IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE DISTILLATION OF PETROLEUM, OR ANY OLEAGINOUS, RESINOUS, OR ALCOHOLIC BODIES
Year: 1862

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Sandiforth Featherstone Griffin, of the New
Adelphi Chambers, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE
DISTILLATION OF PETROLEUM, OR ANY OLEAGINOUS, RESINOUS, OR ALCOHOLIC
BODIES."
Sealed the 18th February 1868, and dated the 22nd August 1862.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Sandiforth Featherstone
Griffin at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 22nd August 1862.
I, SANDIFORTH FEATHERSTONE GRIFFIN, of the New Adelphi Chambers,
in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of
the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE DIS-
TILLATION OF PETROLEUM OR ANY OLEAGINOUS, RESINOUS, OR ALCOHOLIC BODIES,"
to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in improvements in the distillation of petroleum,
Rangoon naphtha, coal oil, or any oleaginous, resinous, or alcoholic bodies,
which require separation to obtain certain fluid or solid products valuable to
commerce.
My first improvement consists in a process of continuous distillation
which I effect by letting the material to be operated upon flow through

page_text: separate chambers acting as baths, and so regulating the temperature that
each chamber by increased or diminished heat gives off a separate product
according to its specific gravity.
My second improvement consists in an arrangement for receiving the various
products after they are condensed, by which any aqueous matter is separated,
and facility given for testing the various qualities, the pure materials passing
off by pipes into the various tanks for receiving them.
To carry out my first improvement I make use of two or more distillatory
chambers, of oblong or any other convenient form, each furnished with an
eduction pipe connected with a worm or refrigerator. A small furnace is
placed under each chamber. The oil to be operated upon passes from a tank
by a pipe regulated with a stop-cock into the first chamber at one end, which
chamber should always be half full and kept at a gentle heat. The oil
passing over the heated surface, which acts as a bath, gives off at the eduction
pipe all products that volatilize at a low temperature, the heavier products
sinking to the bottom of the chamber, and passing out at the opposite end by
a pipe, which runs into the centre of the next chamber, the heavier material is
now subjected to an increased heat, and in traversing the chamber gives off
another product of greater specific gravity. The denser fluid again sinks to
the bottom, passes out by a pipe into the centre of the third chamber, which
by being subjected to increased heat gives off a still heavier product,
and the residue sinking to the bottom passes out by a pipe into the waste
tank.
To carry out the second part of my improvement I use an oblong box
divided at the upper part into several divisions, but free communication is left
below by not carrying each division to the bottom. From the upper part and
at the front of each section, I fix an eduction pipe communicating with tank
below. Having partly filled the box with water I allow the condensed
vapours from the refrigerators to run into the different compartments
according to their qualities. By means of the partial divisions, and the sheet
of water on the bottom they are prevented from mixing, and each quality runs
out by its own eduction pipe into its respective tank, the aqueous matter,
sinking to the bottom or part of the box, having free communication can be
drained off at pleasure by a stop-cock, but sufficient water must always be left
in the box to prevent the different products from mixing.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Sandiforth Featherstone Griffin in the Great Seal Patent
Office on the 20th February 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, SANDIFORTH
FEATHERSTONE GRIFFIN, of the New Adelphi Chambers, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-second day of August, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, in the twenty-sixth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Sandiforth Featherstone Griffin, Her special licence, that I, the said Sandiforth
Featherstone Griffin, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as I, the said Sandiforth Featherstone Griffin, my executors, administrators,
and assigns, should at any time agree with, and no others, from time to
time and at all times thereafter during the term therein expressed, should
and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United King-
dom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man,
an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN THE DISTILLA-
TION OF PETROLEUM, OR ANY OLEAGINOUS, RESINOUS, OR ALCOHOLIC BODIES," upon the
condition (amongst others) that 1, the said Sandiforth Featherstone Griffin,
my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their,
or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the
nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be per-
formed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office
within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the said
Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Sandiforth Featherstone Griffin, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same
is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet of
Drawing forming part of this my Specification, and to the figures and letters
of reference placed thereon, similar letters of reference being placed upon
and denoting similar parts, where such parts appear or may be seen at each
of the Figures respectively.
My Invention consists in improvements in the distillation of petroleum,
Rangoon naphtha, coal oil, or any oleaginous, resinous, or alcoholic boilies,
which require separation to obtain certain fluid or solid products valuable to
commerce.

