Improvements in Apparatus for Recovering and Purifying Oil.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1899-Accepted, 22nd Apr., 1899
[Communicated from abroad by VITO CAMIZ, of Venice, Reserve-Captain of
Frigate, and ANSELMO GOBBA, of Castelnuovo, Serivia, Engineer, both in
the Kingdom of Italy.]
Improvements in Apparatus for Recovering and Purifying Oil.
I, HENRY HARRIS LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake & Co., Patent Agents,
45, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, 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:-
This invention has for its object to provide a new and improved apparatus for
the recovery of waste oil from the bilge water on board ship, or in factories where
oil is used for lubricating purposes.
To accomplish this object, our invention consists in the features of construction,
and in the combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described and
claimed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a vertical central sectional view of one form of our improved
apparatus for recovering and purifying waste oil and
Figure 2 is a modification of the same showing a simplified form of construction
The recuperator consists of a cylindrical or other shaped vessel made of sheet
metal or other suitable material, closed both at the bottom and at the top end
thereof. At the top end the recuperator communicates with the aerator 11 by
means of a pipe F. The said recuperator is divided into concentric chambers,
by means of the vessel of any suitable shape, preferably that shown in Figure 1
having flanges b, b, b for the purpose hereinafter mentioned.
Near the lower end of the recuperator is connected a pipe C the upper end of
which is in communication with the ejection valve D, thus forming part of the
ejection pipe, the other end of the said ejection pipe when coming from the
ship's pumps, enters the recuperator from the bottom through pipe A, and valve A¹
controlled by spring a, and a pipe A fixed to the bottom of the internal vessel B
above named. The recuperator is therefore only an expansion of the ejection
pine, formed for the purpose hereinafter described.
The aerator II is formed of cylindrical or other shape, and may be made of sheet
copper, brass or of other suitable substance. The shell or body G of the said
aerator is closed at the top and bottom. The lower end however communicates by
means of the pipe F with the recuperator as above indicated, above which it is
situated. The said aerator is provided in its interior with a float G', made of any
suitable form or material, and held in position by means of rollers g. The float
is connected by means of lever and rod y or by other convenient means, to an
air valve H arranged in a pipe z communicating with the top of the aerator II
the said valve being open or shut according to the movement of said float G
The lever is provided with a weight W. for controlling the float, but use may be
made of a spring or any other suitable known arrangement for the same purpose.

page_text: The air valve H must be placed at the same level above the water as the ejection
valve D herein before referred to.
III is the separator which is provided near its top with a pipe in communica-
tion with a drip vessel such as L adapted to receive the liquid from the cock I
of the aerator. When it is not possible to arrange the vessel L directly below the
said cock I, a second similar vessel L¹ is provided so that in any case the flow of
liquid from the cock I is directed into the separator. Above the level of the inlet
of the tube M is fixed a valve N, and at the bottom of the separator is connected a
pipe P directed upward and having its upper end turned over or bent so that the
liquid therefrom may be sent back to the ship's hold through a suitable pipe Q.
IV is the purifier forming the last part of the apparatus. This purifier may
consist of a single vessel X as shown in Figure 2 or of two similar vessels X Y
as shown in Figure 1. R in an inlet pipe, R¹ a spiral steam pipe Z and V steam
cocks for said coil and n gauze cock or cocks. When the purifier is double, as in
Figure 1, we provide the same with pipes S and T, each with corresponding
cocks s and t, the pipe being connected to the top of the vessel X and passing to
the bottom of the vessel Y, while the pipe T passes from the bottom of vessel X
to the top of the vessel Y.
When there is sufficient room and in cases where large quantities of oil have to
be recovered, we add to the apparatus a settling tank U, provided with internal
diaphragms u and alternately fixed the one u at bottom and the others u¹ at top
of the said tank, for the purpose hereinafter explained.
Each of the vessels I, III, X, Y, and the tank U above described are provided
with bottom cocks K for cleaning purposes.
Having thus described the construction of the apparatus we will now explain
the manner in which it operates to recuperate and purify waste oil.
When the bilge water and oil is drawn up by the ship's pump it passes through
pipe A, valve A¹, and pipe A", into the vessel B, in which it accumulates until it
reach its open top, when the water, owing to its greater specific gravity, falls down
over the said vessel B to the bottom of the annular chamber E. This water on
falling upon the flanges b, b, leaves a part of the grease with which it is mixed
and when the chamber E is full, oil mixed with water and dirt will float and enter
the aerator through the pipe F, there accumulating until it reaches the float G¹.
Then, owing to the equality of level, the water at the bottom of the chamber E
will enter the pipe C and fill it until reaching the ejection valve D from which
it passes into the sea; at the same time the oil will force the float G¹ up, when any
air drawn in by the pumps when the level of bilge water is low, is free to escape
through the air valve H opened, as we have described by the upward motion of
float G¹.
The cock I is then opened, and the pines L and M lead the oil to the separ-
ator (III), where it accumulates until it reaches the cock N. During the time the
separator is filling a first natural separation of the oil from the water will take
place, the latter being forced by gravity through pipe P and returning to the
ship's hold.
Oil is conveyed through cock N and pipe R to the purifier IV and accumulates
in it, its quantity being exactly ascertained by means of gauge cocks n above
mentioned.
When the oil used is simply mineral oil the purification will be obtained by
simply boiling the oil for nearly 15 minutes, and then allowing it to stand more
or less as desired. In this case if two purifiers are provided, when the pressure
developed by boiling is sufficient, we open the cock t on the tube T and all the oil
will pass into the second purifier, the first remaining free to receive a new charge
to be purified.
When either olive oil alone or a mixture of olive and mineral oil is used, it is
necessary, before heating the emulsion in the purifier, to add a quantity of from
4 to 6 per cent. of its own weight of crystallised soda or any other saponifying
substance. When, after boiling for nearly 15 minutes and allowing it to stand

