to have the tank R. entirely closed the arrangement shown in Fig. 8, may be
adopted particularly where it is desired to take off the vapour at a high pres-
In this case the separator S is closely connected to the tank R which is
then provided with a gauge glass and cocks to indicate the height of the liquid.
Where only a small vapour pressure is necessary the arrangement shown in Fig. 9
may be adopted. In this case a vertical pipe S¹ extends from the separator down-
wards inside the pipe which conveys the liquid from the closed tank R. The
maximum vapour pressure in the separator S and at the vapour outlet m is
determined by the height of the liquid above the lower end of the pipe S¹ since
when the pressure of the vapour becomes greater than that due to the head of
liquid about the pipe S the vapour will pass upwards through the liquid in the
tank R and escape at .
In referring to all forms of the apparatus it is to be understood that by pres-
sure I mean not absolute pressure but pressure at or in excess of the atmospheric

page_text: pressure. This distinguishes my invention from that class of apparatus which it
has been proposed to use for circulating or concentrating liquids in which by the
use of a vacuum in some part of the apparatus differential "barometric" "pres-
sures are produced in the ascending and descending pipes of the system. Owing
to the application of the principle of emulsification the lower the liquid pressure
or head in the ascending column the greater is the efficiency of the apparatus and
this again distinguishes my invention from that class of similar apparatus in
which the formation of vapour in the liquid is purposely hindered by the use of
such a head of liquid as will delay the disengagement of the vapour until it has
reached a certain height above the heater or evaporator.
The precise details and proportions of the arrangements of the tanks cocks and
pipes may be varied within somewhat wide limits to meet local circumstances and
particular applications without departing from the essential features of my said
invention.
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. Apparatus for elevating evaporating or concentrating liquid descending
under a head or liquid pressure to a heater or evaporator whence it is caused to
rise against atmospheric or higher pressure by the emulsification or mixture
therewith of the evolved vapour producing an ascending column of lower specific
gravity than the descending column of liquid substantially as hereinbefore
described and set forth.
2-Apparatus for evaporating or concentrating liquids at or above the atmos-
pheric pressure by causing a descending column to pass through a heater for the
purpose of forming an emulsion or mixture of evolved vapour and liquid so as to
produce an ascending column of lower specific gravity than the descending column
of liquid the liquid being returned to the descending column and thus producing
a continuous circulation through the apparatus substantially as hereinbefore
described and set forth.
3. The combination with apparatus for evaporating or concentrating liquids
by the continuous circulation of descending and ascending columns of liquid
through a heater of a centrifugal separator for separating the liquid from the
vapour travelling therewith substantially as set forth and shown in the accompany-
ing drawings.
Tatal th 10th day of Aurat 1000
E. T. WHITELOW, A.M.Inst.C.E.,
70, Deansgate, Manchester, Agent for the Applicant