page_text: .
My first improvement will be best understood by reference to Figures 1
and 2 of the annexed Drawing shewing in elevation and plan, the apparatus
in which I effect continuous distillation by letting the material to be operated
upon flow through separate chambers acting as baths, and so regulating the
temperature that each chamber by increased or diminished heat gives off a
separate product according to its specific gravity.
A indicating the supply tank; B, C, D, E, distillatory chambers; F, F,
F, F, furnaces; G, waste tank; H, H³, H", H, eduction pipes leading to
condensers; a, pipe leading from supply tank A to chamber B; b, stop-cock
on pipe a to regulate supply; c, c', c", pipes connecting the chambers, and
leading from the bottom of one chamber to the centre of the adjoining one;
c, pipe leading to waste tank.
The process is as follows:-I supply the tank A with oil, (or any other
matter or material to be operated upon), light fires in the furnaces F, F,
F, F, and open the stop-cock 6, so that the oil may run freely and rapidly
through the pipe a into the distillatory chamber B, and from thence by the
pipes c, c¹, c¹¹, into the succeeding chambers C, D, E, (I may find it necessary
to return the distilled products to the supply tank until I have regulated the
heat and supply). The chambers being now half filled with oil, which has
become heated by the action of the furnaces beneath, I regulate the supply
by the cock b, and the oil which now enters the chamber B, passing over the
gently heated surface of the oil first supplied, which acts as a bath, gives off
at the eduction pipe H all products that volatilize at a low temperature the
heavier products sinking to the bottom of the chamber, and passing out at the
opposite end by the pipe c, which runs into the centre of the chamber C, where
it is subjected to an increased heat, and in traversing which it gives off at the
eduction pipe H' another product of greater specific gravity than that given
off at chamber B, the denser fluid again sinks to the bottom, and passes by
pipe c', into the centre of chamber D, where meeting with increased heat it
gives off a still heavier product by the eduction pipe II", and the denser fluid
again sinks to the bottom, and passes by the pipe c" into chamber E, where
meeting with still greater heat it gives off a still heavier product at the
eduction pipe H™, and the residue sinking to the bottom passes out by the
pipe into the waste tank G. It will be evident that the number of dis-
tillatory chambers may be increased or diminished according to the nature of
the material being operated upon.
The number shewn in the Drawing is that which I prefer in the distillation
of petroleum or other mineral oil, but I do not confine myself thereto, I would
also observe that the chambers may be heated by furnaces beneath, as shewn

page_text: in the Drawing, or by gas, steam, or any other method which may be found
convenient and suitable. It will be evident from the arrangement of the
pipes c, c, c, c, that the distillatory chambers will be always kept half
-filled.
The volatile products given off by the eduction pipes H, H³, H", H™, pass
to condensing chambers or refrigerators, and from thence. to the separating
box, shewn Figure 3, which forms my second improvement, and consists in an
arrangement for receiving the various products after they are condensed, by
which the aqueous matter is separated, and facility given for testing the
various qualities, the pure materials running off by pipes into the various
tanks prepared to receive them; d, d, d", d, indicate the supply pipes from
the condensers; e, e¹, e", e, chambers receiving supply from the pipes
|d, d¹, d¹, d¹; ƒ, f, ƒ", partitions forming the chambers e, e¹, e, e¹¹, but not
reaching to the bottom i of the separating box; g, waste pipe, (working on
a water joint,) for continuously running off water, the height at which it is
fixed regulating the level of the liquid in the separating box, and should I find
the water bath reaching a bigher level than desirable, I lower this pipe g
momentarily, and run off the excess; h, h¹, h", h¹¹, eduction pipes leading
to storo tanks. The dotted line a, b, indicates the level to which the water
bath should rise. Having filled the separating box with water up to the level
indicated by the line a, b, I permit the condensed vapours from the refri-
gerators to run by the pipes d, d¹, d", d", into the several compartments, or
chambers e, e, e, e, according to their qualities, and the aqueous matters
therein contained will sink into the water covering the bottom of the box, and
rising sufficiently high above the bottom of the partitions f, f,f", to prevent
the products in one compartment mingling with those in the next. When
the pure products have reached the level of the pipes h, h³, h", h, they run
off into store tanks below.
I need scarcely observe here that the number of compartments may be
increased or diminished as for the apparatus forming my first improvement,
and that in either apparatus the form of the chambers or compartments may
be varied to suit convenience.
Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and the means by
which I carry it into practical effect, I would have it understood that I do
not confine myself to the precise details herein given, and illustrated in the
annexed Sheet of Drawing, as such may be modified without departure from
my Invention, but that I claim as of my Invention:—
Firstly, the continuous distillation of petroleum, or any oleaginous, resinous,
or alcoholic bodies at different degrees of heat in separate chambers; the heat

page_text: being so regulated as in each chamber to give off or separate matters of a
certain degree of density, the lighter products being discharged from the first,
and the heavier from the succeeding chambers as the material under
distillation flows continously through the series, the whole substantially as
herein described.
Secondly, receiving the condensed vapours from the refrigerators into a
separating box divided at the upper part, but having free communication at
the bottom where the separation of the vapours is maintained by a water
bath into which they discharge the aqueous matter they contain, essentially
as herein-before described, and shewn Figure 3 of the annexed Sheet of
Drawing.
In witness whereof, I, the said Sandiforth Featherstone Griffin, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twentieth day of February,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-
three.
SANDIFORTH FEATHERSTONE GRIFFIN. (L.B.)