page_text: for more than one hour, pure oil-being a mixture of olive and mineral or simple
olive oil according to quality employed-will be found to float. Should however
this not prove sufficient, then an addition of from 25 to 30 litres of fresh water for
each 50 kilos. of the emulsion which is then reboiled and allowed to stand for a
suitable time will give a pure and clean oil. Should however this not be enough,
a new addition of 4% soda, with a boiling and suitable rest will certainly pro-
duce pure and clear oil ready for use to lubricate the parts of the engines.
In this case, and when two purifiers are provided, the addition of soda is made
in one of them and the addition of water in the other having thus always one
purifier ready to accumulate emulsion.
When mineral oil is only used, the quantity of oil so recuperated is more
than 75% of the quantity originally used, but, when olive oil or a mixture of
olive and mineral is used, the quantity recuperated is nearly 45 to 60%.
Where space admits of its use, we place, we above stated a settling tank sub-
stantially as described, in which the oil being obliged to flow slowly over diaphragms u
and under diaphragms u leaves all dirt and the small quantity of water which
still remains at the bottom, the oil thus coming out of the cock c when needed
as pure and as clear as new oil.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign correspondents, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a device for separating oil from water the combination of an upright
vessel having an ejection pipe connected to its bottom portion, of an inner vessel
arranged concentrically within said vessel and open at its upper end and closed
at its lower one, an inlet pipe connected to the bottom of the inner vessel, an oil
receiving vessel arranged above and connected to the top of said upright vessel,
and a discharge pipe connected near the bottom of the oil receiving vessel, substan-
tially as described.
2. In a device for separating oil from water, the combination with an upright
vessel having an ejection pipe connected to its bottom portion, of an inner vessel
arranged concentrically within said upright vessel and having an open top and
closed bottom, an inlet pipe connected to the bottom of the inner vessel, an oil
receiving vessel arranged above and connected to the top of said upright vessel,
a discharge pipe connected near the bottom of the oil receiving vessel, and air
discharge pipe connected to the top of said oil receiving vessel and provided with
a valve, a float arranged in the oil receiving vessel, and mechanism operated by
the float for opening the valve to permit the escape of air, substantially as
described.
3. In a device for separating oil from water, the combination with a vessel
having an ejection pipe connected to its bottom portion of an inner vessel arranged
concentrically within said first vessel and having an open top and closed bottom,
an inlet pipe connected to the bottom of the vase, an oil receiving vessel arranged
above and connected to the top of said vessel, means for automatically discharging
the air from the oil receiving vessel, a discharge pipe connected near the bottom
of the oil receiving vessel and a separator vessel arranged to receive the oil from
said discharge pipe and provided at its upper and lower ends respectively with an
oil and water discharge pipes, substantially as described.
4. In an apparatus for recuperating the oil and separating it from the water,
the combination with one or more purifying devices provided with means for heat-
ing the mixture substantially as described.
5. An apparatus for the separation of oil from water and impurities, consisting
of a vessel provided at its bottom with a discharge pipe and with a concentric
vessel open at its upper end and connected at its lower end with a supply pipe,
an oil receiving vessel connected with the top of said vessel and provided near its
bottom with an oil outlet, means for automatically discharging the air from the

page_text: oil receiving vessel, a separator arranged to receive the oil discharged from the
oil received and provided with means for separating the oil and refuse by gravity,
and a purifier to receive the oil from the separator and provided with means for
heating the oil and with gauge and draw-off cocks for drawing off the purified
oil from the upper portion of the purifier, substantially as described.
Dated this 20th day of March 1899.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicants.